I live with the sounds now. I live with the sounds. At 890 Hz. That is my home.

All the sounds we hear, and a few that we don't, they have homes, families, jobs, lives. You best respect them. Or they'll shatter your ear drum like a soggy napkin left on the bus terminal floor.

Aw man, I'm just going to listen to this song now. Oh look, there's a penis.

How could it be a bad song if there's nudity?

the communist and isolationist North Korea and the westernized democratic South Korea have been at each other throats for years, decades even. Recently it has seemed as if North Korea has only become more erratic and hostile. They've even made attacks on South Korean ships, threatened to use nuclear weapons to blow some shit up. The usual shenanigans.

Despite this North Korea is a desperate place to live in. The conditions are harsh enough as it is, famine is a problem and over the summer they had horrible and devastating floods that caused crisis and suffering for the North Korean people. Over the years South Korea, in an attempt to reach out and help it's northern neighbor... despite the fact that there is a demilitarized zone where there are skirmishes and defections every few years. Even though the Cold War has been pretty much over for years, these two nations haven't gotten past that period in time.

So why has North Korea accepted South Korea's money now? Monsoons happen in this region every year, why is this year different. What has South Korea done to appease North Korea. The answer is obvious, Gangnam Style.

The South Korean musician/rapper/whatever PSY has released a popular house song known as Gangnam style. I find it amusing, despite the fact it sounds like that wretched band LMFAO, the fact I can't hear the lyrics is a plus since LMFAO lyrics are not witty in the slightest. Is it a coincidence that after PSY's Gangnam Style has become so popular that North Korea is finally able to put aside it's differences with another country, especially the country it seems to completely despise at the same time as this amusing little song, along with it's goofy video.

I think not.

I was going to write an article on my top ten favorite rappers before I left for school. But I never got to it. It's probably for the best. You talk about favorite rappers you're just asking to get shot. It's true, I made the list and then I heard a hand cannon chorus outside my house. A warning shot.

Anyway, all the rappers I listen to a pretentious assholes. They use "big words" and try to sound "deep" and I eat this hipster shit up because too many of my friends went to art school and I'm about to go to a communications school. Which is like an art school accept I'm going to a communications school before it becomes cool. Just to out hipster my art school friends.

Ha, majoring in Communications technology. I hardly understand how to use a computer and I don't even own a cell phone. Accept that's not even what Communication Technology is about, there are four specializations and I can only remember two, audio engineering and film engineering. I'm going for the former. I think that another one might be web design, but fuck all if I remember if that was a CT major or another type of major.

There's also the option of majoring in journalism. I realize I can't stand the sound of my own voice. That I seem to hat I'm more skilled at typing and writing my expressions. So suddenly the vocal or perhaps audio form of communicating is actually not my preference. So once again I find myself wondering why I chose this major. And once again I realize that journalism is a dying career. Is audio engineering really better off? I doubt it. I'm resigned to lose no matter what, but I will march on toward the cliff because... there's no where else to go.

Also I'm exceptionally excited and amused at this new adventure!

I'm leaving in a little more then a week. September second, I'm going to be in Bangor Maine, the home of... stuff. Well, it'll be my home soon anyways.

So come on over, the parties next Tuesday, the twenty-somethingth... twenty-eighth. At the house that has been converted to an art gallery. Hell, I'm leaving I could put the address up here and it wouldn't be a problem. But I wont, because there's a lot of damage that can be done in a mere ten days. At the very least people would order pizzas for my house, which I most certainly cannot afford.

I should reflect on things, I've lived in this town for over ten years. Everyone else has pretty much left and now it's my time.

I've been busy lately, spending time with friends, seeing live music, preparing myself for the transition that I must go through. I've been trying to make contacts before I move out to Bangor. I've been trying to say good bye to the friends that I have. Lately I've been oddly social and outgoing... a bit more confident then usual. This kind of reminds me of my senior year in high school. I quite nearly broke out of my shell in high school, I'd been quiet and timid right up until that year. Only in that final apocalyptic era, the end of an era was I able to open up a little to the world around me. And then suddenly I graduated and it was all gone, all over... I gave way to several years of hermit living.

