Sitting harnessed... (or our Joe Frank / Facebook adventure)

he following was taken verbatim from JOE FRANK's FB wall. the entry was first posted at 15.11 on Saturday 29 January 2011.

JoFra: Sitting harnessed to a high chair, the bitter odor of coffee, the sweet odor of cigars smoke, gazing at the traffic passing on the street before me. People talking and laughing, someone lifts a spoon of custard to his mouth, a valet rushes into the street clutching luggage, hailing a taxi and hit by a colorful double decker bus. (Continues below in comments)
==
JoFra: Commotion, sirens, flashing lights, police talking on radios, man removes sports jacket and covers valet knee deep in water screams What's the matter with you, you whore. Crowd parts for stretcher carried into ambulance, doors close, helico...pter overhead while sitting in high chair small tables around dance floor where man wearing bandanna sits at white piano accompanying couple dancing the tango and waiter carrying silver doomed tray to table, steps back to reveal cheese souffle.(photo from steamykitchen.com)

Large broad boulevards, statue of Evita, held in arms of huge crowd that gathers in plaza before 2nd story balcony where a big, fat man with a mustache, wearing a general’s uniform with a plumed helmet and an oversized gold-plated side-arm using a European baby on all fours as a foot stool, a sword hanging from his belt wearing riding boots receives adulation, What's the matter with you, you whore, and marbled buildings, echoing hallways, hushed meeting rooms, green velvet lampshades overlooking boulevard with island planted with shrubbery and flowering trees and outdoor cafes where people sit and talk and a baby in a high chair stares at shiny automobiles visible in a showroom floor
...

MiBe [JF fan also posting in comments]: It's getting dark now. Across the street a band is playing The Internationale while old men in ancient uniforms watch over the boiling street scene. The flashing lights on the ambulance light the brass section to flash like gold. The neon... lights from the local sustantivo reflect as jewels in the gleaming instruments. The General, oblivious to the fate of his dying valet, stares down with an expression of rage and hate. Momentarily, he considers retiring inside for a nap, but instead, he dials his phone, ordering an attack on the crowd below.
...

VeKiSto: ...and squints as the fat man laughs out loud, his footstool squealing out of pain but partly out of boredom, and the stomach of a dog the size of a large supreme burrito grumbles loudly What's the matter with you, you whore as it nestled ...uncomfourtably beside a designer wallet, probably a knockoff, a leash designated as humane by the ASPCA, three or four slightly used lipsticks, hand sanitizer, some keys, a folded up to-go menu, loose change, bits of glass, a nearly empty prescription bottle, a pen with no cap, crumpled kleenex, a cellular phone, blinking and buzzing, an iPod, a sports bra, old sticks of gum and one piece of chewed gum, the dog sometimes able to breathe inside the enormous, impossibly heavy imported leather handbag carried by an impeccably dressed, slightly insecure, youthful-looking, college-educated woman in a hurry, with nails manicured, breasts believably enhanced and beginning to sweat ever so slightly because the last time she ate was the last time she
...

LaHa: [another JF fan post]
It was becoming more difficult for him to fit into the highchair, it teetered, threatened to topple, with his every move. Sometimes the ashes from his cigar dropped into the hair on his chest, that odor was not quite so sweet.
It didn't seem... to matter how chaotic the social order became, revolution, flood, plague. As long as he continued with the charade, agreed upon in a long forgotten past, life continued.
The tap dancers were coming on next, then the tigers, that was his favorite part.

KCET is no longer channel 28, at least on Time-Warner cable

late last night, i was confused when i saw a black, empty screen on channel 28, which, since childhood (at least in Orange County), was usually the former Los Angeles PBS station KCET. i thought it was a TiVO mixup, but today, even worse fears were confirmed, as stated in this press release (or programming alert?) issued by Time Warner cable:

"Beginning on or about January 17, 2011, KCET, which is currently made available to customers in an analog (or both analog and digital) format will be made available in a digital format only. KCET will remain on the Broadcast service level. Viewing on certain television sets may require additional equipment that can be provided by Time Warner Cable or that may be available for purchase from retail stores in certain locations. "

as we all know, KCET no longer carried PBS as of the first of the 2011 year. i was surprised to see just one other analogue cable 'dinosaur' on a local Los Angeles Yahoo! forum was noticing, let alone complaining, this recent development, that 'TWC drops analog KCET (ch.6)'.

what's worse is, even if we HAD digital KCET in Orange County, we would be forced to accept KCET's 24/7 Kids and Family channel, rather than their so-called "new" independent programming...which i was kinda digging, what with all the cool cooking shows (YOUR JAPANESE KITCHEN, RICK BAYLESS, ERIC RIPERT etc.), plus H.R. PUFNSTUF and LIDSVILLE!!?!

