the many moods of larrydigital

Well.....

2011-03-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

There goes that.

As I mentioned in my last post, my podcast plan for 2011 was 12 podcasts in 12 months. Well, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. I've been struck by the nightmare of all nightmares, the cruelest break of all cruel breaks (for computer users), I've been struck with a hard drive crash.

The irony here is that just this past weekend, not 4 days ago, I had mentioned to my wife that this weekend, a mere 3 days away from our conversation, I planned to buy a new laptop and a second external for the express purpose of backing up my files. A dedicated backup system to preserve my precious collection.

I'm doing what I can to recover my drive but as it stands now, there's a good chance that I've lost approximately 6,000 albums featuring 85,000 individual mp3s. I've spent a decent chunk of the last 5 years arranging and digitizing my collection. Curating it has been such an enormous time, and financial, investment for me. Words cannot express how emotionally devastated am I by this. I've taken the drive to a highly recommended, and quite costly, data recovery service so hope is not completely lost but in a possibly feeble attempt to soften the emotional blow, I'm preparing myself for the worst. The mere idea of rebuilding my collection seems so daunting that I'm not even sure that I'll even attempt to do it. I may just resign myself to handful of tracks on my phone and leave at that. We'll see.

So the many moods of larrydigital series is done. For now. Thanks to all of you who've listened or bothered to read this blog. I hope to be back soon.

Goodbye for now.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 29

2011-02-28T23:57:00.000-08:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Howdy boyts and girls.

Here's my latest podcast, for February 2011. My plan is to have no skipped months this year, 12 podcasts in 12 months and I made this one just under the wire.

Enjoy.

Episode 29: Here and Now

1. larry's intro
2. ""Contort Yourself" by James Chance & The Contortions (1978)
3. "Jocko Homo" by Devo (1978)
4. "Sank Into the Chair" by Liquid Liquid (2008)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story)" by !!! (2004)
7. "House of Jealous Lovers (Morgan Geist Version)" by The Rapture (2002)
8. "Free for All (Soundstream Remix)" by Rhythm & Sound (2006)
9. larry's interlude #2
10. "Whisper" by Chaz Jankel (1983)
11. "Lola R. For Ever (Lola Rastaquouère)" by Marianne Faithfull (2006)
12. "Miss You" by The Dynamics (2007)
13. larry's interlude #3
14. "Your Teeth In My Neck" by Scientist (1981)
16. "Flashing Echo" by Leo Graham & The Upsetters (1973)
17. "You're No Good" by Ken Boothe & The Aggrovators (2007)
18. larry's interlude #4/outro
19. "Sensimilla" by Yellowman (2008)

This month's theme song is "MRG" by The New Mastersounds.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 28

2011-01-29T08:11:00.000-08:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Hot off the presses, it's my latest podcast, new for 2011.

The original plan for this podcast was to make it a little more soul oriented. Early versions had Solomon Burke, Vicki Anderson and some early Funkadelic later veering into a little mainstream hip-hop with Diddy and Lloyd Banks, with some Aloe Blacc and Van Hunt thrown in the middle there.

I actually completed this podcast the last week of December. It was done, ready to be uploaded for your listening pleasure. But then I got my hands on Chico Mann's Analog Drift. And that's when the wheels fell off.

I've always said that I try to structure these things so they can function as playlists, just take my interludes out and you can play it out at a party. Which I'm aware makes no sense because if that's the goal, why record interludes at all.... but whatev. I had to include the commentary, without it, how would you know that I think Daft Punk sucks (controversial!). Anyway, I heard Chico's album, I was so blown away that I had to include something from it in the latest episode. And so, keep with the party playlist structure idea, the addition of "Once in a Lifetime" changed the song after it, and the one after that, and the one after that, and eventually the one before it and the one before that and so on until the entire episode changed. It morphed from this throwback-ish soul-y kind of thing into this turn of the century dance party. Which is just as awesome in my book. The only song that survived the massacre was Diddy's track "Strobe Lights." That's right. Diddy. Stop hating.

Ok, check it out. Let me know what you think. Emails to larrydigital@gmail.com or if you're really, really, really kind, how about an actual review (good or bad!) at my iTunes page.

Thanks for stopping by.

Episode 28: Same As It Ever Was

1. "Fresh" by Daft Punk (1997)
2. larry's intro/interlude #1
3. "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" by Modjo (2001)
4. "Music Sounds Better with You" by Stardust (1998)
5. larry's interlude #2
6. "Once in a Lifetime" by Chico Mann (2010)
7. "Steam and Sequins for Larry Levan" by Matmos (2006)
8. "Stillness In Time" by Calvin Harris (2007)
9. larry's interlude #3
10. "Starlight" by Escort (2006)
11. "Whispers" by Aeroplane (2008)
12. "The Real Thing (Cinnamon Chasers Remix)" by Roxy Music (2010)
13. larry's interlude #4
14. "Tall Boy (Professor LaCroix Remix)" by Har Mar Superstar (2009)
16. "Strobe Lights" by Diddy-Dirty Money (2010)
17. "Hip Hop Changed" by Crookers (2010)
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "I'm Not Contagious" by Chromeo (2010)

This month's theme song is "Groove Holmes" by the Beastie Boys.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 27

2010-12-12T23:55:00.001-08:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Ok boys and girls, I'm back with my third (sorta) annual Christmas podcast.

This podcast was actually completed last year but due to technical difficulties beyond my control (a faulty video card that made my laptop inoperable), it was unable to published in time for Christmas. I considered publishing two months later in February (you know, for you Chinese Christmas) but I decided that the best thing to do would probably be to just sit on it. Funny how it worked out though, I considered it ready to go last December but after ruminating on it for so long, I picked and pulled at it and eventually came up with an almost entirely new podcast. Of the 20 tracks from last December, only 6 have remained. That's right, 14 new tracks.

Anyway, so instead of this episode being my third Christmas one in 3 years, it ends up being my third in 4 years. Make sense? Good. This one's a little more country than I expected it to be but I think it turned out fine.

You know, growing up, I never really liked Christmas. I just figured that the whole thing was just one big merchandising scam pushed on us by major corporations. It is of course, but I've maybe softened over the years. Because now I really look forward to Christmas. I really enjoy it, and not just because I have a kid now. The turn started about maybe 5 years ago. I think listening to so many Christmas songs for this podcast may have had something to do with it. I most dig holiday songs from the 50s and 60s. They're just so..... cheery. Campy. Soul ones from the 70s are cool, plus the odd hip-hop song but the country-fied ones from the 50s and 60s really entertain me the most. There might be a whole lot more of those in next year's podcast.

Ok, enough from me. Here's my latest Christmas episode. Enjoy. Let me know what you think.

Episode 27: A Yule That's Cool Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" by Ray Charles (1985)
3. "Back Door Santa" by Clarence Carter (1969)
4. "Merry Christmas, Baby" by Otis Redding (1968)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Christmas Time All Over the World" by Sammy Davis, Jr. (1963)
7. "Buon Natale (Means Merry Christmas to You)" by Nat King Cole (1959)
8. "Jingle Bells" by Celia Cruz (1995)
9. larry's interlude #2
10. "A Rootin' Tootin' Santa Claus" by Tennessee Ernie Ford (1951)
11. "The Winter Song" by Tex Williams & the Western Caravan (1949)
12. "To Heck with Ole Santa Claus" by Loretta Lynn (1966)
13. larry's interlude #3
14. "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus" by Brenda Lee (1956)
15. "The Tree" by Peggy Lee (1960)
16. "77 Santas" by Gayla Peevey (1955)
17. "Jing-A-Ling, Jing-A-Ling" by The Andrew Sisters (1950)
18. larry's interlude #4
19. "Cool Yule" by Louis Armstrong & the Commanders (1953)
20. "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus" by Ralph Marterie & His Orchestra (1954)
21. "Hey Santa Claus" by The Moonglows (1953)
22. larry's interlude #5
23. "Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man for This Christmas)" by The Weather Girls (1983)
24. "Christmas Rappin'" by Kurtis Blow (1979)
25. "Dana Dane is Coming to Town" by Dana Dane (1987)
26. larry's interlude #6/outro
27. "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" by Ella Fitzgerald (1950

This month's theme song is "Sleigh Ride" by Al Caiola & Riz Ortolani.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 26

2010-10-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Episode 26: Walk On By Tracklist

1. "The Same Thing Again" by Billy Preston (1970)
2. larry's intro
3. "Window Shopping" by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (2010)
4. "Woman's Gotta Have It" by Bobby Womack (1972)
5. "Ladies" by Lee Fields & The Expressions (2009)
6. larry's interlude #1
7. "The Panties" by Mos Def (2004)
8. "Hey Brother" by Aloe Blacc (2010)
9. "Do Do Wap Is Strong In Here (Ashley Beedle Re-edit)" by Curtis Mayfield (2005)
10. larry's interlude #2
11. "He Can Only Hold Her" by Amy Winehouse (2006)
12. "Fuck You!" by Cee-Lo Green (2010)
13. larry's interlude #3
14. "Look After Me" by Hot Chip (2006)
15. "Runabout" by Little Dragon (2009)
16. "Naïve" by Aldo Vanucci (2009)
17. larry's interlude #4/outro
18. "I.O.U. (12" Version)" by Freeez (1983)

This month's theme song is "Vedo Nudo" by Armando Trovaioli.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 25

2010-09-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Episode 25: Turn It Up Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Fun in the Church" by The Nat Adderley Sextet (1972)
3. "Electric Worm" by Beastie Boys (2007)
4. "Bedstuy Parade & Funeral March" by Mos Def (2004)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Next Girl" by The Black Keys (2010)
7. "Colleen" by The Heavy (2007)
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Turn It Up" by The Bamboos (2010)
10. "Não Posso Te Levar à Sério" by Saravah Soul (2008)
11. larry's interlude #3
12. "Che Che Colé Makossa" by Antibalas (2003)
13. "Mi Gente (Louie Vega Elements of Life Remix)" by Héctor Lavoe (2008)
14. larry's interlude #4
15. "In My Bones" by Groove Armada (1999)
16. "Limon en la Cabeza (Quantic Dub Mix)" by Gecko Turner (2006)
17. "Gravity's Rainbow (Soulwax Remix)" by The Klaxons (2007)
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "Excuse Me (Diplo Remix)" by Gucci Mane (2010)

This month's theme song is "Ronnie's Bonnie" by Reuben Wilson.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 24

2010-07-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Episode 24: Jump On It Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Apache" by Sugarhill Gang (1982)
3. "Request Line" by Rockmaster Scott & The Dynamic Three (1984)
4. "Beat Bop" by Rammellzee vs. K-Rob (1983)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Mo' Filth" by Lack of Afro (2009)
7. "Step It Up" by The Bamboos (2006)
8. "The Witch" by The Broken Keys (2006)
9. larry's interlude #2
10. "Picture This" by Beastie Boys (1999)
11. "Foux Du Fafa" by Flight of the Conchords (2008)
12. larry's intro #3
13. "Here Comes the Sun (François K. Remix)" by Nina Simone (2006)
14. "Bababatteur (Quantic Mix)" by Awa Band (2005)
15. larry's intro #4
16. "What's a Girl Gotta Do" by Basement Jaxx (2009)
17. "Flying Saucer" by United Future Organization (1999)
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "She Said What?" by The Quantic Soul Orchestra (2007)

This month's theme song is "Hi Hater (Instrumental)" by Maino.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 23

2010-06-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Episode 23: Lord Have Mercy Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man" by Muddy Waters (1954)
3. "Lonely Avenue" by Ray Charles (1956)
4. "Saved" by LaVern Baker (1961)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "The Lip" by Louis Prima & Keely Smith (1957)
7. "Destination Moon" by Dinah Washington (1962)
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Cajun Moon" by Herbie Mann (1976)
10. "Obsession (Nassau Mix)" by Guy Cuevas (1982)
11. larry's interlude #3
12. "Sorrow, Tears and Blood" by Fela Kuti (1977)
13. "Compressor" by Biting Tongues (1987)
14. larry's intro #4
15. "Wires and Watchtowers" by Thievery Corporation (2005)
16. "Stop Your Gun Shooting" by Errol Dunkley (1976)
17. "Rockers Galore... UK Tour" by The Clash (1980)
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "Limb By Limb" by Cutty Ranks (1993)

This month's theme song is "Stalag 17 Version" by The Techniques All-Stars.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 22

2010-04-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Episode 22: Taxes, Death & Trouble Tracklist

1. "Pablo Picasso" by The Modern Lovers (1976)
2. larry's intro
3. "Dance Yrself Clean" by LCD Soundsystem (2010)
4. "She's Always In My Hair" by D'Angelo (1997)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Blow Your Head" by Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s (1974)
7. "Easin' In" by Edwin Starr (1973)
8. "Snidely Whiplash" by The Alexander Review (1975)
9. larry's interlude #2
10. "Holdin' On" by Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators (2005)
11. "Recommendation" by Little Dragon (2007)
12. larry's interlude #3
13. "Me Gustas Cuando Callas" by Brazilian Girls (2005)
14. "Lali Est Paresseux" by Nellie McKay (2006)
15. larry's intro #4
16. "Trouble Man" by Marvin Gaye (1972)
17. "Cosmic Slop" by Funkadelic (1973)
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke (1964)

This month's theme song is "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" by Reuben Wilson.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 21

2010-03-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Here's my latest offering for you folks. I dig the way it came out, hope you feel the same.

As I mentioned in the podcast, here are the two covers for the Coup's 2001 album Party Music. I'm sure you can see why they changed the original.

Pre-9/11 cover:

Post-9/11 cover:

Episode 21: Heartaches By The Pound Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Get Out of My Life Woman" by Joe Williams w/ Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra (1966)
3. "Like Young" by Linda Lawson (1960)
4. "Who Knows" by The Quantic Soul Orchestra (2007)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Squire for Hire (12" Mix)" by Nathan Haines (2003)
7. "If It Was Good Enough for Daddy" by Clarence Reid (1973)
8. "Walking on the Moon" by Reverend Jamel & Bob Johnson (2007)
9. larry's interlude #2
10. "Damn Right I Am Somebody" by Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s (1974)
11. "Expansions" by Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes (1974)
12. "Broasted or Fried" by Willie Bobo & the Bo-Gents (1968)
13. larry's interlude #3
14. "Take It Off" by Plantlife (2004)
15. "Lala Song (Tocadisco Re-Edit)" by Bob Sinclar (2009)
16. "On the Dancefloor" by David Guetta (2009)
17. larry's interlude #4/outro
18. "5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO" by The Coup (2001)

This month's theme song is "Spider Baby" by The Link Quartet.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 20

2010-01-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Originally this episode was going to be released in November. But then I pushed it back because I wanted my Motown 50th anniversary podcast to be timely and at the time, I had my Christmas podcast scheduled for December. Of course, that didn't happen due to unforeseen technical difficulties.

Anyway, here it is. Two months later than intended.

Episode 20: There's No Turning Back Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Courage" by The Whitest Boy Alive (2009)
3. "Mr. Moon" by Jamiroquai (1995)
4. larry's interlude #1
5. "I Wanna Be Adored (Rabbit in the Moon's Bloody Valentine Edit)" by The Stone Roses (2000)
6. "Bad Blood" by Simian Mobile Disco (2009)
7. "DJ" by Amanda Blank (2009)
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Wild Thing (Peaches Remix)" by Tone-Lōc (2007)
10. "Know How Theme (Aaron Lacrate & Debonair Samir RMX)" by Young MC (2008)
11. larry's interlude #3
12. "Mary Jane" by Major Lazer (2009)
13. "Yo Digo Baila" by Mexican Institute of Sound (2009)
14. "Combination Pizza Hut & Taco Bell (Wallpaper. Remix)" by Das Racist (2009)
15. larry's interlude #4
16. "Let It Ride (Jimpster Main Vocal Remix)" by Lisa Shaw (2005)
17. "Blind" by Hercules & Love Affair (2008)
18. larry's interlude/outro
19. "Again" by The Night People (1980)

This month's theme song is "Promenade Des British" by Stereoscope Jerk Explosion.

Long Live the King!

2010-01-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

Happy 75th birthday to the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Elvis often gets a bad rap because he allowed Col. Tom Parker to turn him into a caricature in the years before his death but calling him an incredible artist is a tremendous understatement. If you can listen to his From Elvis in Memphis album without being amazed then there's nothing can I say to you because you obviously have no soul.

If you're somehow unfamiliar with Elvis, this NPR link has a nice little roundup of Elvis songs from around the web. If you're feeling indulgent then I recommend the new 4-disc Elvis 75 comp that was released last month. If I had to choose one song for you to sample, it'd have to be his 1975 cover of Chuck Berry's "Promised Land." Check it out on iTunes and if you don't like it, I'll personally reimburse you for it. It's fitting that I recommend that song because as innovative as Elvis was as a performer, he wasn't nearly as original with his actual songs. Many of Elvis' best songs were covers of previously released songs, "Hound Dog," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Are You Lonesome Tonight," "Mystery Train," "That's All Right, Mama," among others. The main reason for that is because his manager Col. Tom Parker flat out refused to pay quality songwriters for their music, figuring that Elvis was the "biggest star in the world" so any song Elvis sang would be a hit so why pay top dollar to the top lyricists. Which sort of makes sense until you learn that Elvis once released a song called "The Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce."

I briefly toyed with the idea of an all Elvis podcast but I honestly didn't feel there'd be enough interest in it. I mean, I'd enjoy it but that's probably about it. Besides, I'm not so sure how well an Elvis podcast would go over so close to a episode dedicated to his former son-in-law, Michael Jackson. The technical difficulties that forced me to cancel my Christmas podcast eliminated the chance of it happening.

For more Elvis, those of you who live in the Los Angeles area should try to make it down the Grammy Museum for the Elvis exhibit. It looks really cool. The exhibit runs through March 28. The Grammy Museum is an awesome place anyway, you should check it out regardless if you haven't already, Elvis exhibit or no Elvis exhibit.

Anyway. Happy birthday to Elvis, the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Now go listen to From Elvis in Memphis. Just make sure you forward through the song "In the Ghetto," haha.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 19

2009-11-29T23:27:00.000-08:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Finally, a new episode. Sorry for the delay. I normally try to have a new podcast out every month or at the very least every other month but I had some technical difficulties that prevented me from posting a new podcast for a while. Much thanks to Mr. Neville Premdas for his assistance in clearing things up.

One thing that irritates me about making these podcasts is that I put so much time and effort into each one only to realize after I publish it that there are things I forgot to include. For example, for Episode 19: The Sound of Young America, I neglected to mention that "The Sound of Young America" was actually the slogan for Motown Records during much of their existence. The other subsidiaries mentioned in the podcast, Tamla Records and Gordy Records, had their own slogans as well, "The Sound that makes the world go 'round" and "It's What's in the Grooves that Counts," respectively.

Also, while I began the podcast with the intent of celebrating most of Motown's 50 year history, I noticed that I mostly focused on those middle years, from the mid-60s to the late 70s. Which, if you're familiar with my musical preferences, sounds about right. The latest record being the Temptations' 1982 single, "Standing on the Top." In all honesty, this particular song never really did much for me but I thought the history behind it (the return of David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks plus production by Rick James) made it an interesting selection.

I'm a little disappointed that so many classic acts didn't make the cut. I really wanted to include Mary Wells' "The One Who Really Loves You" and the Isley Brothers' take on the Supremes' "I Hear a Symphony" but as I mention in the podcast, there's just so much Motown material out there that it's kind of impossible to pick just 13 songs to epitomize that Motown sound. Particularly if you don't want to sound like one of those dozens of generic "Best of Motown" comps out there. And I was desperately trying to avoid sounding like one of those. I also didn't want to load up too many songs from the same artists. Sure I double up on the Temptations but I felt the songs were different enough, since it's obvious they're from vastly different eras, that it'd be ok. And really, limiting the selections, in an attempt to pick the right song was sort of difficult. Considering that I could easily make entire podcasts devoted to some of these artists, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Smokey, etc.

