one day you’ll realize that in LA things go through or past one of two people

Paris Hilton or Marc Brown.

This morning I received an email from the good MC which was sent to him by a woman who recently met Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.

this is the email that she sent Marc:

When we got to the door there was a wooden plaque that said “Nobody Gets in To See The Wizard Not Nobody, Not Nohow.” I could not have wished for a better entry sign. After all this time, that was exactly how I felt.

Tammy knocked once, no answer. She knocked again and this time a woman’s voice asked who was there. Tammy explained who we were and heather escorted us in the house. The xmas tree and lights were still up, but that did not seem uncommon in woody creek. I remember thinking the carpeting was really red in the room we entered thru. The walls were paneled and they were covered with paintings, posters and tchotchkes. We transitioned to the kitchen via a red and black marble floor.

Hunter sat in the corner of the kitchen, his computer and countertop directly in front of him. Glasses of beer, orange juice and vodka were respectively lined up to his left surrounded by several bottles of prescription meds. He held a pipe in his hand and spent the next 20 minutes picking imaginary tobacco from his lip, the pipe bowl and the mouthpiece. He wore striped pants, a vertically striped shirt with a white shirt covered in palm trees over that.

He asked what our project was all about and tammy immediately pointed to me and said that I would probably be able to address the matter better. Well, usually that would be the case but not so much at that particular moment. Luckily the makers had helped out a bit and I was able to explain our recycling mission. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then said he sold his shotgun art for $25,000. I told him that was impressive and maybe he could just offer some token of that to us. He admitted that he did one for warren zevon and asked his assistant to find the picture of that. She brought out a book with a picture of warren and hunter at a target range somewhere, the target standing between them, shot up and paintballed by hunter. Things to do in Denver when you’re dead, I said, quoting a name of a zevon song. He looked at me and said he missed warren terribly.

We were off track and I did not see a way back. He said he was not really feeling it and his art could not be forced. He needed to enjoy the act of shooting and if that was not happening what was the use. I agreed and said he probably did not want to startle the neighbors.

Fuck that, he said, he loved to startle the neighbors, he was out shooting just last night, freaking them out. I thought that was a contradiction, I said and that did not sit well. I tried to recover by saying it seemed odd that he was able to just go out and shoot last night yet he was not able to do so this evening. the night was just starting for him, he said and he had no idea how it would end up but we should come back another time. I understood that I said but the event was starting tomorrow. I was not one to rush anyone’s art but all the other artists had already submitted their bins. But whenever he was ready, we would accept his finished product, gladly.

And so we left empty handed. When we walked out I took out my camera and snapped a picture of the entry way. Evidence attached, my friends.

(day two, second attempt)

When we walked into hunter’s house this time we were greeted by tammy’s godmother, didi. She was the connection. Since she dates sheriff bob, who is one of hunter’s close friends, she was able to arrange for the manifestation of this idea in the first place. She signals for us to wait while she finishes up her cell call. She is speaking with her daughter who is distraught about her father’s recent
diagnosis of cancer. After a few minutes she cuts her off, saying she has to help the tamster with a project. Wow, obviously not a lot of love lost for her ex husband. At this point I feel like I am in a Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman episode. She beckons tammy inside and tells me to wait in the living room because hunter does not like crowds. I start to protest, saying I was just in the kitchen speaking with him last night. I stop myself and say I will do whatever it takes to finish this mission. And I realize I am in the prime position to observe.

I am standing in the room with the xmas tree and it has a window into the kitchen that allows me to see and hear everything hunter is saying. I cannot see anyone else but he is in my direct view. I look around me. there is a lifesize poster of Bobby Kennedy on one wall, Ralph Steadman paintings on another with various posters,
proclamations and signs hung elsewhere. Notes, drawings, a little head of Nixon, batteries, lots of batteries. Hunter has changed his clothes, with the exception of the white overshirt with the green palm trees. His cocktail selection seems the same, orange juice, beer and vodka. Even though it is earlier than our previous night’s visit, everyone seems much drunker. The sheriff is slurring his words, and
hunter is agitated. I do not think he ever really signed off on this project and I am concerned with the possibility of abject failure or worse, having hunter really angry with us.

When didi reminds hunter why tammy is there he seems to vaguely remember our cause. He begins to rail about the reasoning behind our quest. What he really thinks is that espn should be giving him an award. Oddly enough I had gotten an email earlier in the day from the creator of the x games, ron semaio. He said that hunter was giving out a gonzo award on Sunday. I was sure this was what hunter was referring to, but I could not participate in the conversation from the other
room. That was really a challenge for me but at the same time really interesting. I had tried to get a lipstick cam before I left the gig but I did not have enough time to find one. It would have been some amazing footage. Regardless, I stood and listened. He really seemed to be completely uninterested in participating in our recycling efforts. Everyone in the room was making suggestions on what to do.

And then he got pissed. He said fuck it. goddammit, just fuck it, lets get this over with. He said he was going for the shotgun. Sheriff bob told him he would get it and hunter should just sit. Hunter said it was his house and his gun and he could get up an get it whenever the fuck he wanted to. He got out of the chair and moved towards the other room. Getting out of the chair was not easy. Walking was not easy. It was not just the liquor, he genuinely had a hard time with his mobility. He moved out my sight but then I heard the shotgun cock. At this point, I was happy to be in the other room. He brought the gun back to his seat and asked for some birdshot. The bin was outside and I was concerned that hunter did not realize that and would start shooting inside. He and the sheriff disagreed on what
to do next. Hunter just wanted to get the goddamn thing over with. I silently agreed. But hunter could barely navigate the kitchen. And it was still snowing outside.

