i am no fun

i've been told several times that i am no fun. here are some people who are less fun than i:

people on diets
exhibit a: they have coined the phrase "nothing tastes as good as thin feels"

if you ever go to a restaurant with someone on a diet, prepare to have no fun. you will be criticized no matter what you order ("there's alot of carbs in that pasta there") and you will have to hear about all the nutritional benefits of the spinach salad they just ordered. i'm quite sure mozza burgers taste much better than thin feels. i used to be thin, and i was miserable. almost as miserable as people on diets.

people who exercise
exhibit a: your facebook friend's bench press update

the gym is one of the least fun places in the whole wide world. go to an underdeveloped country and try to explain to people the concept of recreational exercise. it will blow their minds as to how boring and unnecessary that is. for those of you who do exercise, just know that we are not impressed by how much you exercise, even though i am sure that you will let me know anyways.

food snobs
exhibit a: the popularity if 'asian fusion'

food snobs will make you feel guilty for enjoying food. that is my new definition of no fun. i feel guilty enough for eating fast food, chips, and slurpees from the people on diets, so i don't need to feel guilty because the food i eat "isn't real food." you know what the three best restaurants in the whole world are? taco bell, IHOP, and chili's. food snobs will pretend to despise such places, and secretly (or perhaps openly) despise you for enjoying them.

workaholics
exhibit a: your co-workers

i am convinced that most workaholics have become such because they do not like their families, so they would rather spend their time at work. it's great if you love, or even like, your job. but if you love your job so much that you spend extra time on it - that your job is better than free time to do whatever you want - you are no fun. for the workaholic, they would rather work than do anything else! this is remarkable. me:"say, what are you doing this weekend?" you:"putting in some extra work for a company that doesn't really care about me. you?" me:"i'm going to eat some nachos and watch some march madness. then i'm going to have a nap. then i'll listen to some records before heading out to chili's to have dinner with friends" who is more fun, me or you? me.

i stand corrected...

the golden age of the music video

the music video as an artform is either dying or is in a golden age, depending on how you look at.

most music videos made right now do not appear on television, and they are made by young independent film-makers. the quality is usually pretty good, considering the budget. artists do not need to pay someone to make a video. they simply start up a contest, and people make videos for them, for free. in this way, the music video is in a golden age - anyone can make one, and almost anything is possible.

i can't remember the most recently-made music video that i have actually watched. you have to go to your computer to find them, and i am more of a tv man. as a young lad, my primary source of new music was the video, on tv - usually on muchmusic's 'the wedge' (see my post below) or on mtv2 (back when my parents had a satellite dish).  back then, record labels had money to pay creative directors to make videos. they would be shown on television, where kids like me would watch, see something they liked, and go out and buy the cd. for me, this was the golden age of the music video - from about 1994 to 2000 (which, without coincidence, i'm sure, was the golden age of music for my lifetime).

here are some of my favourites:

i also wanted to post a bunch of blur videos (the universal, beetlebum, charmless man) but they won't let me. check them out nonetheless.

plainclothes press

my diary entries are typically attempts at humour, but this time, i'm all business. in a few months time, sheena (the wife) and i will be officially starting up our own short-run cd/dvd printing business called Plainclothes Press. we hope to serve the many bedroom musicians, garage bands, and other independant artists out there looking to get an album made, but who maybe don't need 500-plus copies. we may also come in handy for those looking to print-on-demand, like before a tour, a show, or to send out to radio stations. 


in addition to cd printing, we shall also provide a number of packaging options, from the standard jewel case to cardboard sleeves, as well as other creative designs that artists may have in mind. we want to work with artists to come up with some new ideas, and also potentially work with local visual artists if anyone needs a hand with cover designs. 


i think there are many different options out there for short-run printing - all which are quite expensive. we will hopefully be able to provide printing and packaging at a reasonable cost while still maintaining professional quality. but most of all, we want to provide personal service - working directly with artists to find out exactly what they need and what they can afford. 


so stay tuned for more information - we will have a website up soon, as well as all the obligatory facebook/myspace/twitter pages. also, if you are an artist who is interested in this kind of service, please send me a message and we can discuss any ideas you may have. 

new order: talented

i am certain that it is not fashionable to enjoy new-period new order, but if you have ever seen me, you know that i am not very fashionable.



i have been listening to this album, 'get ready', as well as 'waiting for the siren's call' a lot lately, and i have to admit, i enjoy it much more than most of their early material (except for some of the obvious early singles). peter hook is great, obviously, but bernard sumner is a very underrated guitar player, and stephen morris is one of my most favourite drummers - perhaps why i have been liking newer new order these days.