Apparently, the best way for a writer to make a name for himself today is to do various writing jobs that doubles as an advertisement for his blog until he is ready to write a novel, which pays more than a job writing for a magazine. Sure, the writer could just skip a step and write the novel right away, but that shit is difficult, and without something resembling a cultivated audience, it would arrive in bookstores to general apathy. And that's even if it makes it into stores.
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is one of the few music reviews he wrote "back in the day" that he still stands by, despite a bit of preaching. Enjoy.
Old Review of "The Re-Up" (2006) by Eminem, etc.
by John Downey
I reached a certain point in track 3 that made me realize that this album sucks. It is not a great album that has a few filler tracks. It's not even a halfway decent album. The whole thing sucks, for reasons that I'm hoping you'll listen to.
Doseone once said, in song, "Shove that gun up your ass." This was a direct diss towards Slug (of Atmosphere), since Slug had started to go from his "poet on the street with a thing for chicks" routine towards his present-day "this one's for the ladies" shtick. Earlier this year, P.O.S. rapped, "You're sick, homey, eat a gun (that's terrible)". Of course, this was in the same song in which he name-dropped Tyler Durden, went out for Bronson's part in the next Death Wish movie, and fired people because they enjoyed Fresca. Sage Francis's song, "Gunz Yo", made the correlation between guns and, well, take a wild guess, even more lucid, but still managed to have some pretty good lines in there. The point is that the connection between guns and a certain male organ is strong, and has occupied the minds of many skilled rappers. When done correctly, the correlation can shed light on some mysteries in life (ex: "Why have our guns gotten larger in size over the years?"), and also, offer some insight as to how the male mind works.
So, when Obie Trice said, on track 3, "My p**** is a mag, when I lift it hit you", over a beat that anybody with a decent drum machine could pull off in 15 minutes (but wouldn't, because it sucks), I had to turn off my CD player. I didn't find the line offensive; I found it insulting to my intelligence. If anybody is willing to argue in favor of the lyrical value of "The Re-up", all I have for a counterargument is Obie's declaration, as seen above. I mean, this is your big "We're Here" statement, and you bring that tripe to the table?
I did get around to listening to the whole album, by the way. I honestly wished I hadn't, since every beat here is terrible. It reeks of suggesting mood instead of establishing it, with "spooky" string arrangements and "gloomy"/s*** drums. Of course, since this is a "mixtape" (apparently, nobody at Shady has heard of the word "compilation"), production quality isn't the intended focus here; the presentation of the new talent that Eminem has acquired is. Thing is, I listened to the album the whole way through, twice, and I still can't tell most of these people apart. If they were looking to establish their own dynamic personas, they failed miserably. Take the single "You Don't Know", for example. In order to find out which rapper is Ca$his, the newest member of D12, we have to use process of elimation. "The white one's Eminem, the one who's asleep is Lloyd Banks, the guy with the charisma is 50 Cent, so that boring guy has to be Ca$his!" The concept behind this project was supposed to be a showcase of new talent, along with showing Eminem on top of his game, and yet, the only person on this album who comes out of this train-wreck smelling like roses is 50 Cent.
That's right, 50. No, I don't really like the guy, and no, his verses don't really have any worth from a lyrical standpoint. His enthusiasm, however, makes up for it. You can see him grinning from ear to ear as he manages to make each verse that he's on smell like hot s***, leaving Eminem in the dust with his pants down (then again, Eminem pulls his own pants down on every verse here, so that's no huge accomplishment). 50 is obviously still riding on the high he got from playing a young version of himself in the Get Rich movie, despite getting up there in years. It says something about either 50 Cent or Stat Quo, Ca$his, and Bobby Creekwater when a guy over 30 can sound better than a bunch of 20-somethings.
That said, there's going to be a lot of people who like this album. After all, it does offer a lot of "bangers" that dare you to doubt their seriousness (my hand's up). There's also going to be some people who are going to thank Eminem for being considerate enough to let Proof be on the album for all of 30 seconds, and who think that a remix of "Smack That" is a good idea. It's going to be the soundtrack to a lot of parties over the course of the winter and spring, so you might associate "The Re-Up" with good times. Well, you could be having good times while listening to "Hell Hath No Fury", "Audition", "Game Theory", "Mo' Mega", "Food and Liquor", and "Fishscale". None of those albums have any bad lines, and they have better beats, too. "The Re-Up" is one to skip unless you're a completist or a raver, in which case it's too late to save you either way.
Oh, and here's a weird connection: Doseone battled Emimem at Scribble Jam '97 in a consolation round (since Doseone had been DQ'ed for either shouting over Rhymefest or acting as his hype man, depending on how you look at it). Doseone used his time to curse out the Scribble Jam committee, while Eminem spit out a few more verses from his first EP and trying to pass them off as a freestyle, which he had been doing for the entire competition. Nowadays, Doseone has performed in many bands, released many albums, has many very loyal fans, and has plenty of outlets to release his creative juices. He is very secure in himself, since he's always acted true to himself and surrounded himself with good people. In contrast, Eminem starts off this album by questioning his legacy. Go figure.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Downey's "Classics" Presents: Letter Ta Bin
Apparently, the best way for a writer to make a name for himself today is to do various writing jobs that doubles as an advertisement for his blog until he is ready to write a novel, which pays more than a job writing for a magazine. Sure, the writer could just skip a step and write the novel right away, but that shit is difficult, and without something resembling a cultivated audience, it would arrive in bookstores to general apathy. And that's even if it makes it into stores.
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is an e-mail he made along with a mix CD for a friend. Enjoy.
"Letter Ta Bin"
by John Downey
(Tracklisting, without commentary, is at the bottom.)
1.) “They’re All Gonna Laugh @ You”, Atmosphere
Atmosphere is a hip-hop/emo-rap duo from Minnesota. Slug is the rapper, Ant does the production (i.e., the sounds that Slug raps over). At first, Slug was a great rapper with a crappy flow and Ant was a piece of shit producer. Then Slug’s cadence started to get better while his rhymes started to suffer, while Ant slowly became the greatest producer in emo-rap. This song is taken from the sweet spot in Atmosphere’s career: when Ant showed that he had something going for him, and when Slug hadn’t become totally populist*.
2.) “Drumsticks”, Doomtree
Doomtree is made up of, like, 9 members, 4 of which are producers. I won’t bother listing them all, since even I don’t care about all of them, and I like Doomtree. I’ll single out 2 of them for you, though, because I’m probably going to go apeshit over their work in the near-future, since they both have albums coming out in early 2009. The first is Dessa, who separates herself from the rest of the group by (a) being a female rapper and (b) being damn fucking good at rapping. (On another song off of Doomtree’s self-titled album, she spends 3 minutes ripping shit up in every possible way that an emcee can, including rapping in Spanish. The song’s called “Sadie Hawkins”, if you want to look it up. Or maybe I’ll just put it on the inevitable celebratory graduation mix CD.) The other one is P.O.S., whose previous album, “Audition”, I once referred to as one of the greatest punk albums of the past couple of years, despite being a rap album. He’s…good. He rhymes after Dessa, and he’s the only other member of the group I can be arsed to single out. It’s a problem that plagues the entire album; it’s good, but without being able to single out individual members for their contributions, it all feels so anonymous.
3.) “Paranoid Android”, Radiohead
Jarring transition in the mix, but file this one under “songs you need to own”. One website I read compared this song to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and then said that “Rhapsody” is an inferior song. I won’t go that far (hell, I will flat-out disagree with that conclusion), but I can see how somebody would make the mistake of saying that. Easily one of the best songs of the 90’s.
4.) “N.Y. State Of Mind”, Nas
Jarring transition in the mix, but file this one under “songs you need to own”. Easily one of the best songs of the 90’s. (Huh. I could have sworn I already said that.) Since I don’t have any relevant commentary on this song, I will now point out that “Drumsticks”, “Paranoid”, and “N.Y.” were all sequenced as the 2nd track on their respective albums. On top of that, 2 of these songs were actually the first proper song on those album (“Paranoid” being the only song that was actually preceded by a song). I don’t know what the significance of that is.
5.) “Inherited Scars (live version)”, Sage Francis
Sage Francis used to write all sorts of awesome songs. Then his cadence got better, but his songs started to suck*. That’s why I love his live album, “Road Tested”. It was recorded after Sage learned how to rap properly, but he is covering the best songs in his catalog, “Inherited Scars” being among them. Also, no samples (cuz I know how much you hate samples); this was recorded using actual instruments. My only complaint is that Sage does a little call-and-response throughout, but the crowd isn’t good enough to catch all of it. I mean, they’re pretty good, but when Sage goes, “What’s with the choice of words”, the crowd is supposed to respond with, “And the body parts you decided to tag them on?” I can’t hear them say that. Urgh.