And now it's a repeat of history. As my existance in this town is drawing to a close, only now have I wandered out into the world to meet new and old friends alike. And I suspect that once I reach Bangor this confidence will not carry through, just as it faded during the summer of 2006 it will fade once more as I start my lessons in a new school, in a new town, and on my own.

I guess this is another episode of Don't Judge a Song by it's Cover. Brought to you by Nietzlawe, because he reminded me that this was a thing that I do.

Legendary Stardust Cowboy. I Took A Trip on a Gemini Spaceship.

oh man... where do I start? So this guy is known by us hu-mans as Norman Carl Odam and I guess he does this kind of like 1960s indie music. It seems he started making music in 1968 though, I'm not sure when this song was recorded, my research isn't coming up with a lot of specifics about this guy. The song was probably recorded in the early seventies. It's sort of a cover itself of a song called The only other thing I can say about him at this point, he looks like a serial killer. Not that there's anything wrong with that. To tell the truth, I've got mixed feelings about this song. Music, the music is interesting, but simple. Not sure how I feel about the guitar strumming, because I can hardly make it out most of the time. And the synthisizers! I guess the only reason to use synthisizers is for bleating high pitched whines. Whatever it is it sort of chirps and howls in the background. The vocals are, strange. He almost sounds like he's being ironic, like this whole song is some kind of dry joke. I sort of think that it might have to be. Did irony exist before the nineties? But everything I've read about him implies that he's a serious musician. This isn't a joke, and that's okay. His singing is not professional quality, but neither was Kurt Cobain's, Tom Waits or many other great vocalists. You don't need to be able to sing to sell a song is my point. But does he sell the song? His voice does have a certain charm to it... a robotic charm. He sounds like a space cowboy, I'm pretty sure that's what he was going for though. The one thing I don't have mixed feelings about... I love the drums, sure the tempo is crawling, but it's got plenty of drum fills and clashes that add a bit of energy to this laid back song.
Lyrics. The delivery seems kind of disinterested. I like how he says, "Juw-pit-ur"along with other words. A few lines make me laugh, "I shot my spacegun, and I thought about you!" The way he gives this wispy almost high pitched delivery. I'm not sure if this counts as falsetto, it's not that high and it's almost whispered. Like the last words the killer would whisper into your ear before they gut you. But that's probably just my damage. The content of the song is space crafts, flying saucers, feeling blue, more space crafts, space guns, walking in space, the moon and more spacecrafts. I'm still not sure whether I love or hate this song, but it certainly was a trip, that's for sure.

And now it's time for a cover.

There's only one man who has a right to cover this song, David fuckin' Bowie. It only makes sense, obviously this guy was a huge influence on Bowie. It's not a coincidence that Ziggy's last name is Stardust. It really isn't. I bet you didn't know David Bowie kept making music after the seventies. Well, this song is off an album he released in 2002. Oddly enough David Bowie is sort of looking like a serial killer in his album art here. Or maybe he's just possessed... either way both these guys are creeping me out today.
So it opens with a dance beat that's been put through some sort of phaser. And then I guess they put another dance beat over the first one. there's a chord progression here, but I could barely make out the chord progression in the original because the guitar was so muddied out. Is it the same? I don't really care about that. Because now Bowie's singing. He sounds just as expressive as Odam, but he's always had that kind of delivery. I guess you can see how The Space Cowboy's influenced him. But his delivery seems to have better timing then Odam. I kind of like the horns, I like the rhythm to the bass, the psychedelic guitar it's all pretty good, for a dance song.