Anyway, sure, some of the bigger names got passed up and some of the little known acts are in but I think it works. Let me know if you think so too.

Episode 19: The Sound of Young America Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "We've Got a Good Thing Going" by Michael Jackson (1972)
3. "Nothing in This World Like My Baby" by the Originals (2005)
4. "It's Growing" by Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers (1968)
5. larry's intro #1
6. "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross & The Supremes (1969)
7. "Virgin Man" by Smokey Robinson (1974)
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Go On and Cry" by The Mynah Birds (1966)
10. "I Just Want to Celebrate" by Rare Earth (1971)
11. "Smiling Faces Sometimes" by The Undisputed Truth (1971)
12. larry's interlude #3
13. "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations (1972)
14. "Time" by Edwin Starr (1970)
15. larry's interlude #4
16. "Got to Give It Up" by Marvin Gaye (1977)
17. "Standing on the Top" by The Temptations (1982)
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "Living for the City" by Stevie Wonder (1973)

This month's theme song is "Superstition" by Ahmad Jamal.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 18

2009-08-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Episode 18: Safety In Numbers Tracklist

1. "Hands of Time" by Groove Armada (2002)
2. larry's intro
3. "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" by Prince (1987)
4. "Dust" by Van Hunt (2004)
5. "Sex-O-Matic Venus Freak" by Macy Gray (1999)
6. larry's intro #1
7. "Saturn" by The Evil Tambourines (1999)
8. "Talking 'Bout My Baby" by Fatboy Slim (2000)
9. larry's interlude #2
10. "L.I.P.S.T.I.C.K." by Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band (2004)
11. "Gifted" by N.A.S.A. (2009)
12. "Hot In Herre" by Tiga (2003)
13. larry's interlude #3
14. "Oh My Gosh" by Basement Jaxx (2005)
15. "Bulletproof (Dave Aude Cherry Radio Remix)" by La Roux (2009)
16. "Superconfidential" by CLP (2009)
17. larry's interlude #4/outro
18. "100% Pure Love" by Crystal Waters (1994)

This month's theme song is "Executive Dance Party (From the film "Rollerball")" by André Previn.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 17

2009-07-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

So here you go, my half-ass tribute to the music of Michael Jackson.

I know what you're asking, "Why half-ass, Larry?"

Well, I'll tell you. I started kicking around the idea of an all Michael Jackson podcast last month after he died but I myself was a little tired of seeing all "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" everywhere so I thought, well, Michael's career didn't exactly start with the Thriller album so what if I focused on his earlier solo work? So I mentioned to my wife that I planned on doing a Michael Jackson tribute without playing anything from Thriller.

Whaaaat?, she asked. You can't have a tribute without playing "Beat It," what kind of tribute is that?

A half-ass one, obviously. Hence, the subtitle.

I had a really good time putting this together. I guess I was getting a little tired of the Michael idolatry myself so for me, listening to his older work was a good reminder that he was an artist. The fact that he became such a spectacle in his later life really overshadowed that. Recently I was reading an interview with Smokey Robinson in Vanity Fair magazine (yeah, I read Vanity Fair, ¿y que?) and he said that Michael was the one of the most complete artists Motown ever produced, he just got lost somewhere along the way. Which is quite a bold statement when you think of some of the luminaries Motown had on their roster, and the influence those artists had in their day.

As you might expect, this episode is a little different. Both in content and tone. Generally, I try to shy away from multiple appearances from the same artist in one podcast but I believed that losing an artist of Michael's magnitude deserved something special.

Check it out, let me know what you think.

Episode 17: Just An Average Man Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson (1979)
3. "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" by The Jacksons (1978)
4. "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell (1984)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Dancing Machine (Original LP Version)" by The Jackson 5 (1973)
7. "I Want You Back (Z-Trip Remix)" by The Jackson 5 (2005)
8. "I Wanna Be Where You Are" by Michael Jackson (1972)
9. larry's interlude #2
10. "Get It Together (4Hero Remix)" by The Jackson 5 (2001)
11. "Blame It On the Boogie" by The Jacksons (1978)
12. larry's interlude #3
13. "What Goes Around Comes Around" by Michael Jackson (1972)
14. "We're Almost There" by Michael Jackson (1975)
15. larry's interlude #4
16. "Girlfriend" by Michael Jackson (1979)
17. "Everybody" by The Jacksons (1980)
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "You Rock My World" by Michael Jackson (2001)

This month's theme song is "Hum Along and Dance (United Future Organiztion Mix)" by The Jackson 5.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 16

2009-06-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Hey there, boys and girls, here's a substance abuse-fueled mix just in time for Father's Day.

This month's podcast kicks off with Gil Scott-Heron's anti-alcohol message "The Bottle" and ends with Dillinger's "anti"-cocaine song, "Cocaine In My Brain." I use quotations for that last part because even though that's how the song is billed, that song doesn't seem to be "anti" anything. Maybe it's considered "anti" cocaine because it's makes Dillinger blather like an idiot. But some of us don't need controlled substances to do that.

Listen for yourself, if you hear a message anywhere in there, let me know.

Episode 16: A Knife, A Fork, A Bottle & A Cork Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "The Bottle" by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson (1974)
3. "Everything Is Everything" by Eddie Palmieri (1969)
4. "Pass the Peas" by The J.B.'s (1972)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Fight the Power, Parts 1 & 2" by The Isley Brothers (1975)
7. "West Pier Get Down" by The Quantic Soul Orchestra (2005)
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Day In/Day Out (Cut Chemist Remix)" by Nat King Cole (2009)
10. "American Pimp" by PPP (2009)
11. "West End Girls (Sasha Remix)" by Pet Shop Boys (2003)
12. larry's interlude #3
13. "Woman of the World (Long Instrumental Version)" by Double (1984)
14. "O'oh (Shitake Monkey Mix)" by Yoko Ono (2007)
15. larry's interlude #4
16. "Boof n' Baff n' Biff" by Black Uhuru (1999)
17. "Up Park Camp" by John Holt (1978)
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "Cocaine in My Brain" by Dillinger (1977)

This month's theme song is "Hang 'Em High" by Jackie Mittoo.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 15

2009-04-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Here ya go, kids, another super-cool compilation by yours truly.

Quick story about this episode, this podcast was supposed to be released in November 2008. But I got a little behind and decided to skip November and go straight to December's Christmas episode. So the plan was to then use this podcast in January but I decided that a new year meant new episodes so I scrapped all my previously put together tracklists.

Fast forward to this month... I came across some notes relating to the many moods of larrydigital and felt like I had a a decent tracklist so I went back to my ol' November list. But, as I'm wont to do, I began to tinker with the November tracklist. Then I tinkered some more. Then I completely overhauled it. So while this episode may have began in November 2008, the finalized version published today shares exactly three songs in common with that original version I made five months ago. And none of the songs are in sequential order. Go figure!

I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to let me know what you think.

Episode 15: Sexy Sexy Sexy Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "17 Days" by Prince (1984)
3. "Cold Blooded" by Rick James (1983)
4. "Fake" by Alexander O'Neal (1987)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "After the Rain" by Little Dragon (2007)
7. "Smoke Bubbles" by Basement Jaxx (2006)
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Over and Over" by Hot Chip (2006)
10. "You Know What" by N.E.R.D. (2008)
11. "Crucial" by k-os (2004)
12. larry's interlude #3
13. "Fogma" by Groove Armada (2001)
14. "Transmission Central" by Rockers Hi-Fi (1999)
15. larry's interlude #4
16. "I Need Your Love (Ewan Pearson 'Stay in School' Mix)" by The Rapture (2004)
17. "Main Vein" by Jamiroquai (2001)
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "Planet Claire" by The B-52's (1979)

This month's theme song is "Allegretto Per Signora" by Ennio Morricone.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 14

2009-03-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

You know the deal. Enjoy, suckas!

Episode 14: Lasers On Stun Tracklist

1. "Police & Thieves" by Junior Murvin (1976)
2. larry's intro
3. "Philistines on the Land" by Junior Murvin (1977)
4. "Better Must Come" by Delroy Wilson (1972)
5. "400 Years" by Peter Tosh (2007)
6. larry's interlude #1
7. "Time to Get Away" by LCD Soundsystem (2007)
8. "Whoo! Alright Yeah... Uh Huh" by The Rapture (2006)
9. "Get Your Money" by will.i.am
10. larry's interlude #2
11. "Constant Surprises" by Little Dragon (2007)
12. "Don't Stop" by Brazilian Girls (2005)
13. "Konichiwa Bitches" by Robyn (2005)
14. larry's interlude #3
15. "You're the Man (Alternate Version #1)" by Marvin Gaye (2001)
16. "Umi Says" by Mos Def (1999)
17. larry's interlude #4/outro
18. "Groove Me" by Guy (1988)

Zap! Pow! Bam! @ The Skirball

2009-02-27T23:57:00.000-08:00

Made it out to the Skirball Cultural Center earlier to check out the new Zap! Pow! Bam! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938–1950 exhibit.

The exhibit focuses mainly on the heyday of comics. A time when Superman comics sold approximately one million copies a month. (A claim made by an employee of the Skirball Cultural Center, one I did not bother to verify because this is just a blog that no one reads, not CNN.com.) Something like that is amazing to me because growing up, none of my friends read comics, only I did. And my parents absolutely hated the fact that I was into comics. Hated it. A time when comics were socially acceptable is almost inconceivable to me.

If you're a comic fan like I am then I think you'll find it pretty interesting. It was good to see older comics. Much older comics. They weren't kidding about the whole "Golden Age of Comics" thing either. Just a quick FYI, us comic nerds refer to the early years of superhero comics, generally from the early 1930s to the late 1940s, the "Golden Age." Superhero comics largely disappeared in the early thanks to the effort of noted crackpot Fredric Wertham and his book Seduction of the Innocent. The book basically alleged that children who read comics were exposed to depictions of sex and violence which led to the children becoming delinquents.

The book was mostly anecdotal but he did raise one good point, children were exposed to highly suspicious imagery. I give you Exhibit A: Batman's Leather Thong and Exhibit B: Batman & Robin Tanning. And I'm not even going to mention the Joker's boner. Still, I'm not sure how superhero comics of that era were any worse than other comics that were available. Say, Disney Comics, for example. Because Donald Duck will straight out murder you if you get on his bad side.

There was smaller related exhibit going on there as well. It was about superheroes in film and television through out the years. From some of the earliest examples like the Captain America serials from the 1940s to the Spider-Man television show from the 1970s and ending around the first Batman film from the late 1980s. It had a bunch of props and costumes and stuff. They had Warren Beatty's costume from the Dick Tracy film, which elicited a heart-felt "Eh" from me personally.

All in all, it was cool. Zap! Pow! Bam! runs through August 9th, 2009.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 13

2009-02-24T23:32:00.000-08:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Okay, party people here's a brand new podcast for all of you not to listen to you.

I think I mentioned this before but a lot of these podcasts are done months in advance. Like, while I may not have written my dialogue or recorded my vocals for each one yet, the actual playlists are completely long before. But, I decided to be all new for 2009. Meaning that I threw out the playlists that I had and started from scratch. As a result, this one took a little longer than usual (!) but I think it came together nicely.

Good news for me, I think I solved a distortion problem that I'd been having. If you go back and listen to older podcast, Episode 7: Don't Fight the Feeling, for example, you'll notice that there's a strange distortion on each track. Well, I finally figure out that the reason for that was I overcompressing (new word!) the files. I wanted to make the small and manageable which had a direct result on the quality of the music. So I decided to up the quality of the track which makes for a much larger file size. Eh, it's worth it, I think.

There's a little more hip-hop in this one than usual but that's ok. I'm a big fan of the Tribe Called Quest remix. I recently bought a new external hard drive exclusively for music files and I've been reorganizing my music. The added bonus to this, besides the central location for my music, is that I'm re-discovering music that I had forgotten about it. Which is sort of ironic considering my woeful recounting in the podcast of how I rarely find new music these days. You'll have to listen to it to find out what I mean.

Enjoy!

And if you do, please be so kind to add a review to my iTunes page.

Episode 13: Wrapped In Plastic Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "You Can Come Right Back To Me" by David Ruffin (2004)
3. "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins (1972)
4. "Skinny Legs and All" by Joe Tex (1968)
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Whole Lotta Love" by Tina Turner (1975)
7. "I'm a Good Woman" by The Generation (1969)
8. "1969" by The Stooges (1969)
9. larry's interlude #2
10. "Heartbeats (Rocket Boy Remix)" by José González (2005)
11. "Rock Creek Park" by The Blackbyrds (1975)
12. "Ka$h" by James Pants (2008)
13. larry's interlude #3
14. "Sumthin' About Her" by Plantlife (2008)
15. "Go Ahead in the Rain (Pimp Juice's Players' Paradise)" by A Tribe Called Quest (1999)
16. "In Search of the Youth Crew" by Cadence Weapon (2008)
17. larry's interlude #4/outro
18. "Universal Mind Control (UMC)" by Common (2008)

This month's theme song is "Praça Da Republica" by Jackson Conti.

Good Riddance?

2009-02-21T11:58:00.000-08:00

So it's been years since I actually listened to 97.1 FM Talk (KLSX in Los Angeles). Mostly because I find Adam Corolla boring, Tom Leykis phony and Heidi, Frosty and Frank completely uninteresting.

That being said, I was surprised to hear that 97.1 FM Talk suddenly went off the air yesterday and was replaced by a Top 40 radio station. What confuses me about it is that I just don't understand how many Top 40 radio stations actually need to exist. I mean, ok, let's say you're a fan of Top 40 music.... do you really know not where to find Rihanna songs on the radio? I mean, aren't there quite a few of these stations already? Like I aid, I personally didn't listen to 97.1 Talk but at least it offered up an alternative to what was being played on every other FM radio station out here in Los Angeles.

It's a tough time for radio. First Indie 103.1 and 97.1 FM Talk. Luckily, Sirius/XM got rescued from bankruptcy but then again, according to an e-mail I just got, they're raising their rates. I probably won't be renewing my subscription and who knows how many other people might follow suit.

Well, I suppose there's always podcasts. Hey, since I mentioned it.... check out the many moods of larrydigital!

Everybody Loves Chris!

2009-02-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

Well, everyone except DJ Mbenga.

Earlier today, the Lakers traded long-suffering center Chris Mihm to the Memphis Grizzlies for a conditional 2nd round pick in 2013. Man, that's rough. Essentially, it's a cost-cutting move. The Lakers shed the remainder of Mihm's salary, plus a dollar-for-dollar tax for being over the luxury threshold. The rough part is that they got nothing for him which has to suck if you're the guy getting traded. Basically the Lakers are saying that Mihm's contract is more useful to them if he's playing for free for a different team rather than playing for the team he's been with for the last three years.

If you're an NBA player, what does THAT do to your ego?

Now, most Laker fans don't care for Chris because he's a seven footer that's currently averaging 1.9 rebounds a game. To be fair, being in Los Angeles hasn't exactly been easy for Chris. As soon he arrives here from the Boston Celtics in a trade for Rick Fox, he's asked be the first Lakers' center in the post-Shaquille O'Neal era which is a tough task in itself. Then he goes on to have a whole bunch of ankle injuries with caused him to missed the entire 2008 season.

I happen to like the guy though. I mean, sure he wasn't the most athletic guy on the court but he worked hard when he was out there. What can I say? I have something of a soft spot for guys who bust their ass out there. So yeah, I like the Chris Mihms of the NBA, the Brian Cardinals, the Ira Newbles, the Mark Madsens. I just think that in this day and age of the NBA, where "stars" are consistently whining about phantom injuries, a guy who goes out there and does his best when he can as hard as he can is something to be appreciated.

Krypto-Nate!

2009-02-16T10:50:00.000-08:00

I like the NBA's all-star weekend as much as the next guy but sometimes I think the festivities run a little long. The actual NBA all-star game in on Sunday but there's a plenty of other stuff. The celebrity game is on Friday, plus the Rookie-Sophomore game. Saturday is slightly more interesting with the D-League All-Star game, the new-for-2009 HORSE challenge and a bunch of other lame stuff, like the Shooting Stars competition (which is basically a way for the NBA to shoehorn WNBA players into all-star weekend), the point guard skills challenge, the 3-point shoot out and the dunk challenge.

Quite honestly, I hate it all. It's all showy and lame, especially the dunk competition. But despite my intense dislike for it, I never miss the dunk contest. I have to admit, last year's competition with Dwight Howard was a lot of fun so even though I didn't expect much, I had slightly better expectations for this year.

Those expectations went out the window when Rudy Fernandez got hosed. Basically it was obvious that the judges were setting up a finals with the 7'1" Dwight Howard and the 5'9" Nate Robinson so Rudy and J.R. "The Human Tattoo" Smith never had a chance. It was also obviously that the dunks themselves don't really matter anymore and what does are the theatrics that go into said dunks. Last year, Dwight established himself as the NBA's new Superman (sorry, Shaq). And how do you stop Superman? With kryptonite, of couse. So Nate transformed himself into..... Krypto-Nate! Complete with a custom green Knicks uniform and ball.

And really, Nate's final dunk over Dwight Howard.....

.....was awesome.

And you know, as a Laker fan, I'm really glad all-star weekend is over. Frankly, I was tired of the media's talking heads over-hyping the "reunion" of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. After years of being a dick, Shaq basically came out and said that he never had a problem with Kobe and it was all "marketing." To his credit, Kobe kind of went along with it. Now, I'm not really a Kobe fan but I understand that he's the Lakers' franchise so while I don't like the guy, I never developed the ire for him that I have for Shaq. Watching Shaq do a total 180 regarding the Lakers was especially grating.

I'm actually glad that he and Kobe were named co-MVPs because really, that's as sugary as you can get. The only place you can go from there is down. So great, with all the sweetness and light bullshit out of the way, everyone can go back to hating each other again. Hooray!

California... Home of the Choosy Beggars

2009-01-08T20:34:00.000-08:00

As most of you already know, I take nutrition very seriously. I think it's important to pay attention to what I'm eating because I'm a firm believer in the old adage that our bodies are our temples.

So I'm sitting in the drive-thru at Taco Bell because I had a seriously jonesing for their new Cheesy Bacon Gordita Crunch, checking the fantasy basketball updates on my phone, when there's a gentle knock on my window. A slight and quite scraggly woman asks if I have any spare change because she'd like to get something to eat.

Now, I work in downtown Los Angeles, home of the homeless, so I have experience with strangers asking me for money. So per my policy I tell her that I won't give her money but if she's truly hungry, I'll buy her whatever she likes. She thinks for a second and informs that she doesn't eat meat but she'll take two side salads from McDonald's instead. There just happens to be a McDonald's a mile down the road and she'll meet there as soon as I order.

I.... didn't know what to say. I mean, I was willing to help her but here I was confronted by a choosy beggar. I know there's an old saying about that as well but I guess I'd never met one before. How often does one come across a vegetarian homeless person? And why wait at Taco Bell? Why not go to McDonald's if that's what she's into? So I just gave her a dollar and she went on her way.

Welcome to California!

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 12

2008-12-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Well, whaddya know! Another lousy Christmas has snuck up on us so it's time for another lousy podcast. It's kinda nice to have a second Christmas episode. It means that I've been able to sustain.... whatever it is I'm doing here for a whole year. Actually, a little longer than a year, since the first podcast debuted in November 2007. I have to admit that I surprised myself, I expected to lose interest in this a long time ago. But lo, here I am. I still enjoy it, much more so these days since I think I've figured out some stuff production-wise.

I just hope that people enjoy listening to it. Although, it's hard to tell if people are enjoying the podcast due to the complete lack of recent reviews on my iTunes page! *hint*

A quick note about this episode, I've decided to replay a song from last year's podcast. The last track, Ella Fitzgerald's "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney," for reasons that are explained in the episode. I hate to be mysterious but I have to entice listeners some how. And the podcast itself sure isn't gonna do it!