6.) “Born To Run”, Bruce Springsteen
Another “song you must own”. Irrelevant commentary: Springsteen spent 6 months writing this song. Even more irrelevant commentary: when my mom was flipping through radio stations and came across this song, I ordered her to keep it on the station, then proceeded to sing along with all of the beauty of a dog asserting his authority to all other nearby mutts in the neighborhood. I have never heard my mom laugh that hard at my own shortcomings before.
7.) “Explosivo”, Tenacious D
Some people don’t like Springsteen. Some even call him “the Devil”. Well, how about a song WHERE THE DEVIL ACTUALLY SHOWS UP?! YEAH! ROCK’N’ROLL, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!
8.) “Devil’s Pie”, D’Angelo
Yeah, uh, from Satan summoning to “Devil’s Pie”. I’m witty. It’s also the start of a 3 song set of J Dilla-influenced music. J Dilla was a hip-hop producer from Detroit who made soul music (not just hip-hop songs that sampled “soul music”, but shit that actually had SOUL. Like, James Brown type of shit). During the recording of “Voodoo”, the album on which “Devil’s Pie” appears (on the SECOND TRACK!), J Dilla would should up in D’Angelo’s studio and show off stuff that he was working with Erykah Badu on. The second J Dilla would leave the studio, D’Angelo’s producers said, “We need to do exactly what he did, but with live instruments.”
9.) “Give The Drummer Sum”, Black Milk
Actually, this song is not very Dilla-like at all. I mean, Dilla’s signature siren can faintly be heard before the drums come in, but after that…holy shit. Black Milk worked with Dilla in the rap group Slum Village, but this is so far beyond any Dillaness that…fuck it, this shit is so sick, it’s actually kind of disgusting. Black Milk is a shitty rapper (great cadence, but he ain’t got shit to say)*, but I could fart on this track and it would sound fantastic.
10.) “Love”, J Dilla featuring Pharaohe Monch
And here’s the man himself. This was actually released on his first posthumous album (he died of lupus in early 2006), but I’ve heard that 75% of that album was completed by the time he died, with this song being the most Dillatastic track on it. Here’s another story about Dilla: ?uestlove says in the liner notes of this album that people would actually call Dilla on the phone with a tape recorder ready to go, and when Dilla’s voicemail kicked in, they would hit “record”, since Dilla often left hints of what he was working on as his voicemail message. That’s fucking sweet.
11.) “Clint Eastwood”, Gorillaz
The sound of so many middle-school dances, right here. Another “song you must own”, though I will admit that this is probably the least-essential song that I’m giving that label to. Oh, and a new Gorillaz album is coming out soon, according to stuff I’ve read online. Remember, it’s been 4 years since the last Gorillaz album, which was released 4 years after the previous Gorillaz album. Gotta love bands that release new material on such a consistent timetable.
12.) “Dang”, Buck 65
I preferred Buck’s work when he sounded like Elmo (I heard from somewhere that he was actually employed by Sesame Workshop as the voice for “rapping Elmo”, but I haven’t been able to confirm that anywhere, though I can confirm that he performed a song called “Grocery Store Rap” on the show), and also when Buck stuck to making hip-hop stuck in the present day. This is one of the better tracks from his most recent album that is stuck in the 1950’s. The first proper song on the album is called “1957”, and it starts off by quoting Ginsberg’s “Howl” but then proceeds to list off a couple of things that didn’t happen in ’57 alongside a whole bunch of things that did happen in ’57. Also, “Dang” has a better beat.
13.) “Good Friday”, Why?
I’ve almost put this song on so many mix CD’s, but all it takes is for me to listen to the first line of the song to know that the person I plan on giving the mix to is not going to appreciate it. The rest wouldn’t understand the humor in this song. I’m not sure that you’ll understand it either, but I’m pretty sure that you’ll still laugh.
14.) “Pigeon”, Cannibal Ox
This is the dorkiest inclusion on this mix, for reasons that are so very obscure. Here goes: I was looking through a list of samples used throughout the album that this song appears on, “The Cold Vein”, to see just what kinds of jazz El-P, the producer of the album, used to create his vision of a cold world. (El-P is the son of a jazz musician, which is a fact that makes sense when you look at how some of his songs are structured, and also makes no sense, since El-P makes rap in the vein of Public Enemy.) There’s some clear irony in what he used as samples—“The F-Word” samples “All Night Long”, “Painkillers” samples “Love And Happiness” (okay that one doesn’t fit but it’s funny to me!)—but “Pigeon” contains a sample that actually made me start laughing out loud. See, “Pigeon” contains a sample from a song by jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius. This song, I’ve learned, is now a bass guitar standard, with covers existing by several other famous bass players. The name of this song? “Portrait of Tracy”**. Unfortunately, I don’t have a copy of this song, so I figured a song that sampled it would suffice. Like I said, dorky.
15.) “B.O.B.”, Outkast
“Song you must own”. I just can’t think of any other 5-minute long, momentum generating rap songs with 2 emcees who complete their verses halfway through the song. And has a guitar solo.
16.) “Sing-Along”, David Cross
This is funny. ’Nuff said.
17.) “Wamp Wamp”, The Clipse featuring Slim Thug
This beat probably shouldn’t exist in this universe. It’s so dark. And cool. And, like, damn. I raved about this album when it came out 2 years ago, but it sold like shit. That happens with most music that I like.
18.) “(Nothing But) Flowers”, Talking Heads
I have completely forgotten why I put this song on the mix. It’s a great song; that’s all I can use to justify its place here. I might be starting to lose it.
19.) “Locusts”, Invincible featuring Finale
In the main event of the Ring Of Honor show, “Bedlam In Beantown”, Kevin Steen wrestled Necro Butcher in a Boston Massacre match. There was no real interest in this match (before it started, anyway); people were paying their $20 for this show mostly to see the American debut of a flashy Japanese wrestler, and to see an ROH World Heavyweight Title match, which is almost always a good time. In a press release before the show, though, ROH informed its fans that they would be putting the Boston Massacre match on last so that anyone who wouldn’t want to see it could leave before the match started without missing the rest of the show. That’s kind of what I’m doing here. This song is kind of depressing, so you can listen to the entire rest of this mix in a good mood and then not listen to this song (even though it would have fit in with the Dilla trilogy perfectly). Since it’s the best original song I’ve heard this year, though, I wouldn’t recommend it.
1.) “They’re All Gonna Laugh @ You”, Atmosphere
2.) “Drumsticks”, Doomtree
3.) “Paranoid Android”, Radiohead
4.) “N.Y. State Of Mind”, Nas
5.) “Inherited Scars (live version)”, Sage Francis
6.) “Born To Run”, Bruce Springsteen
7.) “Explosivo”, Tenacious D
8.) “Devil’s Pie”, D’Angelo
9.) “Give The Drummer Sum”, Black Milk
10.) “Love”, J Dilla featuring Pharaohe Monch
11.) “Clint Eastwood”, Gorillaz
12.) “Dang”, Buck 65
13.) “Good Friday”, Why?
14.) “Pigeon”, Cannibal Ox
15.) “B.O.B.”, Outkast
16.) “Sing-Along”, David Cross
17.) “Wamp Wamp”, The Clipse featuring Slim Thug
18.) “(Nothing But) Flowers”, Talking Heads
19.) “Locusts”, Invincible featuring Finale
*: In retrospect, that's a bit harsh.
**: The joke is that my friend's name is Tracey.
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is an e-mail he made along with a mix CD for a friend. Enjoy.
"Letter Ta Bin"
by John Downey
(Tracklisting, without commentary, is at the bottom.)
1.) “They’re All Gonna Laugh @ You”, Atmosphere
Atmosphere is a hip-hop/emo-rap duo from Minnesota. Slug is the rapper, Ant does the production (i.e., the sounds that Slug raps over). At first, Slug was a great rapper with a crappy flow and Ant was a piece of shit producer. Then Slug’s cadence started to get better while his rhymes started to suffer, while Ant slowly became the greatest producer in emo-rap. This song is taken from the sweet spot in Atmosphere’s career: when Ant showed that he had something going for him, and when Slug hadn’t become totally populist*.
