Noj

That was some serious dancing, and Don was one smooth talking dude.

PM Sent about Horace Silver, 2 Jackie McLeans, 2 Andrew Hills...

Youngest of three here.

My uncle and oldest brother played heavy metal constantly. I was fed a steady diet of AC/DC, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Scorpions, and many other purveyors of the screaming guitar solo and long hair. My other older brother listened to alternative rock, so I heard The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen, New Order, REM, Social Distortion, and others. This was in the late '80s when I was around 12-13yo. In my quest for my own identity I began to listen to skateboard punk bands such as Firehose and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and since rap started to gain its momentum I began listening to Public Enemy, De La Soul, and NWA's Ice Cube. At the same time a friend who lived across the street introduced me to Jimi Hendrix. Jimi changed everything for me. To my ears, his guitar solos ran circles around the pyrotechnics of heavy metal. Jimi's solos had substance, and seemed to be more suited to the overall theme of the song. So, I started delving into Classic Rock, getting into Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, and many others. Jimi Hendrix, for a time, was the pinnacle of all music to me. More and more I enjoyed hearing instruments and focused less on singing. At the same time I was still listening to heavy metal, alternative rock, and rap. Some of my friends knew club DJs and I learned about how rappers were sampling old jazz songs for their music. I began to want to hear those old jazz songs, so I learned a few names and bought a few cds. I dug through Mom's old records and she had a Wes Montgomery plate. A friend was given his father's record collection and introduced me to John Coltrane's Africa/Brass and then played me a song which really shifted everything for me: it was "Song For My Father" by Horace Silver. I then bought "Song For My Father" on a Blue Note Records compilation, which, along with the Blue Note Rare Groove series, inevitably led me to the Blue Note Bulletin Board, where I discovered there are the coolest bunch of music addicts in the universe! People with massive collections were quick to offer me advice on what to buy and names to look for. In about 6 years, I have acquired hundreds of albums with a seemingly flawless success rate due to knowledge gained here. My family and friends comment on my "huge" collection and I laugh knowing it is miniscule in comparison to others. I look at my collection, and mostly see the holes.

I found Blade Runner a fairly disturbing movie. The replicants were clearly human despite a government ruling that they be exterminated. The hero of the story is hunting the replicants and murdering them, even if they're ladies in ballet skirts. Who do you root for? I ended up sympathizing more with the villains.

I like them quite a bit, and will probably check this one out. Elephant is still my favorite so far, though I've enjoyed at least a few tunes off all of their albums. I wish Meg would sing more often, I like when she and Jack trade lyrics. I'm a sucker for blues rock.

I snuck into a bathroom window.

Isn't that the Thompson Twins?

Happy Birthday!

Rap.

I like the Sugarman Three, I'll have to give that a listen SS1.

I love the bass lines on Melody Nelson. One of my favorite hip hop tunes samples "En Melody," and really cleverly uses the lyrics Willy Wonka sings in the original Chocolate Factory movie. "Is it raining, is it snowing, is a hurricane a-blowing..." It's by the Jewish rappers Blood Of Abraham. I've recently picked up the Jane Birkin album, Cannabis OST, and a compilation called something like "An Introduction With Champagne To..." Gems to be found on all of them. I'm a fan.

Happy Birthday, CJ and TStor!

Hahaha, just realized this was a replay of last night's game. Oh well.

Get well fast, Regular Pepsi Cola!

Turned on the Angels game just in time to see Chone Figgins get his sixth hit in six at bats, a walk-off double to score a runner from first with two down. He's only the second Angel in history to go 6-6.

Noj's snorkling story: In 2004 I went to Hawaii for the first time, spending a week with several friends in Maui. I bought some cheap snorkling gear before I left and one day in the middle of the week we headed to a popular snorkling spot. I got my gear on, anxious to explore coral reefs and enjoy the dazzling array of multi-colored wildlife. There was a slight drop off the beach into the water, so I took a small leap into the ankle-deep water, bumping the backside of my left leg on the way in. I started swimming around and was pleased to see lots of fish in my general area, seemingly not the least bit disturbed by my presence. Then I started to notice the fish were following me, and a slight twinge from my left leg clued me in to what was going on. A cut on my leg was steadily chumming the water with my own blood, and the fish were enjoying the flavor! I'm glad there weren't any sharks in the vicinity.

Congratulations Matt!

here 'tis Holy shit.

You really think the Raiders will win a Superbowl in a decade?

I'm still babystepping toward that lofty goal. First step, move out of mom and dad's house.

Blue Note Gods, please reissue Patterns and Total Eclipse. Amen.

If everything goes according to plan, in about 25 years I'll have an awesome woodshop with a tablesaw, drill press, router, bandsaw, and all the tools and materials to construct furniture for my mansion.

C'mon Cavs, be the first team to come back from 0-3. Spurs=dynasty. Timmy Turtlehead is one of the greatest big men of all time.