Episode 12: Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'

1. larry's intro
2. "We Wanna See Santa Do The Mambo" by Big John Greer
3. "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" by Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra
4. "Five Pound Box of Money" by Pearl Bailey
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Christmas Night In Harlem" by Louis Armstrong
7. "Poncho Claus" by El Vez
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Shake Hands With Santa Claus" by Louis Prima
10. "Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern)" by Miles Davis
11. larry's interlude #3
12. "I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus" by RuPaul
13. "Christmas Kisses" by Ray Anthony & The Bookends
14. "Christmas Dinner" by Tennessee Ernie Ford
15. "larry's interlude #4
16. "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" by Jacob Miller & Ray I
17. "A Party for Santa Claus" by Lord Nelson
18. "Santa Claus Is Ska-ing To Town" by The Granville Williams Orchestra
19. larry's interlude #5
20. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Oh No Remix)" by Jimmy Smith
21. "Getting Down for X-Mas" by Milly & Silly
22. larry's interlude #6
23. "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'" by Albert King
24. "Soulful Christmas" by James Brown
25. larry's interlude #7
26. "Santa's Rap Party" by Super-Jay
27. "What I Want for Christmas" by The Quad City DJ's, The 69 Boyz & K-Nock
28. larry's interlude #8/Outro
29. "Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney" by Ella Fitzgerald

This month's theme song is "Holiday On Skis" by Al Caiola & Riz Ortolani.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 11

2008-10-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from the iTunes Store: Click here.

Hey there, boys and ghouls, guess who's back?

Just in time for All Hallows Eve, the latest episode of the many moods of larrydigital is a super-sized frightening fiesta! This month's podcast features includes horrifying holiday hits from Bobby "Boris" Pickett, Don Hinson & The Rigamorticians, The Nightmares, Tyrone A'Saurus & His Cro-Magnons and many, many more.

Listen... if you dare!

Episode 11: Larry's Halloween Spooktacular Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers
3. "Drac's Back" by Billy DeMarcus
4. "Frankenstein Stomp" by Count Lorry & The Biters
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Surfer Smash" by Bobby "Boris" Jones
7. "Riboflavin-Flavored, Non-Carbonated, Polyunsatured Blood" by Don Hinson & The Rigamorticians
8. "Rockin' Zombie" by The Crewnecks
9. larry's interlude #2
10. "Happy Halloween" by John Zacherley
11. "Dead" by The Poets
12. "Headless Ghost" by The Nightmares
13. larry's interlude #3
14. "I Want My Baby Back" by Jimmy Cross
15. "She's Fallen In Love With A Monsterman" by Screaming Lord Sutch
16. "One, Two, Three" by The Groovie Goolies
17. larry's interlude #4
18. "The Monster Twist" by Tyrone A'Saurus & His Cro-Magnons
19. "The Raven" by Buddy Morrow & His Orchestra
20. larry's interlude #5
21. "Halloween Spooks" by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
22. "Cha-Cha With The Zombies" by The Upperclassmen
23. "Zombie Jamboree" by King Flash & The Calypso Carnival
24. larry's interlude #6
25. "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" by Tracy Morgan
26. "Soul Dracula" by Hot Blood
27. larry's interlude #7/outro
28. "Haunted House of Rock" by Whodini

This month's theme song is "Spooky Scherzo" by Sam Fonteyn.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 10

2008-08-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

To download podcast from iTunes: Click here.

Man, I really hate blogs.

While I think it's great that just anyone can now have a relatively anonymous outlet for their random thoughts, it doesn't necessarily mean that those thoughts deserve an outlet. For example, the blog maintained by a friend of a friend recently spent six paragraphs bemoaning people who use the word orientated instead of oriented. The entry following that is a minute by minute breakdown of the MTV Video Music Awards. After reading through most of these entries, I couldn't help thinking..... Who gives a crap?

Because of this blogs, and many, many others like it, I think that by and large, blogs are unnecessary. And just so we're clear, this blog is no different. It's just as unnecessary. I'm positive that absolutely no one cares about my musings about pro basketball.

But.

While I agree that this blog is boring as anyone else's, I like to think that what separates it from other blogs is that this one was originally conceived as a music blog that would primarily promote my podcast, the many moods of larrydigital (also available from the iTunes store!). This blog has a purpose, the Hot Mexican Love Comics blog has a purpose, the upcoming Oliver J. Pugsworth Academy of Design blog has a purpose (details coming soon). That makes them different right? ........Not really. They're all equally useless. So you can still expect entries on subjects that mean absolutely nothing to anyone. Yay!

Anyway, you may have noticed a slight stylistic change in this site. Namely, the new graphic at the top of the page. If you look closely, you'll notice that it contains the names of various bands and artists, many of which are favorites of mine. All of which have either been included in my podcast already or will be included in a future episode.

Wow. I really took the long way around to comment on my lame new banner, didn't I?

On to the podcast, this episode is sort of a mini-tribute to Isaac Hayes. The first part being my choice of background music, "Hung Up On My Baby" from his soundtrack to the 1974 blaxploitation film Tough Guys. This song was famously sampled by the Geto Boys for their 1991 breakthrough hit "Mind Playin' Tricks On Me." Here's a quick larrydigital fun fact: the CD single for "Mind Playin' Tricks On Me" was the first CD I ever owned. The second? Color Me Badd.

The second part of the mini-tribute is the inclusion of Isaac's nine minute song "Hyperbolicsyllabicsequedalymistic" from 1969's Hot Buttered Soul. This is the second song from Hot Buttered Soul that I played in the many moods of larrydigital. Considering there was only four songs on that album, playing two of them seems kind of funny to me.

Episode 10: Business Hours Are Over Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Needy Girl" by Chromeo
3. "SuperWhat?" by Lyle Workman & Bootsy Collins
4. "Call Me Up" by Rick James
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Hot (I Need to be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)" by James Brown
7. "The M.G. Beat" by The Mighty Generation
8. "Crossword Puzzle" by Sly Stone
9. larry's interlude #2
10. "Business Time" by Flight of the Conchords
11. "We Rule the World (T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.)" by The Hives
12. "Cellphone's Dead" by Beck
13. larry's interlude #3
14. "El Micrófono" by Mexican Institute of Sound
15. "Hey U" by Basemen Jaxx
16. "Bamboo Banga" by M.I.A.
17. larry's interlude #4/outro
18. "Hyperbolicsyllabicsequedalymistic" by Isaac Hayes

This month's theme song is "Hung Up On My Baby" by Isaac Hayes.

Isaac Hayes R.I.P.

2008-08-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to go too in depth about how Isaac Hayes was one of my favorite singers or anything (even though he was) because there's already dozens of epitaphs out there already and I'm sure that most of them are much better than anything I could write.

I'll just simply say that I was deeply saddened to hear that he had died.

I think it's a shame that he's more famous today as being the voice of Chef from South Park rather than the guy who co-wrote Sam & Dave's "Soul Man." Or as the guy who released the phenomenal Hot Buttered Soul album in 1969. Or as the first African American to receive an Oscar for non-acting work (Best Original Song in 1971 for "Theme From Shaft"). But it's a better legacy than most I guess. It's fitting I suppose considering that Isaac last #1 single was his song "Chocolate Salty Balls," which he recorded as Chef for the Chef Aid soundtrack from South Park in 1995.

Why can I say? The world just got a little less funky, people.

San Diego Comic Con Wrap Up

2008-07-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

Ahh, July.

Each year, not only does it supply us with horrible stories of illegal fireworks and mutilated teenagers, it also brings with it the San Diego Comic Convention. Which is great because that means it's time to get off my ass and start hustling the last issue of Hot Mexican Love Comics.

We've had a new book each summer for the last 3 years so usually I head down to San Diego for the whole weekend in order to pimp the book to its fullest but this year, with the addition of Jazzy Jake to the Hot Mexican Love family, I knew that I wouldn't be able to go for the entire weekend. Picking my spot, I figured that I'd be able to be the most help on Saturday since that's usually the busiest day. I wanted to get there bright and early as soon as the doors open on Saturday so I left my place around 9:30pm on Friday night.

It's usually a two hour drive from the San Fernando Valley to San Diego so I wasn't too worried about the trip. I had a recently renewed Sirius radio contract, a fully stocked iPod, a bottle of Dr. Pepper and a large packet of Skittles (mmmm, sugar rush) so I was good to go. Traffic's light around that time so I was making good time until I hit Long Beach where the 405 turned in a single lane due to unforeseen "police activity" (thanks KNX 1070!) It only pushed me a hour back turning my two hour drive into a three hour drive which normally wouldn't be a huge deal but I popped the Skittles early into my trip so by the time I hit downtown San Diego, I was crashing fast. It's now 1:30am, I'm tired, cranky and in need of sleep. Or a beer.

I got the hotel info from Bean Robot the day before I left but I forgot the exact address. No worries, I'm a resourceful guy, I'll use my navigation system. Brilliant! .....or not. The hotel we were staying at was recently purchased by another local chain so at that particular time, there were two hotels with the same name. Not paying attention to this, I park my car five blocks from where I'm told the hotel was. I sling my bags over my shoulder, grab the awkwardly-sized box of comics I brought with me and start walking. I get to the properly named hotel and call Bean Robot who informs me that I went to the wrong location. The correct hotel, one with the same name mind you, was literally across the street from where I parked. I was just too tired to notice.

Once everything's straightened out I quickly realized that I'm now even more tired, even more cranky and even more in need of sleep. Bean Robot suggests we go to the hotel bar, which sounds like a fantastic idea to me. But by the hotel mess got figured out, it was now well past 2:00am. In other words, it's off to bed.

The next morning, we seemed to get off to an slow start. Four of us were working the six foot table which meant that we were a little cramped. This was Angry Bob's first full convention with us and I've got to say, he did a great job. He worked the West Hollywood Book Fair with us last September but the San Diego Comic Con is an entirely different animal. It's the biggest comic convention in the country and over the last few years, it's grown to encompass far more than just comics and it's packed with so many people. The aisles are just packed with people so the convention is a pain in the ass just to attend, to work it is even worse.

Truth be told, every single year I dread the convention. Because like I said, it's a pain in the ass. We're usually stuck there at our table, pushing the comic and we rarely get the opportunity to actually see the rest of the convention of meet up with friends who we know are at the convention as well. But this year, Angry Bob changed all that. Having a fourth person there really freed us up to work in rotations, something we never really had the chance to do. I think all of us got the opportunity to stretched our legs and walk around for a bit. Which was really cool.

The show itself was cool. Like I mentioned, it started out slow to us but after a while we realized that it only seemed that way. Before we knew it, we were on pace to sell more issues than we'd ever had before. But none of seemed difficult. We were all so.... relaxed. Man, the difference an extra body makes. And that is the power of Angry Bob.

We met some really interesting people too. I got interviewed by a Spanish language newspaper from San Diego that wanted to talk to me about racism in comics. I tried to rope Bean Robot into the conversation but I think he exited stage left as soon as he realized that it was semi-serious. I don't blame him, I was planning to do the exact same thing to him. I'm interested to see how the article came out but I'm not exactly holding my breath. Last year, we got interviewed by four different outlets, including NPR, and none of those ever surfaced. To my knowledge, at least.

As always, my favorite feature of the convention are the costumes. Every year, a large number of convention goers show up dressed as their favorite comics/film/animated character, sometimes with fantastic results, other times they go horribly awry. In either case, I figure one reason these people dress up is a little shameless self-promotion so if they're going to whore themselves out anyway, why not get them to promote our book at the same time? It's a win-win!

Here are a few of my favorite pics this year....

Angry Bob with a personal convention favorite, the authentically Mexican star of Futurama, Bender B. Rodriguez.

The White Queen didn't need her psychic powers to see what was on Bean Robot's mind. His thoughts were written all over his pants.

Playboy.com's Melany Denyse. Click here to see a shot on Playboy.com of the hard-working HMLC crew with Ms. Denyse. Warning: Don't click that link while at work, kids!

Face it, tiger, you just hit the jackpot! (The first person who writes in to say that Mary Jane Watson actually said that, not the Black Cat, is a NERD.)

Our latest celebrity endorsement! Diedrich Bader, formerly of The Drew Carey Show, and the voice of Batman in the upcoming Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series shows off his HMLC fanhood.

This guy asked if we wanted his wings on or off for the photo. Oh, definitely on.

The Teen Titans' Hawk & Dove were very excited to find our booth. Very excited. Especially Dove there on the left.

And while we're on the subject of thinly veiled phallic symbols.... here's Plastic Man.

Chewbacca? More like COOLbacca.

Order your copy of HMLC early enough and you can even get it in a galaxy far, far away.

Cobra Commander and the first woman I ever truly loved (dude, seriously, The Baroness was hot) are shocked by the depravity of the latest issue.

Hellloooooooo Kitty

These little ladies were at the con promoting the cosplay café, Royal/T in Culver City. According to their flyer, Royal/T is Los Angeles' first meido kissa restaurant which basically means that the service staff there dress as, and I quote, "elegant maids." I'm told that the café primarily caters to otaku, aka obsessive anime fans. Sounds positively pedo-rific to me.

Oh, hey. What's up, Michelangelo?

I think this Rorschach costume looks better than one I saw in the Watchmen trailer.

Wonder Woman and Awesome-X. Booosh!

All in all, it was a great show. I haven't heard the final numbers from Señor Ira yet but the early word is that this was our most successful year yet. The aforementioned shot glasses (a convention exclusive!) were a tremendous success. Truth be told, I wasn't 100% on board as far as the shot glasses were concerned. I wasn't completely convinced that they were a product worthy of the HMLC brand name and I was pretty vocal about it within the HMLC nucleus. Luckily for me that Bean Robot and Señor Ira recognize that I usually have no idea what I'm talking about.

While I'm at it, I want to give a very special thanks to Señor Ira. He's usually the taskmaster that has to put everything together, from cracking the whip on the creators, to getting the hotel rooms, to dealing with the tax collecting section of the City's Office of Finance. Playing the bad guy is a thankless job but without Ira, Hot Mexican Love Comics never would've emerged from it's 10 year hiatus. It may seem like some of us need a break from each other by the time an issue is published but we've all had a tremendous amount of fun because of the book and it's due to Ira. So gracias, Señor.

So what's next for Hot Mexican Love Comics? Nothing. For now. Contrary to previous reports, I think we're going to skip this year's West Hollywood Book Fair in September and concentrate on our appearance at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco in November. I do believe we'll have something new for the APE show, possibly a brand new sketchbook.

Stay tuned for updates, true believers!

God's In His Heaven....

2008-07-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

....And all's right with the world.

It was announced yesterday that the Lakers have signed Sasha Vujacic to a three year deal worth $15 million. The word is that he was courted by a number of European teams but opted to stay in Los Angeles. What a surprise!

And lo, the mancrushes rejoiced.

Comic Con Update

2008-07-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the updated info for our appearance at this year's San Diego Comic Con....

We'll be in the Small Press area, Table N8. The convention starts on Thursday and runs through Sunday. I believe that Señor Ira and Angry Bob will be manning the table, or as Señor Ira says "manhandling the table," starting Thursday with Bean Robot showing up Friday, and the Lady Janice and I arriving Saturday. In order words, if you want to fully experience the combined pasión of the HMLC staff, Saturday is your day.

Also appearing at our table, Rafael Navarro of Sonambulo fame. And for all you Sonambulo fans out there, Rafael's only original Sonambulo work for 2008 appears in the latest issue of Hot Mexican Love Comics. So after picking up the latest HMLC, stop by and say hello to Rafael.

See you at the Con, true believers!

I'm a Terrible Father

2008-07-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

I'm already corrupting the mind of my impressionable baby boy.

As I've mentioned before, the latest issue of Hot Mexican Love Comics is NOW available for purchase in all fine comic book stores across the country. The entire HMLC crew (myself, Señor Ira, Bean Robot, Angry Bob and the Lady Janice) will all be on hand for next weekend's San Diego Comic Con to say hello to our adoring fans. We will have copious amounts of new issues available for a nominal fee. We'll also have back issues available, prints of the latest cover (suitable for framing) and new for 2008, HMLC shot glasses.

I'll have information about exactly where we'll be soon. Stay tuned!

Clipper Fans.... Boned Again

2008-07-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

It's tough being a Clippers fan.

First, you have to contend with the fact that your team will forever be in the shadow of the Lakers, and second, your most well know fans are Billy Crystal, Frankie Muniz and the aforementioned Clipper Darrell, and third, your team is owned by the most apathetic man in pro sports. Combine your lame ass owner with the fact have that the team is run by what is probably the worst front office in the NBA and you've got a pretty crappy franchise.

A franchise that has squandered 20 (twenty!) lottery picks over the last 23 years, and 7 of those picks were top 3 picks! After a forgettable, injury-plagued 2007-2008 season, things were looking better for the Clippers when they somehow managed to lure away Los Angeles native and legitimate NBA superstar Baron Davis away from the Golden State Warriors. With a potential starting lineup of Davis, Elton Brand and Chris Kaman, things were looking up for the 2008-2009 season. But the Clippers being the Clippers, they fucked that all up with the quickness.

Quick derail, check out this trailer for a new (fake) movie starring Baron Davis and Steve Nash.

Mistake #1: Letting Corey Maggette walk for absolutely nothing. I happen to be a big Maggette fan because I think he's a rarity in the world of the NBA.... he's a reliable commodity. Corey may never be your star player, but he'll consistently get you five rebounds, three assists and 15 points a night, with 8 of those points coming from the free throw line. For whatever reason, thick-headed Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy chose to play Corey off the bench which clearly rubbed him the wrong way. In an ideal world, a player will remember that he's a professional and that if he's coach chooses him to be a reserve player, then it must be for the betterment of the team. But this isn't an ideal world and all Dunleavy succeeded in doing was alienate Maggette. So as soon as Corey had an option to get out of his contract with the Clippers, he bounces. Ironically, Maggette ends up signing with the Warriors, presumably to replace the departing Baron Davis.

Mistake #2: Losing Elton Brand, who also had an opt out clause in his contract, to the Philadelphia 76ers. Again, for absolutely nothing. This one I don't understand at all. Baron Davis and Elton Brand are photographed in Los Angeles together. On June 30, Brand opts out of his contract and announces that he's re-signing with the Clippers for a smaller contract. The next day, July 1, Davis opts out of his contract and announced that he has a verbal agreement to sign with the Clippers. Conveniently, Brand's smaller contract allows the Clippers to afford Davis. Sounds like a little bit of collusion, right? Well, I thought so until seven days later when ESPN announces Elton's signing with the 76ers. Elton staying in L.A. seemed like a done deal so what happened? According to Corey Maggette (no longer associated with either of the teams involved here), the Clippers basically offered Elton a take it or leave it deal. Which was exactly the wrong thing to do because Brand was under no obligation to stay. Way to go, Elgin Baylor.

Now, believe it or not, I have to give the Clippers some credit here. After bumbling away Brand and Maggette, they've managed to make a few decent personnel moves. Brand leaving cleared a tremendous amount of salary cap space so the Clippers were able to completely absorb the contract of former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby from the penny pinching Denver Nuggets for essentially nothing. Plus they've signed all-around knucklehead Ricky Davis for cheap. Sure, Ricky is the guy who tried to cheat his way into a triple double when he was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but at the very least he'll give the Clippers another scoring option.

Hey, who knows? Maybe this is good for the Clippers. Maybe a lineup of Baron Davis, Cuttino Mobley, Al Thornton, Ricky Davis, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman might be ok. It doesn't look too good on paper but you never know. It's so crazy that it just might work!

Hmmm.

I wonder who the Clippers are going to select with their 21st lottery pick next year for the 2009-2010 season.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 9

2008-06-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

To download podcast: Click here.

Have I mentioned how lazy I am?

I've always been a little on the slack side but man, lately, I've had like zero energy. Now of course, my darling baby boy requires a lot of attention (just like his father!) so a big chunk of time is devoted to him but in the downtime, like when he's asleep, I've been doing absolutely nothing. It's not so much that I need a break because I'm burned out or anything like that, I just feel.... blah.

