Even "God" Loves Science

Well, at least a guy who played him a couple of times does.

In case you haven't noticed, Morgan Freeman has been headlining a fantastic series on The Science Channel for the past couple of years called Through the Wormhole. On the show, they've tackled a number of difficult and sophisticated questions posed by scientists, theorists, and philosophers throughout the ages. Now in its third season, the show has been quite innovative in their ability to make scientific inquiry engaging and entertaining.

The best part: all of the episodes are also on youtube for free! Yes!

peace.

The Greatest Thing This Week

The greatest thing I've discovered on the internet this week most certainly has to be this.



This is the full, uninterrupted of the 1983 film War Games. And the only way i knew it was there was by stumbling across this article. It lists 74 films that have been uploaded, in their glorious entirety, to youtube.

Have at ladies and gents!



peace.

...For the Kids.

This is one of the most amazing and heartwarming videos I've seen in quite a while.

You know, I've heard my share of complaints from older folks about their inability to understand hip hop lyrics. Many say the words are too indistinguishable or that they move too fast for them to decipher what's been said. For me, this video beautifully illustrates a core aspect of rap performance that is much more important than lyrical comprehension. Rap lyrics are the textual conduit for the rapper's percussive and melodic aesthetic. In fact, I would argue that what an emcee says in a verse is rarely as important as how s/he musically shapes the verse into something pleasing and exciting for the listener.

"It's not enough to know which notes to play, you have to understand why they need to be played." George Carlin commenting on the blues

This brilliant kid has already made this discovery (as kids will do if we simply leave them to their explorations). As soon as he reaches the age of adding lyrical content to his already sophisticated sense of musical awareness (and if he keeps rapping), he's going to be an absolutely magnificent emcee.

peace.

Say What?

So the folks over at Bad Lip Reading have finally set their sites on the prime target, Herman Cain. I would advise against eating or drinking while watch this. You may spill it all over your keyboard.

What's funny is that Cain makes about as much sense in this video as he does in real life.

This is just magnificent.

peace.

Going Geek

Back in the early Aughts, my nightly web surfing guided me toward this wonderfully cool video.

The Ho Brothers have quite possibly made one of the best fan film inspired by a big budget movie, right up there with Batman vs Predator vs Alien. Tonight I find myself fondly revisiting this clip, remembering the awe I felt knowing we were entering an age where us everyday folks would be capable of creating fun and imaginative works of mass-consumed art with very little money. For me, this video was the beginning of the viral web culture.

peace.

Man of the People

Youtube surfing is is like combing the history of humanity with a cultural metal detector. It's just the best.

Be sure to visit this video on youtube for the full text.

I often have conversations with friends of mine about movies, music, and artists I've yet to explore. For example, as of now I haven't found a time to see the movies The Godfather or Pulp Fiction. I don't know nearly as much about Marvin Gaye or Al Green as I'd like. And for someone who is completely and utterly enchanted with Shakespeare, I've haven't gotten through nearly as many of his plays as I hoped I would by now. I suppose there's only so much time to spend digesting art and culture.

Charlie Chaplin's work is most certainly on this list. All I've heard of his influence on the aesthetics of cinema and comedy have certainly ignited and sustained my interest and desire to examine him more closely. There are few instances in which artists or public figures are revered in this way who aren't absolute geniuses. For me, this video will be the beginning of my journey through Charlie's career.

Off I go to surf some more. Check ya'll on the flip.

peace.

Old News

I'm hitting the hay. But while checking my email tonight, I've been enjoying my revisit to the Auto-Tune the News series of videos by The Gregory Brothers. Here's my absolutely favorite:

I'm sure you've seen these, especially judging by the views these videos have. But if not, enjoy!

I love this clips!

peace.

That's Good Cornbread!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Cornbread Samurai.



The classics never get old.

And I'm being lazy tonight. I hope you enjoy!



peace.

She's Goin' In

I love this type of stuff. This is a cover of "Look At Me" by Chris Brown feat. Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne by Karmin.

I'm absolutely not a Chris Brown fan. I think his talent is mediocre and only supported by massive amounts of technology and handlers of his image. Lil Wayne, however, pleasantly surprises me from time to time and Busta is, for all intents and purposes, a legend. So two-thirds of "Look At Me" is quite entertaining.

This cover isn't better than the original track. That I won't concede.

But I will say it makes Chris' section of the song easier to enjoy, and homegirl's accuracy with Busta's verse is quite impressive.

I decree this video dope.

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Jean Grae

I've been listening to Jean Grae interviews on youtube for about an hour now and honestly, I could listen to her all night long. Really. Rarely have I seen an emcee who can converse with such a balance of wit, intelligence, humility, insight, and confidence. Most stick to their shtick and have limited ability to communicate the subtleties and nuances of their personalities. Perhaps it has something to do with a fear or apprehension of seeming vulnerable or weakened.

