Tracklist:
53. Factory 81 – Peace Officer
54. Scars on Broadway – They Say
55. Simon Sayz – Hey You
56. Sinisstar – Freak Of Nature
57. Sloth – Dead Generation
58. Sparta – Taking Back Control
59. Sprottenrock – Couchparty (German)
60. Stereomud – Sunlight
61. Strata – Piece By Piece
62. Superheist – Pulse
Download Vol. 5 here.
Previous volumes:
-Chad 2
I can’t really tell you how exactly I ended up reading a book about the most famous man in porno. I was browsing around for some ebooks on FDR for my Kindle when I found this in someone’s “Must Read Biographies” list. I was intrigued as I’ve never really read anything about the porn industry before. The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz follows the legendary Ron Jeremy and his 9 3/4″ “Equipment.”
Having done more than 1,800 adult films and slept with more than 4,000 women, I expected the book to be full of torrid stories of debauchery and excess. Given Jeremy’s penchant for comedy, I also expected to laugh my ass off.
Not really.
The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz starts out normal enough. Ron Jeremy Hyatt lays bare his life beginning with his teenage years in New York. He enraptures the reader with tales of timid sexual exploration and the glory days of the ’70s “free love” movement. Halfway through the book, I was caught up in Jeremy’s story. In addition to the roundabout manner in which he ended up in porn, the “Hedgehog” details his endless desire to be a standup comedian and to break into showbiz. The adventure had, so far, managed to keep my interest.
At this point, a photo montage broke up the middle of the book. Featuring over 20 pictures, Jeremy wanted to showcase practically every famous person he has ever met. While I understand the reasoning for this, as I possess a narcissistic streak as well, the remaining 175 pages read more like a Wikipedia article: “I did this movie. I had a role in that movie. I was cut from this movie. I met this person. I introduced these two celebrities. I opened for this band.” I am fine with someone laying out their accomplishments, but each lacked substance. When Jeremy announced Limp Bizkit, there was no amusing story about backstage antics…simply a paragraph about him doing it before moving on to another paragraph referencing how he used to hang out with Slash, followed by yet another paragraph mentioning how much Jim Carrey and Robin Williams liked him.
I will admit that the second half of the book was painful to finish. I found myself resisting the urge to skip ahead and gloss over the ridiculous amount of self-aggrandizement. Ron Jeremy claims that he likes to poke fun at himself and enjoys being an “average man” just like the rest of us. However, The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz reads more like a treatise to all those that doubted him or snubbed him in his life. Or perhaps it is just Jeremy’s way of achieving that Tom Cruise-esque celebrity status that he always pined for.
Despite its misgivings, I did enjoy the occasional nugget of Jeremy’s life. I found myself rooting for him to make his standup comedy act into something the whole world would enjoy. He seems like an honestly genuine guy that made it 90% of the way but couldn’t find the right combination of porno stardom and natural talent to complete the journey.
Rating: 4.5/10
-Chad 2
Tracklist:
43. Ours – Sometimes
44. Darwin’s Waiting Room – Feel So Stupid
45. Pressure 4-5 – Melt Me Down
46. Double Drive – 1000 Yard Stare
47. Project 86 – The Spy Hunter
48. Dracma – Blanco Y Azul (Spanish)
49. Ra – I Believe
50. Dredg – Symbol Song
51. Reach 454 – New Scar
52. Revelation Theory – After the Rain
Download Vol. 4 here:
Previous volumes:
-Chad 2
Another round of BYSK!
Tracklist:
33. Memento – Nothing Sacred
34. Boy Hits Car – I’m A Cloud
35. Nevada Tan – Niemand Hoert Dich
36. Boysetsfire – High Wire Escape Artist
37. No One – Chemical
38. Breaking Point – Brother
39. One Minute Silence – Holy Man
40. Crossbreed – Machines
41. Oomph – Augen Auf
42. Dangerous New Machine – Burn
Download Vol. 3 here.
Going Greek bills itself as a cross between Animal House and American Pie…which is a shame because it doesn’t really need to stand on the shoulders of either film. The movie is not only worth watching, but highly entertaining and should have no need to pass itself off as a direct-to-dvd clone of either of the aforementioned movies. Though the movie does feature Chris Owen (yes…the Shermanator), he is playing a vastly different role than previous films.
Before I laud its hilarity, let’s get a few things out of the way. The plot will not blow your mind nor will it win an Academy Award any time soon. Set in Every-Stereotype University, Jake, an embittered ex-high school football star, is convinced to pledge the “coolest” fraternity on campus. Reluctantly, Jake has decided to pledge in order to protect his nerdy cousin, Gil, who desires nothing more than to belong to Iota Chi Omega. Toss in a hot female co-star that takes a liking to Jake, but despises all fraternity men, and you’ve just finished Plot Writing 101.
With that said, Dublin James (Gil) and Laura Harris (Paige), in addition to a horde of other no-namers, work to make this movie amusing, shocking and funny. From naked scavenger hunts, all-night beer fests and keg parties to sorority swapping and other creative pledge activities, we get to see an eclectic group of men go through pledgeship. Shockingly enough, from my own experience with a fraternity, the film actually captures what it is like to be a pledge fairly well. There are, of course, other-the-top moments, but many events in the movie are not that far off.
Though not really known by, well, anyone, Going Greek is a movie worth watching. It may be fair to state that it belongs in the 18-25 bracket, but I think even the older crowd could get a few laughs from this raucous picture. With movies like Meet the Spartans making it big, I find it disheartening that comedic gems such as this get left in the dust.
I couldn’t find a trailer for the movie, but you can check out a funny clip here.