But this processed dance music sort of undermines what the original seemed to be all about. This isn't the same song, I'm not even sure how to compare the two. And I kind of have mixed feelings about both. I mean I find myself grooving the Bowie's cover, but really... does Bowie really need another space themed song. Yeah, we get it David Bowie, you're pretty far out there. You're from another planet, don't need to remind us. We all get the message.
And the original, it's very interesting and it's not ear shatteringly bad. I kind of like it. The weird delivery just adds to the surrealness of the song. David Bowie's song sounds kind of generic. This has to be the first times I've heard David bowie make a techno dance song. But other then that there's nothing here I haven't already heard in Bowie song, and as for the dance elements there's nothing there I haven't heard in a dance song.
So in this case, the original wins.

This had to happen.

I have abandonment issues.

Is it because my father was neglectful, my mother was emotionally detached? Well, that'd be an over statement... actually my childhood was midly pleasant, not unbearable. I hardly remember it but I don't think back on it with foreboding dread. And yet I don't trust people. On those very very rare occurrences (I can think of one true situation in which this has happned) woman tries to tell me she loves me, I will not believe her. If she doesn't make an all out effort in the relationship to make me feel like she cares, if she doesn't call me at least once every other day, if she doesn't pick up the phone when I try to call her, if she shows up late when we're supposed to meet... it all adds up. I become paranoid. She doesn't love me, she's going to leave me. I find the relationship machine and press the self destruct button.

It's not as bad with male friends, but it's still an issue. I'm critical of what they say, how they say it... and I'm not quick to warm up to anyone regardless of whether there male or female or whether or not this is a friendship or a more intimate relationship.

But hey, we all have our issues. I'm just setting the scene for my theory. I mentioned before that I have no idea where I get the idea that people are destined to leave me. In part it's very true, we all ultimately die. It's inescapable. But you know what has always abandoned me, my whole life. Words, you're probably confused. "But Eric, you like words." I do like words, I love words... I trusted words. And I'll always come back to words... and yet when i need them, when I need to be clever and witty... when i need to be intelligent and deep... they're gone.

I meet a girl online, she thinks I'm genius, she likes my sense of humor. When we spoke online the words came to me, they're clever, they're brilliant, they're caring... sometimes even flirtatious. And she agrees to meet me in person. Some how we find each other in the same room... and I don't know what to say. I don't know where my words are. Why did they ditch me, where are they... they've abandoned me, they've left me here alone when i need them. Without my words I'm awkward, uncomfortable...I'm slow and dull. She's not impressed. Where are my jokes, my bizarre concepts and ideas how can I express my quirky lovable self that was expressed in writing in the cybersphere. The man who spoke those words didn't seem to be the one who met her in the coffeeshop.

Without the words I have nothing.

And they abandon me all too often. I need them, and I trust them to get me through. If I can't trust my words to be there for me not only am I helpless in a relationship but also if my most trusted ally would betray me who can I trust.

What is this place, with these walls and these skies and these little tiny lies. The words that confine and the thoughts that rewind. The numbers, the letters some are my betters. What can you tell me about me? What can I tell you about you?The noise, oh the noise that annoys and avoids. Like a kick to the groin. A kick to the noun, an unsound noun that I found lying around down town.

Have you figured it out yet?

http://gentlemanbadass.org/

Friend of mines blog. Maybe he doesn't need the likes of you trolling his shit up... maybe he does. I don't know. I'm not a writer. I know quite a few people who are willing to read lengthy writings. If you don't have the fortitude for such acts, then you will never be able to survive around these parts. So you better learn it, and learn it good.

Have I told you about where I met this character? Did I tell you about the last time we crossed paths. Let me tell you, their wasn't enough whiskey in the state to quench our thirst. Mostly his actually... I just drank hard cider. and if he stole one of my beers or ciders, I'd down the rest of his whiskey as payback. I'm not a drinker though, my rule when it comes to drinking is never drink alone... and I'm almost always alone. Which means I should probably be high a lot more often... but that's a different story for a never time.