Not Jean.

She invites us into the frailties and idiosyncrasies of who she is just enough to keep us wanting more. We get a sense of how she observes her world and what drives her. It's actually incredibly enticing. Since the business of hip hop music is such a male driven industry, the usual pattern of women emcees is to mimic the way the dudes navigate the culture. But Jean embraces her femininity, which allows her to seem much more grounded in life and work.

There is a lack of recent interviews featuring Jean on youtube (I wonder why.) but I was able to find clips from what seemed to be many different moments throughout her career. I was fascinated to see how she's evolved in the way she talks about her art and life. Here I'll be posting the most recent video I found, but I encourage you to scroll back and check out some of her earlier words. She's a sophisticated person and her journey is wonderfully colorful.

peace.

Walta's Quickie Video Blog

So it's 12:30. I just got home. I have to leave again in six hours. So there will be no long rants from me tonight.

In cases like these, I am thinking I will snatch videos that Walta's posted on her facebook page and throw them up for your amusement. She has a rich, albeit eccentric sense of humor. I love it.

This one's getting a lot of spins on youtube, your guide to how to dance at a rave.

Have fun!

I promise I will get back to normal length posts soon.

peace.

A Sample

As this thing moves along, you will eventually realize that this blog is little more than an outlet for my somewhat uncontrollable addiction to youtube. I've spent HOURS over there. There was one night in Toronto where I watched the entire Star Wars trilogy in reverse (Jedi, Empire, New Hope) simply to calm my nerves. When Walta visited me during my spring break last year, we spent DAYS watching Ewan Mcgregor and Charley Boorman as they cycled (motorcycled, that is) their way from London to New York on Long Way Round. So it's safe to say I've wasted ample time and neglected many more important tasks because I was "'tubing."


So as I was basking in the glow of my newly born forum today, I began thinking about all the youtube videos I've wanted to share with my friends, family, and colleagues over the years. One that kept nagging me was this recreation of J Dilla's production for "Players" by Slum Village.

This is a very simple and extremely elegant demonstration of how hip hop is made; at least the instrumental aspect. For the uninitiated, J Dilla a.k.a. Jay Dee a.k.a. James Yancy was a hip hop producer from Detroit, MI. There are those in the hip hop community, including myself, who would consider J Dilla one of the greatest, most expressive, and most influential hip hop producers ever. His work included projects with numerous premier artists such as Busta Rhymes, Janet Jackson, Erykah Badu, Common, The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. Sadly he passed away in 2006 of a blood disease called thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura or TTP.

Whenever I come across videos like this, I try to imagine what kind of story could have possibly lead to the discovery and creation of what I know to be the final product. I wonder what it sounded like in the room, what sights and smells where among the observers and/or participants, what time of day, what season. It's well known that J Dilla's studio was in the basement of his mother's house. I envision the other two members of Slum Village, T3 and Baatin, arriving at Dilla's, perhaps around 4:30 in the afternoon, and walking in not through the front door but the kitchen or even the carport. I wonder if Dilla's mom cooked for them; maybe they even helped. I'm sure she was happy they were into something that was keeping them occupied and away from more unfortunate influences. Judging from the feel of Slum's music back then, it seems they had space to breathe and room to stretch in such an environment. They could easily be in their own skin.

Perhaps this is a little naive or utopic of me. But I like to think that at least some of this were true.

The other aspect I can't escape is how much musical knowledge these guys must have acquired throughout their experiences working together. There has always been a dismissal of hip hop music in regards to the usage of sampling. But consider how long it must have taken Dilla to discover this record, how many records he may have listened to before stumbling upon this song, even how many trips to record stores, thrift shops, and garage sales it took before he even had the physcial vinyl in his hand. The sheer dedication and persistence required to make this discovery, and the vision to shape the discovery into a such a brilliant piece of musical expression, is phenomenal.

In a 2004 interview on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Mos Def (If you don't know who he is, don't worry. I'm sure we'll get to him soon.) had this to say about the practice of sampling:

It created connoisseurs. It created these young people who would become knowledgeable about music via the advent of sampling...I know guys with thousands of records from everywhere of every stripe and variation that you can imagine because they're all, as Afrika Bambaataa says, looking for the perfect beat wherever that may be. I've heard some of the most fantastic, exotic, obscure, amazing music in the basements and homes of hip hop producers.

You can hear the entire interview here.

I love these moments, these peeks behind the curtain. They continue to reinforce how imaginative and masterful these artists are and how difficult it is to be good at making hip hop music. These are marvelous times.

peace.