Here is what I have omitted when I relayed the story to my x games cohorts. Hunter never shot the recycling bin. Sheriff Bob actually pulled the trigger. it is easy to let everyone infer that hunter emptied the birdshot into the can. I just skip over the part of who did the shooting. I end at the part where hunter cocks the gun and requests birdshot. And skip right to the part where tammy and I bring the can into the kitchen for hunter to sign it. personally, I thought we were pushing it a bit at this point but we had to try to get something to clearly identify this as hunter’s trash can. He asks me again why he should contribute this to espn. I tell him that people are generally lazy and we are hoping to try and convince them to recycle by getting artist’s like him to support the idea.

He mentions for the 2nd time that espn should be giving him and award and I open my big mouth and say I think that is already in the works. He stops for a second and asks for details. I tell him what I know and he asks his assistant if anyone from espn has called to make arrangements for this. she says no and I assure him that I would have someone call him the next day.

Tammy hands him a marker and asks him to sign the side of the bin. He uncaps the pen but then starts to shout. What the fuck are you trying to pull. Trying to get me to endorse some corporate fucking godamn company from Carbondale. That is bullshit. Tammy tried to explain that the company who’s name was on the side was indeed the waste management firm who did the recycling. He was livid, asking if
we thought he was stupid. We tried to reassure him saying we would cover the name. bullshit he replied, as soon as I turn around, you will uncover it and that was just wrong. Tammy asked hunter for a roll of red tape that was sitting on the counter in front of him. He handed it over but when he saw what she wanted to do he yanked it out of her hands, saying we should have come with our own goddamn tape if that is what we intended to do. He would not be giving anything away from his own home and we should have come better prepared. But then he started to color in the name of the waste management company and scrawled his initials on the side of the bin. That was great I said, we really appreciated his help. I would have someone get him the info on the award and we would just take our trash can and be moving on.

We carried the bin outside, and wrestled it in the back of the car. I could hear the buckshot rattling around at every curve in the road. Tammy looked at me and said that no one needed to know that hunter did not actually do the shooting. I believe that is called lying by omission but I found myself telling the story in different ways, never saying that hunter fired any shots but realizing every single person would have sworn that is what I told them.

I just found out that hunter Thompson shot and killed himself tonight. As bizarre as it was, I am glad to have shared a bit of his lunacy. I wish I had been able to sit down and have a few drinks with him. At least, I got in to see the wizard and that will have to do.

mc marc brown + vanessa + zulieka is just as hot pregnant as not pregnant

interview with a paratrooper

dumbass: what part of the world are you in?

SSG Chris Paul: North Carolina, Fort Bragg
SSG Chris Paul: I am heading to Monterey for 2 years next month

dumbass: california?

SSG Chris Paul: yep

dumbass: so youre a marine?

SSG Chris Paul: no, army paratrooper

dumbass: i wouldnt think that my blog would be attractive to an army paratrooper

SSG Chris Paul: Well, I like to see things from different views

dumbass: good man

SSG Chris Paul: keeps me grounded

dumbass: nice
dumbass: so you were in iraq?

SSG Chris Paul: yeah, I went twice

dumbass: how old are you?

SSG Chris Paul: 25

dumbass: both times during this war?

SSG Chris Paul: yes, the first time in the invasion and then again three months after I got back

dumbass: did you paratroop in, or ride from kuwait?

SSG Chris Paul: no airborne operations, I airlanded on a c-130

dumbass: dude, i blog to meet chicks
dumbass: i have no idea what a c-130 is
dumbass: air craft carrier?

SSG Chris Paul: air craft
SSG Chris Paul: the second time I conyed in

dumbass: and you stayed on the ship?

SSG Chris Paul: kind of old and very cramped
SSG Chris Paul: oh, we landed on an Iraqi airfield and took it over
SSG Chris Paul: then we convoyed to other locations

dumbass: did you see F-9/11?

SSG Chris Paul: no, I’m not sure if I want to
SSG Chris Paul: was it good?
SSG Chris Paul: one of the guys in my unit who lost his leg is on there

dumbass: i liked it
dumbass: in one scene they showed soldiers going door to door in the middle of the night looking for bad guys
dumbass: did you ever have to do that sort of thing?

SSG Chris Paul: sure did

dumbass: crying babies and wives and scared kids screaming at you?

SSG Chris Paul: and also ran a check point
SSG Chris Paul: I dont remember any kids really
SSG Chris Paul: but I remeber every one being mad at us

dumbass: when you went there did you believe that youd be treated as a liberator?
dumbass: with flowers and candies being thrown at you?

SSG Chris Paul: I was unsure, because I knew their goverment told them some bad things
SSG Chris Paul: but they treated us well
SSG Chris Paul: it was crazy because they went on with their live like we were not there
SSG Chris Paul: they kept working in the fields doing what they needed to survive

dumbass: what was the gnarliest town you found yourself in?