2.) “Drumsticks”, Doomtree
Doomtree is made up of, like, 9 members, 4 of which are producers. I won’t bother listing them all, since even I don’t care about all of them, and I like Doomtree. I’ll single out 2 of them for you, though, because I’m probably going to go apeshit over their work in the near-future, since they both have albums coming out in early 2009. The first is Dessa, who separates herself from the rest of the group by (a) being a female rapper and (b) being damn fucking good at rapping. (On another song off of Doomtree’s self-titled album, she spends 3 minutes ripping shit up in every possible way that an emcee can, including rapping in Spanish. The song’s called “Sadie Hawkins”, if you want to look it up. Or maybe I’ll just put it on the inevitable celebratory graduation mix CD.) The other one is P.O.S., whose previous album, “Audition”, I once referred to as one of the greatest punk albums of the past couple of years, despite being a rap album. He’s…good. He rhymes after Dessa, and he’s the only other member of the group I can be arsed to single out. It’s a problem that plagues the entire album; it’s good, but without being able to single out individual members for their contributions, it all feels so anonymous.
3.) “Paranoid Android”, Radiohead
Jarring transition in the mix, but file this one under “songs you need to own”. One website I read compared this song to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and then said that “Rhapsody” is an inferior song. I won’t go that far (hell, I will flat-out disagree with that conclusion), but I can see how somebody would make the mistake of saying that. Easily one of the best songs of the 90’s.
4.) “N.Y. State Of Mind”, Nas
Jarring transition in the mix, but file this one under “songs you need to own”. Easily one of the best songs of the 90’s. (Huh. I could have sworn I already said that.) Since I don’t have any relevant commentary on this song, I will now point out that “Drumsticks”, “Paranoid”, and “N.Y.” were all sequenced as the 2nd track on their respective albums. On top of that, 2 of these songs were actually the first proper song on those album (“Paranoid” being the only song that was actually preceded by a song). I don’t know what the significance of that is.
5.) “Inherited Scars (live version)”, Sage Francis
Sage Francis used to write all sorts of awesome songs. Then his cadence got better, but his songs started to suck*. That’s why I love his live album, “Road Tested”. It was recorded after Sage learned how to rap properly, but he is covering the best songs in his catalog, “Inherited Scars” being among them. Also, no samples (cuz I know how much you hate samples); this was recorded using actual instruments. My only complaint is that Sage does a little call-and-response throughout, but the crowd isn’t good enough to catch all of it. I mean, they’re pretty good, but when Sage goes, “What’s with the choice of words”, the crowd is supposed to respond with, “And the body parts you decided to tag them on?” I can’t hear them say that. Urgh.
6.) “Born To Run”, Bruce Springsteen
Another “song you must own”. Irrelevant commentary: Springsteen spent 6 months writing this song. Even more irrelevant commentary: when my mom was flipping through radio stations and came across this song, I ordered her to keep it on the station, then proceeded to sing along with all of the beauty of a dog asserting his authority to all other nearby mutts in the neighborhood. I have never heard my mom laugh that hard at my own shortcomings before.
7.) “Explosivo”, Tenacious D
Some people don’t like Springsteen. Some even call him “the Devil”. Well, how about a song WHERE THE DEVIL ACTUALLY SHOWS UP?! YEAH! ROCK’N’ROLL, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!
8.) “Devil’s Pie”, D’Angelo
Yeah, uh, from Satan summoning to “Devil’s Pie”. I’m witty. It’s also the start of a 3 song set of J Dilla-influenced music. J Dilla was a hip-hop producer from Detroit who made soul music (not just hip-hop songs that sampled “soul music”, but shit that actually had SOUL. Like, James Brown type of shit). During the recording of “Voodoo”, the album on which “Devil’s Pie” appears (on the SECOND TRACK!), J Dilla would should up in D’Angelo’s studio and show off stuff that he was working with Erykah Badu on. The second J Dilla would leave the studio, D’Angelo’s producers said, “We need to do exactly what he did, but with live instruments.”
9.) “Give The Drummer Sum”, Black Milk
Actually, this song is not very Dilla-like at all. I mean, Dilla’s signature siren can faintly be heard before the drums come in, but after that…holy shit. Black Milk worked with Dilla in the rap group Slum Village, but this is so far beyond any Dillaness that…fuck it, this shit is so sick, it’s actually kind of disgusting. Black Milk is a shitty rapper (great cadence, but he ain’t got shit to say)*, but I could fart on this track and it would sound fantastic.
10.) “Love”, J Dilla featuring Pharaohe Monch
And here’s the man himself. This was actually released on his first posthumous album (he died of lupus in early 2006), but I’ve heard that 75% of that album was completed by the time he died, with this song being the most Dillatastic track on it. Here’s another story about Dilla: ?uestlove says in the liner notes of this album that people would actually call Dilla on the phone with a tape recorder ready to go, and when Dilla’s voicemail kicked in, they would hit “record”, since Dilla often left hints of what he was working on as his voicemail message. That’s fucking sweet.
11.) “Clint Eastwood”, Gorillaz
The sound of so many middle-school dances, right here. Another “song you must own”, though I will admit that this is probably the least-essential song that I’m giving that label to. Oh, and a new Gorillaz album is coming out soon, according to stuff I’ve read online. Remember, it’s been 4 years since the last Gorillaz album, which was released 4 years after the previous Gorillaz album. Gotta love bands that release new material on such a consistent timetable.
12.) “Dang”, Buck 65
I preferred Buck’s work when he sounded like Elmo (I heard from somewhere that he was actually employed by Sesame Workshop as the voice for “rapping Elmo”, but I haven’t been able to confirm that anywhere, though I can confirm that he performed a song called “Grocery Store Rap” on the show), and also when Buck stuck to making hip-hop stuck in the present day. This is one of the better tracks from his most recent album that is stuck in the 1950’s. The first proper song on the album is called “1957”, and it starts off by quoting Ginsberg’s “Howl” but then proceeds to list off a couple of things that didn’t happen in ’57 alongside a whole bunch of things that did happen in ’57. Also, “Dang” has a better beat.
13.) “Good Friday”, Why?
I’ve almost put this song on so many mix CD’s, but all it takes is for me to listen to the first line of the song to know that the person I plan on giving the mix to is not going to appreciate it. The rest wouldn’t understand the humor in this song. I’m not sure that you’ll understand it either, but I’m pretty sure that you’ll still laugh.
14.) “Pigeon”, Cannibal Ox
This is the dorkiest inclusion on this mix, for reasons that are so very obscure. Here goes: I was looking through a list of samples used throughout the album that this song appears on, “The Cold Vein”, to see just what kinds of jazz El-P, the producer of the album, used to create his vision of a cold world. (El-P is the son of a jazz musician, which is a fact that makes sense when you look at how some of his songs are structured, and also makes no sense, since El-P makes rap in the vein of Public Enemy.) There’s some clear irony in what he used as samples—“The F-Word” samples “All Night Long”, “Painkillers” samples “Love And Happiness” (okay that one doesn’t fit but it’s funny to me!)—but “Pigeon” contains a sample that actually made me start laughing out loud. See, “Pigeon” contains a sample from a song by jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius. This song, I’ve learned, is now a bass guitar standard, with covers existing by several other famous bass players. The name of this song? “Portrait of Tracy”**. Unfortunately, I don’t have a copy of this song, so I figured a song that sampled it would suffice. Like I said, dorky.
15.) “B.O.B.”, Outkast
“Song you must own”. I just can’t think of any other 5-minute long, momentum generating rap songs with 2 emcees who complete their verses halfway through the song. And has a guitar solo.
16.) “Sing-Along”, David Cross
This is funny. ’Nuff said.
17.) “Wamp Wamp”, The Clipse featuring Slim Thug
This beat probably shouldn’t exist in this universe. It’s so dark. And cool. And, like, damn. I raved about this album when it came out 2 years ago, but it sold like shit. That happens with most music that I like.
18.) “(Nothing But) Flowers”, Talking Heads
I have completely forgotten why I put this song on the mix. It’s a great song; that’s all I can use to justify its place here. I might be starting to lose it.
19.) “Locusts”, Invincible featuring Finale
In the main event of the Ring Of Honor show, “Bedlam In Beantown”, Kevin Steen wrestled Necro Butcher in a Boston Massacre match. There was no real interest in this match (before it started, anyway); people were paying their $20 for this show mostly to see the American debut of a flashy Japanese wrestler, and to see an ROH World Heavyweight Title match, which is almost always a good time. In a press release before the show, though, ROH informed its fans that they would be putting the Boston Massacre match on last so that anyone who wouldn’t want to see it could leave before the match started without missing the rest of the show. That’s kind of what I’m doing here. This song is kind of depressing, so you can listen to the entire rest of this mix in a good mood and then not listen to this song (even though it would have fit in with the Dilla trilogy perfectly). Since it’s the best original song I’ve heard this year, though, I wouldn’t recommend it.