Usually I'd use that time to work on my podcast or some other pointless distraction but for the past week or so when it time to get to work, the last thing in the world I want to do was sort through Donny Hathaway records. I know, blasphemy, right? It's like, all I want to do is watch Law & Order reruns or whatever.

Anyway, this latest episode was a little slow going but I think it turned out ok. I've been trying to work some of these acts into previous episodes but it didn't quite come together, especially TV on the Radio and Sufjan Stevens. But I think it works this time.

As I've mentioned ad naseum, comments are always welcome. Feel free to let me know what you think by posting here or dropping me a line at larrydigital@gmail.com. Or, if you're feeling really bold, leave me a review at my iTunes page.

Episode 9: The Cool Before The Warm Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" by Willie Hutch
3. "Groove Me" by King Floyd
4. larry's interlude #1
5. "The Rain" by Oran "Juice" Jones
6. "Cinderfella Dana Dane" by Dana Dane
7. larry's interlude #2
8. "If This Ain't Love" by Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators
9. "Valerie" by Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse
10. "This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way)" by DJ Shadow
11. larry's interlude #3
12. "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" by Sufjan Stevens
13. "Silent Sigh" by Badly Drawn Boy
14. "My Ever Changing Moods" by The Style Council
15. larry's interlude #4
16. "Highway 61 Revisted" by Karen O & The Million Dollar Bashers
17. "There's Only One Thing Left To Say" by Velocity Girl
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "Wolf Like Me" by TV On The Radio

This month's theme song is "7 Wonders of the World" by Prince Buster.

Dammit, Lakers

2008-06-17T23:46:00.000-07:00

I don't have the words.

Fire Up the Machine!

2008-06-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

Despite what I may have previously written, I'm not really rooting for the Celtics. I say that I am only to lessen the potential blow of missing out on $1,000, but as I mentioned before, I'm a Laker fan through and through.

So imagine my disappointment when the Lakers went down 2-0 in the Finals against the Celtics. Now, regardless of what some people say (including my brother-in-law who knows nothing about the NBA), the Lakers weren't outplayed. They just lost. The Celtics were hitting their shots and the Lakers weren't. So for those first two games, the Celtics were the better team. Game 3 in Los Angeles, however, wasn't all that much better as Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol continued to suck ass and even though the Lakers got off to a hot start, for a minute there it looked like the Lakers were going to blow it. Again.

Luckily for the Lakers, Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic decided to show up. He scored a career playoff high of 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting to help the Lakers stay alive (for the time being at least) against the Celtics. Here's the thing though.... even though Sasha kicked a tremendous amount of ass, he's terribly inconsistent. So there's a chance he might shoot 2 for 7 in Game 4 on Thursday, which is exactly what he did in Game 1. But hey, that's still two days away. For now, I'm just going to be happy. Can you tell how ecstatic I am in the shot above?

I've actually hated Sasha for most of his NBA career because he's probably one of the softest players I've ever seen. And my favorite NBA player is Dirk Nowitzki so trust me, I know soft-ass players when I see them. Don't get me wrong, Sasha definitely had some things going for him. He was one of those pesky defenders that you absolutely hate to watch. Unless they're on your favorite team, of course because then, they're not annoying, they're just "hard-working." Plus I kind of admired him because from what I hear, he's a little bit of a playboy, even if he does have propensities for skanks and cougars.

Positive qualities aside, I just felt like Sasha wasn't the type of player that the Lakers needed to help the team should they ever get back to the NBA Finals. Truth be told, I sort of turned the corner on Sasha during the summer because I read an interview with him where he basically said that he was ready. His NBA career up until then had basically been all preparation and now he was ready to be that player that the Lakers needed. I didn't believe him at the time, and I still don't, but I definitely admired his confidence. And I've got to give the guy credit, he completely stepped his game up this season.

I have to admit, during the pre-season, I was looking at Sasha as a walking expiring contract. Now, I hope that Mitch Kupchak resigns him!

Lakers basketball.... It's Sasha-tastic!

Go Celtics!

2008-05-30T21:13:00.001-07:00

If you're one of the three people that read this blog then you know that I am an avid Laker fan. But this year, I'm going for the Celtics!

So let me explain.

For the last couple of years, I've been betting on the Lakers to win the NBA Championship. Seems like a decent bet right now but trust me, for the last couple of years, it's been a sucker's bet. I usually place my bet at Caesars Palace in Vegas and the first year I did it, right after the Shaquille O'Neal to Miami trade, the guy at the window looked at me and said, You know they traded Shaq, right?

Yes, I knew, but as the saying goes, I'm a fan of the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back. And you know, the odds weren't that bad that first year. Lakers had an 8-to-1 shot to win, which is pretty good. I guess because the Lakers were still the Western Conference champs, even if Shaq was no longer on the team.

Anyway, I might as well have just burned my cash the last couple of years since the Lakers had no chance at the title. Which didn't really bug me because, like I said, I'm a Laker fan.

Well, fast forward to this past summer. I went to Vegas in June but when I went to Caesars, they didn't let me make my bet since the 2007 Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers were still underway. Ok, no big deal, I was going to Vegas again two months later in August. I'd make my bet then.

So August rolls around and guess what, I forget to make the bet. Totally slips my mind. I didn't realize what I had done until we were on the road, halfway back to Los Angeles. Oh well, no big deal, I thought. Since the Lakers had no real shot at the title, right? I'll make my bet again next summer and this year, I guess I'll just save my $50 bucks. And since at the time, there was a very good chance that Kobe Bryant was going to get traded, I was beginning to feel like my blunder was a stroke of luck.

Well, the joke was on me because the season starts three months later and guess what... Kobe was still on the team and the Lakers were looking pretty good. Then they go and trade for Pau Fucking Gasol and the Lakers were suddenly contenders for the Finals.

Fucking great.

I make a bet every year and one year I don't, they've actually got a shot to win it all. Back in August, when I should've made the bet, the odds on the Lakers winning were 20-to-1. My cheap $50 bet would earn me $1,000 if the Lakers win it all. Which they very well could! Dammit!

So yeah, even though I really, really hate the Celtics, part of me is hoping they win. Only because as much as I love the Lakers, I can't help but think about the $1,000 I'm missing out on. Anyway, even if the Lakers lose in the Finals (which I don't really want them to do), they'll have a shot next year when Andrew Bynum returns. Too bad the odds on them winning the Finals will back to, like, 8-to-1. Which is still decent I guess, but if you compare it to the 20-to-1 odds I could've had, 8-to-1 seems a little crappy.

And real quick: Fuck the Celtics. They have no right to be in the NBA Finals. Last year, 90% of the Celtics' fans quit on the team and actually cheered when they lost. Only because at the time, each loss potentially increased Boston's chances of landing Greg "Where Da White Women At?" Oden or Kevin Durant in the draft. But since there is some justice in the sports world, tanking (which is exactly what the Celtics did) never works and they miss out on both those guys. But then, out of the fucking blue, the ghost of Red Auerbach rises from the blackest pits of Hell and somehow forces Minnesota Timberwolves general manager (and former Celtic!) Kevin McHale to trade Kevin Garnett to the Celtics for a song. Which, overnight, makes the Celtics Finals contender as well. Say what you want about Lakers fans being bandwagoners but the fans never quit on the team to the point where they would cheer each loss. My point, Boston shouldn't get rewarded for quitting on their team.

The Ruler's Back?

2008-05-24T22:46:00.001-07:00

If you happen to be a listener of my podcast, the many moods of larrydigital, then you know that I'm a fan of rap music, particularly "old school" rap. Now, the phrase "old school" can be a little tricky as it could mean a number of different things in relation to rap music. Mostly because rap music, like all music really, is an evolving entity and as the genre progresses, more and more acts become "old school" as more and more rap listeners grow older. Just like how to my dad, "classic rock" meant Chuck Berry and Little Richard, to me "classic rock" means Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd and to my newborn son, "classic rock" might mean Foo Fighters and The Killers. Make sense?

Since I'm an older guy, old school rap to me means anything prior to "The Bridge" by MC Shan, which is about 1985. And as I mentioned in Episode 1: Fever in the Funkhouse of the many moods of larrydigital, one of my favorite old school rappers is Slick Rick. I must be a fan since I included in his song "Hey Young World" in my debut episode, right?

Now, Slick Rick (born Ricky Walters) is a good ol' fashioned hip-hop legend. As a semi-member of Doug E. Fresh's Get Fresh Crew, Rick scored two massive hits right out the gate with the 1984 single "The Show" and its b-side "La Di Da Di". The hits kept on coming up through 1988 when Rick released his debut album, "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick".

All was well and good until Rick managed to fuck everything up just two years later in 1990. He was arrested for two counts of attempted murder when he shot his cousin and an innocent bystander. His cousin, mind you, later admitted to trying to murder Rick so really, Rick's attempt at murder was some jackass version of revenge. Which is fucking mind-boggling to me. Here's a tip Rick: Call the fucking cops.

Anyway, Rick goes to jail and is eventually released in 1998 after serving 6 years of his 10 year sentence.

Now here's where it gets even more convoluted...

While Rick managed to stay out of trouble after his release from prison, in 2002 he is hired to perform on a cruise ship and is promptly arrested when the ship returns to port. Turns out that Rick was actually born in England and moved to the U.S. when he was 11. After the September 11th attacks in 2001, a law was passed that actually deports all non-U.S. citizens convicted of violent felonies. So while no one minded that he was still in the country after his conviction, officials had serious problems with his attempt to re-enter the country. He ends up serving another 17 months in prison while the Immigration and Naturalization Service tries to have him deported. Never mind the fact that Rick has no ties in his "home" country as he no longer has famiy there and he's lived in the Bronx with his wife and children (all U.S. citizens) since the mid-80s. Rick, of course, fights the case. The whole thing gets dropped in 2003 when the INS essentially gives up and Rick is released from prison. Again. All was well and good again until 2006 when out of the blue, the Department of Homeland Security begins yet another attempt at deporting Rick.

But then, word broke yesterday that New York state's latest governor David A. Paterson has issued a full and complete pardon of Slick Rick for his attempted murder conviction. Reports say that the pardon was issued in attempt to assist Rick in fighting his latest deportation case. There's not even a guarantee that the pardon would help Rick stay in the country, there's just the possibility that it might.

To me, this whole situation is all kinds of honked up. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a fan. I saw Slick Rick perform live back in 1998 when he performed at the House of Blues on Sunset. He was scheduled to come on at 9:00pm but he didn't actually take the stage until 1:30am. Not the most professional guy around obviously, but damn it, he was worth the wait.

What I don't think he's worth is all the man hours our government is spending trying to "get" him. I mean, yes, Slick Rick is definitely a bonehead. No one is denying that. After all, he did try to kill someone. But he also served his time and by doing so, he's paid his debt to society, hasn't he? So why the hell would so many people spend so much time and effort to deal with a man who's reported had no legal trouble (of his own creation, I mean) since his conviction over 17 years ago? Apparently, he's remained on the straight and narrow so why would the INS and the Department of Homeland Security target this rapper? It's not he's Juelz Santana or anything, who plainly professed his admiration for 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Ata's courage.

In this day and age, when our government clearly has more pressing matters to deal with, why all the fuss for a musician that most people over the age of 30 don't even remember? Why the hell would someone like the governor of New York bother weighing in on the matter? Doesn't he of all people have more important things to do as well? The answer: yes. While some may see Paterson's involvement as an abuse of power, I just see it as your government at work. Bureaucracy for bureaucracy's sake. And, as a government employee myself, I know what I'm talking about. Sure, I've got a million other useless things to do but I can always find something new and equally useless but with a little more publicity to occupy my time.

Clearly, it must be one of two reasons, either he really loves "Children's Story" or he's after that oh-so-coveted hip-hop voting bloc when it comes time for his re-election.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 8

2008-05-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

To download podcast: Click here.

Since I originally intended for this podcast to be my special Cinco de Mayo episode, the plan was to have it available on May 5th. But as I mention in the actual podcast, no matter how many times I mixed and remixed it, I just wasn't satisfied the end result so I missed by deadline.

Anyway, I ended up scrapping half the podcast and mixed in new(ish) music. So what you'll hear is this weird amalgamation of latin influenced music and just plain ol' soul music. You know, the usual. I think it works though and I'm much more satisfied with the final piece.

And since it seems to be the biggest complaint about my podcasts, the three of you that actually listen to the many moods of larrydigital will be happy to know that I seem to have solved the problem of my own vocals sounding far too low. Let me know if they still need work.

Real quick, I'd like to take a moment to plead for your assistance. Now, I'm grateful for those who actually download to the many moods of larrydigital but I'm really looking for some feedback from actual listeners. I do get e-mails which is cool but I'm hoping to get something a little.... more. Specifically, I'm looking for reviews. Not to be posted here but on my iTunes page. So if you've got a spare minute, please click this link and type out a review of the many moods of larrydigital. It doesn't need to favorable, although I'd be grateful if it was, I'd just like something there. You know, just so I know what my listeners (all 3 of you) think.

Episode 8: All Celebrity Voices Are Impersonated Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Spill the Wine" by War
3. "Tell Her She's Lovely" by El Chicano
4. "It's Now Or Never" by El Vez
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Something's Changed" by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
7. "Can't Turn Me Away" by Sylvia Striplin
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Too Hot To Stop" by The Bar-Kays
10. "Get Up and Get Down" by The Dramatics
11. larry's interlude #3
12. "Love the One You're With" by The Isley Brothers
13. "One Look Over My Shoulder" by Average White Band
14. larry's interlude #4
15. "Surgery" by World Class Wreckin' Cru
16. "Everlasting Bass" by Rodney O & Joe Cooley
17. "When I Hear Music" by Debbie Deb
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "La Misma Canción" by Ozomatli

This month's theme song is "Peanuts" by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass.

Meet the New Boss...

2008-05-12T00:26:00.000-07:00

...same as the old boss.

Yesterday, my son Jacob Evan decided that he had spent enough time incubating so he showed up a little early. Two weeks early, to be exact. He was close to term which means that he was a decent size (6 pounds, 8 ounces) and a pretty good sized length (20 and a half inches).

The interesting thing about him was that he was pretty furry. I mean, he has a full head of hair and all but more than that, he has these wispy baby hairs all along his ears, arms, legs and shoulders. So he's not quite a wolf baby or anything like that but I have to admit, I really wasn't expecting him to be so... fuzzy.

Luckily, I took a parenting class a few weeks back where they informed us that this condition wasn't uncommon. It's called "lanugo" and all it does is protect the baby while he's in the womb. The hairs are no big deal as they usually disappear a few weeks after birth. So it's nothing out of the ordinary and it happens to a lot of babies. Good thing I knew that prior to his birth because I'd never heard of lanugo before and had I not known about it, my wife definitely would have had some 'splaining to do.

The Love Rises Again!

2008-05-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

Ahh, Spring.

One of my favorite times of the year. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming. And love... love is definitely in the air. Hot Mexican Love, that is.

As I've mentioned before, I'm one of the co-creators of Hot Mexican Love Comics, the sexiest independent comic book on the market today. As I type this, the latest issue is congealing into our latest comedy bonanza. I just wanted to take a moment to make sure that you, my readers (aka Jim), are aware of the upcoming release so you can head on down to your local comic store (click here if you don't know where that is) and ask your retailer, nay, demand that your retailer order enough copies of Hot Mexican Love Comics 2008 (aka Da Dirty Ocho) for you and all your friends. Actually, now that I think about it, you might want to pick up multiple copies. You know, just in case.

Be sure to check out the lucha libre espectacular "Encuentro de la Semana" featuring the work of yours truly and the lovely and talented Mr. Ethan Spaulding. You won't be disappointed... but if by some chance you are, I suppose it wouldn't really matter because you'd have already paid for the book. Sorry.

The book is available for pre-order at finer comic book establishments now and should be in stores by mid-July.

So it begins...

2008-04-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, my wife is expecting. Getting close too, she has about 6 weeks left.

So this weekend I'm putting together some new baby furniture and while I'm toiling away with my Allen wrenches I notice that she slyly took down my 50th anniversary commemorative poster of The Third Man from the wall of the what is soon to be the baby room. Silent as the grave, she removed it from the spot it's been in since I moved in 5 years ago and tucked it behind an old bookshelf.

What are you doing?, I ask, genuinely wanting to know what she's doing.

Putting this away, she says casually, as if removing Orson from his home is some acceptable thing to do.

Why move it at all?, I ask.

The baby won't like this scary picture looking at him, she says.

My son will not be frightened by classic works of cinema, I say. In fact, I'm hoping that poster will inspire him to appreciate the film making artform.

The baby won't like it, she concludes.

Are you saying that my son won't like Orson Welles?, I ask, feeling the room temperature rise a bit.

Larry, the baby won't care who Orson Welles is, she says definitively.

Orson Welles is a genius!, I declare.

Orson Welles is fat!, she retorts.

Stunned, and slightly wounded, I knew not what to say. How dare she imply that my son won't be a fan of the creative genius of the late, great Mr. Welles? Deflated, I left the room. Temporarily resigning Orson to his hidden fate.

Stay tuned. Divorce proceedings may be forthcoming.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 7

2008-04-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

To download podcast: Click here.

As I've mentioned before, one of the reasons I started making my own podcasts was because of the overall lameness of terrestrial radio. I got tired of hearing the same 12 songs and hour and I wanted to offer something different. I think it's hard to find new music (either entirely brand new artists or just new to you) these days. For some reason, I'm slightly irritated by the fact that a lot of people only know certain songs from television commercials rather than from the albums where they're originally from. But I suppose that happens since radio airplay can be hard to come by these days and artists (or rather, record companies) are forced to explore other areas to get exposure for their music, both new and old.

My wife, who wasn't exposed to the same music I was when I was younger, is a good example of what I mean. I'll play a song in the car and she'll say, Oh that's that Toyota song. I'll say, No, that's Curtis Mayfield. Or she'll say, That's the Gap song. And I'll say, No, that's the O'Jays. These songs had long histories before they were co-opted by some faceless ad agency.

So imagine my dismay when mere minutes after I uploaded Episode 7, I turn on the television and hear a familiar sound coming from its speakers.... Marlena Shaw's "California Soul", from this very episode, was featured in some damn Dockers commercial. I know it's ridiculous but I was kind of upset by it. Almost like, Hey, I found this song first!

Sounds stupid, right? Right. I should just be happy that a great piece of work has been rescued from the brinks of obscurity and now people are enjoying it for the fantastic song that it is. But still....

I found this song before those lame ass Dockers hacks!

Episode 7: Don't Fight The Feeling Tracklist

1. "Funky Worm" by Ohio Players
2. larry's intro
3. "Bold, Soul Sister" by Ike & Tina Turner
4. "Hard Times" by Baby Huey & The Babysitters
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "California Soul" by Marlena Shaw
7. "Improve" by Darrow Fletcher
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley" by Robert Palmer
10. "Beauty Queen" by Roxy Music
11. "Speak Like A Child" by The Style Council
12. larry's interlude #3
13. "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" by the Scissor Sisters
14. "Feel Good Hit of the Fall" by !!!
15. larry's interlude #4
16. "Get Myself Into It" by The Rapture
17. "Dirty Harry (Schtung Chinese New Year Remix)" by Gorillaz
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "Dr. Lee, PhD" by Beastie Boys

This month's theme song is "Superstition" by Yesterday's New Quintet.

TOYS! @ Gallery 1988

2008-04-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

My good friend Ross Richie often says that the most awesome toy ever invented is a monkey with a backpack. Meaning that to a child, a monkey with a backpack action figure could offer an endless array of scenarios. The monkey could be heading to work, he could be going to school, or it could be a parachute, was he in the army? Or maybe it was a jetpack. The point of all of that is that the simplest item can inspire so many different ideas.

Earlier today, hat very idea was on full display at Gallery 1988 TOYS! exhibit. Originally, I thought that this was going to be a show celebrating the history of Hot Wheels or whatever but it turned out to be a "celebration" of the type of games and toys I had when I was a kid, not just Hot Wheels exclusively. The "pre-video game era" they called it.