CES, Polaroid and tardiness

via SUBTRACTIVE:

"...Lady Gaga, the official creative director for Polaroid. Gaga arrived about 40 minutes fashionably late to her event at the camera company's booth. The pop star demonstrated a portable photo printer she said she designed herself, which she carries in her purse, and a pair of sunglasses with a camera built in to it."

PLEASE put this on your status...

PLEASE put this on your status if you know someone or are related to someone who has been eaten by DRAGONS. Dragons are nearly unstoppable, and in case you didn't know, THEY CAN BREATHE FIRE. 93% of people won't copy and paste this, because they have already been eaten by dragons. 6% of people are sitting in the shower, armed with fire extinguishers. The remaining 1% are awesome, and will re-post this. Will you?

[THX to ErRo for this!!!]

milhaus.

from ETSY.

many thanks to Little Mountain (MiTau) for this! :))

Avec Eric: Ripert with Bourdain, Chang, Achatz, Fearing, Andres...

best episode EVER. i love...
José Andres' cigars and airs; Dean Fearing's throwback respect; Achatz' matter-of-factness; David Chang's intensity and high-strung Asian-ness; Tony Bourdain's insecurity (he sounds like Marc Maron!).

you gotta watch the entire episode.


The CAYMAN COOKOUT , avec Eric Ripert and friends, is happening 13-16 January 2011. this year, we're talking $3k for TWO DAYS, people! total bliss.

a music snob's not so humble opinion of 2010's best records

i wanted to get this out tonight; otherwise, i won't ever (see last year). i'm not gonna comment on everything cos a lot of my choices are a lot of other people's 2010 choices... although i bet the reasons i have for picking these are different.

didn't get a chance to look over my FB archive (i'm only going to post music stuff in tumblr now so i will have a permanent record) so here are, let's say, over a dozen titles, in alphabetical order by band/artist's first name...this time in electronic and non-electronic forms:

Electronic-ish/Dance Music - like
FOUR TET: There is Love in You on Domino
ESKMO: Eskmo on Ninja Tune
GROOVE ARMADA: Black Light on Om Records
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM: This is Happening on Virgin/EMI - ok i know i said i wasn't going to talk about the albums that everyone else listed but i must point out here that if you are pooh- poohing me and everyone else who dug this record, i suggest you go back and listen to it again!
SEI A: White Rainbow on Turbo Recordings
TAKE: Only Mountain-beat music is beautiful... especially when it sounds like Take.

VARIOUS ARTISTS: Five Years of Dirty Bird - just as i thought i was getting over my San Francisco envy of pesto pizza and the Hardkiss Brothers, i discovered the fabulous, most brilliant label Dirtybird Records, fronted by the almighty Claude VonStroke and anchored by the very talented Martin Brothers, Justin and Christian. Dirtybird's brand is what tech-house music should be all about: obscene titles/names (a la VonStroke); carefully crafted production, with sparsely placed, minimal tracks; AND voices or sounds that are tweaked just so it will drive you crazy and running to the dancefloor. listen to Sascha Braemer's "Club Foot" to hear what i'm talking about...it's on the second disc, song #12...and it's totally sick.

NOT Electronic-ish/ NOT Dance Music-like
the ALBUM LEAF: A Chorus of Storytellers on Subpop
BLK JKS: Zol! on Secretly Canadian - forget all this indie-meets-Paul-Simon crap, a la Vampire Weekend. listen to BLK JKS. they have hooks and rhythms, a great voice that requires several listens to understand, far-out guitar and compelling songs that you can't ignore...these guys are the real deal.
DANGER MOUSE and SPARKLEHORSE: Dark Night of the Soul on Capitol - not recommended for communal listening and party situations, but such a freaking perfect record, despite the David Lynch freakout vocals...for solitary drives or rainy days home alone or late nights at the office or quiet moments with your partner or times when you have nothing to say.
PHILIPPE JAROUSSKY: La Dolce Fiamma - Forgotten Castrato Arias on Virgin Classics - gorgeous music of J.C. Bach with Jérémie Rhorer conducting Le Cercle de l'Harmonie