1.) “They’re All Gonna Laugh @ You”, Atmosphere
2.) “Drumsticks”, Doomtree
3.) “Paranoid Android”, Radiohead
4.) “N.Y. State Of Mind”, Nas
5.) “Inherited Scars (live version)”, Sage Francis
6.) “Born To Run”, Bruce Springsteen
7.) “Explosivo”, Tenacious D
8.) “Devil’s Pie”, D’Angelo
9.) “Give The Drummer Sum”, Black Milk
10.) “Love”, J Dilla featuring Pharaohe Monch
11.) “Clint Eastwood”, Gorillaz
12.) “Dang”, Buck 65
13.) “Good Friday”, Why?
14.) “Pigeon”, Cannibal Ox
15.) “B.O.B.”, Outkast
16.) “Sing-Along”, David Cross
17.) “Wamp Wamp”, The Clipse featuring Slim Thug
18.) “(Nothing But) Flowers”, Talking Heads
19.) “Locusts”, Invincible featuring Finale
*: In retrospect, that's a bit harsh.
**: The joke is that my friend's name is Tracey.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Downey's "Classics" Presents: I Laugh At Innocence
Apparently, the best way for a writer to make a name for himself today is to do various writing jobs that doubles as an advertisement for his blog until he is ready to write a novel, which pays more than a job writing for a magazine. Sure, the writer could just skip a step and write the novel right away, but that shit is difficult, and without something resembling a cultivated audience, it would arrive in bookstores to general apathy. And that's even if it makes it into stores.
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is an essay he wrote for a class. Enjoy.
"I Laugh At Innocence"
by John Downey
The popular view towards youth bases its conceptions around babies and teenagers—babies being innocent, teenagers being wild creatures to be tamed/allowed to express themselves/jailed/feared. The idea of what a child is should, in theory, be somewhere in between, moving away from innocence but not quite a hellraiser. All it takes to destroy that theory is to spend time around actual children, at which point one has to accept that children are much more complex than we would like to give them credit for. Or go insane. Either option works, really.
Children listen to the Jonas Brothers, play Pokemon video games, and watch “CSI”. On one side of the classroom, kids are talking about the Hannah Montana repeat from the other night; on the other side, their classmates are talking about what Triple H did to John Cena. They all play together, despite their differing tastes that have already started to develop. There is no pattern for estimating their tastes. Two sci-fi based CGI-animated films aimed towards children were recently released: “Monsters vs. Aliens” and “Battle For Terra”. Both received similar critical praise, and they were released within a month of each other. “Monsters vs. Aliens” debuted #1 at the box office, and is the 3rd highest-grossing IMAX movie of all time, behind “The Dark Knight” and “Watchmen”. Meanwhile, “Battle For Terra” debuted at #12, having the 3rd lowest opening for a CGI movie in wide release. It is those kind of numbers that make movie executives go to church.
Some children I worked with were asked to draw pictures that reminded them of their loved ones. One girl drew an assortment of items related to her grandfather, including a few items of clothing, his appearance, and other expected elements. There was one thing that she drew, though, that I honestly couldn’t figure out. I had my mental guesses, of course (calendar? library card? trivia pursuit card?), but eventually, I just asked her to identify this object.
“SCRATCH TICKETS!” she answered.
One boy in the same classroom drew typical manly items in relation to his brother, such as knives, guns, and dead people. (This might make one think that he has a violent brother, but his future illustrations offered casual death wishes to such offenders as sheep and the sun.) The teacher was able to censor these images in their infancy, but when it came time to draw these collaborations on a large poster, this boy immediately drew a large handgun.
“Were you allowed to draw that two minutes ago?” the teacher asked.
“It’s a water gun,” he answered. He proceeded to add water squirting out of the end of what is perhaps the scariest squirt gun known to mankind.
Yet another girl was attempting to think of details concerning a neighbor’s dog, who she had often played with. The teacher tried to help. “When was the last time you saw it?”
“I dunno. It was a couple of months ago.”
“What does it look like?”
“It was a puppy, but it might’ve grown up.”
“Well, maybe you should start focusing on something else.”
The girl’s jaw hit the ground. How dare this teacher tell her that she should change subjects!
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is an essay he wrote for a class. Enjoy.
"I Laugh At Innocence"
by John Downey
The popular view towards youth bases its conceptions around babies and teenagers—babies being innocent, teenagers being wild creatures to be tamed/allowed to express themselves/jailed/feared. The idea of what a child is should, in theory, be somewhere in between, moving away from innocence but not quite a hellraiser. All it takes to destroy that theory is to spend time around actual children, at which point one has to accept that children are much more complex than we would like to give them credit for. Or go insane. Either option works, really.
Children listen to the Jonas Brothers, play Pokemon video games, and watch “CSI”. On one side of the classroom, kids are talking about the Hannah Montana repeat from the other night; on the other side, their classmates are talking about what Triple H did to John Cena. They all play together, despite their differing tastes that have already started to develop. There is no pattern for estimating their tastes. Two sci-fi based CGI-animated films aimed towards children were recently released: “Monsters vs. Aliens” and “Battle For Terra”. Both received similar critical praise, and they were released within a month of each other. “Monsters vs. Aliens” debuted #1 at the box office, and is the 3rd highest-grossing IMAX movie of all time, behind “The Dark Knight” and “Watchmen”. Meanwhile, “Battle For Terra” debuted at #12, having the 3rd lowest opening for a CGI movie in wide release. It is those kind of numbers that make movie executives go to church.
Some children I worked with were asked to draw pictures that reminded them of their loved ones. One girl drew an assortment of items related to her grandfather, including a few items of clothing, his appearance, and other expected elements. There was one thing that she drew, though, that I honestly couldn’t figure out. I had my mental guesses, of course (calendar? library card? trivia pursuit card?), but eventually, I just asked her to identify this object.
“SCRATCH TICKETS!” she answered.
One boy in the same classroom drew typical manly items in relation to his brother, such as knives, guns, and dead people. (This might make one think that he has a violent brother, but his future illustrations offered casual death wishes to such offenders as sheep and the sun.) The teacher was able to censor these images in their infancy, but when it came time to draw these collaborations on a large poster, this boy immediately drew a large handgun.
“Were you allowed to draw that two minutes ago?” the teacher asked.
“It’s a water gun,” he answered. He proceeded to add water squirting out of the end of what is perhaps the scariest squirt gun known to mankind.
Yet another girl was attempting to think of details concerning a neighbor’s dog, who she had often played with. The teacher tried to help. “When was the last time you saw it?”
“I dunno. It was a couple of months ago.”
“What does it look like?”
“It was a puppy, but it might’ve grown up.”
“Well, maybe you should start focusing on something else.”
The girl’s jaw hit the ground. How dare this teacher tell her that she should change subjects!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Downey's "Classics" Presents: This note is a long OOOOOOOOH, CHEESEBURGERZ!
Apparently, the best way for a writer to make a name for himself today is to do various writing jobs that doubles as an advertisement for his blog until he is ready to write a novel, which pays more than a job writing for a magazine. Sure, the writer could just skip a step and write the novel right away, but that shit is difficult, and without something resembling a cultivated audience, it would arrive in bookstores to general apathy. And that's even if it makes it into stores.
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is how I make fun of my own reactions to thing. Sort of. Enjoy.
"This note is a long OOOOOOOOH, CHEESEBURGERZ!"
by John Downey
(Enter John Downey carrying a stool. He is dressed in semi-formal attire, though he is missing a tie. He places the stool right next to the brick wall, which is barren except for the noteworthy door and the large neon sign that says "LIVE NUDES". John clears his throat.)
JOHN: Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, and motherfucker, shit's going down in Chinatown.
(John whips out a clicker and a long retractable rod. He clicks the clicker once, and a light is projected onto the wall next to him.)
JOHN: The MCLA Dance Company.
(He clicks the clicker again, and the light shows a picture of a bunch of people wearing Dance Company T-shirts and smiles on their faces.)
JOHN: Looks like a good place to hang out, and to get your name out there to the community. But don't be fooled, because under the surface...runs something really bad.
(He clicks the clicker again, and the light shows a group photo of the current members of the E-Board.)
JOHN: The E-Board. I've had my differences with them in the past, but for the most part, I've agreed with the tough decisions that they have to make.
(He clicks again, and the same picture is shown, except with crudely drawn Hitler mustaches and devil horns drawn on them.)
JOHN: Until now.