Now, there was some really interesting stuff there, like Ben Walker's Gumby vs. The Robots and Danielle Rizzolo's The Confederate Armed 'HMS PLAYMOBIL' Engaged in Enemy Attack, Flying the Confederate Ensign and there was some stuff that I personally didn't enjoy all that much. Like gay biker My Little Pony. WHAT. Still, it was a pretty awesome show. It was cool to be reminded of toys that I hadn't thought about in years. Hungry Hungry Hippos, anyone? How about Madballs?

I really enjoyed Johnny Crap's Kickin' It Old Skool, mostly because I had one of those popcorn machines when I was a kid. It was my favorite toy, I loved that stupid thing. But my favorite piece was Keith Noordzy's Norm's One of the Little People. Very cool. A friend of mine said that Camilla D'Errico's Glow Friends was the best piece there but she's wrong. That one was just plain creepy.

I think the people working at Gallery 1988 got a little pissed because I was taking pictures of the art but fuck 'em. Besides myself, there was exactly zero other people attending the showing. At least when I was there. TOYS! at Gallery 1988 runs through April 25, 2008. Go check it out. It's free, cheap asses.

London Calling @ Beady Minces

2008-04-05T22:29:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to head down to the Beady Minces Gallery in Venice for apart's London Calling exhibit today. I heard a lot of good stuff about this show so I'm glad I got a chance to check it out before it was over.

This exhibit featured a lot of international artists. I saw a lot of great stuff. I saw this great photography called "MPH 6" by John Counsell. Basically it was a shot of someone or something moving through a forest at high speed. Click here to check it out. Also pretty cool was a sculpture(?) by Dominic Allan called "Here's Looking at You Kid," essentially a mannequin of a little girl covered with like 30,000 plastic googly eyes. I noticed almost all the googly eyes were identical with slightly larger pairs placed randomly throughout. Weird. Luis Perez's "Classic Mini" painting (seriously, it's a painting) was pretty amazing as well. Check it out here.

But my absolute favorite was a massive wallhanger by Sean Alexander called Red. Basically it was a huge portrait of Michael Caine which was made of strips of wood textured.... paper? I guess. It was very cool. Turns out that without even knowing it, I was sort of familiar with Mr. Alexander's work. He’s the guy behind the album cover for Paul Weller's Illumination a few years back.

After Beady Minces, I was also able to make it down to West L.A. to see the Year of the Rat exhibit at GR2. Also very cool. I’d been meaning to check it out since it opened last month, I'd just been a little busy. But, I got down there and sure enough, they were partying like its 4706 up in there. GR2 is an interesting place. I suppose it's a store since they sell various items, such as my super useful Nyokki! Egg Pet Plant and stuffed flowers by Takashi Murakami but it's also a mini-gallery. They had some very interesting pieces. I absolutely loved this piece from Andrew Holder. This one was really cool too. Man, I really wish I had some additional wall space at home.

The London Calling exhibit runs from March 10 to April 6th (tomorrow). So much like the Giant Robot show I previously wrote about, if you’re only now hearing about London Calling, chances are you missed it. You snooze you lose again, suckas!

Year of the Rat runs at GR2 through April 16. Check it out!

On the Shelf

2008-04-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Sherlock Holmes: The Unauthorized Biography by Nick Rennison

I'm as interested in Sherlock Holmes as the next guy and while I've seen a couple of Basil Rathbone movies on cable, I'm not exactly what you'd call a Holmes afficiando. But I've always wanted to actual get into Arthur Conan Doyle's mythos. I just never knew where to start. I suppose I could just start "at the beginning" or whatever but series like this, with characters that have huge literary backgrounds, are always a little daunting to me. Part of me feels that I'd read the entire series to get a clear understanding of the character and usually that's a metric assload of material.

So when I heard about a new "biography" about Sherlock Holmes was being published, I knew that this what I was looking for. And sure enough, Nick Rennison does a great job of scouring Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories for personal info about Holmes and his male companion, Dr. Watson, and compiled them all into a nice little package. This book is a written in a style familiar to Sherlock Holmes fans ("Sherlockians"). It's written from the perspective that Holmes was an actual historical person and not a literary invention. Thus, history and fiction is mingled through the entire "biography."

Since I wasn't all that familiar with Holmes, I found it pretty interesting. I had no idea that the character of Sherlock's older brother Mycroft even existed until I read about him in Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series. Here, Mycroft is dealt with quite a bit and as the author shows, the older Holmes is just as formidable as his more famous younger brother.

Another thing that I found kind of interesting was Sherlock's fairly serious cocaine addiction. I'd always heard references to Holmes' penchant for coke but I never really thought about it. I've always known that in the late 19th century cocaine was mostly seen as a harmless stimulant, and viewed the way we view stuff like Red Bull or Rock Star energy drinks today, I guess. I suppose it was fairly commonplace then but today it may seem a little shocking. The author refers to The Sign of Four in which Dr. Watson describes Holmes, in one of his drug-induced fits, as having "sinewy forearms and wrist, all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks." Holmes himself explains his drug use away as something to kill time with between cases. Manic drug use can lead to uncanny reasoning abilities? Not a very elementary correlation, I'd say.

If you're unfamiliar with the Holmes mythos then this can be a very interesting book. The only problem that I had with it is that my knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes universe, as well as my knowledge of Victorian history, is spotty at best. So I'm having a tough time distinguishing between historical and fictional characters and events. But while that can be a bit bothersome (to me), it hardly detracts from this very entertaining read.

Super*Market @ Meltdown

2008-03-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I'm one of the co-creators of Hot Mexican Love Comics and as such, I, along with my cohorts Bean Robot and Señor Ira, usually make the comic convention rounds to hawk our wares. This Sunday, Ira and myself made it on down to Meltdown Comics in Hollywood to participate in their Super*Market showcase. We didn't really have anything new to push since our 2008 book is still being put together but we decided to show up anyway.

It was a pretty relaxed show. Very small, but enjoyable. Sales were less than spectacular, I think we made a grand total of $34, a dollar less than the $35 entry fee but still, it was fun. Our friends Louie Del Carmen and Rob Goodin were there pushing their own books too so at least we knew some people there.

We made a new friend in Jose Cabrera who publishes the supremely awesome Crying Macho Man series. Check out Louie's and Jose's pages for more pics from Super*Market. I also scored a sweet stuffed piece of bacon from Dan Goodsell, the genius behind the very, very fine Mr. Toast.

Anyway, thanks to all of our friends, old and new, for their support. Hope to see you all again at the San Diego Comic Con in July.

Los Angeles Is A Cesspool

2008-03-29T23:54:00.000-07:00

Generally speaking, I don't like to attend live sporting events. Mostly because I'm a big sports fan and while I do get a bit of a rush being there in person, I can't help being aware of just how much of the game I'm missing. I've grown accustomed to all the slow motion, freeze frame instant replays, the oh-so-useful tidbits from announcers (a good example, Reggie Miller explaining what a "titty" is) and thanks to NBA League Pass sometimes I get to see super low budget regional commercials starring average joe ball players.

Sure, I'm super stoked that I was lucky enough to attend Kobe Bryant's 81 point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 but part of me wishes that I watched it in the comfort of my own living room, on my 48 inch big screen TV, endlessly looping Tivo to my heart's content.

So with my dislike of live sporting events established, why did I agree to attend an exhibition game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox at the Coliseum?

Because I'm a moron, that's why.

First of all, exhibition games are worthless. Exhibition baseball games are even more so. No team is going to risk playing their star players in what is essentially a practice game so you usually end up watching players that never actually play (legitimate benchwarmers), or guys that are about to be sent down to the minors. This particular game was even more useless because for some dumb ass reason, the official season has already started for the Boston Red Sox. So get this, the Sox traveled to Japan last week, played two games against the Oakland A's that actually count towards their regular season record, and then they came back to play two totally bullshit exhibition games against the Dodgers.

Had I thought it out I probably would've skipped the whole damn thing but I guess I was too caught up in a "Hey, let's go to a Dodger game!" moment. So not only was the game completely meaningless, but it was being played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The reason is was being played here was that this year is the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles and the Coliseum is where they played while Dodger Stadium was being built. Plus this game was promoted to support of the Dodgers' new ThinkCure charity so the tickets had a face value of $2 each with 100% of the proceeds being donated to charity. Which means that the 100,000+ capacity Coliseum sold out instantly.

I already wrote about attending a sporting event with the dregs of humanity a few weeks back. Well, take that experience and multiply it by fifty. I had no idea that the organizers of this event were attempting to break the all time attendance record for a baseball game, which explains the cheap ass price for the tickets. The whole event was a disaster. It was poorly planned and poorly executed top to bottom.

I knew that with that many people attending, getting in and out of there was going to be a nightmare. But I figured, hey, I'm a smart guy, I'll take the Metro! I thought it'd be the best course of action anyway. One, there'd be a ton of traffic so I'd skip that and two, I was meeting a friend there so I'd have a back up ride home in case the Metro was bogus. Which it was.

I remembered Bean Robot's take on public transportation but I thought, how bad could it be? I rode public buses 20 years ago and that was kinda ok, so it shouldn't be that terrible, right? Wrong. Now, the trip itself was surprisingly efficient. One train there from my house, bus stop was right outside the train station, train goes directly to the Coliseum. Easy. Except for the horde of mentally ill homeless people that I was trapped on the bus with. And it got better. Whether it was the muscled Korean dude that held his 85 pound girlfriend off the ground with one arm that got on at Olympic, or the mariachi trio that boarded on Exposition, each stop brought an new and exciting cast of characters on to the bus. It got so fascinating to me that I almost didn't want to get off the bus. Then the homeless guy 2 rows back started dry heaving and I jumped off with the quickness.

I finally arrive at the Coliseum and I call my friend to find out where we're meeting. Our conversation went like this....

"It's Larry. I'm here, where are you?"

"Yeah, I'm not going. Too much traffic."

"You realize that I'm at the Coliseum right now."

"Yeah but I decided to cut my loses and skip it. Sorry."

Fucking great. I thought about heading home but I figured that after all the bullshit I went through to get there, I might as well watch the damn game. But now I was stuck at the Coliseum with no backup plan home. I was totally dependent on public transportation to get home. Screw it, I'd figure that out later.

Inside the Coliseum was another nightmare. Apparently someone thought it'd be a great idea to set up the concession stands in the walkways surrounding the inside of the stadium. This forced people to line up perpendicular to the throng of people attempting to make their way to their seats. It was a natural barrier every 20 feet. Also keep in mind that the Coliseum is almost 85 years old. The gateways and aisles were constructed for much, much slimmer people. I can guaran-fucking-tee you that the Parkinsons never even dreamed that their grand stadium would someday be jam packed with 300 pound parents, in undersized Dodger jerseys, standing in ridiculously long lines just to purchase cotton candy for their already obese children. Anyway, after 25 minutes of slogging through the great unwashed masses seemingly composed entirely of drunken Raider fans, I finally make it to my aisle. Moving up the stairs, an usher directs me to my seat. I'm in Row 90.... out of 93. To give you a better idea of where I am in the Coliseum, I took the picture above, then spun 180° and took this picture. So yeah, I was in the nosebleed section.

For the next 2½ hours I get to watch Dodger luminaries like Greg Jones and Mike Koplove get pounded by Red Sox superstars Bobby Kielty and Jed Lowrie. I wanted to cut out early but before I knew it, it was the 7th inning. And this being Los Angeles, the 7th inning is when a lot of fans start heading for the door, you know, to beat the traffic. Which would be a pretty good plan if 40% of the fans in attendance didn't have the exact same idea. So, again being really super smart, I decided to watch the whole game, figuring that it'd be easier to navigate my way out of the Coliseum with fewer people around.

Another bad move.

Once I got out of the stands and into the outside walkways, I discover that apparently 50,000 other people had the exact same idea that I did. When the game was finally over, all I had to do was head back to the bus stop where I got dropped off at and head over to the train station. 20 minutes tops! More like 20 minutes to get outside the Coliseum, another 40 to make it through the throng of people to the bus stop and then another 90 minutes to get on an actual bus.

Finally, thanks to the kindly assistance of two girls who were far more versed in the ways of public transportation than I, I finally make it on to my train to begin my journey home. More than two hours after the game ended. This experience was so shitty that it actual tainted my view of the Dodgers this year. Something tells me that I'm not going to make too many trips out to Dodger Stadium this season.

All You Can Eat Pavilion or no All You Can Eat Pavilion.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 6

2008-03-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

To download podcast: Click here.

Ok, so this episode came out a little later than I wanted it to. I never intended for February's bonus episode to replace the March episode but that's almost what happened. I guess I got a little ahead of myself with the whole "I had time on my hands" thing.

Episode 6: Everything Can Be Replaced Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "9th Wonder (Blackitolism)" by Digable Planets
3. "Haboglabotribin" by Bernard Wright
4. "Fried Neckbone & Some Home Fries (DTA Remix)" by Willie Bobo
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Dance, Dance" by The Lebron Brothers Orchestra
7. "Don't Let No One Get You Down" by War
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Sway" by Rosemary Clooney & Pérez Prado
10. "It Had Better Be Tonight" by Lena Horne
11. "But I Was Cool" by Oscar Brown Jr.
12. larry's interlude #3
13. "Jump Around (Pete Rock Remix)" by House of Pain
14. "Frontin'" by Taggy Matcher
15. larry's interlude #4
16. "Music" by The Dynamics
17. "I Shall Be Released" by Freddie McGregor
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "Fade Away" by Junior Byles

This month's theme song is "Mañana (Is Good Enough For Me)" by Jackie Davis.

Just When I Think I'm Out...

2008-03-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

They pull me back in.

I guess I'm not exactly what you'd call a party animal. Once maybe but definitely not these days. So while I'm still a pretty social guy, more often than not I prefer the comfort of my own company. These days I usually spend my free time reading, or writing, or working on my podcast. And being a totally awesome husband, of course!

As a result, I guess you can say that I'm into video games. Or at least I used to be really into video games. As recently as 5 years ago, it wasn't unusual for me to spend 7 hours playing video games. But these days, not so much. I think I just got burned out and lost interest. I still bust out my PSP from time to time (Me & My Katamari forever!) but I haven't dusted off my PlayStation in over a year.

So imagine my surprise when I suddenly found myself bitten by the video game once again. I thought I'd completely kicked the habit but alas, I was wrong. And what was it that brought me back into the comforting electronic arms of a video game console..... Guitar Hero.

Now, this game isn't exactly new. It's been out for a while but I was never that interested in it. I mean, sure, I thought about buying it but I only had a PS2 and I didn't feel like spending hundreds of bucks on a new console for one game. But then I found out that the latest version, Guitar Hero III, was going to be released on the Nintendo Wii platform. I'd been thinking about getting a Wii anyway, since it was cheaper than an Xbox 360 and a PS3, and finding out that Guitar Hero would be available for it just sort of sealed the deal.

First of all, the game is amazing. The variety of songs they have available is amazing. I'm big into music and everything but never did I expect to be so excited to play a Pat Benatar song. Seriously, I was into it. I even into a bunch of songs that I would never listen to outside the game. Crap like Disturbed and Slipknot. Normally, you couldn't pay me to listen to trash like Slipknot but here I am rocking out to their song "Before I Forget" in Career Mode. I recently read that there are new band-specific expansions on the way so I'm totally jazzed. The rumor of Guitar Hero: The Beatles has me stoked.

But the fun didn't stop there with Guitar Hero. Oh no.

Last weekend, my sister-in-law mentioned a game for the Wii called American Idol: Karaoke Revolution and asked if she could keep the game at my place. Since she didn't have a Wii herself, you know. Thinking she was kidding I said yes. An hour later we were coming home from Best Buy with the game in hand. We turned it on and as I'm sure you've guessed it's a karaoke game, complete with a plug in microphone.

First impression, this game was retarded. There was no way I was playing this dumb ass game.

Two songs later... ok, give me the mic.

The highlight of my American Idol experience was when after I finished off a particularly amazing version of "Heart of Glass," a pixelated Simon Cowell craned his awkwardly rendered head towards me and asked "Where have you been hiding?"

I learned something about myself that day.

I learned that I can sing Corinne Bailey Rae songs like a motherfucker.

Ron Weasley: Marked for Death

2008-03-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

This morning I stumbled upon an article from last year that suggests natural redheads could be extinct within 100 years.

Apparently, redheads were originally the result of a mutation amount Europeans that increased the body's ability to create Vitamin D from sunlight. Over time, as redheads moved around the globe, the gene pool got a little diluted so now, the chances of two natural redheads meeting and reproducing have decreased, leading to the shrinking number of natural redheads. Sure, in some cases, a redheaded child can be born from a couple with only one redheaded parent but the chances are not as likely they would be if both parents were redheads.

There's a chance that rather than going completely extinct, the redheaded gene can just go dormant and return in a few centuries but that's all speculation at this point.

For now, only one thing thing can be said sure... your days are numbered, Conan O'Brien.

Can't I Just Owe You?

2008-03-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

I've always believed that CDs should be more expensive.

Sure, an average CD costs about $15 these days and it's a lot already but I've always felt that CDs should really cost anywhere between 25 and 30 bucks. My main line of thinking here is that if an actual album costs more then artists will have to work harder to earn their piece of the consumer pie since less people will be inclined to make the bigger investment. Those who do spend that cash though would be much more satisfied, right? That all depends on whether or not the recording artist actually wants to earn your hard-earned cash. Some will say that artists already work hard enough as it is, why should they have to do even more work for us fickle fans? To those people I ask, how's that latest Maroon 5 record?

So like, if I, larrydigital, was going to put down $30 for an album, then the album better be worth $30. Know what I mean? I also believe that movies should run a minimum of three hours, books should be at least 900 pages and meals should always be seven courses. Always.

When I read that Jill Sobule, primarily known for her 1995 semi-hit "I Kissed A Girl," created a website to solicit funding for her latest album, it got me thinking. Independent artists have existed far longer than the institutions they're independent from, but is this really where we've come to? I mean, no offense to Jill Sobule or anything, I'm absolutely positive that she's a 1000 times more talented than I am but if she's that talented, shouldn't have other outlets available to her? I know the record industry is in the toilet and all and that's a tremendous shame. Smaller artists like Jill Sobule have to work much, much harder to get their work out but hey, even John Mayer got a record deal, didn't he?

And don't get me wrong. I have great admiration for the independent artist. I even kind of like to consider myself one, since my podcast is independently produced (in the case of my podcast, "independent" means "not listened to") and plus there's the whole independent comic thing I participate in.

My main issue is this, why should I have to pay for an album that isn't even completed yet? And it isn't, otherwise I wouldn't have the option of possibly singing on said album. Why do I get the "honor" of fronting your experiment? Hypothetically speaking, let's say I kick in a certain amount of dollars in to get this show on the road, what guarantee do I have that this album will be worth what I put into it? My main reason for wanting higher album prices is because I want to get what I pay for. I want my $30 album to be worth $30. So what if I pay $10,000 ("Weapons-Grade Plutonium Level" sponsorship, according to her site) to get on the record... and the song sucks. Again assuming that I'm a Sobule fan, what if I don't even like the song I've paid so handsomely to be a part of? I think from that perspective, it takes a little bit of balls to ask for contribution for such a sight unseen project. Here, pay for this, you'll love it. Trust me.

But hey. That's just me.

If you'd like to participate in the creation of Jill Sobule's next record, the cleverly titled "Jill's Next Record," click here. The tally currently stands at $60,000, about $15,000 short of her $75,000 goal.

Also, the Sport of Welfare Recipients

2008-03-01T23:34:00.000-08:00

Today was the day of my semi-annual trip to the Santa Anita Park to enjoy the sport of kings... horse racing. Despite the cloudy weather peppered with the occasional drizzle, it was a fairly crowded day. Probably because KROQ's Microbrew Festival was taking place in the Infield Area. It's strange because I never actually partake in the beer festival myself but I always seem to be there when it's going on.

