Phoebe Cates, preferably circa 1982. To see more of Phoebe, check out Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)
Category Archives: pictures
Film Review: How Weed Won the West
Full Title: How Weed Won the West
Director: Kevin Booth
Year: 2010
Comments:
Kevin Booth and Sacred Cow strike back with another subversive, anti-government/anti-tyranny documentary, following up on their last, eye opening feature, American Drug War. This “No More Drug War” flick is basically in the same vain as its predescessor, but this time Booth focuses solely on Marijuana (as the title indicates), whereas before he discussed the entire Drug War and most of the various substances involved. He takes us on a journey into the lives of those who are victims of the Drug War and in many instances Political Prisoners. We see how the Federal Government uses unconstitutional (violating states’ rights, warrantless raids on Medical Marijuana Clinics) and highly unethical… Ok flat out evil, means to prevent sick and dying Americans from obtaining a natural substance, weed, to medicate themselves and ease the pain, whilst highly addictive, dangerous, and unatural pharmeceuticals are rigorously pushed on the public by savage, Big Business. Booth truly garners an up close and personal look at how the War affects these people’s lives. I like this doc very much, but it is not flawless and does not share the same appeal as the first film. Don’t get me wrong, you will hear/see some shocking and/or revealing information and images, but not nearly as astonishing as the first film. But, then again that goes with the subject matter: before it was the entire War on Drugs and therefore there was more facts and history to be displayed that most folks, like myself, were unaware of. With this topic of Medicinal Marijuana, there is far less material that makes you see just how sick and disgusting our government is; not to say there isn’t any here, there’s plenty, just not as much and not as mind blowing. Secondly, the arguments are not as concrete as they were in the previous doc; I felt like the film could use slightly more screentime for the definitive reasons why Marijuana needs to be legalized. Also, I don’t know if it is because Kevin could not find as many informative people as before or what, but the film could definitely use more sage voices like Judge Jim Gray. Perhaps he was all booked. Lastly, for me, I hate saying this, but it was too “Pro Pot.” Now, I know that sounds stupid, considering the nature of the topic, but at the same time if you look at ADW ( I know I’m comparing the two way too much!) it was far from Pro-Drug and in fact some felt like it made drugs look bad. I felt like it was a great piece to show naysayers why the Drug War was and is so horribly wrong. I feel like for a film arguing so vehemently for legalization and an end to prohibition, it should not be nearly as enthusiastic about recreational drug use as it was. Clearly, most of the film focused on medicinal use and to keep with the consistent aim of showing how important and necessary it is for Marijuana Prohibition to be curtailed, Pro Pot sentimnents should be kept for another flick. All in all, this is a solid and highly informative work from the gifted, Kevin Booth. He is the man and so is his best friend ;) So, if you liked ADW, you will probably dig this as well and if you haven’t seen it, watch it, watch this, and inform yourself. WAKE UP!
Grade: B
More Info On Break Up
Great Chomsky Quote
“The United States hasn’t faced a threat probably since the War of 1812.” Noam Chomsky, 1994 from Demystifying Democracy, here is a link for the interview.
http://www.chomsky.info/interviews/1995—-.htm
What do y’all think of that statement? Naturally, in light of the tragedy on 911 it makes you question such a thing (as you should normally anyway), but I probably agree with Noam. I don’t know enought about my history to point to the War of 1812, but certainly the fact that we have a massive military budget for defense from possible threating forces is a joke. Now, like everyone else I don’t want to see another 911, of course. But, to me, that doesn’t constitute as a “threat” as in a threat to the preservation of our entire nation and/or government as it is for some other countries. The attack on 911 was murder on a grand scale and the perpetrators should be held accountable, but that doesn’t appear to be an objective of our goverment, sadly. So, I highly doubt we have to worry about another coutnry threating our overall security, but how do we prevent future, heinous, acts of terror? Well, we stop committing terror ourselves. What do other people think about Chomsky’s quote and my little rant?
