A New Nuance

Irrational Fears

2009-10-05T12:41:00.003-04:00

My friend James Harris made a list of irrational fears to launch his new blog .

Here's my list:

1) Do to the recently return to popularity of Eminem we will need to deal with another cultural moment for D12.

2) That James Harris will eclipse me in blog popularity, as he already has in comedian popularity. (This is irrational because this is the first post I've done in months and it's only because he posted one.)

3) Where The Wild Things Are turns out to be a depressing two hour episode of H.R. Puffinstuff.

4) Condoms breaking.

5) The presidency of Barak Obama, the new moon landing? Think about it.

Midevenings with Jay Miller

2009-08-02T11:12:00.001-04:00

True I never post anything on this blog anymore. True that this has already been posted all over the place. However, I want to get the views on this thing as high as possible. So watch it, tell your friends.

Kilgore Trout Is Dead

2009-03-05T16:49:00.002-05:00

Kilgore Trout is Dead

the tipping point. (presented lower case)

2009-02-28T05:41:00.002-05:00

there are more people available on facebook chat than aim. heads will roll.

Win Some Lose Some

2009-02-27T16:26:00.002-05:00

I had a McDonalds' Double Cheeseburger today. It had an extra patty on it. At no extra cost I enjoyed a McDonalds' Triple Cheeseburger. Everything was going great.

Then I was chased 2 blocks by a huge pitbull someone just let off it's leash the dog was bark and pouncing at the back of my legs. I have been violently mugged twice but this was the scariest thing to ever happen to me.

No great closer. Just wanted to share.

The greatest piece of musical journalism ever.

2009-01-18T04:45:00.002-05:00

I just though about the greatest piece of musical journalism I've ever read. It was back in the heady days of 2003.

Pavement Reunion

2009-01-16T10:56:00.004-05:00

Wow! And I thought I had nothing to Blog about!

Pavement, only my favorite band ever, have been hinting at getting back together. I have it on good authority that the following events have offered Pavement ungodly amounts of money to reunite:

- Ben Gibbard's Bachelor party. Ben has offered $12 million but insisted that they only play songs from Terror Twilight assuring that his and everyone else's minds will not be splattered on the walls of the strip club after being completely blown.

- Bonarroo Ontario. Canada's version of the hippy fest. Fun fact: do to trade complications they didn't even need to license the name!

- Feed Gary Young Benefit. I don't see this one happening.

- All Tomorrow's Parties NY. You're probably surprised that with Flaming Lips and Animal Collective already booked this would be happening. They actually just want Pavement to stand around handing out flyers for next year's show, which they would be headlining, under a different name.

- MTV Video Music Awards. An all-star tribute to 120 Minutes featuring The Happy Mondays, They Might Be Giants, Mazzy Star and Korn(reuniting with original guitarist Head).

- Leonard Cohen World Tour 2008. Pavement have been asked to back the singer songwriter for his tour of only the most famous opera houses on the globe.

- The Obama Inaguration. Along with the reunited Fugees. That's Barak's musical wheelhouse.

- An all star tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival. Interestingly this seems to be the most likely one. Playing alongside Jeff Beck, 3 Doors Down, Travis Tritt, Throwing Muses, Drive By Truckers, Lee Scratch Perry, The Headlocks, Jewel, and The Stringcheese Incident. Seriously, when tickets go on sale just buy them, they will be added to the bill.

I haven't blogged all week!

2009-01-16T10:39:00.003-05:00

I have nothing interesting to say about planes in the Hudson or the Golden Globes. Anything worth saying about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been said a million times before and can be simplified pretty easily: irrelevant.

Why would I waste your time?

Oh, I like Arthur Russell all of a sudden. Couldn't be much later on that train I suppose.

Saw Frost/Nixon Ron Howard's best movie if you ask me. (But I generally hate him as a director.)

Hmmm... top 5 things of my week:
5. Hospitals - Hairdryer Piece An awesome slice of atmospheric noise with pop burried deeper than you once thought humanly possible. Came out last year, good discovery for me though.
4. Mickey Rourke's Golden Globe In your face Sean Penn.
3. Vitamins Been sick all week, vitmains might be a false hope but when you can't breath at night you take what you can get.
2. 30 Rock and The Office Haven't watched them yet but my heart swells knowing they are on my DVR awaiting my eye's embrace.
1. Weekends It's here!

So yeah, big show tonight...

Sean Penn Continues To Be Charmless

2009-01-09T15:16:00.003-05:00

Perhaps to reaffirm what an impressive actor he is Sean Penn, receiving an award for his incredibly charming portrayal of Harvey Milk, decided to show just how charmless he continues to be at the Critics' Choice Awards. He dissed Mickey Rourke! (Who rightfully should've been accepting the award for his gut wrenching turn in The Wrestler.)