(John looks as though he is about to pace around, but then realizes that he's still standing on a stool, so he just looks around, shrugs his shoulders, and continues talking.)
JOHN: Last Sunday night, I participated in the Dance Company audition process. Before it began in earnest, though, the auditioners, myself among them, were told to formally request the number of dances that we wish to be put in. I requested 3. I was put in only 1 dance. This is grounds for treason and MCLA deserves to be burned to the ground.
(door flies open)
JAY: WHERE DA G'S?!
JOHN: Jay! My older brother! What are you doing here?
JAY: Looking for the next girl that's gonna scream "OH JIMMY!", that's what. What are you doing here?
JOHN: I'm making a speech to my huddled masses.
JAY: Ummmmmm...there's nobody here.
JOHN: My audience is the Internet.
JAY: Urgh. Hold on.
(takes long puff from blunt)
JAY: Okay, assface, what's the problem this time?
JOHN: I got put in only once dance for Dance Company, when I wanted to get put into three dances. My solution is to inflict much physical and emotional harm onto the E-Board.
JAY: Okay, first off, fuckface, are you sure that it was the E-Board's decision as to who would end up in which dance?
JOHN: Actually, I'm pretty sure that they had very little to do with the casting. The choreographer for each dance selected which people he or she wanted for their dances.
JAY: So where does the E-Board come in?
JOHN: When I don't get put in 3 dances.
JAY: Shitface, maybe only one choreographer wanted you in their dance.
JOHN: So?
JAY: SO WHERE DOES THE E-BOARD COME IN?!
JOHN: It's evil. It's injust. It inconveniences me. Smells like E-Board to me.
JAY: "Inconveniences" you? By making you concentrate on only one dance this semester?
JOHN: Jay, look--
JAY: Shut up, cuntface. Get your fucking facts straight, and think about the importance of this semester's performance before you go back onto your dick-wagging celebration.
JOHN: You mean the fact that the MCLA Dance Company is going to perform at Mass MoCa, the largest museum for contemporary visual art and performing arts in the country?
JAY: Yeah. You think that maybe they don't want just the ones who are willing, but are also ABLE?
JOHN: Oh shit. You're starting to make sense.
JAY: Damn straight, cockface. Hell, I would imagine that some people wouldn't be put in any dances, period. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.
JOHN: But--
JAY: AND LOOK AT YOU! You're a white boy with two left feet! You should be thankful that they don't fire you out of a cannon during intermission! People might actually take pictures of you if they do that!
JOHN: Speak for yourself, pumpkinhead.
JAY: Speaking of which, what's the song you're going to be dancing to?
JOHN: Well, it's so cool, I'm not even going to tell you.
(pause)
JAY: Ba bah. Bwa bah ba, ba....
(takes long drag from blunt)
JAY: Much better. Look, be thankful for what you've got, and stop cursing out people for looking out for your best interests. And where's my fucking Thursday shirt?
JOHN: I don't know.
JAY: Ah, fuck it. I'm gonna go watch "Gilmore Girls" on DVD.
(exit Jay Downey)
JOHN: Well....ummm...
(long pause)
JOHN: JEFF HARDY FOR PRESIDENT!
(long pause)
(John gets off of stool, and picks it up.)
JOHN: Quaseem's going to want this back soon...
(exit John)
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is how I make fun of my own reactions to thing. Sort of. Enjoy.
"This note is a long OOOOOOOOH, CHEESEBURGERZ!"
by John Downey
(Enter John Downey carrying a stool. He is dressed in semi-formal attire, though he is missing a tie. He places the stool right next to the brick wall, which is barren except for the noteworthy door and the large neon sign that says "LIVE NUDES". John clears his throat.)
JOHN: Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, and motherfucker, shit's going down in Chinatown.
(John whips out a clicker and a long retractable rod. He clicks the clicker once, and a light is projected onto the wall next to him.)
JOHN: The MCLA Dance Company.
(He clicks the clicker again, and the light shows a picture of a bunch of people wearing Dance Company T-shirts and smiles on their faces.)
JOHN: Looks like a good place to hang out, and to get your name out there to the community. But don't be fooled, because under the surface...runs something really bad.
(He clicks the clicker again, and the light shows a group photo of the current members of the E-Board.)
JOHN: The E-Board. I've had my differences with them in the past, but for the most part, I've agreed with the tough decisions that they have to make.
(He clicks again, and the same picture is shown, except with crudely drawn Hitler mustaches and devil horns drawn on them.)
JOHN: Until now.
(John looks as though he is about to pace around, but then realizes that he's still standing on a stool, so he just looks around, shrugs his shoulders, and continues talking.)
JOHN: Last Sunday night, I participated in the Dance Company audition process. Before it began in earnest, though, the auditioners, myself among them, were told to formally request the number of dances that we wish to be put in. I requested 3. I was put in only 1 dance. This is grounds for treason and MCLA deserves to be burned to the ground.
(door flies open)
JOHN: Jay! My older brother! What are you doing here?
JAY: Looking for the next girl that's gonna scream "OH JIMMY!", that's what. What are you doing here?
JOHN: I'm making a speech to my huddled masses.
JAY: Ummmmmm...there's nobody here.
JOHN: My audience is the Internet.
JAY: Urgh. Hold on.
(takes long puff from blunt)
JAY: Okay, assface, what's the problem this time?
JOHN: I got put in only once dance for Dance Company, when I wanted to get put into three dances. My solution is to inflict much physical and emotional harm onto the E-Board.
JAY: Okay, first off, fuckface, are you sure that it was the E-Board's decision as to who would end up in which dance?
JOHN: Actually, I'm pretty sure that they had very little to do with the casting. The choreographer for each dance selected which people he or she wanted for their dances.
JAY: So where does the E-Board come in?
JOHN: When I don't get put in 3 dances.
JAY: Shitface, maybe only one choreographer wanted you in their dance.
JOHN: So?
JAY: SO WHERE DOES THE E-BOARD COME IN?!
JOHN: It's evil. It's injust. It inconveniences me. Smells like E-Board to me.
JAY: "Inconveniences" you? By making you concentrate on only one dance this semester?
JOHN: Jay, look--
JAY: Shut up, cuntface. Get your fucking facts straight, and think about the importance of this semester's performance before you go back onto your dick-wagging celebration.
JOHN: You mean the fact that the MCLA Dance Company is going to perform at Mass MoCa, the largest museum for contemporary visual art and performing arts in the country?
JAY: Yeah. You think that maybe they don't want just the ones who are willing, but are also ABLE?
JOHN: Oh shit. You're starting to make sense.
JAY: Damn straight, cockface. Hell, I would imagine that some people wouldn't be put in any dances, period. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.
JOHN: But--
JAY: AND LOOK AT YOU! You're a white boy with two left feet! You should be thankful that they don't fire you out of a cannon during intermission! People might actually take pictures of you if they do that!
JOHN: Speak for yourself, pumpkinhead.
JAY: Speaking of which, what's the song you're going to be dancing to?
JOHN: Well, it's so cool, I'm not even going to tell you.
(pause)
JAY: Ba bah. Bwa bah ba, ba....
(takes long drag from blunt)
JAY: Much better. Look, be thankful for what you've got, and stop cursing out people for looking out for your best interests. And where's my fucking Thursday shirt?
JOHN: I don't know.
JAY: Ah, fuck it. I'm gonna go watch "Gilmore Girls" on DVD.
(exit Jay Downey)
JOHN: Well....ummm...
(long pause)
JOHN: JEFF HARDY FOR PRESIDENT!
(long pause)
(John gets off of stool, and picks it up.)
JOHN: Quaseem's going to want this back soon...
(exit John)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Downey's "Classics" Presents: Can I Ghostwrite for Killer Cam
Apparently, the best way for a writer to make a name for himself today is to do various writing jobs that doubles as an advertisement for his blog until he is ready to write a novel, which pays more than a job writing for a magazine. Sure, the writer could just skip a step and write the novel right away, but that shit is difficult, and without something resembling a cultivated audience, it would arrive in bookstores to general apathy. And that's even if it makes it into stores.
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is something I posted on a forum dedicated to a hip-hop video game. It was supposed to be stupid. Enjoy.
"Can I Ghostwrite For Killer Cam?"
by John Downey
See for yourself. WARNING: THE FOLLOWING MAY BE HARMFUL TO PEOPLE WITH WORKING BRAINS.