JAMIE LIDELL: Compass on Warp
MENOMENA: Mines on Barsuk
SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS: Disconnect from Desire on Ghostly International/Vagrant - not to be mistaken for Sleigh Bells or Broken Bells!
STEVE MASON: Boys Outside on Domino - seriously, probably the best record of the year for me. [mostly because, there was once a band called the Beta Band, and before i could begin to dislike them, they vanished...poof!...never to be heard from again. and so, this is the record i was waiting for them to release.]
TOUBAB KREWE: TK2 on National Geographic
VARIOUS ARTISTS: Next Stop...Soweto Vol. 1-3 on Strut Records - fantastic deep jazz and abstract funk, straight outta South Africa. for all the unabashed praise i and others give the Luv n Haight label, Strut has been releasing hard-to-find gems and little-heard-before tracks from the vaults.

honourable mentions:
THOMAS ADÉS: Tevot; Violin Concerto; Three Studies from Couperin; Overture, Waltz and Finale from 'Powder Her Face' on EMI Classics - various performers including Simon Rattle and the Berlin Phil.

DAFT PUNK: Tron Legacy soundtrack- most impressive. hope they tour this year.
GOLD PANDA: Lucky Shiner on Spectral/Ghostly International- a fantastic record from an artist (sorry, Matthew Dear fans...) at one of my most favourite labels!
CONAN O'BRIEN: The Minty Theme Song - the less said, the better. otherwise, i'll wake up singing this damn song again and again and again...
UNDERWORLD: Bark on Om Records
DOMINO RECORDS IN GENERAL: i don't want this list to look totally out of balance, but 2010 was such an excellent year for the Domino label. you really have to hand it to them...i mean, there was TRICKY's Mixed Race, CLINIC's Bubblegum, THE FALL's Your Future Our Clutter and CHIEF's Modern Rituals.

2010 grievances. yeah, i got 'em.

i figured, if google can do their 2011 thing two hours before the 31st of December (i'm in the pacific time zone), i can list my first-world problems with 2010 on the penultimate day of the year.

and so, in honour of Festivus, i would like to list a few of of my grievances for the year 2010. [however, unlike the Seinfeld Festivus tradition, when one "tells their friends and family all the instances of how or when they disappointed the person during the year", my grievances are toward/with the world in general. this is because i have no control over a lot of stuff and i like to complain, but it is especially so because i am extremely fortunate since my friends and family were the only things to NOT disappoint me this year.*]

venus' grievances are as follows:

• Dr. Alexander Shulgin is unable to afford required treatment for a stroke, experienced earlier this year, and for a stubborn foot ulcer. ** speaking of which, reminds me of...
• Gov. Schwarzenegger's vetoes against Assembly Bill 3632 [AB3632].*^ for more info, please also see CA Dept. of Mental Health website.
  
• KCET in Los Angeles is no longer carrying PBS programming as of 1 January 2011. what to do, southern california? hellooooooooooo KOCE!
  
• whenever i highlight a word to edit in my Blogger entry, an extra word is deleted along with the highlighted word.
• Twitt'r accounts used by cities, government, entities, professionals and/or organisations in general to simply market and advertise, instead of providing real or true information, action, interaction and/or feedback.
  
• the prevalence of Liz Lemon/Tina Fey-shaped eyewear, and the dearth of Penelope Garcia/Kirsten Vangsness-shaped eyeglasses. speaking of which, reminds me of...
  
• the mediocrity of my optometrist's front office staff. they can't be bothered to find the right eyeglass frames for me...and they're too busy upselling stuff that ends up falling apart. s.o.w.r.m.o...
• the rude front office chicks at my doctor's office.*** s.o.w.r.m.o...
• good therapists who don't take my insurance. and, the bad ones who do.
• our PS3's broken blu-ray drive. s.o.w.r.m.o...
• TV repairmen in Orange County or Los Angeles who refuse to make housecalls to repair CRT televisions.**^ s.o.w.r.m.o...
• Guitar Hero haters. s.o.w.r.m.o...
• the small number of available Rockband keyboard songs and Pro songs.
  
• CREDO formerly known as Working Assets for having a terrible online payment system which forced us to lose our long distance telephone service.^*
  
• blizzard entertainment. love what they do, but i hate how they make you register for an account to get a stinking gametime gift for someone.****
• product placement in general, but especially on the Jeopardy game show.
  
• sites use the FB to login with, more often than openID.
• point-and-shoot/point-and-click digital cameras have all these supposedly cool features one can adjust and use...yet the user manuals give no information as to how or when they are to be used...just that they can be used.
• sebastien loeb.*****
• city of Buena Park's city council election, which was won by the highest spender(s).
  