Penn: "At heart this is a beauty contest, so I had an advantage."

You're taking a dig at the dude's horribly deformed face?! That's what bloggers do Sean. Tsk tsk tsk.

UPCOMING!

2009-01-09T12:15:00.003-05:00

Come see Mancrush!!!! Next Weeek!!!!!

The Worst Thing That Could Ever Happen

2009-01-09T10:27:00.003-05:00

The NY Mag Vulture Blog has reported that AMC still hasn't agreed to give Mad Men creator/genius/god-like television force Matthew Weiner whatever he has asked for. This is no less than a full on cultural crisis and requires immediate bipartisan government intervention. Any politician that keeps quiet during this period should be held responsible for the collapse of all that is good and significant in the world.

Someone Let R. Kelly Piss On Them

2009-01-08T16:16:00.000-05:00

It's his 42nd Birthday!!!

The Only 5 Blogs That Matter

2009-01-07T11:56:00.005-05:00

So it's been proven over and over again that blogging doesn't matter. If it did matter the following would be all you would ever need.

5. Matablog - The label that made me an indie-rock fag and ensured my alienation from literally everyone in high school continues to insulate me from the outside world with snarky opinions and updates on seemingly literally all of my favorite bands going(Times New Viking, Jay Reatard, Fucked Up).

4. Letters To Your Former Employer - With the economy in disarray we can expect to have a lot more fodder for this expertly conceived blog. Hilarious, topical, occasionally seedy.

3. The Unblinking Ear - My Staten Island blogging competition would begin and end with The Unblinking Ear if he ever wrote about(or even acknowledged) Staten Island. As is no one does except Ben Johnson, but he has to share his blogs with a variety of people whom I cannot condone or condemn.

2. WFMU's Beware the Blog - The best radio station in the world has a blog befitting it's reputation. DJ's post wonderful articles on a diverse array of audiophile friendly topics. Several of the most interesting 2008 year end lists can be found on the blog right now!!!

1. New York Magazine's Vulture - The best pop-culture blog on the internet. Uniquely specific and detailed episode to episode coverage of television, culture news, mp3 roundups, and much more.

A Second Opinion: ABBA vs. Lykke Li

2008-12-30T15:56:00.003-05:00

Below is an impromptu conversation started as a result of something Tim Duffy didn't agree being said publicly by someone(in this case his brother/blogger Patrick Duffy) that Tim can reach by instant message.

3:35 PM
me: i just realized you called lykke li "perhaps the catchiest music to ever come from sweden", um abba?!?!?!?!
Patrick: hence the perhaps
me: no perhaps ABBAAAAAAAA
Patrick: yes, it was meant to be a comparative statement to elicit just this response
it captures just how catchy she is that she could be considered on that same plain
me: ABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Patrick: listen, we all know and love ABBA but it's time for someone else from Sweden to shine through and not just for their quirkiness
me: fuck you, i can't believe you're doing this
Patrick: I'm not doing anything
I'm trying to help sweden
they need to stop relying on the reputation of abba
me: you reallymight have alienated me forever i hope you're happy
Patrick: Tim, I love ABBA just as much as you do
me: no
Patrick: but this is absurd
me: you
do
not
Patrick: Lykke Li is a perfectly acceptable swedish pop star
maybe it's time to come down off your high horse
and accept other swedish bands and artists
you were able to move past Klee weren't you
me: i do, but aaaaaaaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Patrick: no one even remembers ABBA anymore
they think they were covering the village people
me: i'll fucking end you
Patrick: the last time you said that I had a bruise under my chine for a week
but yeah, ABBA are relics
it's time to move to the future
me: you're a fucking relic!
you're a fucking ghost!
you hear me!?
a fucking ghost!!!!!!!!!!!!
Patrick: having the time of your life...dance, dance, dance...they go so well together
Abba could totally open for Lykke Li

6 minutes

3:54 PM
Patrick: that was fun
we should do it again sometime
me: fuck you

Disclaimer: It might be easy to write Tim Duffy's opinions off, as the parallels between his love of Abba and Tom Scharpling's of the Best Show on WFMU are similar and he also co-opted Tom Scharpling's "You're a ghost!" refrain. To some extent I suppose you'd be right, but co-opting the truth is always a good idea isn't it?

Kim's Underground on St. Mark's is Closing!

2008-12-30T14:06:00.003-05:00

How sad. I always loved that I could bounce between Kim's and Other Music to check pricing and just general record availability. Now where will I browse when I decide I want $1 pizza for lunch!

I went today, everything is 30% off, got The Unblinking Ear's record of the year Celebration by Thomas Function, Portishead's Third, and a Jonathan Richman 7" that is recent and probably crappy but I really liked the song title("You can have a cell phone that's ok but not me").