SSG Chris Paul: Awsamawa, I think I misspelled it
SSG Chris Paul: we were just outside of it, and it was filthy

dumbass: were people shooting at you there?

SSG Chris Paul: yeah, I remember they had a smoke stack to some factory there. And there was a sniper in it. We could not get a shot on him, so they sent a mortor round and blew the whole stack up.
SSG Chris Paul: Plus there were rockets and artillery coming at us

dumbass: are these people all iraqi’s shooting at you?

SSG Chris Paul: yeah, the first time
SSG Chris Paul: the second time I went I think some were insurgents from syria

dumbass: was it freezing cold in the desert?

SSG Chris Paul: yes
SSG Chris Paul: the second time it rained the entire month of november and was freezing

dumbass: i heard about huge spiders – did you see any of those

SSG Chris Paul: yeah, they call them camel spiders, and the damn things jump

dumbass: yes those!
dumbass: were they the worst part of the desert – other than the violence

SSG Chris Paul: I was more afraid of the scorpions and snakes

dumbass: were there a lot of those?

SSG Chris Paul: I only saw a few snakes but there was a shit load of scorpions

dumbass: so you would sleep in a little tent in the desert
dumbass: inthe cold
dumbass: would the scorpions get in your tent?

SSG Chris Paul: the first time, we had no tents and just slept on the ground

dumbass: get out

SSG Chris Paul: the second time we took over a compound and had a building, but no doors
SSG Chris Paul: so they got in there

dumbass: why no tents?
dumbass: even boy scouts have tents

SSG Chris Paul: during the invasion we thought we were going to jump in and had no space to carry all that
SSG Chris Paul: yeah, it sucked
SSG Chris Paul: we had to ration water to a bottle and a half a day
SSG Chris Paul: about 1.5 liters

dumbass: insane!

SSG Chris Paul: so no bathing
SSG Chris Paul: and taking a dump in the middle of the desert not fun

dumbass: how come?

SSG Chris Paul: trying to keep an eye for the enemy
SSG Chris Paul: and sand blows in to your crack
SSG Chris Paul: not to mention toilet paper is rare

dumbass: so should we even be there if we cant properly take care of our people?

SSG Chris Paul: well, now its better. we just had to establish the supply system
SSG Chris Paul: and paratroopers are expected to rough it

dumbass: how do most of the troops feel about this war at this stage?

SSG Chris Paul: I am not really sure. I think our job there is almost done
SSG Chris Paul: and I think we are doing good

dumbass: so when people are sleeping in the cold
dumbass: they dont say “fuck this fucking war”

SSG Chris Paul: not really, I think we said fuck saddam

dumbass: why him?

SSG Chris Paul: because he was a tyrant, and he was the cause
SSG Chris Paul: in my opinion

dumbass: but he wasnt shooting at you
dumbass: and hes not shooting at the people today
dumbass: the insurgents etc are shooting

SSG Chris Paul: you’re right, but he made his country a hell hole, which led to this
SSG Chris Paul: while I was there i got to hear stories firsthand from the people he hurt
SSG Chris Paul: and I saw some videos
SSG Chris Paul: really bad stuff

dumbass: didnt the US and rumsfield and reagan sell him chemicals and help him become the tyrant that he is though?

SSG Chris Paul: yes
SSG Chris Paul: but I don’t think they knew how evil he was

dumbass: do you think we didnt know how evil he was during desert storm?

SSG Chris Paul: I think we knew. In my opinion I think we should have stopped him then, I think we failed the people of Iraq then.
SSG Chris Paul: Again that is my personal opinoin

dumbass: of course
dumbass: and i respect your opinion

SSG Chris Paul: thank you

dumbass: do your fellow paratroopers talk about this stuff much? history, etc?

SSG Chris Paul: not so much

dumbass: what do they talk about?

SSG Chris Paul: we talk about stuff we experianced there.
SSG Chris Paul: or do you mean on a daily basis at work

dumbass: either

SSG Chris Paul: at work the same thing every one talks about, last nights game, the news, how our weekend was and some of the funny stuff we did

dumbass: whats the main job of a paratrooper?

SSG Chris Paul: well, we jump in to a hostile airfield and take it over so our air craft can land, and get the rest of the troops there.
SSG Chris Paul: Airfield Seizure
SSG Chris Paul: i think thats how its spelled
SSG Chris Paul: my grammar sux

dumbass: was there difficulty securing the airfields that you took over?

SSG Chris Paul: there, no
SSG Chris Paul: but thats because the main forces surrendered so quickly
SSG Chris Paul: but agaist an enemy that will fight, it is a diffucult task
SSG Chris Paul: have only what you jump in with
SSG Chris Paul: not to mention you land scattered from other people in your unit

dumbass: so once you had secured the airfields, what did the paratroopers have to do next?

SSG Chris Paul: pull security, and then move to the next objective. Usaully another town
SSG Chris Paul: then we bcame like the other troops, just a lot tougher and more deadly.
SSG Chris Paul: haha. no really

dumbass: like walking in lines to the next town
dumbass: ducking in the ditches
dumbass: all clear, walking in lines again?

SSG Chris Paul: no we had vehicles, that came after the aifield was secure
SSG Chris Paul: so we rode

dumbass: there have been reports that the military has to go through old dumps looking for scrap metal for their vehicles
dumbass: to nail onto the sides
dumbass: did you see anythign like that?

