PANTHER vs. RATATAT

So...last monday in Chicago, me and my roomate, Stephanie (the 2 new kids on the block) decided to venture to the Empty Bottle for the Ratatat concert, but little did we know what we were in for.... first the opening band, PANTHER...where can I begin with PANTHER. He is a man of many moves...the robotic/disco type maybe. PANTHER...a one man trick, jumped around the stage like Chuck Norris streetfighting on ecstasy, and sang karaoke style to some beat crackin beats. With songs with titles like: "yr pants are crease"...how could you go wrong??? welll...Basically I"m still not sure what to think, was it glorified Kidz Bop video (see last blog entry), or was it supremo-awesomeness. He was definitely in the PANTHER ZONE...no doubt. The Picture of PANTHER pretty much sums up my thoughts on him. All I know, I coulda used some Pop Rocks to accompany that show.

I wanted to pit PANTher in a rock n' roll death match against RATATAT, but its really no contest. When it comes down to it, PANTHER doesn't quite measure up. RATATAT was one of the best shows I have seen in awhile... their presence was dominating on stage the entire time. With some beers and tequila shots in the belly, I was a dancing fool, as was almost everyone, (except for unexcited bitch to the left). I also don't know the last time I digged the presence of a fog machine, probably in 7th grade when we still went to haunted houses for fun...umm anyways. But wow, I just never knew how awesome they could be live! The lead guitarist kept sitting on the ledge in front of the stage...he also had some sweet headbanging hair. Although RATATAT dominates PANTHER in the end...those who saw the concert might agree a rockoff would be pretty sweet: picture::: PANTHER weaving in and out of RATATAT's set, sporatically ducking under guitars and popping up unexpectedly...but alas, when you put a Wildcat against a Panther, the Wildcat always wins.
Here, my friends is the PANTHER (aka charlie...ha) website: http://www.jyrk.com/panther/
And here is RATATAT's: http://www.ratatatmusic.com/

KIDZ BOP: SINCE U BEEN GONE

Wow...I haven't laughed this long in a long time (which might make me pathetic, but thats ok). It looks like the creators of this video had a solid kids idea....but to see it played out is actually the most ridiculous thing I think I have ever seen. Thank you Kidz Bop (note the z appearance in the the word kidz). I thought I was about to watch a little girl singing Kelly Clarksons hit song in her room...boy was I in for a treat. It just gets better and better. Also, be sure to notice the creepy zebra at the end....where did he come from? I'm wondering why Kelly didn't make this her video for mainstream play...its a hell of a lot more entertaining than the one I've seen....but I will admit Kelly, that this song is a guilty pleasure extrodinare. So here it is...the best video I have even laid eyes upon:

Jeremy Scott

Dear Jeremy Scott....I love you. finally i am able to combine my love for fashion, fast food, candy and egypt....yes! an additional bonus for food with eyes and mouth's...reminicent of Aquateen Hungerforce...but completely awesome! So...Jeremy Scott is this one fashion designer guy...who's got some killer cornrows as you can see. This genius fellow is from Kansas, so immediately I know he has no clue what he's doing...perfect! But yes, this man has created the ultimo fashion lines....in one line there are a ton of food inspired prints and outfits. My personal favorites are the doughnut bracelets and the hamburger skirt. Although Halloween seems like an every day celebration for this guy, I say...whats wrong with that? I also enjoy his alphabet print. I'd like to see more fashion that is entertaining and funny (not to be confused with whimsical...because i'm pretty sure that involves "cute" cat prints and swirls and squiggles). Exxxaggeration is good! Another one of my favorites is the peeper eyes sweater.....creepiness at its best. I like his theme approaches and also his designs beyond the patterns are innovative and just plain cool. He pulls off an over the top Egyptian theme and has dresses with a mummy print on it! I mean...its also clear that good Ole' Jeremy isn't afraid of much as he prints a giant JEREMY on a snicker bar dress...priceless. So cheers to you Jeremy Scott, because next time I want to wear a dress that looks like a chocolate eclair, I turn to you. Here are his two 2006 collections:
http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/2006/fall/main/newyork/womenrunway/jeremyscott/
http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/2006/spring/main/newyork/runway/jeremyscott/

