Saturday, April 14, 2007

plugging mc steinberg

http://www.myspace.com/mcsteinberg

So last fall I worked at CMJ. A few months later I caught an episode of New York Noise, an excellent indie rock show on NYTV channel 23, hosted by this cat named MC Steinberg, reporting on the festival and showing live performances. This episode was histerically funny low-budget indie rock hijink.

Example:

MCS to the Knife: Why are you so weird?

Check out these clips. Here are my two favorites, interviews with Fields where he raps about cows, and an interview with DJ Girltalk where he threatens to call ASCAP but gets phone nervous.




Other videos of MC Steiberg

http://mcsteinberg.blogspot.com/

MC Steinberg is a "famed rapper" who you may know from the The Jake & Jackie on 92.3 FreeFM (which is admittedly lame, I've never even heard of the show) in New York City or from the legendary "Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling" on WFMU.

On another note....
Currently Listening to some fucking awesome new records: Arcade Fire, 65 Days of Static, modest mouse, Explosions in the Sky, Port-Royal, Interpol, Grails, DMST, lis er stille, efterklang, destroyalldreamers, world's end girlfriend, Pelican. Where did all these awesome records come from? I'm still looking forward to the new Feist.

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Monday, April 09, 2007

I'm in love...

with San Francisco! I had such a good fucking time. Although I really did very little, I still felt happier and more at home than I have anywhere in a while. There's such a great energy, and the people seemed much friendlier and healthier. I think I want to move there. For real. Come september, maybe I can be taking classes again and living of the SF.

So, recap of the week?

After work on Monday, I went down to NYC to meet up with Ali. We then hung out with Matty J and drank sweet wine and watched the NCAA game.

Tuesday Ali and I went down to get Fat Cats with Doug, Eliot, and Piucci, and it was alot of fun, of course. Smokin makes me antsy sometimes, tho.

Weds after work, we went down to JFK to catch our flight to SF. Luckily, the person sitting in our row left to sit somewhere else, so we got to lie down across the three seats, taking turns sleeping. The flight seemed wayyyy too long. Kat met us at the aeroporto, and we took the BART into the city. We walked up to the girls apt on Hyde, and I got to meet Beer'd (Thomas, he has a big beard) and Shane, both of whom were awesome. We sat around smoking and talking and what not until....really fucking late.

Needless to say, we woke up late on thursday. After going with Kat to Calafoods, eating an awesome breakfast (at 1pm) and going with Al to the bank/post office near Japantown, Kat, James, Shane, and I took the bus out towards the beach to check out an apt theyre looking at. Turns out it's fucking amazing, huge, clean, 5 min from the beach, right near the bus, and fucking cheap. I hope they get it. Then we walked to the beach and hung out, before Shane had to run to work. The three of us walked through Golden Gate Park, got some Taco Bell/KFC, and then went back to the apt, and watched videos on youtube (of a breakdancing baby) and looked at pics of cute animals for hours. James started playing a killer game of Tetris (he had the most lines, but Beer'd still had the high score...) and I took a nap. Somewhere around 10 or so, we decided to organize some shit. Ali stayed behind, but Beer'd, Shane, Kat, James, and I walked to Cory's and met up with their friends. On the way I got to see the midget hooker, who was cuter than I had thought. We bough some beers, and went with a bunch of kids to Squish Park (St. Marys) where we hung out and drank and played on the playground. I got to meet alot of different people, and it was great. On the way we set off some bottle rockets, and some dude in a car called us idiots. Poor Amber tried to follow Shane onto the little overhang, and fell trying to climb up. Luckily she was ok. Excitement! Finally the cops came around 230am and asked us to leave (asked! fucking sweet) so we went to another park. We got tired and left that around 330 or 4 maybe, broke some liquor bottles, and I lost my phone. Then we were knocking shit over, and I threw a coffee on a Mercedes and it splashed on Kat. James told her it was pee, so she chased me about 2 blocks downhill and then pulled my hair. Then the two of us walked back to the park to get my phone. I think we smoked and stayed up talking to Shane and Beerd and watching shit on the computer after that.