"Tying my shoes takes a lot of effort
Go to Sesame Street and go get Big Bird
To tie my shoes for me cuz I'm all over the streets
Like Tim O'Brien, Orson Scott Card and W.B. Yeats
Ain't no other rapper with a flow like mine
They try but I get 'em with a knife made out of pine
Cones, they're nature's gift to us
I get told to shut up at town meetings cuz I ain't allow to cuss
I wake up to the sound of Regis and Kelly
All my enemies are like my dinner: they're in my belly
Cuz I'm a cannibal whenever the hecks I feel like it
I always cry whenever I watch Emma Thompson in "Wit"
For April Fool's Day I wear Barney underwear
And run through across town so that I can wrestle a bear
And that's life on the streets through the eyes of me
I see as far as I can see
The streets...DIPSET!"
...I am SO sorry.
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is something I posted on a forum dedicated to a hip-hop video game. It was supposed to be stupid. Enjoy.
"Can I Ghostwrite For Killer Cam?"
by John Downey
See for yourself. WARNING: THE FOLLOWING MAY BE HARMFUL TO PEOPLE WITH WORKING BRAINS.
"Tying my shoes takes a lot of effort
Go to Sesame Street and go get Big Bird
To tie my shoes for me cuz I'm all over the streets
Like Tim O'Brien, Orson Scott Card and W.B. Yeats
Ain't no other rapper with a flow like mine
They try but I get 'em with a knife made out of pine
Cones, they're nature's gift to us
I get told to shut up at town meetings cuz I ain't allow to cuss
I wake up to the sound of Regis and Kelly
All my enemies are like my dinner: they're in my belly
Cuz I'm a cannibal whenever the hecks I feel like it
I always cry whenever I watch Emma Thompson in "Wit"
For April Fool's Day I wear Barney underwear
And run through across town so that I can wrestle a bear
And that's life on the streets through the eyes of me
I see as far as I can see
The streets...DIPSET!"
...I am SO sorry.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Psychics suck
My e-mail inbox is stuffed with crap. It's the bad side of having a shitton of free space. Here is one of the many e-mails I have received from psychics, which have been consistent since I signed up for one as part of a joke in 2004.
"Dear John,
I've written you twice before about a completely unique way to fulfill your fondest wishes and find the everlasting spiritual comfort you deserve. John, I’m concerned I haven't heard back from you yet. Have you received my previous letters? I really don’t want you to miss out on such a simple and rare opportunity to put your wishes into action and your worries to bed. So please read on.
So often in life, John, timing is everything. And it’s particularly important that you act now, in time for the New Moon, a powerful and influential phenomenon for the month of November.
Starting on November 9th, the date of the New Moon, you can experience something miraculous that literally works as you sleep. That’s how powerful it is. As a Taurus, it can help you to wake up to brand new incredible opportunities in your life -- perhaps a windfall of money, life-changing luck, and even a newfound courage and ambition to do your heart’s desire...
JOHN, DON’T MISS OUT ON CHANGING YOUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE -- AS SOON AS NOVEMBER 9TH!
As you know, I am always looking for opportunities for you that will help you to tap into the greatness that I know awaits you. John, I have found something so truly extraordinary that I knew you would want to hear about it immediately!
I know that you already know about the fountain of happiness and good fortune that can be possible with the guidance of your own personal angel spirits. But I have found a way for you to call upon the Archangel Raphael -- he belongs to a very special class of angel who can call on other angels to help you transform your life. I wouldn't have believed it myself, except that I have witnessed these very transformations in friends of mine, and I so want YOU to enjoy this very same abundance, prosperity, and success.
Why November 9th? Because this is the date of the New Moon. You probably know that the highest spiritual energy for success occurs at the New Moon, and this November’s New Moon is an especially powerful and unique time for positive change, luck, and love. And the November moon, also called the Frost Moon, is an even more potent time to have your wishes fulfilled and attract the wealth you deserve.
That's why, John, it's especially important that you pay close attention to what I'm about to say.
LET THE SPIRIT OF THE ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL WORK HIS MAGIC FOR YOU...
Angel spirits can positively shape your life, and are available to everyone all the time, but only if you are able to access them. And, John, I have discovered something that will help you to connect to this angel guidance at this auspicious time of the New Moon -- it's called The Archangel Wish Pillow Invocation Kit. This enchanting Wish Pillow Kit lets you communicate your fondest dreams and desires.
The most amazing thing about the Wish Pillow is that it is so SIMPLE AND EASY TO USE -- all you have to do is go to sleep and let it work for you!
Here's how it works -- your beautiful Wish Pillow is made with 100% silk, with a specially sewn pocket and a picture of the Archangel Raphael on the front. Why silk? Because, John, silk is a rich natural fiber which has long been associated with personal transformation and wealth.
Along with this pillow, the Invocation Kit contains 3 Archangel talismans printed on parchment paper representing the 3 most important Angels of Abundance under Raphael -- Omael, Lelahel, and Leuviah. I will also send you 3 magical prayers to help you to invoke these angels. But I'm getting ahead of myself!
The most important thing to remember is that angels are celestial beings that exist in the spirit realm, beyond our conscious mind, so it's best to invite their power when we are going to sleep -- the conscious logical mind has to retreat from the stress and strain of the day, in order to communicate with the spirit realm. Only then are you truly open and free to receive guidance and knowledge from the angel spirits.
WRITE IT DOWN, SAY IT ALOUD, AND GO TO SLEEP.
JOHN, IT'S THAT SIMPLE!
When you consciously picture something you desire, be it wealth, more joy, or greater success, and when you WRITE IT DOWN AND SAY IT ALOUD, you are tapping into the most powerful means of bringing it into existence -- and getting visible, tangible results.
What you'll do is write your wish down on the parchment talisman and say the prayer DIRECTLY BEFORE YOU GO TO SLEEP. I don't think I can stress enough just how important this is -- as I said, the mind is most receptive to angelic intervention at this time. This is an ancient magical practice that has been proven to work, and I've seen just how powerful this technique has shown itself to be in countless lives.
ON NOVEMBER 9TH, ASK FOR YOUR FONDEST WISHES...
THE ANGELS WILL HEAR YOU AND DELIVER!
To bring greater prosperity into your life, you should use the Wish Pillow to invoke Raphael, the Archangel of Abundance and Fortune. Raphael is capable of generating wealth and miracles, and is associated with fire and the capacity to enjoy life to the fullest. He is the guardian of the Tree of Life, which provides an eternal bounty of fruit.
Raphael, an Archangel, a higher class of angel, will help you to contact the 3 Angels of Abundance -- Omael, Lelahel, and Leuviah -- who watch over 3 different aspects of abundance in your life: prosperity, good fortune, and success. Each Angel has his own special ancient talisman, which is the way you can invoke their spirits directly.
These mystical talismans contain the names of the Angels in both Hebrew and magical "fire letters", so-called for their special power of being visible both to the physical and astral planes of existence. Hebrew is the ancient language which appeared for the first time in the 10 commandments. Add to this the inscription of the fire letters, the alphabet of angels, and you basically have a direct line to the ears of the angels...
The Angel Omael -- Angel of Prosperity
Direct your wish to the Angel Omael when you need blessings of material needs, for he will help to bring you the richness of your innermost desires. This Angel can also provide the strength that you need to banish any negative influences you may have, and bring positive love and fortune in its place.
The Angel Lelahel -- Angel of Good Fortune
When you are in need of luck, the Angel Lelahel is the perfect angel to direct your wish to -- this angel's lucky influence will help you in any endeavor. Lelahel brings harmony and beauty to life, and will help you to experience the true joy of living to the absolute fullest.
The Angel Leuviah -- Angel of Success
The Angel Leuviah is helpful for when you want to turn your dreams into reality, and will help you overcome any obstacles that might stand in your way to achieving stunning successes in all your ventures.
Once you have written each wish, read it aloud, along with the special prayer to the particular angel you are invoking, and then place the wish in the pocket of your Wish Pillow, contemplating it as you fall asleep on the cloud of the angels' beneficent and enchanted good will.
SPECIAL ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL MEDALLION --
MY FREE GIFT TO YOU!
I am so eager for you to experience the benefits of the Archangel Wish Pillow Invocation Kit that I am including a FREE gift just for you, John -- this exquisite Archangel Raphael Medallion! Carry it with you so that it works its powerful magic for you all through the day.
This magical combination of elements -- the pillow, the 3 Angels of Abundance talismans, the 3 Angel prayers -- along with the Archangel Raphael Medallion, all come together to give you the most potent spiritual advantage I have yet to see! You can harness this magical power on November 9th, the date of the New Moon, the most supernatural time of the year! And this is why I couldn't wait to tell you about the Wish Pillow, so that I can pass this supreme opportunity for more wealth, good fortune, and success than you ever dreamed possible!