SSG Chris Paul: yeah, the military has a shortage of amored HMMWVs so we would get steel and weld it the sides and make doors out of it

dumbass: doesnt that seem odd for the biggest richest most powerful army of all time?

SSG Chris Paul: your right it does, but we didn’t really expect them to set explosives on the road every 200 yards. But it makes us resourceful and keeps us on our toes

dumbass: But doesnt it make it look like we’re not as strong as we want to be perceived as being?
dumbass: not our troops, but our equipment

SSG Chris Paul: yes, so we had a little trick
SSG Chris Paul: the Iraqis thought all the tan colored vehicles had armor and they would not waste their ammo on them
SSG Chris Paul: so we started covering the other vehicles in mud
SSG Chris Paul: when it dried it looked like tan paint

dumbass: ahahah NICE

SSG Chris Paul: and they would not fire on them

dumbass: classic
dumbass: any hot chicks over there?

SSG Chris Paul: Iraqis?

dumbass: any chicks

SSG Chris Paul: We saw some reporters that were hot, or it may have been the fact we didn’t see women often
SSG Chris Paul: There was 2 Iraqi girls who looked nice, they would do laundry on one of the forward operating bases
SSG Chris Paul: Then again they may ahve looked nice because we were desperate

dumbass: one of the vice presidents of cnn resigned recently because he said that there were orders to our military to target journalists
dumbass: is that conceivable?
dumbass: would a soldier target a US journalist because he was ordered to?

SSG Chris Paul: not a chance
SSG Chris Paul: we have rules of engagement we must follow
SSG Chris Paul: and no soldier is allowed to follow an unlawful or immoral order

dumbass: nice
dumbass: so those dudes in the iraqi prison were totally wrong to humilate those prisoners?

SSG Chris Paul: completely wrong

dumbass: im glad to hear it
dumbass: well thank you so much for being so honest with me

SSG Chris Paul: no problem
SSG Chris Paul: thanks for listening

dumbass: i know very little about your world so i appreciate you being polite to my ignorance

SSG Chris Paul: I don’t know much either

dumbass: about the military?

SSG Chris Paul: Well I know a lot about the military
SSG Chris Paul: but every thing, I only have a high school education and thats from Georgia
SSG Chris Paul: Hey I got a picture of my squad on my site if you want to see them

dumbass: this one?

SSG Chris Paul: thats it
SSG Chris Paul: I am bamf6

dumbass: where is that picture taken?

SSG Chris Paul: at one of check points near fallujah
SSG Chris Paul: in the military 6 refers to the leader of the element

dumbass: leader huh? nice work

SSG Chris Paul: thanks

dumbass: where are my african american brothers?

SSG Chris Paul: yeah I was a squad leader
SSG Chris Paul: My whole platoon only had one, and he was whiter than most white dudes
SSG Chris Paul: but I am half black
SSG Chris Paul: from the waist down
SSG Chris Paul: haha

dumbass: and youre chris right?

SSG Chris Paul: thats me

dumbass: whats your title?

SSG Chris Paul: Staff Sergeant
SSG Chris Paul: E-6

dumbass: well again this has been an honor for me to talk to you

SSG Chris Paul: no problem man

dumbass: please know that any time i talk about how i feel about this war it has nothing to do with the brave men like you who do the hard part
dumbass: if anything i want to keep good people like you out of situations where i dont think we should be

SSG Chris Paul: I understand, I know people don’t have to be pro-war to be pro-soldier
SSG Chris Paul: thanks for wanting us safe

dumbass: totally
dumbass: of course!
dumbass: ok well i will put some of this chat on my blog tomorrow
dumbass: is that cool?

SSG Chris Paul: and I feel honored to chat with the Tony Pierce

dumbass: ahahaha

SSG Chris Paul: oh yeah, just don’t edit it and make me look disloyal to my country
SSG Chris Paul: they will have my ass

dumbass: thats not my style

SSG Chris Paul: I was just joking

dumbass: i want you to want to chat with me in the future
dumbass: i wouldnt burn any bridges
dumbass: so for the thing
dumbass: i talked to staff sgt chris of….?
dumbass: what the full title and troop and all that?

SSG Chris Paul: actually its SSG Chris Paul of the 82nd Airborne Division

dumbass: perfect
dumbass: thanks so much Chris
dumbass: have a great night!

SSG Chris Paul: no prob
SSG Chris Paul: you to

chris paul + fil + seven nation army by the flaming lips + sheepshirts

from the rolling hills of prague

the requested proper obit by mr thor garcia

Hunter S. Thompson
7/18/37 – 2/20/05

”A plastic man in a plastic bag,” Hunter S. Thompson wrote of Dick Nixon in 1968. Last year he wrote about George W. Bush: ”He talked like a donkey with no brains at all…. I almost felt sorry for him, until I heard someone call him ‘Mister President,’ and then I felt ashamed.”

Hunter S. Thompson spent his long glorious & legendary career writing the Requiem for the American Dream. He was a philosopher, statesman, freedom fighter and rock star of the highest order, and America will be a shabbier and weaker place now that he is gone.