Mancrush Video/New Year's Show Preview

2008-12-30T10:53:00.003-05:00

Casey: i watching the clips last night
i have ideas of how i'll edit it
i'm gonna just piece together what's funny
create a build
like have the crazy stuff later on
cut out any pauses or drags
me: good
we can pause and drag live
Casey: right

Mancrush at Martini Red(372 Van Duzer Staten Island, NY) 10pm this Wednesday December 31st(New Year's Eve)

House Music, A Poem

2008-12-24T11:12:00.001-05:00

ump-tst, ump-tst, ump-tst, ump-tst

Dear Pitchfork,

2008-12-19T09:25:00.001-05:00

Seriously?!

It's not funny anymore. Grow up.

Love,
Tim

Records of the Year 2008

2008-12-17T10:26:00.004-05:00

In the name of efficiency and beating the big boys to the punch I present an un-notated year end records list. I may elaborate in the next few days but maybe I'll just let it speak for it's self.

10. Deerhunter - Microcastle
9. Zomby - Where Were You In 92?
8. The Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life
7. High Places - High Places
6. Brownwater - Brownwater EP
5. Air France - No Way Down
4. Harvey Milk - Life... The Best Game In Town
3. Jay Reatard - Matador Singles 08
2. Beach House - Devotion
1. Times New Viking - Stay Awake EP

Songs of the Year, Year End Mixtape Tracklist

2008-12-17T09:04:00.004-05:00

Maybe I'll like post mp3s or write something about these songs at some point. These are in mixtape and not quality order.

1. Times New Viking "Pagan Eyes"
2. Little Boots "On Repeat"
3. Lil Wayne "A Millie"
4. Ninjasonic featuring Vivian Girls "Go Tell The World (Remix)"
5. Deerhunter "Never Stops"
6. M83 "Graveyard Girl"
7. La Roux "Quicksand"
8. Air France "Always Collapsing At Your Door"
9. Beach House "Gila"
10. Vampire Weekend "M79"
11. Jay Reatard "No Time"
12. The Magnetic Fields "Too Drunk To Dream"
13. Brownwater "The Brown Green Lantern"
14. Heartsrevolution "Digital Suicide"
15. T.I. featuring Rihanna "Live Your Life"
16. The Mae Shi "Run to Your Grave"

Best Record Art of the Year

2008-12-16T22:35:00.007-05:00

Do people even make record sleeves anymore? Well, yeah some do. Some just give you a jpeg. Still artwork associated with album is alive and well, just look!

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

My Unpopular Opinion

2008-12-15T10:59:00.003-05:00

As a guy who recently alienated both family and friends making a 9/11 joke in the Staten Island Advance perhaps I am the wrong person to say something. However, I can't stand idlely by while a very funny moment on SNL is treated like a hate crime. Fred Armisan's Governor Patterson is pretty hilarious if you ask me(and anyone else who was in the room with me at the time). It's so over the top that I think to take offense is imature.

Seriously, is the governor's disability supposed to insulate him from a little teasing. It's a cartoon. Like Mr. Magoo. A cocain loving Mr. Magoo.

10 Things I Will Not Evaluate Before Year End List Season

2008-12-09T11:31:00.007-05:00

This is my first public list of the season. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

10. Kanye West '808s and Heartbreak' - Kanye regularly appears on my year end lists and this album is controversial. From the sound of things I'm a fan, too bad it won't be making any year end lists.

9. The Wire - I never watched The Sopranos either.

8. Iron Man - My favorite comic book super hero makes a movie with the always entertaining Robert Downey Jr. Where was I?

7. Gossip Girl - OMG! I've seen an episode of this and I have a sense I'd like it, in that Degrassi kind of way. It's gotta be better than Heroes.

6. The performances of Kate Winslet. I cannot imagine myself seeing one of the two incredibly stark movies Kate Winslet is in right now.

5. Slumdog Millionare - This movie sounds so charming. Too bad with a recession and the holidays I will be so apprehensive to see a movie that it will have to wait.

4. The Wrestler - This comes out on Christmas. The window between boxing day and New Year's is so small.

3. Deerhunter 'Weird Era Cont.' - I love Deerhunter, for some reason though Emusic my legal music resource only has the first of the two album set.

2. Jazz, Theater, most fine art, Literature - If it wasn't for low-brow I wouldn't have no brow.

1. The Dark Night - Anyone heard anything about that new Batman movie? It looks like it could be good.

Shaolin Reprasent!!!

2008-12-08T15:47:00.002-05:00

The Onion is dropping some serious S.I. science today!

Free the Juice!!!

2008-12-05T15:20:00.002-05:00

Let's send OJ a cake with a file baked into it.