On friday I overslept again, and decided not to go to Berkeley, cos there was no way to make the tour group and the counselors hadn't gotten back to me. But I also appreciate being able to hang around with friends much more than seeing a college campus. I love the energy, and how generally happy everyone seems to be. And different. There just seems to be more possibility, a greater spectrum of human possibility out there. One of things I noticed is being away from home is when you can really come to understand the ways in which your home is inside of you, part of who you are. Everyone has a sort of love/hate relationship with their hometowns, but everyone always talks about the great shit about their cities, which is awesome. The interesting thing about SF is it is a magnet for wanderers and travelers, a polyglot town of immigrants and students and artists and hippies and domestic expats. Because everyone pretty much wants to be in SF, the vibe is way more relaxed and happy. The crackheads and bums too! are even instrumental in giving the city it's character. So friday was more lounging around and just hanging out. At about 4pm maybe Kat Ali and I headed up to Haight Street and checked out the legendary Amoeba Records. Kat wasn't feeling well, so she went home and Ali and I had some middle eastern food, but were too tired for hookah. Maybe this week? That night I went with Ali to the gallery/venue to see her friends band, but since they were going on too late, I met up with Kat and Shane and went to see Grindhouse, which was fucking amazing. Everyone was being loud and cracking jokes and being interactive, and no body got pissed off. Shane got too drunk though and had to leave during the second half of the second film, cos he was overheating. Good excuse to go see it again though. Even though we got out of the movie at 2am, we still stayed up until 4 again. Beerds friend Darion came by with his friend J. who had just come in from Delaware. He was fuckin wrecked, and passed out in the bean-bag, and then puked down the stairs. We stayed up talking some more, and it was awesome. Living with people, especially friends, is much better than being alone. I'm sick of being lonely in NY.

SO finally, Saturday, my last day. Again, no Berkeley. We went to Golden Coffee for breakfast, which was greasy and amazing. Then we hung around the apt for a while. I did some reading and we listened to music. At 4pm, I decided to walk around the city by myself. Kat was feeling sick still, and Ali was ... I dunno. So I walked down to Grant, saw the Chinatown gate, walked up and had Gelato were Chinatown and Little Italy meet. Then I hung out in the City Lights bookstore, a famous indie publisher and beat hangout. Even walked down Keruac Alley! Then I walked along columbus and chilled in Washington Park, passed the tattoo museum, and saw the most beautiful bay I've ever seen. I was supposed to get tattooed, but it didn't work out. In September tho! I can't wait to go back... So then I saw Alcatraz and the Bridge, and hung out for a while before walking thru North Beach, down Polk, getting some mexican, and going home. Saturday night we went to TI (treasure Island) for a wild house party. Total california house party, kegs, jungle juice, and wayyyyy too many people. Met alot of new people, as well as the kids from the park the other night. Walked down to the rocks with Caroline, and saw the amazing site of SF at night, with a thin bit of fog over the city. Beautiful. On the way out of the party, when most people had passed out, including Kat who was at Shanes, someone pissed on someones car, and next thing you know a bunch of big Filipino kids some outside with wooden katanas. Shane came out and tried to keep everything cool, but the kids came back and some loud mouths let it escalate. Everyone stared brawling just as the bus arrived. The driver wouldn't open the door, but did call the cops. She finally let us on the bus, and we're pretty positive an unmarked car followed us. We got off at the mission and walked a long way. At this point it was me, beerd, caroline, james, olivia. i took off my cons and threw em over the bus cable. then i took off my socks and walked home (about 20 minutes) barefoot. James and I knocked alot of shit over, and I think he peed somewhere.... Caroline crashed at the apt, and I woke up this morning to the most beautiful weather I'd seen on my trip. Unfortunately I had to go catch a flight home..:( But I can't wait to go back. I'm really going to plan on moving. I need to look into jobs and schools out there.

My flight home was good. I spent a good portion of the flight talking to the girl next to me, who was scared of the turbulence and needed to hang onto my arm. She was very interesting, actually. And on a related note, I must have passed some transition away from being depressed. Either that of pheromones are alot more important than I realized, because girls have been talking to me alot more. And I feel great, less nervous, more equipped to talk to people. Yay for new chapters.


More observations when I have the chance... plus pictures!

Saturday, April 07, 2007

San Francisco

Although I have accomplished virtual none of the things I set out to do while I am here so far (visit Alcaraz, hook up with some hot girls, bbuy new shots, get tattooed, etc...) I have still had an amazing time. I love this city.

O, Wonder!



I think I'm going to move here.