It wasn’t about Drugs and Drug-Concepts, and it wasn’t about the Guns, though both are of course crucial to his Art & Philosophy. It was about Independence. Hunter believed Americans had the unviolable right to live Independently, to crank it all the way over – as they saw fit and according to their own rules. Early on, he understood that this Main Principle was under constant assault – by the Greedy & Lying, by Controlfreaks on the Left and Right, by Fascist Leaders, by Twits and Hucksters, by the Weak & Dumb, by Those With No Shame. He saw Americans Too Cowardly & Confused to stick up for the Freedom that was their Birthright. His work was the chronicle of the Wretchedness of Unrestrained Power and America hurtling off the Proud Highway.

America is and was and has always been full of mealy-mouth writers and soul-sucks who apologize and equivocate to Power & Ideology. Hunter Thompson will stand as the Writer of his time who saw the Horror and did not Deny and did not Flinch. Who saw that America was Dying, but that it was still hella Funny. Who was Bold and Strong Enough to be Heard.

The precision-jackhammer attack of the Miami Dolphins stomped the balls off the Minnesota Vikings today by stomping and hammering with one precise jack-thrust after another up the middle, mixed with pinpoint-precision passes into the flat and numerous hammer-jack stops around both ends….

One toke over the line, sweet Jesus.

– Thor Garcia, Feb. 21, 2005

thanks to dougie gyro + illustration by john shakespeare + woody creek + ken layne did write a great obit + and is a new papa, congrats

“And he cried mightily with a strong voice

saying Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is becoming the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”–REVELATIONS 18:2

Richard Nixon is gone now and I am poorer for it. He was the real thing–a political monster straight out of Grendel and a very dangerous enemy. He could shake your hand and stab you in the back at the same time. He lied to his friends and betrayed the trust of his family. Not even Gerald Ford, the unhappy ex-president who pardoned Nixon and kept him out of prison, was immune to the evil fallout. Ford, who believes strongly in Heaven and Hell, has told more than one of his celebrity golf partners that I know I will go to hell, because I pardoned Richard Nixon.”

I have had my own bloody relationship with Nixon for many years, but I am not worried about it landing me in hell with him. I have already been there with that bastard, and I am a better person for it. Nixon had the unique ability to make his enemies seem honorable, and we developed a keen sense of fraternity. Some of my best friends have hated Nixon all their lives. My mother hates Nixon, my son hates Nixon, I hate Nixon, and this hatred has brought us together.

Nixon laughed when I told him this. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I, too, am a family man, and we feel the same way about you.”

– Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 1994

today was supposed to be kurt cobain’s birthday, not hunter s. thompson’s deathday.

but life isnt fair

and sometimes the craziest things happen to the craziest people.

if youve never read fear and loathing in las vegas i guess this would be a good time to pick it up, not because of the outrageous drug abuse, which i seriously doubt

but because its simply one of the funniest books you’ll ever read.

i dont know if my buddy w. patrick whalen is out there but if he is and was interested in writing a proper hunter s. thompson obituary for the busblog readers, and therefore civilization, he should email it to me at busblog at gmail dot com

in the meantime i will tell you that no way would i have been able to write the best part of how to blog which were the stories of kurt cobain taking me to hell than if it werent for two huge influences in my life

kurt cobain
hunter s thompson

punk rockers who at some point said thats it thats enough

this is a hell story that didnt make the cut into how to blog, my editors found it too dark.

todays a dark day, so it’s chosen

one of the strangest surprises of being in hell is the fact that you can have sex.

of course you cant always get it up.

and your schween isn’t very big.

and most of the only girls who will do it with you have hair in the wrong places.

and bad breath.

and oozing sores.

and sometimes spare testicles

that ooze.

but it is sex.

only place you get to have sex, however, is in the sex palaces.

people pay big money to watch people have sex in the sex palaces, because it is the the strangest show in the universe.

everyone in the stands are given flame throwers.

if the fans don’t like the “performers”, they get to flame throw them.

the winners get flame thrown too, but the couple get to kiss first.

ive had sex twice at the sex palace.

the first time i got flamethrown right away cuz i couldn’t get it up.

if you had seen this “woman” you would understand.

she tried to pretty-up her donkey tail with a pink ribbon but her ability to swat away the horseflies was not only disconcerting but distracting.

first they laughed while pointing at me

then i was fired upon with a bukkake of flame.

i was allowed to beat off on the stage of one of the sideshow tents, and yes i consider that sex.

terms change here.

there are 41 different words for agony.

theres a bunch of guys who run around telling you that they believed in God their whole lives, why would He send them to this pit?

and i tell them that i don’t know.

and these men cry right in front of me.

and i tell myself, it’s probably an illusion. your mind is playing tricks on you. it could all be a big fakeout. don’t trust don’t trust.

how do these people buy cotton candy here on the midway?

i don’t even have pockets.

or pants.

everythings on fire. i walk on hot coals and it hurts and my feet blister, but i just let the tears flow. it’s almost like photosynthesis.

the fire creates pain, the pain creates energy that gets released in locomotion and cooled with tears, which keeps the body moving.

its pretty fucked up.

the music is good though.

layne will write a great obit + as will welch + metafilter is already all over it

part one of an exclusive interview with annika

from annika’s journal

xxxx annika xxxxx: so do you want to do the interview now or later

dumbtp: now would be awesome
dumbtp: do you have the time?

