Beer Review: Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

I think that Flying Dog thought they could make a beer by scattering Hunter S Thompson's ashes into a dark, hopy mixture. They were right. It has subtle flavors of chocolate and coffee, while not being too thick or too abrasive in taste. There is a prominent bitterness, but it goes down clean and leaves a pleasant aftertaste. The alcohol content of this beer is high (9.2%), so you have to shell out the extra cash. If you are in Tennessee, like I am, then you have to go to a liquor store to get this. I got this as part of a sampler, so I will be updating each day on the next beer.

If you are a fan of porters, I recommend it. If you are into refreshing American-style beers, I would pass.

A Family Affair!

My uncles want me to bang everything that moves. No, I'm looking for that quality.

Populism vs. Elitism in New Media and Side Notes

"Fill up your mind with all it can hold. Don't forget that your body will let it all go."-Jeff Tweedy

All the knowledge in the world is at our fingertips. We, our generation, have been suckled on the well or, better yet, abyss that the internet provides. Will more sources of information enrich our collective knowledge or muddle it? Will we take solace in the fact that the providers of new media can provide new, perhaps even refreshing, outlooks and styles of reporting, or will we be filled with paranoia about the lack of old school connections and degrees from reputable journalism schools?

It brings to mind the classic conflict of populism vs. elitism. I can't decide where I stand in that conflict. I believe in experts and academia. I believe that there is a difference between taste and opinion. Everyone has an opinion, but gaining taste comes from gaining education. (Damn, I bet I sound like a blue blood.) On the other side of the coin, I tend to fall for the highly idealistic democratic dream of American life. I believe that forms of criticism are highly subjective or unclear and inconsistent on their methods of dissection. I believe that every voice should be heard, but some voices should ring out. I want to reject the idea of a classic aristocracy made up of silver spoon white males, but I am rejecting myself with that argument. (Maybe not a silver spoon but definitely metal). If I can find a middle ground in this argument it would be that I believe that we should view expertise in a more diverse manner. In media that I am familiar with like music and film, the populace has proven time and time again that they dont know shit.( yeah, I know it's a double negative. I like the way it sounds though) I don't think the populace are stupid or ignorant. I just dont think they care. That's why we need to listen to people that have devoted their lives to understanding a subject on more than one level. Sure the action scenes in 300 were vividly depicted and well choreographed, but no respectable film critic would use that as a basis for the argument that 300 was the best film of the year. Many of my facebook friends would disagree. We need multicultural, heterogenous views, so that we can balance populism and elitism by having most demographic groups represented by eloquent, trained individuals. With this method, at least most people can feel represented.

Side Notes:

MTV: Please give me more of the freakazoid cultual mutations that you caused like Jersey Shore and less hackneyed, sentimental bullshit like "If you really knew me." I realized a long time ago that people love to be pulled into a Breakfast Club scenario where everyone reveals their depth and hardships. We shouldnt need a show like that. I guess MTV selling empathy is better than selling kegstands.

Being Cynical: Will I ever stop? Should I stop? Nothing makes me smile more than cliche.

Women: Please tell me where the balance between feminism and tradition is. Maybe you dont know either, but it confuses the fuck out of me. I know you dont want to be treated like an object, but then sometimes, you tell me you want to be treated like an object. I dont know whether to be Bluto or Popeye. (That analogy alone is probably proof of my disconnect.)

No One Knows

I know facts. I can tell you that Spielberg directed Jaws. I can tell you that there are 5280 feet in a mile. I can even tell you that John Elway was originally going to play baseball.

Those facts dont mean anything to me except leading me to 25 bucks at a chain restaurant. (on a good night)

I have realized that the only thing I am 100% bullseye sure about is that I dont know any of the answers to the questions that are always asked. I'm not alone in this. Many people think they know the answers, but that's either a lie or a dream. (are they the same thing?) Our lives are fluid, and fluidity calls for improvisation and adaptation. In English, I was taught that concrete nouns were words that you could perceive with at least one of your 5 senses. Love, freedom,hate,truth, and power arent concrete nouns. When we view those as concrete ideas (things that are consistent and definite), the literal meaning of "concrete" becomes apparent. It becomes heavy, cumbersome, and ultimately immoveable.

From now on, I lose the concrete.

From now on, I float.

Ghosts

Ghosts exist.


I'm not talking about a spectral presence or about anything supernatural. Just like the origin of the vampire, the supernatural entities that we think of as ghosts had to root from something. Maybe vampires were supposed to represent greed and violence, but I know what ghosts are.

Have you ever spoke to a person and made eye contact with them, only to realize that you were completely ignoring their words and thinking about another person. If that person is from your past, that's a ghost. Ghosts haunt people with thoughts of embarrassment in high school, failed romantic propositions, and even general mistakes.