• hipsters' (and others'!) outright rejection of MySpace. s.o.w.r.m.o...
• the absolutely pathetic web presence of most stand-up comics/comedians and magician/illusionist types i like.*^^^
  
• ALEX WONG's injury.***^
• Jack in the Box has no fish and chips. And Wendy's has no baked potatoes.
  
• water + gravity = yikes.
• celebrities. these non-experts're taking away all the voiceover jobs and officiant jobs and other jobs traditionally held by other experts. s.o.w.r.m.o...
• --$ha and the Beebs.**^^ s.o.w.r.m.o...
• Kristen Wiig.
• jerks still email me nasty things about how i don't deserve to have the mdma.com domain.
• MAX KARAOKE is too far away and too expensive.
  

==because footnotes are next to impossible on blogger==
* omg I LOVE MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!! [here are a few of them.] i also love a lot of other things, such as animals, my job, music, health and... um...my family and friends.
**Dr. Shulgin is a man who, through his tireless scientific research of 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (and many other chemicals with true therapeutic potential) in the face of mounting scrutiny, has benefited, and continues to benefit, many of us. as far back as 1985, MDMA was vilified by the media and was made a Schedule I drug by the DEA in the United States. it is a total shame that just one dollar has not been given in thanks to this brave man, by every person who has been touched by ecstasy in a positive way...especially, in this supposed world of "happy happy raver" b.s., also known as PLUR (or Peace Love Unity and Respect). see articles in Time magazine, May of the year 2000 and in June of the year 2000
*^ not to mention, the effects of his attempt to balance the California state budget, at the cost of helping those with homelessness and autism.
***however, i love the nurse at my dr.'s office.
**^i will pay a couple of hundred dollars cos we cannot afford to buy a new flatscreen/LCD/plasma television for several more hundreds of $$$!!!!
^*YES, i DO KNOW i should use skype or some other VoIP thing.
****yes, you can buy WoW gametime at amazon, but, um, not for one month.
*****as opposed to: HURRAH PETTER SOLBERG!
*^^^THANK YOU, marc maron, wonderground in Las Vegas, StandUp! Records and Punchline mag!!!
***^see more non-SYTYCD videos here.
**^^despite my love of the song they used on the Simpsons and the song they slowed down.

POST SECRET: not really 6 of one...and half dozen of the other

i admit, this "secret" is not much of one, unless the person who submitted it is keeping their condescending attitude toward mental illness and psychiatric drugs, specifically toward antidepressants, a secret...

i should get like i do, and tell this person that the enjoyment of music is more often related to stimulation of the limbic system in the brain, and been shown to be related to the activity of the neurotransmitter phenethylanine. in contrast, sertraline or Zoloft® and fluoxetine or Prozac® work in/on different parts of the brain, inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, which is a completely different neurotransmitter. (please leave a comment if you need me to cite references...)

i suppose both brain mechanisms result in some sort of euphoric feeling...but then again, so do endorphins from running and opioid/mu receptours when we bang our hand by accident and experience pain. i just didn't want this person to get it twisted.

Dr. Shulgin helped us, so now let's help HIM!

To Read Click Here: http://shulginresearch.org/imgs/helpsasha2010.jpg

last night at the MAPS event, i learned some very unfortunate news: one of my personal heroes, Berkeley pharmacologist DR. ALEXANDER SHULGIN, experienced a stroke in November 2010. Dr. Shulgin's pioneering discoveries, relentless drive and tireless work in psychopharmacology has personally touched many of our lives, very deeply. If you, or anyone you care about, has experienced the effect of Dr. Shulgin's contributions, now is your opportunity to give back and show your appreciation. You can send Dr. Shulgin a donation via PIRYX if you don't use Paypal. And here is a link to donate if you do use Paypal.

Please see this new Blogger page for further details, links and information about Dr. Shulgin.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

= = =

Credited with MDMA's popularisation in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Shulgin also championed the treatment of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through the psychopharmaceutical use of MDMA. In subsequent years, Shulgin discovered, synthesized, and bioassayed over 230 psychoactive compounds. This means he found, made and tested over 230 psychoactive compounds in vivo , or in a whole, living organism...namely, himself! In 1991 and 1997, he and his wife Ann authored the books PiHKAL and TiHKAL on the topic of psychoactive drugs. [Excerpted and adapted from Transform Press bio.]

You can follow updates from Ann, Dr. Shulgin's wife, on CARING BRIDGE, and see the documentary film DIRTY PICTURES which was made about Sasha's life and work. If you use the Facebook, there is now a page dedicated to fundraising for Sasha:

If button doesn't work use THIS LINK.