xxxx annika xxxxx: k yah
xxxx annika xxxxx: im all nervous now

dumbtp: oh please, anything you want to delete, just let me know

xxxx annika xxxxx: i cant believe im talking to THE tony pierce
xxxx annika xxxxx: author of How To Blog

dumbtp: ahahaha
dumbtp: easiest book ever to write
dumbtp: its called cut and paste

xxxx annika xxxxx: haha. wanna write a childrens book and sell it on cafe press

dumbtp: have you tried making a book from them yet?

xxxx annika xxxxx: but i cant draw
xxxx annika xxxxx: not yet, it looks pretty easy, except for all the pdf stuff

dumbtp: transfering a word doc to pdf takes one tiny program. its a snap

xxxx annika xxxxx: i’ve been practicing my watercolor skills this weekend so i can do the book
xxxx annika xxxxx: my book will be a story about a family of rabbits
xxxx annika xxxxx: in space

dumbtp: how would they breathe?

xxxx annika xxxxx: havent figured that out yet
xxxx annika xxxxx: but they will have adventures
xxxx annika xxxxx: and maybe solve crimes and shit

dumbtp: put astronaut helmets on them from the 70s
dumbtp: i imagine theres lots of unsolved crimes in space

xxxx annika xxxxx: big fishbowl type helmets

dumbtp: exactly

xxxx annika xxxxx: of course there are

dumbtp: well i asked to interview you because i was very impressed with your last interview with whats his name

xxxx annika xxxxx: Matt Rustler
xxxx annika xxxxx: it was pretty fuckin long, but i’m glad you read it

dumbtp: you seemed like 109238741423324 times more intelligent than i took you for

xxxx annika xxxxx: hah, thanks i think

dumbtp: no no its a compliment

xxxx annika xxxxx: im a friggin genius
xxxx annika xxxxx: but i looove you 2

dumbtp: yay!
dumbtp: have you ever been with a black man?

xxxx annika xxxxx: um yah

dumbtp: nice

xxxx annika xxxxx: haha

dumbtp: what about a blogger?

xxxx annika xxxxx: lol, never dated a blogger befo
xxxx annika xxxxx: that i know of

dumbtp: i dont blame you

xxxx annika xxxxx: haha, it would suck if i read about all my eccentricities on the web

dumbtp: im sure they would come across as charming
dumbtp: are you very eccentric in relationships?

xxxx annika xxxxx: im a freak

dumbtp: control freak?
dumbtp: clean freak?
dumbtp: attention whore?

xxxx annika xxxxx: no, i guess i’m pretty normal, but it seems that for years now, i haven’t been able to go more than four months in any relationship
xxxx annika xxxxx: it’s always four months and out
xxxx annika xxxxx: i don’t know, it must be a magic number or something, but i get bored

dumbtp: what month are you in now?

xxxx annika xxxxx: i just finished my four months

dumbtp: and?

xxxx annika xxxxx: so i’m looking
xxxx annika xxxxx: haha

dumbtp: get out!
dumbtp: ahahahaha

xxxx annika xxxxx: Yah, Matt took that interview when i just started dating that guy
xxxx annika xxxxx: but its over now

dumbtp: ohh, im so sorry!

xxxx annika xxxxx: no biggie, it was my decision

dumbtp: seriously do you think you were bored?

xxxx annika xxxxx: yah, i’m hard to please

dumbtp: how many of these 4 monthers have you dumped?

xxxx annika xxxxx: hmmm, um the last guy, mike
xxxx annika xxxxx: before that was jason
xxxx annika xxxxx: then peter
xxxx annika xxxxx: so im on three in a row

dumbtp: thats not so bad
dumbtp: at least you see the problem and get rid of it

xxxx annika xxxxx: haha, true

dumbtp: what did those dudes not understand?

xxxx annika xxxxx: you know, i can’t really blame them.
xxxx annika xxxxx: Mike just had no ambition or interest in anything outside his own little world
xxxx annika xxxxx: not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that, but it started to bug me
xxxx annika xxxxx: like one time i was talking about current events and he said, “sorry, I guess I’m just not a news buff.”

dumbtp: ahahaha

xxxx annika xxxxx: but then i sometimes get carried away
xxxx annika xxxxx: still, what’s a news buff? Following the news is like breathing, not something i even think about doing, it’s so natural

dumbtp: so being buff isnt enough, now you want a buff news buff?

xxxx annika xxxxx: buff is good

xxxx annika xxxxx: Hey Jeff Gordon just won the Daytona 500

dumbtp: didnt he cheat on his wife?

xxxx annika xxxxx: i dont know, i dont follow racing, but my bro does

dumbtp: i was watching stefanapolis

xxxx annika xxxxx: George Stepopotamus, as i call him

dumbtp: i was waiting for him to talk about jeff gannon

xxxx annika xxxxx: for no particular reason

dumbtp: whats your take on that?

xxxx annika xxxxx: Well, i always liked Gannon, especially a few years ago,
xxxx annika xxxxx: but was very disappointed in his superbowl performance, and then he got injured

xxxx annika xxxxx: and now hes over the hill

dumbtp: so sad

xxxx annika xxxxx: seriously, when i heard the story about jeff gannon, thought they were talking about Rich
xxxx annika xxxxx: i was very confused

dumbtp: its hard for me to seperate the two as well

xxxx annika xxxxx: What’s the story anyway, Bush gave him press credentials so he could plant questions in the news conferences? is that it?