Danielson

I saw Danielson on their first tour date in Louisville, KY at Uncle Pleasants a few days ago. This band was quite unexpected...knowing almost nothing about the band, only listening to their album once, I was still surprised to see that they were all older than I thought...it seemed most of them were over 30. Also, I really enjoyed what they were wearing....uniforms that resembled fashioned police garb with name tags. The lead singer, Daniel Smith, we all agreed had an uncanny resemblance to Dave Foley from Kids in the Hall, only missing a gap between his teeth (see comparison: Foley in leather jacket and Smith playing guitar and peeping through ship). After getting over a few initial problems in the first few songs, I really enjoyed the show. There wasn't a huge crowd there, and really, I would have had it no other way. I liked the way the members of the group set themselves up with the two ladies, who did backup amost other interesting musical things, were on the left. My favorite member had to be the keyboard player on the right...he looked like an initech office worker nobody, but I found myself watching him play and sing because he was so exuberant and animated while looking very unassuming at the same time. The songs of Danielson really ring in your head for awhile afterwards, and create a majestic, playful sound that I felt unified the band and the crowd. Its no surprise to me that the band is a group of five siblings. There is also a movie being made see here: http://www.creativearson.com/danielson/ I'm interested.

Food Bandit Psychology

My favorite food mascots of all time tend to be the tricky underhanded ones that snatch your food when you're not looking...There's something about cereal that really make people feel like they have to be sneaky about something. Lets look at the Trix rabbit....his entire life is devoted to stealing trix from innocent children. Really, he faces ultimate failure every time...his failure has resulted in a fanatical obsession with trix. There's no doubt that he feels an ultimate rejection from youth culture, and wants to return to his youth, but this is impossible. Is he that creepy old guy who hangs out around kids all the time and has no friends his age? And finally, lets face it, he's not the brightest in the bunch, so thats not helping him out either.
Secondly, the Cookie Crisp Crook...all he is concerned with is stealing cookies. Now, this leads to another hypothesis, cookies are ridiculous addictive drugs. Cookie Crisp must be extremely valuable because there is an entire law enforcement unit dedicated to protecting it from the Cookie Crisp Crook. He is overtaken by his desire for Cookie Crisp so much that he does a coooookie crisp howl to the moon every night. Just look at cookie monster...he can't live without cookies. He has completely detached himself from society because of his fanaticism for cookies. He can't even communicate in normal ways without cookie outbursts. He may be autistic, and if so thats another story. To me, he just seems plain old crazy.
Finally, I am sure of the notion that the Hamburgler is the head of the commercial food crime ring. There's no doubt that he is the best at what he does, snatching hamburgers up by the dozen. He is the master of foodcrime. He's such a badass that he's still wearing his clothes from prison. But one thing's for sure, that little black mask on your face is essential to concealing your identity.

Things I Like

I would like to share with the world all of the things I like....although no one probably will read this...i hope someone will. So i won't waste any time with my first thing.....

Time of the Gypsies (Dom za vesanje)

directed by Emir Kustarica. This is one of the best films I have ever seen in my life!! I watched it for the second time last night...and it is definetely worth watching multiple times. The lead role of Perhan is probably the most awkward adolecent who can move objects mid-air. He leaves his gypsy home to make money to marry his girlfriend, Azra....he finds money through a godfather-esque character, Ahmed. The characters in this movie are amazing and hilarious...especially Perhan's mother who pushes around any woman who disagrees with her. The actor playing Perhan, Davor Dujmovic, is phenominal...like nothing i've ever seen before. Davor Dujmovic committed suicide in 1999 due to severe depression. I can not help think that some of this film had some profound effect on him.The movie offers a look at how idolization can turn into a pathetic, twisted obsession that can literally destroy a life. Beyond this I can barely explain the movie except that it is beautiful, magical, and disturbing. My cheapest sell for this movie is the fork murder scene....YES! please see it now!