The track is a weird place. I enjoy the activity of the race track with the horses and junk but I'm always amazed by the mass of humanity that seems to accumulate there. As one of my friends mentioned, should the entire race track be gassed that day, there's likely to be at least a 3% drop in the local crime rate. I understand that it's wrong to stereotype a person by their appearance and all but something tells me that the 5' 3" gangsta with an "LA" tattooed on to the back of his shaved head (his fucking head!) probably doesn't have a straight job. I saw this lady stuffing apple sauce into the face of her tiny, tiny baby between the fifth and sixth races so I gave Angry Bob permission to kill me if I ever bring a wildly underage child to the race track. No words would be necessary either, just the sweet release of death.

I can understand if you want to bring your child to experience the majesty of the horses or whatever but cradling your baby with your right arm so you can place an Exacta bet with your left is probably a little inappropriate. And that's not mention that there seemed to be a whole mass of people that looked like they really should use their cash on a sandwich or something instead of playing the ponies. The grizzled guy in the tattered Members Only jacket and the busted pants zipper is a good example. Seriously dude, don't bet that money, go get something to eat.

For the second straight year, I tried Bean Robot's patented method of horse betting... divide the number of horses in a race in half and bet on the half with the best odds while your friend bets on the other half. One of your is guaranteed to win, right? Right! Of course, 50/50 odds sounds good on the surface but when you factor in the odds of winning for the individual horses (some horses were offering a craptacular 1:1 payout), there's a good chance that you won't make your money back even if you win. Now, last year, I was pretty successful and walked out of the park in the black. This time, the bottom fell out and I left in the red. It wasn't too bad though, especially when I got my biggest payout of the day in the 11th and final race. Thank you, Wine On the Porch! I'm pretty sure I fared worse out of everyone but I only lost about $40 so it wasn't a huge deal. Mertz was definitely the big winner of the day, hitting 3 separate Trifecas. Shocking.

There's a Dave & Buster's right next to the track, which I think is a fun place. It's got video games and stuff and it's mostly marketed as a Chuck E. Cheese for adults. And hey, that's perfectly fine with me. But I knew that I couldn't stay too long because there was a work-related birthday party going on there that night. I'm only vaguely acquainted with the birthday girl and I didn't want to seem like I was crashing the party... Oh, hey there, co-workers that I see every day. I know I wasn't invited and I totally knew you were all going to be here but I just happened to be in the area... Which was completely true by the way but still. Too bad though, because I had a totally awesome present to give her, courtesy of Santa Anita Park. Your loss, Kimi!

All in all, it was a fun day. I don't get a chance to go to the track too often but I always have a good time when I do. Truthfully, I didn't even mind the track's $9 sandwiches and $6 dollar beers. There was something strangely familiar about it. I guess those prices, coupled with the overabundance of pregnant cholas with peroxided hair, why... it's just like being at Dodger Stadium!

Introducing... The Chazzcast!

2008-02-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

As one astute listener of the many moods of larrydigital recently pointed out (ok, it was my wife), the majority of music that I play in my podcast is old. Very old. In my latest episode, Episode 5: Bring It On Down To Soulsville, the most current song I play is from 1975. I try to include more recent music when possible, as evidenced in Episode 4: It's A Brand New Day, but I can't really help the fact that I enjoy older music. It's what I play because it's what I like. I guess the fact that I rarely listen to music for pleasure these days doesn't help either. I'm just usually screening for potential podcasts inclusions so occasionally I'll pepper in something from this century, but mostly my screening has me reaching backwards through the years.

So what's a music fan who wants to hear more current music to do?

Well, check out the Chazzcast, of course! My main man Jim Chadwick caught the podcast bug himself and put together The Blue Chair (the podcast's actual name, don't call it The Chazzcast), a sampling of some of Jim's favorite songs from the past year. I thoroughly enjoyed the The Blue Chair myself because as I mentioned, it featured a lot of new stuff that I wasn't all that familiar with. I'd read about a lot of bands in The Blue Chair but I hadn't had to opportunity to actually listen to most of them.

Part of the reason I began my podcast is because I was tired of hearing the same 12 songs an hour on terrestrial radio stations and I'm not about to plunk down my hard earned eCash on stuff that I've never heard (no, I'd rather spend my cash on songs I've heard a thousand times before). Plus I'm far too cheap to pay for satellite radio. So I'm glad that there's at least two new very different outlets for music these days. Even though I'm fairly certain that Jim and I are each other's podcast's only listeners.

You want Isaac Hayes and Desmond Dekker? I'm your guy. You want some Devendra Barhart and PJ Harvey? Jim's your man. I try to specialize on artists that are largely forgotten while Jim plays artists that are largely ignored by conventional outlets (although some of Jim's do get a metric ass-ton of attention from rock critics). There's some great music out there old and new, I just wish sometimes that it wasn't such a pain in the ass to discover that music.

Ok, long story short: Go listen to The Blue Chair!

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 5

2008-02-24T02:19:00.000-08:00

To download podcast: Click here.

As I mentioned in my last podcast post, while I try to produce my episodes monthly, I may start cranking them out more frequently if I had the time. Well, this month I had the time.

I figured out a few technical problems this time around (remember, I'm still learning this whole podcast thing) so I think the overall sound quality is a little better. The main complaint about my podcasts, besides gripes about my lame anecdotes, has been that my vocals have generally been low. But like I said, I think I've worked that out.

Quick story about this episode, I didn't notice until I completed my final mix that one of the songs in this podcast indirectly mentions another song later in the same podcast. Maybe. In "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," Gil Scott-Heron says "The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb, Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell..." Well, it turns out that Isaac Hayes' "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" originally was written by Jim Webb and it was sung by Glen Campbell. There's a 50/50 chance that Gil was referring to "Wichita Lineman" which Jim Webb wrote specifically for Glen Campbell after being impressed by Glenn's version of "Phoenix." But I'm going to say that Gil's referring to "Phoenix" because it makes a better story. Ok!

Comments regarding this podcast are always welcome so feel free to email me at larrydigital@gmail.com, or you can post a message at my iTunes page. Either form of feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Episode 5: Bring It On Down To Soulsville Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "So Very Hard To Go" by Tower of Power
3. "Walk Away From Love" by David Ruffin
4. larry's interlude #1
5. "Theme From Cleopatra Jones" by J.J. Johnson
6. "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron
7. larry's interlude #2
8. "Do You Feel It?" by The Joe Cuba Sextet
9. "Eso Se Baila Así" by Willie Colon
10. "Unaddressed Letter" by Dave "Baby" Cortez
11. larry's interlude #3
12. "La La at the End" by Norman Brown & The Chosen Few
13. "It Ain't Me, Babe" by Bob & Marcia
14. larry's interlude #4
15. "Is It True?" by Brenda Lee
16. "Ambush" by Maria Dallas
17. "Laisse Tomber Les Filles" by France Gall
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" by Isaac Hayes

This episode's theme song is "Jesusita en Chihuahua" by Mariachi México de Pepe Villa.

Superman Is Dead

2008-02-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

As you might have gathered, I'm not a Shaquille O'Neal fan. One of the trademarks I guess of Shaq's career has been his self-proclaimed "Superman" title. From the "S" tattoo on his bicep to his custom made car to his turn as a Superman-related character in the dreadful, dreadful movie Steel, Shaq's affinity for Superman has been well documented and the association has stuck.

Well, all that's over. After the NBA's All-Star festivities last night in New Orleans, it appears there's a new Superman in town. During the dunk contest, Orlando Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard, broke out a special dunk. He removed his jersey to reveal a Superman shirt, put on a Superman cape and proceeded to fly through the air. Normally I'm not a fan of the dunk contest, preferring in-game dunks to these completely staged productions. But I have to admit, Dwight's dunk was pretty spectacular. Shortly after his dunk, the arena filled with the Superman theme song, specifically for Dwight.

Dwight's been steadily improving since coming into the league 4 years ago and just this afternoon, he made his first appearance as a starter in the NBA All-Star game. Coincidentally, Shaq's been declining over the last 3 years, mostly due to injuries. And, to add insult to said injuries, Dwight was introduced as Dwight "Superman" Howard. Ironically, Dwight's inclusion as a starter ends Shaq's run of 14 consecutive All-Star appearances.

Sorry, Shaq, it appears that you've been replaced.

Superman is dead. Long live Superman.

Van Hunt @ Temple Bar

2008-02-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

You know what I like? Live music.

There was a time in my life when I used to go to at least one concert a month. I don't the opportunity to do that too often these days but when I heard that Van Hunt was performing at the Temple Bar in Santa Monica this weekend, I made a point to make it on down and check him out.

If you haven't heard of Van Hunt, don't worry, you are far from being alone. Sure, he's a Grammy winner and all but really, he's not all that popular. And since he recently got dropped from his label, I don't expect him to get more popular any time soon.

But.

That doesn't make him any less talented and he really is a gifted artist. It turned out that his gig at the Temple Bar was actually Van's first ever solo acoustic performance. Truth be told, had I known that, I probably wouldn't have gone. As much as I like Van, I'm not really into his slower R&B stuff, preferring his more funky stuff. Check out my podcast the many moods of larrydigital, Episode 1: Fever in the Funkhouse for a sample of what I'm talking about.

Despite not really being a fan of his more soulful stuff, I thought Van put on a really good show. He played a nice mix of stuff and he really interacted with the crowd well, which was a plus. It was a pretty small venue, as you may or may not be able to tell from the picture above, I was only about 20 feet from the stage.

What really struck me about the show was its totally diverse crowd. Whether it was the older Korean ladies in line (the short one called the tall one unni) or the middle aged white woman reminiscing about her days as a Soul Train dancer or the bespectaled Mexican guy with his pregnant Filipino wife, we were all there for the same thing. Regardless of who we were or where we were from, we were all there to enjoy a fun show and great music from Van Hunt.

His opening act, a woman named Chrissy DePaul, wasn't as entertaining. Don't get me wrong, she had a nice singing voice. Her lyrics on the other hand, left a lot to be desired. And bland lyrics from a solo singer-songwriter is never a good thing. She bore a striking resemblance to Shannon from Lost and apparently, her day job is busking at the San Monica Promenade. At one point she mentioned that she wrote her following number while "performing" at the Promenade. The lyrics went like this... I'm standing on the corner with a guitar in my hand. Hmmm, ok. Another song, about a beautiful person in her life... You're more beautiful than the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Ugh. A third, this one about how you can't make someone love you... You can't make someone love you, you can't make someone love you, repeated 20 times. Booooring. Don't get me wrong, I admire Chrissy for having the courage to get on stage and perform but for me, this was just another example of why I never go to a concert for the opening act. Except, of course, for that time in 1994 when I went to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to see Rage Against the Machine open for House of Pain.

Van Hunt performs at the Temple Bar next on February 19 and again on March 6. If you're a fan of soul, R&B or just plain good music, you should do yourself a favor and check him out.

Devean George... Still A Dick

2008-02-14T08:59:00.001-08:00

There are few players in the NBA that I hate more than Devean George.

The thing about Devean is that he fell ass backwards into a situation where he was drafted by the Lakers in 1999 (one spot ahead of Russian superstar Andrei "AK-47" Kirilenko, by the way) and immediately got a chance to win three championships as part of Phil Jackson-led reboot of the Lakers franchise. What irks me about Devean is that somewhere along the road to the Finals, he seemed to believe that he was a part of the reason for the Lakers' success and not just the warm body on the bench that he was. Sure, Devean started for a season but hey, Slava Medvedenko was a starter once too, you know.

Using logic that defies explanation, the Lakers resigned him in 2002 but eventually let him walk away in 2006 for nothing. And let me tell you something, in the NBA, teams have a salary cap so players with expiring contracts have value regardless of their basketball skillz. An expiring contract wipes away a part of a team's cap for the next season which means they can now spend that money on another, possibly more desirable player. Dig the Kwame Brown for Pau Gasol trade. Kwame sucks, but his $9 million dollar expiring contract is a huge deal. Obviously, it has value, the Lakers got an All-Star in return for it. Next season, the Grizzlies can now use that $9 million that formerly paid Kwame's salary for another player that, unlike Kwame, might actually be worth a $9 million a year salary.

So if you're an NBA player with an expiring contract, one of two things usually happens: you're either resigned or your contract is traded. With those options in mind, the Lakers did neither with Devean George. Which means that he was so terrible, not even his expiring contract could entice a team to take him on.

I'll admit, when the Dallas Mavericks signed him as a free agent in 2006, I was a little baffled. By this time, Devean's once promising game had deteriorated to practically nothing but I figured that the only reason Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban offered him a contract was probably because of Devean's playoff experience. I mean, with the Mavericks choking in the playoffs two years in a row, a little veteran leadership might be what Dallas needed. That had to be the reason but honestly, there's nothing else that Devean George could possibly offer the Mavs.

Fast forward to today. In 2008, Devean George is once again a player with an expiring contract. Word broke yesterday that the New Jersey Nets have agreed to trade 9-time All-Star and the 1995 co-Rookie of the year Jason Kidd and forward Malik "How Am I Still in the NBA?" Allen to the Mavericks in return for the human foul machine DeSagana Diop (expiring contract), the shockingly useless Devean George (expiring contract), 75-year-old shooting guard Jerry Stackhouse, bench warmer extraordinare Maurice Ager (averaging 1.3 points and 0.3 rebounds per game), point guard Devin "Where Da White Women At?" Harris, two future first round picks and $3 million in cash. A trade, by the way, that Mark Cuban himself denied earlier this week. As a Laker fan, I love this trade. I mean, Jason Kidd is Jason Kidd, future NBA Hall of Famer no question, but I don't think he's enough to get Dallas over the hump. And call me crazy but I believe that losing a big body in DeSagana Diop is going to hurt the Mavs come playoff time. With Shaq and Gasol now in the West, Western Conference front courts are getting bigger. You're going to need that size down the line. Still, it's a very nice haul for the Nets. They'll be able to clear some cap space plus Devin Harris is a nice catch. And first round picks are always useful. Unless, of course, your name is Billy Knight. The package for Jason Kidd is much better than the pu-pu platters that the Grizzlies got for Pau Gasol or the Minnesota Timberwolves got for Kevin Garnett. If I'm Rod Thorn, I'd take that deal in a heartbeat too.

But not so fast.

Apparently, the deal has hit a snag. Devean George is refusing to waive his Bird rights which means that he's effectively vetoed the trade to New Jersey. Long story short about Bird rights, they allow teams to exceed the salary cap to resign their own veteran players. To complete this trade, Devean would have to waive the Bird rights provision of his contract and is refusing to do so. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense because there's no way that a journeyman player is going to endear himself to a team to the point where they'd consider resigning him if all he is doing is preventing a 9-time All-Star from joining said team. So why is he even bothering? Probably to leverage a new contract extension from the Nets. He's been bitching all year long about not getting playing time for the Mavericks and most likely wants some sort of multi-year commitment from the Nets. But here's the deal jackass, unless your name is Yi Jianlian, you've got to earn your minutes in the NBA. Devean wasn't playing for the Mavs because he sucks. Last night against the Portland Trailblazers, after word of his trade veto became public knowledge, Devean went 0 for 11 in 33 minutes. 0 for 11! At some point, you'd think he'd have stopped shooting, right? There's no doubt in my mind that this trade will go down, but only after Devean has angled a new deal for himself. So right now, Devean holds two NBA franchises in limbo just so he can finagle a new contract that he obviously doesn't deserve.

So like I said, Devean George... still a dick.

Real quick, about the Kidd to Mavericks trade, and the Pau Gasol to the Lakers trade, and the Shaq to the Suns trade... what the fuck Eastern Conference? Are you planning on keeping any All-Stars at all or are you going to ship them all to the West? How long until LeBron James or Chris Bosh get shipped west? It's bad enough that there's a massive quality gap between the Eastern and Western Conferences as it is, there's no need to make it worse by trading away what few legitimate stars you have left. If the NBA playoffs started today, three teams in the West (Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors) are tied for the eighth (and last) place seed with a record of 32-20. In the East, a team with a record of 32-20 would be in THIRD PLACE.

Eastern Conference... more like Leastern Conference, am I rite?!

Heaven's Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

2008-02-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

I like to tell myself that I don't watch a lot of television but I do. In addition to watching an entire assload of sports, I tend to watch a lot of movies as well. In the last month alone, I figure that I've seen about 20 movies. Mostly foreign films (preferably the kind where everybody dies and I don't completely understand what happened at the end..... hellloooooo Tokyo Drifter) and films from the 1970s. By sheer coincidence, I've recently watched The French Connection, Jaws 2 and All That Jazz.

Yep, all Roy Scheider films.

So it was a little bit of a bummer when I read that he died yesterday in Arkansas.

While I won't go as far as saying that Roy Scheider was one of my favorite actors (that's reserved for Robert Duvall and Clint Eastwood), I will say that I thought that he was a very talented man. His career may have tapered off a little towards the end but he left movie buffs like myself with a truly classic body of work.

Slow ahead, Chief Brody, slow ahead.

Shaq Still Suqks

2008-02-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

It's official.

I will never be the general manager of an NBA team.

Earlier today, the Phoenix Suns traded Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat for Shaquille O'Neal. The Heat also received perennial under- achiever Marcus Banks in the deal. I simply do not understand the logic behind this move. I mean, everything about this trade screams PANIC MOVE. Maybe to somehow combat the Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol or something but as evidenced by the Lakers' loss to the Atlanta Hawks earlier today, there really was no need to make ridiculous moves just yet.

I mean, yes, Shaq is a former MVP and a former 14-time All-Star but that seems like it was 100 years ago. Truly, in his day, Shaquille O'Neal was the most dominant center of his generation but unfortunately, his day is long, long, looooong over. He's been plagued by injuries all season long and for him to fit into the Suns' uptempo game, Shaq would have to show a level of motivation that seems to have left him years ago. Shawn Marion, it should be noted, is also a former All-Star. He's younger, faster, has a cheaper contract and is far more suited to the Suns run-and-gun style. Marion's a stud, so it's not quite the sack of magic beans that the Lakers got in return for Shaquille in 2004. But, it's been reported that Marion doesn't get along with Suns' big man Amare Stoudamire and is planning to opt out of his contract at the end of the year. So I suppose that the Suns figured that they may as well trade him than lose him at the end of the year for nothing.

But still.

The knock on the Suns is that while they are a talented team, they don't quite have all the pieces to beat the elite teams in the West like the San Antonio Spurs or the Dallas Mavericks. Which is true, by the way. The Suns usually murder teams during the regular season and sort of fizzle out in the playoffs. So yes, they probably needed to make some sort of move but trading for a massive injury risk player that is clearly past his prime.

Currently, the Suns are ahead of the Lakers in the Pacific Division (barely!) and first in the Western Conference so it's business as usual for them. Yes, they could've done something but the rumored deal with the Charlotte Bobcats for Emeka Okafor or the other rumored deal with the Philadelphia 76ers for Samuel Dalembert would have made far, far more sense. In either of those cases you're rolling the dice with younger players. Plus, neither one of those dudes is the defensive liability that Shaq is at this point in his career. All the Suns have done by trading for Shaq is made their championship window even smaller. A 34-year-old Steve Nash and a 35-year-old Shaquille O'Neal has a window of maybe, maybe a year and half and then all bets are off.

Actually, you know what, I've thought about it and this Suns/Heat swap is a great trade... for the Lakers.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 4

2008-02-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

To download podcast: Click here.

It has always been my intention to publish podcasts monthly. So far I've been sticking to that fairly lofty goal. I say lofty because I'm a big ass procrastinator. I have a tendency to get sidetracked with ridiculous stuff which really kills my creative process, such as it is. For example, I work in pieces so pieces of podcast five through nine are already completed. This most recent podcast was finished about 12 days ago but for some reason, I couldn't find a title that I felt comfortable with. The most meaningless part of the podcast (assuming that the entire podcast itself has a meaning) and I get held up by it. Dumb, right? But that's how it is with me sometimes.