dumbtp: lets hope thats it
dumbtp: some say he was there because his boyfriend is the press sec
dumbtp: or that he blackmailed himself in there

xxxx annika xxxxx: What’s this about him being a male prostitute?

dumbtp: escort
dumbtp: $200/hr
dumbtp: or $1200 a weekend
dumbtp: which seems like a bargain

xxxx annika xxxxx: REeeealllyyy?
xxxx annika xxxxx: i never heard that.

dumbtp: how else can you get past the secret service?
dumbtp: and why would you have to pay a dude for something that half the press do for free?

xxxx annika xxxxx: Jack Bauer did it easily in season one

dumbtp: jack bauer is hotter

xxxx annika xxxxx: haha

xxxx annika xxxxx: Well, you know, who was that blogger that was fucking half of Washington

xxxx annika xxxxx: oh, duh, the washingtonienne

dumbtp: washingtonne, only fucked a quarter of dc

xxxx annika xxxxx: Sounds like there’s a lot of sex going on in that town

dumbtp: then why wont they let the rest of us get any?

xxxx annika xxxxx: Hey what’s your take on Wonkette, if i may ask

dumbtp: i think shes great
dumbtp: i wrote her two fan emails
dumbtp: she answered the first one
dumbtp: then she got super famous

xxxx annika xxxxx: i saw her on Charlie Rose, and Andrew Sullivan was rude to her

dumbtp: i missed that one!

xxxx annika xxxxx: he wouldn’t let her speak

dumbtp: i hate catfights

xxxx annika xxxxx: lol
xxxx annika xxxxx: but she had this bang thing going, where it kept falling over one eye

dumbtp: so hot

xxxx annika xxxxx: and she kept brushing it back
xxxx annika xxxxx: the guys i was watching it with were very turned on by her

dumbtp: why she isnt superdooper famous is beyond me
dumbtp: how come she and washingtonniette arent doing a sunday morning show on mtv?

xxxx annika xxxxx: that would be hott

tune in next time when we talk a little bit about iraq, basketball, and charles bukowski

danielle + leah + my old boss is in paris hilton’s phone book

it was good to have bill maher back

friday night on hbo.

he said he couldnt get over the fact that the white house has ties

to gay male prostitution.

“i think i know what bush meant now when he said he had a mandate.”

robin williams simply could not be reigned in but what do you expect. but when he did hush for just a sec senator joe biden threw this into the mix

“Why isn’t every major network in the country investigating a security breach, forget anything else. How could the FBI, for 17 years I was chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the ranking member. I’ve read more FBI reports than I ever wanted to know. How could that happen and no one had any idea who this guy was?… The Judiciary Committee of the United States Senate should be investigating it. The House Judiciary should be investigating it. And if it were the other party in charge, it would be investigated.”

– via americablog

and i have a terrible memory but i forget if maher had “new rules” this week but i have a new rule.

new rule, you can wear a cross or you can dress like a whore, but no wearing a cross while youre dressed like a whore.

my mind can tolerate lots of concepts but virgin whore is not one that sits right.

i love christina aguelera more than i probably should.

i think its fascinating that we are far more obsessed with britney than we are in xtina even though britney cant sing cant dance isnt as hot and does nothing interesting with her look.

meanwhile christina sings her ass off does everything in the book to get our attention even touring with justin timberlake and janet jackson trumped her on that him as well.

word is she didnt even fuck em.

maybe she is a virgin whore

after all.

still, rockers, porn stars, hotties who come by in the wee hours, im not interested in seeing the symbol of my spiritual life resting between your exposed breasts.

or fishnetted breasts

leave it in the voting booth where it belongs.

bored housewife + inhale + zhi yang + put ian on survivor

raymi gets interviewed

by mikeboon.com

Q: In the small world of Toronto blogging, your site is one of the more popular destinations. What’s the secret to your success?
A: lots of photos, being around for awhile and being consistent, not holding back and or being predictible. in the beginning it was all photos of my face and my body and nudity and getting people interested at looking at me like a poor man’s celebrity but after awhile you realise that having a blog with 95 per cent of the photos of you leaning against a wall is boring and overdoing it. my writing is manic and to the point so that holds well with the ADD crowd. i guess i am kind of cynical and funny and cheesy. these aren’t really success tips or secrets it’s just what i’ve been doing, what i do.

Q: Better Living Centre, a new Toronto blog, has twice now featured your replies to Rebecca Eckler’s Advice to the Lovelorn questions. “Dear Raymi” seems to be a hit, any plans to make this a regular feature?
A: ask them. i have no problem in doing it on a regular basis.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? Will you still be blogging?
A: i will still be blogging and i will probably be saying I STARTED BLOGGING TEN YEARS AGO to shitbag kids and their mothers. hopefully i won’t be old or fat looking.

Q: It seems you’ve developed an interesting relationship with fellow blogger and Canadian rock star Matthew Good. Give us the straight up goods (pun totally intended) on him. Dude or dud?
A: definitely a dude and hates on people who are only interested in really expensive clothes and has an angry-schtick which i find amusing and he knows a lot about technology unlike other musicians so that’s brownie point right there.