Don't waste another minute without this powerful tool -- who'd have thought that all you have to do is go to sleep to have all your dreams come true!
REMEMBER, NOVEMBER 9TH IS YOUR DATE WITH GOOD FORTUNE
To make it as easy as possible to use the Archangel Wish Pillow Invocation Kit on November 9th, you can review and use it FREE and without committing to anything. Then, only if you are completely satisfied, after 30 days your card will be billed at the exclusive price of only $19.95!
Naturally, this comes with a Lifetime Guarantee, which means that should you ever at any time feel that you are dissatisfied with the Wish Pillow, you can return it to me, be it a week, a month, or even 10 years from now, with no explanation necessary, and receive a FULL REFUND, which includes the shipping and handling fee. Of course, the Archangel Raphael Medallion is yours to keep, no matter what.
YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE, JOHN!
I am so confident that by using the Archangel Wish Pillow Invocation Kit, all your treasured wishes will be realized. I have written you a letter which explains exactly how to use the Kit to your utmost advantage. As November 9th will be here before you know it, I beg you not to delay in clicking the button, John! I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this could change your life in ways you can't even imagine right now.
Your friend,
Iam Batshitcrazy"
The text speaks for itself.
"Dear John,
I've written you twice before about a completely unique way to fulfill your fondest wishes and find the everlasting spiritual comfort you deserve. John, I’m concerned I haven't heard back from you yet. Have you received my previous letters? I really don’t want you to miss out on such a simple and rare opportunity to put your wishes into action and your worries to bed. So please read on.
So often in life, John, timing is everything. And it’s particularly important that you act now, in time for the New Moon, a powerful and influential phenomenon for the month of November.
Starting on November 9th, the date of the New Moon, you can experience something miraculous that literally works as you sleep. That’s how powerful it is. As a Taurus, it can help you to wake up to brand new incredible opportunities in your life -- perhaps a windfall of money, life-changing luck, and even a newfound courage and ambition to do your heart’s desire...
JOHN, DON’T MISS OUT ON CHANGING YOUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE -- AS SOON AS NOVEMBER 9TH!
As you know, I am always looking for opportunities for you that will help you to tap into the greatness that I know awaits you. John, I have found something so truly extraordinary that I knew you would want to hear about it immediately!
I know that you already know about the fountain of happiness and good fortune that can be possible with the guidance of your own personal angel spirits. But I have found a way for you to call upon the Archangel Raphael -- he belongs to a very special class of angel who can call on other angels to help you transform your life. I wouldn't have believed it myself, except that I have witnessed these very transformations in friends of mine, and I so want YOU to enjoy this very same abundance, prosperity, and success.
Why November 9th? Because this is the date of the New Moon. You probably know that the highest spiritual energy for success occurs at the New Moon, and this November’s New Moon is an especially powerful and unique time for positive change, luck, and love. And the November moon, also called the Frost Moon, is an even more potent time to have your wishes fulfilled and attract the wealth you deserve.
That's why, John, it's especially important that you pay close attention to what I'm about to say.
LET THE SPIRIT OF THE ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL WORK HIS MAGIC FOR YOU...
Angel spirits can positively shape your life, and are available to everyone all the time, but only if you are able to access them. And, John, I have discovered something that will help you to connect to this angel guidance at this auspicious time of the New Moon -- it's called The Archangel Wish Pillow Invocation Kit. This enchanting Wish Pillow Kit lets you communicate your fondest dreams and desires.
The most amazing thing about the Wish Pillow is that it is so SIMPLE AND EASY TO USE -- all you have to do is go to sleep and let it work for you!
Here's how it works -- your beautiful Wish Pillow is made with 100% silk, with a specially sewn pocket and a picture of the Archangel Raphael on the front. Why silk? Because, John, silk is a rich natural fiber which has long been associated with personal transformation and wealth.
Along with this pillow, the Invocation Kit contains 3 Archangel talismans printed on parchment paper representing the 3 most important Angels of Abundance under Raphael -- Omael, Lelahel, and Leuviah. I will also send you 3 magical prayers to help you to invoke these angels. But I'm getting ahead of myself!
The most important thing to remember is that angels are celestial beings that exist in the spirit realm, beyond our conscious mind, so it's best to invite their power when we are going to sleep -- the conscious logical mind has to retreat from the stress and strain of the day, in order to communicate with the spirit realm. Only then are you truly open and free to receive guidance and knowledge from the angel spirits.
WRITE IT DOWN, SAY IT ALOUD, AND GO TO SLEEP.
JOHN, IT'S THAT SIMPLE!
When you consciously picture something you desire, be it wealth, more joy, or greater success, and when you WRITE IT DOWN AND SAY IT ALOUD, you are tapping into the most powerful means of bringing it into existence -- and getting visible, tangible results.
What you'll do is write your wish down on the parchment talisman and say the prayer DIRECTLY BEFORE YOU GO TO SLEEP. I don't think I can stress enough just how important this is -- as I said, the mind is most receptive to angelic intervention at this time. This is an ancient magical practice that has been proven to work, and I've seen just how powerful this technique has shown itself to be in countless lives.
ON NOVEMBER 9TH, ASK FOR YOUR FONDEST WISHES...
THE ANGELS WILL HEAR YOU AND DELIVER!
To bring greater prosperity into your life, you should use the Wish Pillow to invoke Raphael, the Archangel of Abundance and Fortune. Raphael is capable of generating wealth and miracles, and is associated with fire and the capacity to enjoy life to the fullest. He is the guardian of the Tree of Life, which provides an eternal bounty of fruit.
Raphael, an Archangel, a higher class of angel, will help you to contact the 3 Angels of Abundance -- Omael, Lelahel, and Leuviah -- who watch over 3 different aspects of abundance in your life: prosperity, good fortune, and success. Each Angel has his own special ancient talisman, which is the way you can invoke their spirits directly.
These mystical talismans contain the names of the Angels in both Hebrew and magical "fire letters", so-called for their special power of being visible both to the physical and astral planes of existence. Hebrew is the ancient language which appeared for the first time in the 10 commandments. Add to this the inscription of the fire letters, the alphabet of angels, and you basically have a direct line to the ears of the angels...
The Angel Omael -- Angel of Prosperity
Direct your wish to the Angel Omael when you need blessings of material needs, for he will help to bring you the richness of your innermost desires. This Angel can also provide the strength that you need to banish any negative influences you may have, and bring positive love and fortune in its place.
The Angel Lelahel -- Angel of Good Fortune
When you are in need of luck, the Angel Lelahel is the perfect angel to direct your wish to -- this angel's lucky influence will help you in any endeavor. Lelahel brings harmony and beauty to life, and will help you to experience the true joy of living to the absolute fullest.
The Angel Leuviah -- Angel of Success
The Angel Leuviah is helpful for when you want to turn your dreams into reality, and will help you overcome any obstacles that might stand in your way to achieving stunning successes in all your ventures.
Once you have written each wish, read it aloud, along with the special prayer to the particular angel you are invoking, and then place the wish in the pocket of your Wish Pillow, contemplating it as you fall asleep on the cloud of the angels' beneficent and enchanted good will.
SPECIAL ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL MEDALLION --
MY FREE GIFT TO YOU!
I am so eager for you to experience the benefits of the Archangel Wish Pillow Invocation Kit that I am including a FREE gift just for you, John -- this exquisite Archangel Raphael Medallion! Carry it with you so that it works its powerful magic for you all through the day.
This magical combination of elements -- the pillow, the 3 Angels of Abundance talismans, the 3 Angel prayers -- along with the Archangel Raphael Medallion, all come together to give you the most potent spiritual advantage I have yet to see! You can harness this magical power on November 9th, the date of the New Moon, the most supernatural time of the year! And this is why I couldn't wait to tell you about the Wish Pillow, so that I can pass this supreme opportunity for more wealth, good fortune, and success than you ever dreamed possible!
Don't waste another minute without this powerful tool -- who'd have thought that all you have to do is go to sleep to have all your dreams come true!
REMEMBER, NOVEMBER 9TH IS YOUR DATE WITH GOOD FORTUNE
To make it as easy as possible to use the Archangel Wish Pillow Invocation Kit on November 9th, you can review and use it FREE and without committing to anything. Then, only if you are completely satisfied, after 30 days your card will be billed at the exclusive price of only $19.95!