Anyway, like I was saying, I've always meant to publish these monthly because I'm trying like hell to stick to my self-imposed deadlines for new stuff. It's working me. But I was thinking, what happens if I finish a podcast early? As I mentioned, this one was done 12 days ago. Supposing for a second that I had a title, should I have just sat on it until the first week of the month? Probably not. My long-winded point is this, I might start churning these things out more frequently. I'll always have at least one a month, and usually during the first week of the month, but don't be too surprised if once in a while, you get an extra one. That'll be a special treat for the 4 people (including me) who actually listen to my podcast.

I've been asked by a few people about the groovy bongo background music that I played in Episode 3: Your Ace From Outer Space. It's the instrumental version of a song called "Mad Monster Party Theme" by Maury Laws and it's from the soundtrack of a 1968 Rankin & Bass animated special called, you guessed it, Mad Monster Party. Rankin & Bass is the company that's responsible for that stop-motion Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special that gets aired every Christmas, the one with an animated Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman. The soundtrack for Mad Monster Party is available on Amazon.com if you're really that interested in the song. The soundtrack has two versions of the song, the instrumental version that I played and another version featuring vocals by Ethel Ennis.

You know, I was toying with the idea of having a theme for this podcast, despite my whole "no themes" philosophy. I figure, I broke the no themes thing with the second episode, why not do it again with the fourth? Maybe love songs since Valentine's Day is right around the corner (or more correctly, an anti-love song theme) or maybe a podcast full of my favorite karaoke songs but ultimately decided against it. I do like the idea though so maybe I'll do it the line. You've been warned! By the way, I also do a tremendous version of "Baby Got Back." It's truly inspiring.

Real quick, I'd like to take a moment to beg for your support. if you've downloaded the podcast and enjoy it (or even if you didn't enjoy it) please take a moment and drop me a feedback on my iTunes page. My podcast may not be the greatest one in existence but I'm fairly pleased with it. And because of that, I'd like to reach as many people as possible. I figure that a few feedback messages, positive or negative, will at least show that some people are listening and may inspire someone to take a chance on my little podcast that could. Thanks in advance for your support.

Ok, that's it. Enough of my prattling. Enjoy Episode 4 of the many moods of larrydigital, It's A Brand New Day.

Episode 4: It's A Brand New Day Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "This Woman" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces
3. "Lovers Rock" by Freddie McGregor
4. "Clean Up Woman" by Betty Wright
5. larry's interlude #1
6. "Blind Man Can See It" by James Brown
7. "Jungle Fever" by The Chakachas
8. larry's interlude #2
9. "Shoot the Pump" by J. Walter Negro & The Loose Jointz
10. "Don't Worry About It" by N.E.R.D.
11. "Helicopter (Weird Science Remix)" by Bloc Party
12. larry's interlude #3
13. "The Salmon Dance" by The Chemical Brothers
14. "Here" by Luscious Jackson
15. larry's interlude #4
16. "Love Sweet Sound" by Groove Armada
17. "Pretty Girls Don't Dance" by Felix Da Housecat
18. larry's interlude #5/outro
19. "It's the Beat" by Simian Mobile Disco

PS. This month's theme song is "Silver Dollar" by The Skatalites.

Friends, Romans, Laker Fans...

2008-02-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

I've come to bury Kwame Brown, not to praise him.

You know, for the record, I never really hated Kwame Brown. Sure, as a Laker fan, he pisses me off a ton of times. Believe me, there were no shortage of reasons to dislike the guy. Whether it was his lack of basketball IQ, his hands of stone, his consistent ability to miss point blank lay ups or the fact that he launched overpriced cakes with better accuracy than he shot a basketball, it was always something with Kwame.

Like I said, I never hated him because they way I saw it, it wasn't his fault that he was terrible basketball player. It wasn't his fault that general managers tripped over themselves to offer him ridiculous contracts. It wasn't his fault that Michael Jordan himself hand picked Kwame as the #1 overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft. I believe that Kwame, despite all of his faults (and there are many), means well. And that counts for something, right?

I mean, he's not an unrepentant jackass like Stephen Jackson or a overpaid tub of goo that just doesn't get it like Zach Randolph or just a plain fucking lunatic like Ron Artest. Kwame's biggest fault that he was a low court IQ player that couldn't wrap his cornrows around the triangle offense. But like I said, he's means well.

However, none of that matters anymore because this afternoon, the Kwame Brown Era in Los Angeles came to a crashing end. This afternoon, the Los Angeles Lakers traded Kwame Brown, rookie point guard Javaris Crittenton and two future 1st round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2002 Rookie of the Year and former 2006 All-Star (and the object of my not-so-secret mancrush) Pau Gasol (pronounced "pow"). In a cruel twist of fate, the Grizzlies also received the rights to Marc Gasol, Pau's younger brother, who the Lakers selected in the second round of the 2007 draft. Bummer for Marc, right? Imagine that.... Marc, I've got some good news and bad news for you.... The good news, your brother Pau is joining us on the Lakers, the bad news....

As evidenced by this cover from the July 2007 Spanish edition of Rolling Stone magazine, Pau Gasol is a rock star. He's actually my 2nd favorite player in the NBA (right behind Dirk "German Jesus" Nowitzki) so I don't think I can fully express how awesome it is that he's coming to my favorite team. What's extra awesome about this trade (awesomer!) is that Pau shores up the Lakers' front court which has been woefully thin since Andrew Bynum went down and it makes the Lakers legitimate title contenders in the Western Conference. I'd have to say that not counting Karl Malone (because his tenure was brief and injury-ridden), Pau is the best power forward the Lakers have had since Big Game James Worthy. Which may not sound like much considering that my pregnant wife is a better defender right now than Slava Medvedenko was when he was actually starting but I think you understand my point.

As painful as it is for me to say, I think Mitch Kupchak deserves serious consideration for the NBA's General Manager of the Year. It's painful because up until now, we Laker fans have suffered through Mitch's decisions. Drafting Brian Cook over Josh Howard? Really? Signing Smush Parker and Aaron McKie? Seriously? Signing and then waiving Koko Archibong? Hey Mitch, you never, ever waive a guy named Archibong. NEVER.

And unlike Danny Ainge, who used the ghost of Red Auberbach to force Kevin McHale to trade Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics for a song, Mitch Kupchak didn't have too many trades until very recently and rebuilt the Lakers in this most difficult way possible.... through the draft. Of course, the Gasol trade is a huge boost, as was the Trevor Ariza trade albeit in a small manner, but if you look at the team Mitch has crafted, it's built to win now and it's ready for the future thanks to the presence of Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic, etc.

Anyway, the Lakers are back, ladies and gentlemen. It's going to be an exciting ride. And I don't know about you guys but I think I'd kill to see the Lakers and the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals.

Clipper Darrell Update

2008-01-29T22:58:00.000-08:00

So after (sort of) singing Clipper Darrell's praises, it appears that Mark Cuban has offered him a similar job as the Mavericks #1 fan.

The sports world waits to see if he'll take Rental Man with him.

Wherefore Art Thou, Dancing Barry?

2008-01-24T11:32:00.000-08:00

Last night, I went to Staples Center to see the Los Angeles Clippers demolish the Sacramento Kings. While I thought that it was an interesting game, I have to admit that at times I had trouble following the action because I kept getting distracted by two overly enthusiast fans.

One was Clipper Darrell. Now, Darrell is a staple at the Staples Center (you see what I did there?) so if you've ever been to a Los Angeles Clipper game, or caught the local broadcast on television, you may have seen him in the crowd. He's the dude in the red on the left side, blue on the right side suit screaming Let's go Clippers, let's go! at the top of his lungs. One has to wonder if he has a similar red and blue suit at home, one with the colors reversed. You know, red on the right, blue on the left. I mean, what did he do with the other halves of suits that he used to make his Clipper outfit? It'd be a waste to toss those halves in the trash when you could make another suit, right?

I guess you could consider Clipper Darrell a mascot. I mean, he's not a paid employee like the Phoenix Suns' Gorilla or the San Antonio Spurs' Coyote, but Darrell out there trying to rile up the crowd just the same. He's just a fan that really, really, really, really like the Clippers. I mean, I can't imagine myself being that type of fan but hey, I understand he's a long time season ticket holder so he can do whatever he likes, I guess. Clearly of all the people in attendance for last night's game, he had the most fun. And even though not all Clipper fans enjoy his antics, he seems to be having a good time so more power to him.

Who had the least amount of fun last night? The 14 year old dude that had the misfortune of sitting directly in front of Clipper Darrell. That poor kid got to have a grown ass man yelling three feet from his ear for two hours.

The other fan that distracted me was Rental Man. Basically, his entire shtick is jumping around and gyrating like a crack addict during timeouts and breaks. But during the action, he'll take off his colonial wig and sit in his seat, watching intently as if were a crucial playoff games or something. And I'm assuming that his name is Rental Man because that's what it said on the back of his custom Clippers jersey. This dude's a little different and makes even less sense to me because from what I understand, he's a bit more mercenary. At the end of the day, Clipper Darrell is a Clipper fan but I've seen Rental Man at Laker games in a Lakers jersey and friends of mine have seen him at Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks' games. A co-worker of mine even said that she saw Rental Man shaking his ass at a Dodger game.

What I don't understand is what drives someone to completely waste his time, effort and money to act like a complete moron at these games? Other than the whole LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! rush or whatever, what could Rental Man possibly get from all this? Oh, and last night he had better seats than I did last night and my tickets had a face value of $125. Who's paying for this crap?

Like I said, Rental Man's obviously not an exclusive Clipper fan like Clipper Darrell, so what's the fucking point? Maybe he's an actor looking to get discovered. I suppose that's possible. I mean, Brad Pitt did begin his show business handing out flyers in front of an El Pollo Loco which wearing a giant chicken costume. Maybe Rental Man is hoping someone rents him for some sort of event. Which is a fantastic idea, by the way. A six foot man in a lycra shirt and George Washington wig simulating a crack-induced seizure with your brand name pasted on his chest?

Hells yeah! Who wouldn't want in on that action?

Giant Robot Are Go!

2008-01-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

Earlier today, I made it out to the Giant Robot Biennale: 50 Issues exhibit in Little Tokyo. I'm familiar with Giant Robot magazine so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Truthfully, there wasn't a whole lot of work on display (in comparison to, say, the ©Murakami exhibit that I previously posted about) but what they did have was really interesting.

As soon as you walk in, there's a display by Adrian Tomine. If you're not familiar with Adrian's work (and you should be because he's awesome), he's done comic work with collections such as 32 Stories and Sleepwalk but he's done a bunch of work for Rolling Stone, Time and New Yorker. All of the work there was cool but the ones that really stood out for me, besides Adrian's, were the pieces by Saelee Oh and APAK. Saelee's work was ridiculous. What I mean is, that it looks extremely simple and tremendously complicated at the same time. Swimmers underwater, or swimmers in space, surrounded by paper cutout seaweed or weird moonscapes, matching paper cutout whales and other animals. Seriously, I could've stared at her pieces for hours. Check out her cool ass website here.

APAK, a husband and wife duo out of Portland, produced these amazing little paintings on wood. Reminiscent to my uneducated eye of Audrey Kawasaki's work but that's probably because of the very minor coincidence that they work with similar materials. APAK also presented these amazing little sculptures. Check out APAK's website here.

Finally there was a panel with a few of the featured artists, namely Pryor Praczukowski, Souther Salazar and Seonna Hong. I'm always interested in hearing an artist discuss their creative process so I enjoyed listening to these guys discuss their work. Seonna said something in particular that really stuck out to me. In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that with my podcasts, I have a tendency to tinker and I have to set deadlines with them or else I'd never actually release them. Well, Seonna said something along those lines. Basically she said that with her work, which began as paintings featuring various animals and characters but have now progressed into more abstract pieces, she has to be careful not to overwork her pieces. Like, when it's done, it's done. Not that I'm artist in any way, shape or form, but I'm glad to know that part of the creative process is being able to walk away from your work. I don't know, I guess it sort of made me feel like maybe I had the right idea. Like maybe I was on the right track or whatever.

Something else I learned from this panel, apparently, it isn't just professional artist Bean Robot and his gang of professional artist friends who favor short sleeve plaid shirts. Judging from some of the dudes on this panel, and photographs of past panels from this exhibit, evidently the short sleeve plaid shirt look is some sort of an artist uniform!

The Giant Robot Biennale: 50 Issues exhibit runs through January 13th, 2008, at Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. If you're reading this and are only learning about the exhibit now, there's a pretty good chance that you've already missed it. You snooze, you lose, suckas.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 3

2008-01-02T20:18:00.001-08:00

To download podcast: Click here.

All right, ladies and germs, it's time to ring in the new year with a brand new podcast. "Episode 3: Your Ace From Outer Space" is now available for download.

The other day I was checking out my iTunes page for fresh feedback (something I do like, 6 times a day) and noticed that there was a brand new review from a user signed in as "Urb Magazine." I thought that this was pretty awesome because I used to be a big Urb reader back in the day. And in an amazing coincidence, I actually bought a new copy of Urb Magazine for the first time in almost 4 years that very morning. I was intrigued by the cover featuring Justice and Wale. Incidentally, both Wale (American-born rapper of Nigerian decent, pronounced "waah-lay") and Justice (French DJ's….. um, "joos-teece"?) will be appearing in future podcasts.

Anyway, back to Apple user ID "Urb Magazine," I realize that it's not necessarily someone from the aforementioned magazine. I mean, I don't need to be the 40th President of the United States to sign in as "Ronald Reagan," ya dig? Still, it was pretty cool. I have to admit that while the review was a positive one, I did take slight offense (very, very slight) to the implication that I took the name of my podcast from another (apparently) better known show.

I'm sure that The Many Moods of Playa Phi Playa is an interesting and entertaining show but I actually stole the name of my show from a 1950s exotica album that my grandfather used to have called The Many Moods of Arthur Lyman. I thought the title worked on a couple of levels. One, it fit the eclectic nature of podcast and two, as people who know me can attest to, I'm moody as fuck. Eh, it's my own fault really. I did zero research before posting my podcast. For all I knew, there was a whole different larrydigital out there somewhere. (Edit: And apparently, there is. The larrydigital on YouTube? Definitely not me.)

Look, I know how all that sounded, but I'm not complaining about the review I got, as I've mentioned many, many times before, I'm grateful for all feedback, positive and negative. And as I mentioned, the review was positive. So.... thanks!

One last thing, since I was asked, the title of this month's podcast is taken from an old U-Roy song that almost made the cut. I suppose that I probably should've changed the title but screw it, "Ace From Outer Space" sounds cool.

Alright enough of my nonsense. Enjoy the latest episode of the many moods of larrydigital.

Episode 3: Your Ace From Outer Space Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Robert Montgomery" by Love
3. "Disillusion" by Badly Drawn Boy
4. "Wishing On A Star" by Paul Weller
5. larry's interlude #2
6. "Inspiration Information" by Shuggie Otis
7. "Here's What's Left" by RJD2
8. "Callin' Out" by Lyrics Born
9. "13,000 Times Bigger Than The Earth" by The Evil Tambourines
10. larry's interlude #3
11. "Fly, Robin, Fly" by Silver Convention
12. "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life" by Indeep
13. "Get Together (Jacques Lu Cont Mix)" by Madonna
14. larry's interlude #4
15. "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above" by CSS
16. "Twisted" by Fanny Pack
17. larry's interlude #5/outro
18. "Ridin' High" by 8-Ball & MJG

This just in....

2007-12-29T13:04:00.000-08:00

The Good German is a terrible, terrible movie.

For some reason, I cannot stop a movie midway through. No matter how terrible a film is, I have to finish it. Over the years, this has been both good and bad. Good because had I stopped watching the original Planet of the Apes film (which I've found it mediocre at best), I'd have missed the cool twist ending which saved it somewhat for me. And bad because in a movie like Oldboy, which I really enjoyed only to have the entire film perverted by the unnecessarily grotesque (to me, at least) ending.

Back to The Good German, I know it came out in 2006 but I only recently watched it on DVD. Finally. I received it from Netflix back in August. Truthfully, I could've waited even longer to watch. The black and white gimmick was quaint but the joke got old real quick. I mean, I get it. The film is designed to take the viewer back to a time (namely the 1940's) when films were a touch more dramatic but at the same time, a little more understated. The actors were there to drive the film, not the action of the scenes, and their dialogue and actions reflect that (right?). Yet it doesn't make it because while the film does set a proper mood, I felt the graphic language and awkwardly unsexy sex scene (both strictly verboten in movies of that era) yanked me out of the moment every time.

You could tell that the director was trying like hell to replicate the feel of a 50 year-old movie, from the pensive stares of the male characters while the background music swells to the overly exaggerated hair flips from the downtrodden female characters. And I guess that was my big problem with The Good German. I couldn't really tell what this movie's purpose was. Was it to prove that George Clooney was the only honest man left in Berlin? Did Cate Blanchett still love George Clooney after surviving the atrocities of war? And what about Toby Maguire's character? Hey, you know what, who gives a crap?

This movie was lame.

So lame in fact it drove me to rant!

Imagine that!

I Am Very Old

2007-12-21T21:41:00.001-08:00

A few years back I realized that I'm a very old man. Not in the conventional sense I guess because I'm only 34, which is still pretty young. (Unless you're my cousin Angie, in which case I may as well be Methuselah.) I feel that I'm older than I really am because I find that these days I have little patience for minor things that didn't bother me before.

Lately, one of the things that irritate me the most is teenagers. Believe it or not, I was once a teenager myself but I don't remember acting like a colossal ass when my friends went out between the ages of 12 and 20. And yes, I know I sound like a cranky old man but it's true.

Which is why I'm glad that the new Arclight Sherman Oaks finally opened. The Arclight Hollywood has been open for a while but this one's only 5 minutes from my living room. Sure I'm paying $13 to see a movie, but now I can finally watch something without half a dozen annoying teenage boys ("boyz!") in their little sisters' skin tight pants throwing popcorn at each other. I stepped out to watch Sweeney Todd recently (which was kind of awesome in my opinion.... There's a hole in the world like a great, black pit....) and my movie experience rocked. I showed up 3 minutes before the movie started, went straight to my reserved seat and watched the movie in peace. Also, there weren't any commercials before or after the trailers. No lame ads for Fanta or the Scion TC or anything else that I'll never buy. Looks like the Arclight Sherman Oaks will be my new place to see movies. A little more costly sure but hey, I'm paying for the convenience of not listening to kids ("kidz!") in dingy laceless Vans and ridiculous Famous Stars & Straps tees act like morons 3 feet from me.

Hey, dig it.... a full post advertisement for a major corporation.... it looks like Jim Chadwick is right. I AM selling out to The Man™!

More Like Mother$$$hip

2007-12-18T17:11:00.001-08:00

I plunked down 14 of my iDollars today and downloaded the new Led Zeppelin greatest hits, Mothership, from iTunes. It was pretty good but other than boasting a REMASTERED sound, it didn't offer anything new. It's the same songs that you've heard a million times before. No outtakes, no live versions, no alternate takes, no nothing.

So if you already own the original albums and/or the best of double CDs, then you already have pretty much all you need. Now, I already own all the albums on vinyl, Led Zeppelin I-III and Houses of the Holy on CD plus I have the aforementioned Early Days/Latter Days double discs.

I remember I paid $6.99 each for each of the vinyls at Record Trader in Northridge (now closed) in like, 1990. I also paid $7.99 for each of the CDs, also at Record Trader in 1996. I think the double discs cost $13.99 at CD Trader on Ventura 3 or 4 years ago. (Admittedly, I didn't need the double discs at this point. I just didn't want to go digging through storage because I wanted "Kashmir" as mood music on my outgoing voicemail message.) Adding in the cost of Mothership, I've essentially bought and re-bought the exact same songs over an 18 year period for a grand total of $138.84.

I've always wondered why repackaged material from "classic" bands sell as well as they do. First off, is there really that much demand for yet another greatest hits compilation? And are consumers (like me apparently) such sheep that they don't notice that they're essentially just wasting their money on stuff they already own? Do people these days really have that much disposable income?

Earlier this year, a new Traveling Wilburys collection got released. Was there a demand for that? Really? I know that despite the presence of Bob Dylan, the late great Roy Orbison and the equally late and great George Harrison, you can't compare the Wilburys to Led Zeppelin but still the point remains... How long are we going to have re-buy the same crap over and over again each time there's an anniversary or when some new technology is released? Apparently forever.