Surely, some reading this are thinking that I'm just talking about memories, but what I'm speaking of is a stronger reaction than just remembering an event, face, or thought. Most memories can't destroy your night, and most memories won't linger on forever. Have you ever been in a situation where the mere mention of someone's name turns the mood for someone else, if not you? That's a ghost haunting you.

I read a quote one time that I can only paraphrase: "No matter what we do, we are just trying to beat the past". It seems so hard to fully escape the person you were and the person that other people think you are.

The worst ghosts are the ones that make you feel bittersweet. The ghosts that make you realize that you were the one that dropped the ball or didn't say the right words. The ghosts of opportunity really haunt me. If I can put it in a more visual sense, I would say that I feel like the most common rendition of Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol: weighed down with chains that no one can see. These chains do not lock me to a wall or to a room. These chains follow me everywhere, and they only lock away myself inside my physical self.

I'm sure that these ghosts will follow me. Granted, I'm sure some of the older ones will be replaced with newer ones; thats just the natural order of things. Does it get worse the older you get? Do you start to pinch your minutes?

One of my favorite lines from Bruce Springsteen goes something like this: "Is a dream a lie, if it never comes true? or is it something worse?"
That makes me think that its only going to be harder. The chains will vine around even more, til all I am looking for is comfort. That's growing up right?

For the youth: All we have is time and potential, but what happens when neither are on our side anymore?

New Year

I saw Royal Bangs in Knoxville,TN for New Year's Eve.

They (almost) started at midnight. They counted down and then played this song:

This Will Be Our Year
The Zombies

The warmth of your love
is like the warmth of the sun
and this will be our year
took a long time to come

don't let go of my hand
now darkness has gone
and this will be our year
took a long time to come

and I won't forget
the way you held me up when I was down
and I won't forget the way you said,
"Darling I love you"
You gave me faith to go on

Now we're there and we've only just begun
This will be our year
took a long time to come

The warmth of your smile
smile for me, little one
and this will be our year
took a long time to come

You don't have to worry
all your worried days are gone
this will be our year
took a long time to come

and I won't forget
the way you held me up when I was down
and I won't forget the way you said,
"Darling I love you"
You gave me faith to go on

Now we're there and we've only just begun
and this will be our year
took a long time to come

Yeah we only just begun
yeah this will be our year
took a long time to come

I had heard the song before, but it never spoke to me like it did that night. I guess sometimes a song just hits because of "right place, right time" flukes.

So to all my friends and family, this will be our year.

Top 10 Albums of 2009

1. Japandroids- Post Nothing
2.Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
3.The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- Self- Titled
4. Elvis Perkins in Dearland- Self-Titled
5.Royal Bangs- Let it Beep
6. M. Ward- Hold Time
7. Girls- Album
8. Bibio- Ambivalence Avenue
9. Mt. Saint Helens' Vietnam Band- Self- Titled
10.No Age- Losing Feeling EP

Overall, it's been a pretty great year in music.

Japandroids' Post-Nothing is one of the greatest albums I've ever lived. I was stuck in a most inconvenient situation. I had fallen prey to panic attacks. I did everything I could think of to try and forget about them. I would play video games for 8 hours or just watch movies all day long. I would hang out with as many people as I could so I could ignore them. As soon as I would return home or go to bed, the panic would hit. It worked me over for almost 5 months. My social life died because of relocation to my hometown. I would travel every once in a while, but not that often. I didn't ever feel like it.

The panic attacks all centered around the fact that I thought I was going to die. I had no real probable cause for concern, but I was so paranoid about it that I blew small twitches out of proportion. Finally, in March I started taking medicine for my panic, and it went away. A combination of the medicine and strong will forced that shit out of me. Consequently, March was also when I first listened to Post-Nothing.

Lyrics from "Young Hearts Spark Fires"

"OH! We used to dream. Now, we worry about dying."

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

"I dont worry about dying. I just want to worry about those Sunshine Girls"

Knocked me out.

Never had I so closely connected to one song in my life. For the next three or for months, Japandroids made my summer. During the summer, I saw them live in Nashville with about 30 other people. There is a beauty about two people making that much energy and noise. It recharges you.

From my summer, I remember girls with wet hair, and the times that my heart sweats. I remember holding the dream of staying sick together and being crazy forever. I remember how good it feels when its raining in Fayetteville, but I don't give a fuck because I'm not at home tonight.

Even when I returned to Knoxville, Japandroids were narrating my stories.
No song fits the return like "The Boys are Leaving Town".
And I will always remember "If your lucky, on the 7th day, she'll wear nothing".

Please listen to this album.