Naturally, this comes with a Lifetime Guarantee, which means that should you ever at any time feel that you are dissatisfied with the Wish Pillow, you can return it to me, be it a week, a month, or even 10 years from now, with no explanation necessary, and receive a FULL REFUND, which includes the shipping and handling fee. Of course, the Archangel Raphael Medallion is yours to keep, no matter what.
YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE, JOHN!
I am so confident that by using the Archangel Wish Pillow Invocation Kit, all your treasured wishes will be realized. I have written you a letter which explains exactly how to use the Kit to your utmost advantage. As November 9th will be here before you know it, I beg you not to delay in clicking the button, John! I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this could change your life in ways you can't even imagine right now.
Your friend,
Iam Batshitcrazy"
The text speaks for itself.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Downey's "Classics" Presents: The Greatest Philosophy One Can Abide By
Apparently, the best way for a writer to make a name for himself today is to do various writing jobs that doubles as an advertisement for his blog until he is ready to write a novel, which pays more than a job writing for a magazine. Sure, the writer could just skip a step and write the novel right away, but that shit is difficult, and without something resembling a cultivated audience, it would arrive in bookstores to general apathy. And that's even if it makes it into stores.
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is something kah-razy he wrote three years ago in the heat of the moment. Enjoy.
"The Greatest Philosophy One Can Abide By"
by John Downey
I've thrown out a challenge to a biotch that is steppin' on my turf. It's one thing to beat the shit out of me. It's happened before, and with my big mouth, it'll probably happen again--maybe even by the time you read this. I've also had to deal with people who are better than me in every way possible. But this shit is fucking PERSONAL. But first...a family portrait.
Most of my closest (well, closer) friends know about my father's exploits. There's a very good reason why I talk a lot about the dude. In his 50 years, he managed to pack in a lot. He ran a gang, grew (and smoked) pot, worked hard at everything he tried to, and (if all of his stories are to be believed) was a consummate ladies man. Why wouldn't I talk about a dude like that?
There's another reason why I usually talk about my dad, though, and that's because the rest of my biological family is fucking boring. My aunt's family is a perfect example of this. She's a school teacher who takes the family to church every Sunday. The kids say their prayers at all of the appropriate times. Swearing is forbidden. Despite having 5 kids, they only recently got a Gamecube, in an era in which hand-eye coordination is almost as prided as actual smarts. If the Downey/Moores are the Simpsons, then the Harveys are the Flanders.
Lil' Katherine Harvey has always stood out from the bunch, at least in my eyes. She's the first one to do any sort of crazy jump or stunt. (She does better flips than me on a trampoline, and I'm fucking crazy with that shit. Think about THAT.) She has also stood out in pretty much every sport she's ever done. Thing is, though, she's not sure which sport she wants to specialize in. She's tried a whole bunch of different things, from soccer to cross-country.
Uh oh.
Gimmick infringement.
I'M the runner in the family.
I'M the fastest motherfucker on two feet.
I've got so many track shit with the word 'Varsity' on it, my brother steals some of it just so that he can look good. (It works out, though, since he hasn't seen his Thursday shirt in 7 years, so I ain't mad.)
And I'm going to visit the Harvey residence over Christmas break.
At first, I was afraid that the spunky second-born was going to challenge me to a race. Then I realized, "Downey, what the fuck do you have to be afraid of? You can't just pussyfoot around this kind of an issue! Are you afraid of that bible-thumping little hoochie?! Hell no! That's not how we do it down in Delaware! MAN UP!"
So, when I head on down to Penn in 3 weeks, Downey ain't gonna be Downey. Hells no. He will be one running machine. Hell, he'l be able to keep pace with a Durkin brother for TWO laps before collapsing in a heap, gasping for air. Meanwhile, Katherine's gonna be all like, "Kind lord, please give me the strength to make my dear family proud in the course of this race." And I'ma be all like, "BITCH, I SHOOT KITTENS! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING PRAYING TO GOD! I AM GOD!"
S'right. Man up. It's not just a saying. It's a way of life. If your face is on fire, man up with some coldass water. If some girl dumps you, man up and push her in front of a bus. If some weird-looking little man looks at you for a millisecond too long, man up and knock his fucking teeth in. There's no time for critical thought here. Life'll pass you by. As long as you don't get hurt, who the fuck cares?*
Feel free to leave premature congratulations in the comments box. Or "suck a fuck"s. S'all good.
*Warning: "Man up" is not for everyone. If you do not regularly exercise, or are currently on an inhaler, consider finding a compromise to conflicts. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant who use "man up" may suffer from a miscarriage and should consult their doctor before participating in any rumbles. Men under 150 pounds may subscribe to "man up", but only after purchasing an instrument that can draw blood, such as a knife, chair, cheese grinder, or fork. "Man up" has not been approved by the pussyfuckers at the FuckDatAss, but who gives a fuck? I don't. MAN UP!
So, the writer of this now frequently updated blog is trying to stay in the swing of blogging. This requires putting up a post a day. Rather than write something off the top of his head, though, he is burning "back catalogue", or material he wrote for classes that would get underappreciated, because he is tired on this day. Below is something kah-razy he wrote three years ago in the heat of the moment. Enjoy.
"The Greatest Philosophy One Can Abide By"
by John Downey
I've thrown out a challenge to a biotch that is steppin' on my turf. It's one thing to beat the shit out of me. It's happened before, and with my big mouth, it'll probably happen again--maybe even by the time you read this. I've also had to deal with people who are better than me in every way possible. But this shit is fucking PERSONAL. But first...a family portrait.
Most of my closest (well, closer) friends know about my father's exploits. There's a very good reason why I talk a lot about the dude. In his 50 years, he managed to pack in a lot. He ran a gang, grew (and smoked) pot, worked hard at everything he tried to, and (if all of his stories are to be believed) was a consummate ladies man. Why wouldn't I talk about a dude like that?
There's another reason why I usually talk about my dad, though, and that's because the rest of my biological family is fucking boring. My aunt's family is a perfect example of this. She's a school teacher who takes the family to church every Sunday. The kids say their prayers at all of the appropriate times. Swearing is forbidden. Despite having 5 kids, they only recently got a Gamecube, in an era in which hand-eye coordination is almost as prided as actual smarts. If the Downey/Moores are the Simpsons, then the Harveys are the Flanders.
Lil' Katherine Harvey has always stood out from the bunch, at least in my eyes. She's the first one to do any sort of crazy jump or stunt. (She does better flips than me on a trampoline, and I'm fucking crazy with that shit. Think about THAT.) She has also stood out in pretty much every sport she's ever done. Thing is, though, she's not sure which sport she wants to specialize in. She's tried a whole bunch of different things, from soccer to cross-country.
Uh oh.
Gimmick infringement.
I'M the runner in the family.
I'M the fastest motherfucker on two feet.
I've got so many track shit with the word 'Varsity' on it, my brother steals some of it just so that he can look good. (It works out, though, since he hasn't seen his Thursday shirt in 7 years, so I ain't mad.)
And I'm going to visit the Harvey residence over Christmas break.
At first, I was afraid that the spunky second-born was going to challenge me to a race. Then I realized, "Downey, what the fuck do you have to be afraid of? You can't just pussyfoot around this kind of an issue! Are you afraid of that bible-thumping little hoochie?! Hell no! That's not how we do it down in Delaware! MAN UP!"
So, when I head on down to Penn in 3 weeks, Downey ain't gonna be Downey. Hells no. He will be one running machine. Hell, he'l be able to keep pace with a Durkin brother for TWO laps before collapsing in a heap, gasping for air. Meanwhile, Katherine's gonna be all like, "Kind lord, please give me the strength to make my dear family proud in the course of this race." And I'ma be all like, "BITCH, I SHOOT KITTENS! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING PRAYING TO GOD! I AM GOD!"
S'right. Man up. It's not just a saying. It's a way of life. If your face is on fire, man up with some coldass water. If some girl dumps you, man up and push her in front of a bus. If some weird-looking little man looks at you for a millisecond too long, man up and knock his fucking teeth in. There's no time for critical thought here. Life'll pass you by. As long as you don't get hurt, who the fuck cares?*
Feel free to leave premature congratulations in the comments box. Or "suck a fuck"s. S'all good.
*Warning: "Man up" is not for everyone. If you do not regularly exercise, or are currently on an inhaler, consider finding a compromise to conflicts. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant who use "man up" may suffer from a miscarriage and should consult their doctor before participating in any rumbles. Men under 150 pounds may subscribe to "man up", but only after purchasing an instrument that can draw blood, such as a knife, chair, cheese grinder, or fork. "Man up" has not been approved by the pussyfuckers at the FuckDatAss, but who gives a fuck? I don't. MAN UP!
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