(Don't even get me started on the whole Blu Ray vs. HD DVD argument. They're both a fucking waste of money.)

And here, despite all that, I went out about jumped in feet first to the never-ending churn of recycled (excuse me, I mean REMASTERED) products. So yeah, I felt a little stupid after that realization. Although I've got to admit, Mothership does have a pretty kick ass cover. I just don't know if it was worth the $138.84 I paid for it.

Thanks for the feedback... JERK

2007-12-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of days since I added the iTunes link for the many moods of larrydigital and so far it's gotten a pretty decent response. Honestly, I've gotten a lot more feedback than I expected. Some of it has been positive ("Really great mix of songs"), some of it has been constructive ("You need to turn up your vocals"), some of it has been a little baffling ("Stop talking, just play the music") and some of it has been kind of messed up (hence, the jerk part of this post's title).

Real quick about the podcast in general, I'm sort of treating the whole thing as a work in progress. I mean, I know there are some technical issues that need improvement but I'd like to think that I'm improving as I go. I think Episode 2 is slightly better than Episode 1 and I'd like to think that Episode 3 (currently under construction!) will be slightly better than Episode 2. Honestly, I could tinker with these things forever. You can't tell by listening to it but there's a certain part of Episode 1 that I recorded and re-recorded 10 times. So I just sort of release an episode as soon as I'm reasonably happy with it. Otherwise, I'd keep tinkering and tinkering and tinkering and the damn thing would never get released.

But you know, the way I see it, in a way all feedback is positive. It means that people are at least a little interested in what I'm doing. I've maintained a website in one form or another for the last 8 years and one question I've always wondered about was whether or not anyone ever notices what I'm doing. Especially since prior to release of the podcasts, I wasn't really offering anything other than my witty repartee. I mean Bean Robot offers his artistic creations, Suddenly Chadwick offers his original insights plus his creator-owned comic, Rennin. Me? I've got nothing. So really, is anyone reading this?

Probably not.

Early on in the life of larrydigital.com I just accepted the fact that no one notices what I'm doing. No one reads my blog, no one sees my pictures, no one cares about my thoughts. And I'm fine with that. I mean, isn't all this blogging stuff just ego stroking anyway? In the sea of crappy content that is the internet, there's just so much going on, it's ridiculous to think that random strangers are thinking, "Hey, I wonder what larrydigital thinks about the Lakers' personnel decisions." Every once in a while, I notice that I get a few hits but I always assume that someone's probably looking for info on Sensei Larry Reynosa and they just took a wrong turn somewhere.

I've taken the extremely long way to get here but my point is this.... if by some strange twist of fate someone is actually reading this, whether you're here on purpose or you stumbled in accidentally, I'm glad you made it. Thanks for stopping by. Hang out for a bit, take a look around. I'll try not to bore you too much.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 2

2007-12-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

To download podcast: Click here.

Ok folks, after a long, grueling night, I finally completed my Christmas podcast. Not too bad, I think, I only wasted one week of December before I got it out. It's a little longer than my previous podcast but not by much. Generally, I cap the podcast at 13 songs but since these holiday tunes were so short, I decided to go with a nice, even 20.

By the way, the many moods of larrydigital podcast just got added to iTunes, so feel free to use the link above if you're interested in subscribing to it. Or just click here. Here's what you do, download it, listen to it, write a favorable review on the iTunes page. It's so simple!

I hope you enjoy this episode, let me know what you think.

Episode 2: 'Tis the Season to be Funky Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Christmas Time Is Here" by The Vince Guaraldi Trio
3. larry's interlude #1
4. "Jingle Bells (Greetings From Esquivel!)" by Esquivel
5. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Mambo" by The Billy May Orchestra
6. "The Little Drum Machine Boy" by Beck
7. larry's interlude #2
8. "Christmas In Las Vegas" by Los Straitjackets
9. "Christmas In Las Vegas" by Richard Cheese
10. larry's interlude #3
11. "All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)" by Nat King Cole
12. "Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney" by Ella Fitzgerald
13. "(Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man with the Bag" by Kay Starr
14. larry's interlude #4
15. "Ring Those Christmas Bells" by Peggy Lee
16. "The Merriest" by June Christy
17. "Cha-Cha All the Way" by The Capitol Records Studio Orchestra
18. larry's interlude #5
19. "Sleigh Ride" by The Ronettes
20. "Cold, Cold Winter" by The Pixies Three
21. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love
22. larry's interlude #6
23. "Gee Whiz, It's Christmas" by The Beginning of the End
24. "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway
25. "Santa's Got a Bag of Soul" by The Soul Saints Orchestra
26. larry's interlude #7/outro
27. "Christmas Time Again" by Reuben Anderson
28. "Merry Christmas" by Frank Cosmo

A Random Christmas Memory

2007-12-07T15:53:00.001-08:00

Back when I was still in college, I had a job interning for a subsidiary of Marvel Comics in Calabasas. It was around this time of year so the company was sponsoring it's annual Christmas party.

One of the events at the party was an anonymous gift exchange. All we had to do was bring a wrapped present ($10 minimum) and place it on a large table. When it came time for the actual exchange, we just walked up to the table and selected a present. After you opened it, the person who brought it was supposed to come over and introduce themselves. Sounds simple, right? My present was a $20 gift certificate to Tower Records. Not exactly an extravagant gift but considering that at the time I was making $5.25, it was a bit of an investment for me. And yes, I know the minimum was only $10 but at the time, you couldn't get anything at Tower for $10. I wanted the recipient of my gift to be able to get themselves something.

So when my table's turn to select a gift rolled around, we all walked up and got a present. I selected a slim box, about 6 inches square, not the biggest box but not the smallest either. I waited patiently as my tablemates opened their gifts and saw that most people were getting decent items... movie tickets! See's Candy! A Lakers calendar!

Now it was my turn.

Slowly, I opened up my average sized box to find... Salad Fingers! Normally, I'm not the type of person who complains about gifts because, after all, it really is the thought that counts but to say I was disappointed is an understatement. Because whoever brought fucking Salad Fingers put absolutely no thought into it at all. It was like they wrapped up whatever random junk they had around the house and brought it to the party. And by the way, there was a $10 minimum! There's no way in hell these useless pieces of driftwood cost $10. Naturally, no one introduced themselves to me after all the gifts were opened.

Salad Fingers aside, it ended up being a pretty nice party and despite my lame ass gift, I had a good time. In fact, I actually won a VCR in the final company raffle. And since I didn't have one at the time, getting a free VCR was a pretty nice consolation prize. It more than made up for the crap Salad Fingers.

But little did I know that my adventures with Salad Fingers were only just beginning.

After the party, I stopped by my friend Ed's house. He had mentioned that he couldn't really hang out because he was on his way to his classmate's Christmas party. I was welcome to come if I wanted to but... I had to bring a gift.

Borrowing some paper from Ed's girlfriend, I quickly re-wrapped the Salad Fingers and headed out to the party. Turns out the gift exchange there was the same as my office party's, unsigned gift on a large table, grab one when you're ready. A discreetly hid the Salad Fingers in the back and selected a similarly sized box and walked away. I settle in with my friends and opened my new gift... Tombstone on VHS. All right! The perfect thing to go with my new VCR!

Now, I realize that it was pretty shitty of me to re-gift a crap gift especially since receiving said crap gift upset me so much. But I thought, hey, these are Ed's friends, not mine. From what I remember (which isn't much because I got pretty drunk that night), this turned out to be a pretty good party too. I may not remember too much about that party but the one thing I'll never forget is, as I was polished off my fourth beer, off in the distance, from the other side of the house, I hear...

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE SALAD FINGERS?"

R.I.P. P.I.M.P. C.

2007-12-05T01:08:00.000-08:00

Brothers and sisters, it is my sad duty to report that last night, we lost another soldier. My man, Pimp C, the OG playa from H-Town, one half of Texas rap superstars UGK, was found dead in his West Hollywood hotel room under what the "authorities" are describing as mysterious circumstances. As we all know, the rap game is a struggle. It was only a matter of time before the hood done took him under.

Words cannot describe the way I feel right now. So I won't even try. Instead, I'll let Pimp C himself say it, as he preached on his 2006 album, Pimpalation....

"You takin' these square ho's out to dinner,
the bitch chose me 'cause she want a winner,
I mix her whole head up like a blender,
ho need a daddy, you's a pretender"

Amen, my brother.

Christmastime Is Here (Almost)

2007-12-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

I watched A Charlie Brown Christmas last night and I have to say that it was probably one of the more depressing programs I've ever seen. I'd never seen the whole thing start to finish but last night I made a point to sit down and check it out. If you haven't seen it before, basically Charlie Brown walks around depressed, all the while searching for the true meaning of Christmas. I guess he noticed that Christmas, like most holidays these days, are based on perceived consumer ideals and are rarely celebrated for the reasons that they were founded for.

Which makes my newly-purchased Charlie Brown tree (above) more than a little ironic... but I digress.

This is most obvious example of Charlie's frustration with a consumerized Christmas is the scene where Lucy sends Charlie sent to get a Christmas tree for the school Nativity play. A "big, shiny, aluminum tree," Lucy says. Now, it should be noted that at this point, Charlie is the director of the play (a post, I must add, which was given to him by Lucy out of pity in an attempt to cure his depression). But since all the castmembers (to a one!) ignored him, his role was reduced to searching for props. Charlie bypasses all those fake trees and buys the only real tree left on the lot (now that's a message), a sad little sapling. Of course, everybody hates and berates poor ol' Charlie because of it. Dejected, Charlie asks if anyone knows what Christmas is really all about. Linus quotes the gospel of Luke and Charlie leaves. On his way home, he takes an ornament from Snoopy's garishly decorated doghouse and places it on his tree. The weight of ornament then causes the poor tree to bend in half. At which point, Charlie exclaims "Everything I touch gets ruined!"

Let's think about this for a second. He said, "Everything I touch gets ruined." How harsh is that? Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang are supposed to be in the 3rd grade, right? And here you have 8 year old Charlie Brown wrestling with such concepts as depression and alienation, he's already had a crisis of faith and I'm not even going to bother getting into his obvious inferiority complex. Pretty adult themes for a children's cartoon, I think.

The flip side to all that is that Charlie Brown is the ultimate underdog. He always is trying to kick the football even though he knows that that bitch Lucy is going to yank it away. It doesn't matter that his baseball team is apparently the worst ever to take the field, he's out there on the mound every game. He never quits and he's someone that you can't help but root for.

Truthfully, I'm not a big Peanuts fan. As you might be able to tell, I've always found the stories a little depressing. Now, to me, Christmas has always been the most depressing holiday and A Charlie Brown Christmas just reinforced this belief for me. I mean, man, I was bummed out towards the end. Even when all the kids realized what they were doing to Charlie, it was still a little painful for me. Believe it or not, despite all of that, I actually enjoyed it. It had pretty much everything you need for a children's program. It had alienation and rejection, degradation and humiliation but at the end, it had a little redemption for everyone. What more could you possibly want?

I'm sure most of you have seen it, after all, it is 42 years old. But for me, it was a new, yet somehow familiar experience.

Brian Cook, We Hardly Knew Ye

2007-11-20T15:42:00.001-08:00

After bad mouthing Brian Cook in my last update, I get back to my desk not five minutes ago to learn that dream of dreams! The Lakers have traded Brian Cook to the Orlando Magic. Brian, along with the hard-working Maurice Evans, got swapped for former UCLA star, Trevor Ariza.

Now that he's gone, I actually feel a little bad for the guy. Not too much though, let's not forget that he sucks. He was probably the worst player not named Sasha Vujacic on the Lakers. He's even a worse prospect when you consider that the Lakers selected Brian over superstar 6th man Leandro Barbosa in the 2003 draft. But the reality is, last year Brian resigned with L.A. at a lower salary because he wanted to remain on the Lakers. He easily could've gotten more from some other team. Not that much more (remember, kids, he sucks) but still, the point remains. He stayed because he wanted to be a Laker.

In this day and age where some sports "stars", who are nothing more than glorified mercenaries, routinely threaten to force trades because "they want to win" (*cough* Kobe Bryant *cough*), shouldn't a player like Brian Cook be admired? Or at the very least respected? After all, he made a personal sacrifice to remain with the city that he considered home. Eh, maybe not.

Anyway, see you around Brian Cook, you won't be missed. Because remember, kids, he sucks.

Ebbsfleet UNITED!

2007-11-17T00:22:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, an amazing thing happened in England's National League System football league.

Twenty-thousand football fans joined an internet venture called MyFootballClub and purchased controlling interest in the Ebbsfleet United team. Each member paid approximately £35 (about $72 USD) and as a result, not only do they own a piece of the team, each of them gets to participate in decisions affecting the team. From player selection to front office decisions, all of them now have a say in their team's future.

As a sports fan, this has to be one of the most righteous things I've ever heard. You wouldn't believe how many times I've dreamed of the Lakers cutting Brian Cook. And I would've paid $7,000 for the privilege of personally firing Grady Little. Being able to have an actual say in what happens to your team is every sports fan's dream.

But let's not get too excited. I'm positive that this is going to be a massive disaster. My friends and I can never decide where we should go to lunch, and there's only 3 of us. Considering that there seem to be no legitimate governing body (which is how another, more famous community owned sports team, i.e. the Green Bay Packers, does it), how the hell are 20,000 equal partners supposed to make any kind of decision? It's conceivable that personnel decisions, for example, could pass with a smallest of majorities. If 10% of the group agreed on a particular player, a player that 90% of the remaining shareholders didn't want would likely be signed. What a nightmare.

One thing that I hate about sports in general is the business of it all. I mean, I'm not naïve. I understand that all of sports is a business but still, there's nothing I hate more than the corporate-ization (!) that's completely taken over sports. For example, the Boston Celtics play in the TD Banknorth Garden. What the hell kind of name is that? Yes, I know, naming rights for arenas is a big source of revenue for teams but come on, if you're a fan, how are you supposed to get excited about that?

Back to Ebbsfield United, I think it's great that fans, regular fans took control of their team. You gotta love it. So let's forget that that Ebbsfield plays in the fifth-highest ranked league and that the entire conference is bankrupt, let's forget that despite the influx of cash from the controlling stake sale the team will still be too poor to be competitive and let's forget that the sale is unlikely to generate desperately needed new fans for the team. In fact, let's forget that this entire situation is unbelievably impractical, I still think it's very awesome.

the many moods of larrydigital, pt. 1

2007-11-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

To download, iTunes users: Click here.

For non-iTunes users: Right-click image above and select "Save Link As..."

After 3 months worth of solid procrastinating, I finally got off my ass and put together a podcast. I'd been threatening to do this for a while now but after some gentle (almost loving) encouragement from Bean Robot, I finally finished it.

The premise of the podcast is pretty simple. Basically, I load up iTunes and hit Shuffle. That's it, instant tracklist. Full disclosure time: I have to admit it, I do cheat a little, no intros, no outros, no song fragments (from mixed albums), no interludes or reprises but other than that, what I get is what you get. I also sequence them for you but that's not cheating, is it? Of course not.

Despite the fact that it took me a long time to put it together, I had a great time doing it. I'm hoping to put these things out monthly but we'll have to see. Like I mentioned, it took me far too long to make this, even if that was due to simple procrastination. That being said, I've already compiled the track list for Episode 2 and I've started on Episode 3, which may be a Christmas edition. For reasons that I will not begin to explain, I have a rather large collection of holiday music. The randomness theme of this podcast should still apply, I'll just grab from a specific genre.

Anyway, that's down the line. Maybe. Until then, please enjoy Episode 1: Fever in the Funkhouse. If you hear something you like, let me know. If you hear something you don't like, let me know.

Episode 1: Fever in the Funkhouse Tracklist

1. larry's intro
2. "Move On Up" by The Jam
3. "Nothing Can Stop Us" by Saint Etienne
4. "Six Days" by DJ Shadow
5. "All the People" by Money Mark
6. larry's interlude #1
7. "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" by Queen of Japan
8. "North American Scum" by LCD Soundsystem
9. "Keep Fallin'" by Hot Chip
10. larry's interlude #2
11. "Hey Young World" by Slick Rick
12. "The Vulture" by Labi Siffre
13. "Mr. Cool" by Rasputin's Stash
14. "Hot Stage Lights" by Van Hunt
15. "Sweet Like Candy" by Winston Williams
16. larry's interlude #3/outro
17. "Lonely Avenue" by Stephen Marley

2007-11-11T22:16:00.000-08:00

I got a chance to head down to the ©Murakami Exhibit at the Geffen this afternoon. If you're not familiar with Takashi Murakami's stuff, it can be a bit of a trip. I'm only somewhat familiar with some of it (like Kaikai, Kiki and Dob) but I knew that he was responsible for a ton of work, only some of which is known here in America. I guess his most known piece of work right now could be the album art for Kanye West's latest album Graduation. You've seen it, right? Looks like this.

Anyway, I have to admit that while I was thoroughly entertained by the exhibit, I wasn't really expecting some of the subject matter. For example, I wasn't prepared for My Lonesome Cowboy. How can one prepare for a six foot statue of a naked anime-style manchild twirling a lasso made out of his own ejaculate over his head? There's also Hiropon, which is a statue of a woman apparently using breast milk as a jump rope. Fascinating.

I thought it was a great exhibit. Murakami's uses a whole variety of mediums (media?), from sculpture to painting, from acrylic stickers to video montages, even a line of exclusive designs that he did for Louis Vuitton, all of which are on display here. What I really liked about it is that it's clear that Murakami has his own unique vision. Of course, that can be said of all artists but what I mean in this case is that while a particular artist may present a scene of a man and woman looking at a lake (for example), Murakami's vision is such that you can't tell who is the man, who is the woman, where's the lake, or even if any of those elements are in the picture. What I'm getting at is, Murakami's vision is such that it transforms the entire landscape. His vision affects the world, not just the scene. That make sense?

The ©Murakami Exhibit runs through February 11th, 2008, at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in Little Toyko. You should definitely try to check it out if you get a chance.

American Gangster

2007-11-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

I saw American Gangster today. I thought it was a pretty good movie. Sort of had to be, right? Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott, uh.... The RZA. It had all the makings of a good film but I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when it was all over. And here's why....

You've seen the commercial for the movie, right? You know the scene where Denzel walks into a darkened bar or whatever and fires a gun towards the camera and the muzzle flash briefly lights up his face? Well, guess what. That scene isn't even in the damn movie. I mean, it's in the trailer, it's a cool scene, it even inspired the album art for Jay-Z's latest album (right). How can this scene not make the final cut?

In my mind, the muzzle flash clip is the main highlight of the trailer. I wanted to see how it fit in the context of the film. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And when it never came, I was a little pissed. I expect I'd feel the same way if this happened in any other trailer. Like, if you see the trailer for Superman Returns and the whole Superman stopping a bullet with his eye scene doesn't make the final cut of the film. Don't get me wrong, American Gangster is still a really good movie and all but this is kind of like false adverstising, isn't it? Look, go see the film. It's good. Just now you know what not to expect when you do see it.

Griffith Park Observatory

2007-11-04T00:21:00.000-07:00

Made it out to the observatory tonight. I'm not sure but I'm pretty sure that it's been at least 20 years since I've been to there. It was a little packed because tonight was the first time they opened it up to the public since the remodeling. Well, actually, it's been open for a while, just tonight was the first night that you didn't need reservations to go.

Anyway, it was fascinating. It helped me look at the big picture. Sometimes I allow myself to get bothered by everyday things. Like I'm stressed from work, or my home life or whatever. Going to the observatory, for me, really helped put certain things into perspective. Meaning that in the grand scheme of things, our everyday lives are so small, so fleeting that how could I possibly allow myself to get stressed out by my job or whatever. There I was, looking at a thousands of years old piece of Mars and I couldn't help but wonder, in this ancient universe, why do I let certain people in my life piss me off so much?