The Problem With Music
Speaking of horrifying, disgusting behemoths, such as major labels, I thouhgt I’d post a link to Steve Albini’s harsh classic, “The Problem With Music.” I searched “Fuck Major Labels” on Google and this was the first thing to come up lol. I don’t agree with all of it, but he makes many good points and has the knowledge to back it up, plus it’s quite humorous in the Albini sense.
Major Labels Are Not So Major
Here’s a random rant I wrote a while back:
I often hear artists say they must sign to a major label to gain commercial success in the music world. Supposedly with such corporate support they are able to reach more people with their music, people they would otherwise never reach. Perhaps, this is true. Of course, this would not be the punk rock way of going about things. Signing to a major label is a sign of selling out to most fans of the punk orientation. By the early 1990s, we witnessed various underground (many of the punk variety) artists make the leap from independent labels to major labels. Some achieved the commercial and artistic success they sought, others saw little to no change in album sales or fan base. In fact, several groups have abandoned or have been dropped by their major labels and have made a return to the underground. What really fascinates me is that some of these bands have sold more records on their independent labels than on their major counterparts. This makes one question the earlier assumption that higher status means higher chart positions. There are numerous examples that disprove this theory. Sonic Youth fans recently enjoyed the release of their latest, sixteenth studio album, The Eternal. This album is particularly significant because it marks the first time in twenty years the experimental rockers released a studio album under an independent label; this time it was the prominent and well-respected, Matador Records. Previously they were signed to Geffen Records, a major label. But, naturally, none of this matters because it does not matter if you sell a hundred records or a million or whatever. What matters is if you have integrity in your art and that you are enjoying yourself. Then again, various miserable fucks have made fantastic music over the years, so I guess you don’t even have to enjoy yourself, but you deserve it!
Thank God, I managed to write X amount of words on the music industry without using the bland term “indie,” until now. I hate that word (even though I am guilty of its use) it’s too vague. If anyone has an actual definition for said word. Pitch it to me. For now, keep on rocking (independently) in the free world.
My Top Faves That Are Due Back to Boston
The following need to hit up Boston ASAP, but not when I am away!
No Age (last seen April ’09)
Mark Sultan (May ’09)
King Khan & The Shrines (May ’09)
Animal Collective (May ’09)
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (Sept ’09)
Hunx and His Punx (Oct ’09)
King Khan & BBQ Show (Oct ’09)
amongst others…
Hot Femme of the Day
Kim Basinger circa 1989. I was watching Batman and it gave me the idea.
Classic Film Review: Shield Around the K
Full Title: The Shield Around the K
Director: Heather Rose Dominic
Year: 2000
Comments:
The title says it all. The metaphorical shield truly represented K’s mythical way of battling the corporate ogre in a unique and highly confrontational manner. For those sad souls out there that are unfamiliar with K, here’s a brief breakdown. K was and still is a defiantly and charismatically independent label; one of the greatest models for how an indepedent label can successfully operate. Calvin Johnson (K founder and Beat Happening frontman) challenged his audience and contemporaries by creating and documenting music that was unabashedly simple, coy, and as far away as possible from the mainstream. These kids challenged the mold of expecation of what a Punk band should look, sound, or act like. By making poppy, “twee,” love rock (as some call it), artists like Beat Happening distanced themselves from not only the corporate world, but also the oft-macho hardcore scene, which was dominating underground music at the time. All in all, this doc does a great job of articulating this important aspect of K Records as well as offering some great archive footage, interviews, and music videos and ultimately a detailed, informative backgound of said topic. One thing I (sorta) didn’t like was the fact that the film focused too much on Beat Happening; after all it was supposed to be about the K label and not about Beat Happening solely. Then again, they and their history are obviously vital to the K tale and since they are one of my all time favorite bands, I don’t mind seeing them on screen. Lastly, this doc features various key figures including, Ian Mackaye, Gerad Cosloy, Slim Moon, John Foster, amongst others. So, if you dig cutting edge (well, then cutting edge) Punk Rock or want to learn more about seminal, underground music then grab some black candy and check it out.
Grade: B+
People With Knives
Sasha Grey wins. Though french fries + sub > cake
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 