Q: Has Matt asked you to guest on his next album? Your bio suggests you have musical roots.
A: no are u retarded?

entire interview is here

and now for an excerpt from the latest “Dear Raymi”

Dear Raaaaaaymi,

I have been dating for years and years. If there is one thing I’ve learned it’s that the men I’m attracted to are wrong for me. I’ve met a few of those “really nice guys” every girl professes they want, but I’m never attracted to them. I know many women are attracted to the bad boy. I would like to change. I would like to fall in love with one of those “nice guys,” except I am never attracted to them. How do I do this? – Need a Change

Dear you are boring,

i am so tired of people saying that nice guys finish last crap and women being attracted to “bad boys”. do you think men sit around going man i wish i could only fall for a nice girl but i just can’t so i have to go for a bitch, why me, wah wah, shut up. so you seem like one of those nice girl types but if you got with a nice guy type you would both be boring and wear sandals together and make friendship bracelets. so what. going for the bad guy is a cop-out and essentially means you are relying on this dude to be the interesting one so you can wow all your stupid bitch friends over lunch about how wild he is meanwhile he is secretly banging all of them and they aren’t even telling you so you know what, date the nice guy and save yourself the heartache.

raymi + raymi’s store + raymi’s blogshares

two chicks on e came over to my house last night

fucked up and confused, so i let them in.

y not

itd been raining so i lit a fire and retrieved blankets from the basement

and i plotted.

one of em looked like a blue eyed dita the other looked like a dirty britney

somehow they got a hold of way too much ecstacy and being pretty cute they were allowed to eat too much ecstacy

the key to a strong quickstarting impressive fire is to get a fake duraflame log or three from the 99cents store. chop a log up into thick meatloaf slice sizes. slide that under a wood log and poof, fire.

they flopped down on the couch and started spewing all this paranoid insane bullshit about how these girls were laughing at them and how these boys were talking shit about them and how terrible they looked when they looked in the mirror and i said

baby baby baby.

i didnt sit on the couch, i sat in my chair.

i already have a girlfriend.

who was out of town.

i said heres what we’re going to do we’re not going to think of anything negative for the rest of the night.

they said, but

i said no, we’re going to only focus on that fire, and maybe that tv if youre lucky.

and we looked at the fire and told happy stories that sometimes swerved into the ditch of negativity but you just pull yourself out of that ditch by saying something nice

like, you two are looking real good over there

with the halloween oranges and tangerine reds all flickering on your

young

moist

skin

shadows bouncing across the ceiling and the drapes

but im taken so we talked about crepes

which studies have shown you can do on that pill

talk about food, that is, deflect, if you will

but they wont

and last night they made out right in front of me

slightly hotter than what was on tv

and i swear theres magic in that couch.

the fat guy + zulieka + instapundit + wit nit

straight outta compton


as sung by nina gordon
of veruca salt
mp3

Straight outta Compton crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube
From the gang called Niggaz With Attitudes
When I’m called off I got a sawed off
Squeeze the trigger and bodies are hauled off
You too boy if ya fuck with me
The police are gonna hafta come and get me
Off yo ass that’s how I’m goin out
For the punk motherfuckers that’s showin out
Niggaz start to mumble, they wanna rumble
Mix em and cook em up in a pot like gumbo
Goin off on a motherfucker like that
with a gat that’s pointed at yo ass
So give it up smooth
Ain’t no tellin when I’m down for a jack move
Here’s a murder rap to keep yo dancin
with a crime record like Charles Manson
AK-47 is the tool
Don’t make me act the motherfuckin fool
Maybe you can go toe to toe, no maybe
I’m knockin niggaz out tha box, daily
weekly, yo monthly and yearly
until them dumb motherfuckers see clearly
that I’m down with the capital C-P-T
Boy you can’t fuck with me
So when I’m in your neighborhood, you better duck
Cuz Ice Cube is crazy as fuck
As I leave, believe I’m stompin
but when I come back, boy,
I’m comin straight outta Compton

via stereogum + forexblog + nina gordon

this week in rock in la

tonight, 2/18
linkin park w/ jay-z + no doubt + blink-182 + camp freddy & others, pond of anaheim
interpol, grand olympic
sugarcult, house of blues
neville brothers, cerritos center
three bad jacks, key club
ashlee simpson, universal

tommorow 2/19
queensryche – Operation: Mindcrime in entirety, universal
mates of state + smoosh, knitting factory
TSAR, rain, costa mesa
ted leo & the pharmacists, el rey
polyphonic spree, henry fonda
jimmy cliff, long beach arena
camper van beethoven, house of blues
gen. public, malibu inn
uptown lights (greg dulli), spaceland

sunday 2/20
ted leo & the pharmacists, el rey
steel pulse, long beach arena
naked trucker and t-bone, troubador

monday 2/21
cat power, knitting factory
secret machines, avalon
chingy and warren g, house of blues
matt costa, echo

tuesday 2/22
Paul Westerberg, henry fonda
mission of burma, troubador
ben lee, viper room
fuck bunny, the joint
lou barlow + matt costa, silverlake lounge
thievery corp., the vanguard

wednesday 2/23
Paul Westerberg, henry fonda
michael penn, largo

thursday 2/24
beck + catpower, henry fonda
steve poltz, cerritos center
john doe, largo
becky, roxy
.38 special, vault 350

paul’s page + jack bog + jennifer