"Pop-a-shot basketball at O'Brien's!"

I have some links for you today. First, here is an article about a group in South Africa that stares at criminals as a way of fighting crime.  They just stare, menacingly.  The silliest part is, it's apparently working.  "50 shops and local businesses have re-opened and criminal gangs have moved out of the area."  How is this working??  I figure it's only a matter of time before some genius gang leader realizes that the best way to neutralize the threat of some old geezer glaring at you is to punch him in the face.  Better yet, just give him the "are you lookin' at me?" routine.  Don't they have DeNiro movies in South Africa?  It's called intimidation, people!!

My second link is an essay I found outlining the genius of my favorite commercials ever. Strangely enough, they were Nike commercials, but they were faaan-tastic.


Beware!

the news and the olds.

  I'm back in the Cornvalley. This past weekend has seen much drinking and music playing and good time having and door breaking and La Conga eating and all around good time having. And I got paid $60 last night for something I did months ago. So I guess it's profitable to just hang out here during the summer. 
  I still don't have any adequate recording devices, so yesterday I took a mediocre song of mine on my konpyuter and managed to divide it into two rad songs. I wonder if Hoobastank has ever thought to do that? ...No, I'm pretty sure they never have. I'm pretty sure they suck, too.
  Wildcat was written in a kind of obsolete vernacular. Wildcat. Wild cat...  Scroll down for the Andy birthday creation myth.

Andy creation myth.

Today is Mick Jagger's birthday. But I am not celebrating that. I failed to write about my boy Andy's burthday on the day that the day was a day, so today I will shout out. Andy super day of birth! Thine gods split the heavens and send down an ice cream alcohol cake! 21,000 years ago, the planets aligned and a cosmic force caused the seas of Jupiter to boil! And a man of men doust(?) burst forth from a black hole, much like Jimmy Carter or Ronald McDonald! And he looked like THIS!


Or something liek that. Enjoy 21 things.

 

more stuff.
 
I guess I'll continue with the Japanese theme of yesterday's post (or is it everyday's?) and give you this link to Momus's livejournal. I always read his writings, and I always enjoy them, but these past few days he has been writing about his return to Japan, and his thoughts and feelings of the place are so parallel to mine that I must refer you to them (although he likes tako, and I dislike tako). Reading his posts make me want to go back there even more than usual. I miss it so!
 
In news of me, my summer term of school is over. I got an A- in drawing, which is very kool and the gang. Gender Differences went well I think, and I kicked ass in my presentation with Candace (who was nice enough to comment the other day). Cheers, Can-chan!
 
 

I wanna be a GS dandy.
 

 
Lately I've been reading about a phenomenon known as group sounds, or GS. What is GS, you ask? Well, in the 1960s the Beatles toured that magical land of Japan and left a great impression on the nation's youth. This new interest in western bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and The Small Faces led to many young Japanese men starting british-invasionesque rock groups. But since the Japanese have a very difficult time pronouncing "rock and roll", they simply called the bands "group sounds".  And thus, bands such as the Tempters, the Spiders, the Carnabeats, and the Human Beinz(above) were born.  
 
I find it interesting that these bands are almost completely forgotten today. Whereas young westerners are very much in tune with rock bands from yesteryear, most of my Japanese friends don't have any interest in what their parents listened to, even though the GS influence can be seen in modern Japanese bands like Kinmokusei and Teenage Lust (although the latter also give props to a certain Detroit garage band). But I suppose that's just the Japanese way; fake vintage is hipper and cheaper than real vintage. But here at the Flying Wheel, we remember the Carnabeats, and their rad name.
 

camera gargoyle.

I came across this picture on Adi's photo site. It was taken at last month's graduation ceremony. Why do I look so distressed?

my favorite bear.

So I had to give the 4-track back to Chad. You should all know: it's very difficult to record an album when you are borrowing equipment. Anyway, I did get a couple of the stranger songs recorded for my blues album, but it isn't complete yet. I don't know when it will be. Perhaps after I get my own track-recording device in which to plug my devices.

Spider Man 2 is a grand moving picture show. I've seen it twice. So should you.

Natsuki send me a link to the website of my favorite bear. Go and see.