The Very Top

I'm going gearhead tonight.

There was a brief period back in the early part of the last decade when Top Gear aired in the U.S. on The Discovery Channel. I distinctly remember stopping by to watch James, Jeremy, and Richard during many of my numerous channel surfing escapades. I was curiously drawn to their unique brand of British buffoonery added to their magnanimous praise or unrelenting criticisms of some of the world's most expensive and revered automobiles. Even though I was no where near the gearhead then that I am now (I was a late-bloomer.) I still found the show thoroughly entertaining. So I was a bit disappointed when it quietly disappeared from Discovery's line-up.

Fast forward to somewhere around early 2008. By now, I had developed an interest in muscle cars, motorcycles, and anything to do with internal combustion. I was working at Friendly Honda-Yamaha, a motorcycle dealership in Baton Rouge, as a parts/accessories guy. So I was inundated with all sorts of fascinating vehicular shenanigans. Much of my web browsing had to do with finding information on maintaining or modifying my 2000 Suzuki SV650 or watching videos of people in cars or on motorcycles doing dope stuff. I eventually found my way to streetfire.net, and you know how these things go. You click on one link, then another, then another until making a remarkable discovery. For me, this discovery was full length episodes of Top Gear!

Between then and now, I believe I've seen about 80% of Top Gear episodes available on streetfire.net. There are still a few seasons I've yet to get all the way through and some episodes are missing for one reason or the other. But if you are interested in having a good time watching middle-aged Brits goof off with $400,000 supercars or $2000 jalopies, go check 'em out. If you're reading this from anywhere but the United States, you probably already have.

peace.

"I Got That Feelin'!"

Springtime is almost here. Tonight, I've spent at least three hours looking at ads, videos, and articles about motorcycling in anticipation of warmer weather. I cannot wait to get back on my bike.

If you've never ridden on motorcycle before, I wholeheartedly suggest trying it at least once in your life if the opportunity presents itself. Given the right conditions and precautions, motorcycling can be one of the most liberating experiences available to us lowly commoners. Most of us will never fly a airplane or sail across the ocean, but for a fraction of the cost just about anyone can pick up a decent motorcycle and riding gear and access the same sense of excitement and adventure.

Here's a bit of what I've been into tonight.

I've been checking out these Motorcycle News.com videos for a couple of years now and I really enjoy them. Many of them are a little shorter than I'd like, probably because they're hoping to attract more traffic to their website. Nevertheless, they give simple and direct information, not wasting time with a bunch of quick shots of irrelevant footage and bad rock music. And although they are primarily a British publication, they keep us Americans in mind by testing many bikes that are available on both sides of the pond. Check 'em out.

peace.

Emcees of the Month: Pac Div

Here's Pav Div's video for "Mayor" off of their Church League Champions mixtape.

I'm down with these cats. They're skilled, they're clever, and they don't take themselves too seriously. They, along with other newer artists like Asher Roth, The Cool Kids, and Odd Future represent the newest generation of hip hop artists who continue a tradition of freedom and experimentation in emceeing that is not as readily found as it once was. They may not be on the radio or selling a million records, but they don't really need to. Pac Div's making their own way. And people are noticing.

peace.

Hip Hop is Fearless

Just when I thought I'd gotten a handle on the whole hip hop thing, here come these cats.

I remember when OutKast's Aquemini album came out back in 1998. I had been anxiously awaiting its release. When I bought it, I put it in the cd player of my car and began listening to it everyday on my way to school. I hated it for about two weeks.

But it wasn't Outkast's fault. It was mine.

You see, anytime an artist makes a significant and extensive leap forward in statement or aesthetic, the folks who consume their work have difficulty fully integrating the new information. We need time to catch up. These cats go into their studios, theatres, and writing rooms and devote hundreds of hours to advancing their work. The good ones are taking huge risks and making real progress, inevitably cruising right on by the artistic sensibility of their audience. So it can be a challenge for us observers and commentators to stay on the leading edge of the movement. It absolutely requires us to be completely open and witness the work with the mind of a beginner.

That's why I'm completely enraptured by this video. These cats scare me, in a good way; not because they have masks on or sound like death metal rap. But rather, they are hip hop artists that are taking an extraordinary risk in the type of music they chose to make. Their risk challenges me to envision an entirely new avenue down which hip hop may travel. I'm excited to see where their journey takes them. I'll be checkin' for 'em.

Because Aquemini is a classic.

peace.

ZZZZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..........................

If I wasn't sleepy enough to go numb in my fingers, I'd be writing tonight. But it's a wrap for me, ladies and gents. I'll be back tomorrow night after a decent night's sleep.

Thanks for stickin' with me, everyone.



peace.

The Last Poets: The First Hip Hop

If they aren't, I don't mind if they get the credit.

My parents own at least 400 records, and I think I've listened to every single one of them. Out of all those records, I'm pretty sure I listened to The Last Poets album more than any other.

I remember first discovering this historic piece of vinyl when I was about seven or eight years old. I would get home from school while my parents were still at work. The television would get pretty boring after a while, so I would sit Indian-style (Is that racist? Should that be "Native American-style"?) in front of the stereo, open the liner notes with the lyrics, and listen to these cats talk about damage caused by black stereotypes or the complexities of religion. It was also one of the first times I encounter the word "nigga" in all its sophisticated glory. Looking back on it now, it's odd how a such a young kid could be attracted to such complicated material. Even though I didn't have much of an idea why, at the time I felt it was important for me to hear.

It was.

peace.

The King's Speech

I don't have much tonight. So I'm just gonna pass it over to this guy. Every once in a while he says something interesting.

I had a full day of theatre and I'm beat. See ya'll tomorrow.

peace.