Rating: 8/10
-Chad 2
At 26, Troost followed his wife to Kiribati, a tiny island nation in the South Pacific. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific is the result of over two years living the overpopulated, underdeveloped, heavily polluted little nation. Envisioning a paradise of frolicking dolphins, deep blue lagoons and picturesque sunsets, Troost is stunned to discover just how off his imagination was.
Though the water was blue, it was routinely defecated in by the island locals. In lieu of dolphins, Troost finds thresher sharks. And though the sunsets are gorgeous, the blazing heat scorches his “freckles off.”
From the hilarious (the Kiritbati people only have “La Macarena” for music) to the retrospective (“Like many, I regard snakes as a tangible expression of evil, and I would be very pleased if evolution saw fit to attach large flags to the slinking reptiles, just so we would always know where they were.”), Troost delivers an amusing, self-deprecating and unique account of living 4,000 miles from the bustling cities of the United States.
Despite the lack of food (Troost relays this in a Forrest Gump type rendition of the myriad manners in which tuna can be cooked), Troost and his wife eventually develop a fondness for the island and its inhabitants.
I generally avoid travel books solely because it makes me sad that I may never go to the place in question and experience what the writer has experienced. However, I doubt I would ever make the sojourn to Kiribati. Troost does an excellent job in making the reader feel as though they are standing on the shoreline, eating an expired can of British corned beef, watching the non-biodegradable trash wash up on shore.
For me, the culture clash addressed in the book is what kept me interested. For instance, the islanders believe lobsters to be “dirty” and are shocked to find the i-Matangs (as Troost and his wife are referred to) addicted to them. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to spend two years without a fast food restaurant or air conditioning. I suppose that speaks volumes about the spoiled nature of Americans.
Troost has went on to write several other travel books that I plan on reading…just as soon as I get through the other 146 books on my To-Do list. Expect them sometime in 2013.
6.8/10
-Chad 2
It is officially that time again. New music, new year. I’ve compiled an eclectic mix of rock, nu-metal, metal, alternative and any other genre you want to lump some of these acts in. Some of it you may hate, some of it you may love. Who knows? The point is, there is so much music out there that it would truly be a crime to chain yourself only to what is “popular” or “well known.” BYSK is an attempt to spread music that may otherwise have gone unheard.
If you like, or don’t like, Volume 2, please let me know in the comments. If you have any suggestions for bands you think I should check out, please let me know!
Volume 2 picks up right where Volume 1 left off:
Tracklist:
21. Dry Kill Logic – Kingdom of the Blind
22. Finger 11 – Drag You Down
23. Five Bolt Main – Pathetic
24. Flaw – Only the Strong
25. From Zero – Check Ya
26. Full Devil Jacket – Fastblack
27. Guilt By Association – Sleep
28. Ancient of Days – Innocence
29. Ill Nino – Have You Ever Felt
30. Ben Moody – The End Has Come
31. Instruction – Breakdown
32. Blindside – Pitiful
Click here to download Volume 2.
And, because I love you all so much, I have re-uploaded Vol. 1. You can find it here.
I claim no ownership of these songs. I am only sharing these mp3s in order to garner support for these bands. If you like the music, please buy the CD or MP3s.
Enjoy!
-Chad 2
Robert Rodriguez’s Predators caters to fans of the franchise. If you only had a passing interest in the first two Predator movies, I would recommend skipping this one entirely. The Easter eggs concealed within the film are numerous and pay homage to both the original films and the diehard fans. The premise of Predators is simple enough: the Predator species (a warrior race) import Earth’s toughest warriors to their game preserve in order to do battle and hone their own skills. As one would imagine, this rarely turns out well for the hapless humans.
From the opening shot, Predators takes off like a bat out of hell. The action and suspense keep going right up until the credits roll. Our human protagonists don’t spend much time talking about their situation other than a few one-liners. One of the big qualms people had with this film was the lack of a backstory. Would it really have helped the plot for you to know how the Predators managed to kidnap these humans and transport them all the way back to their planet? Probably not.
The tone of Predators is somber. Unlike the atrocity that was the Aliens Vs Predator movie, Predators harkens back to the original Schwarzaneggar movies and remains deathly serious throughout. For the most part, the movie feels very ’80s like. Rather than try to confuse their audience or throw twists and turns into the script for shock value, Robert Rodriguez relies on good ol’fashioned scaring to make his viewers squirm in their seats.
I was also surprised at how much I liked the cast. Topher Grace ended up being a stand-out role, but the short film time given to Danny Trejo was a travesty. Adrien Brody was tolerable as a lead role and the rest of the cast, doing their best to avoid overacting, picked up the slack.
Can't say I was a huge fan of the new Predator designs.
In conclusion, my favorite part of this film was the homages it paid to the original two Predator movies. I am a big fan of the series and sort of a geek, so homages are like nerd porn to me.
Some of my favorites:
The myth, the legend, the Classic Predator.
Overall, Predators isn’t going to make you rethink your lot in life. It isn’t going to have you cheering for it at the Grammys nor is it going to wow the movie world with its special effects. However, it is well-executive, tons of fun and has great action. I definitely recommend it, especially if you are fan of the Predator series.
Post-script: Laurence Fishburne’s character in Predators was superb and the acting behind it even better.
I Do Not Come To You By Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani tells the story of young Nigerian Kingsley Ibe. An engineering school graduate who can’t find a job and still lives as home with his family, Ibe becomes the central character in a story of poverty and riches in one of the most notorious African countries. Nigeria created the 419-scam and continues to profit from it to this day.
Though well educated, Kingsley laments that without connections, jobs are hard to find in the corrupt state of Nigeria. After losing his girlfriend to another man and his father to a stroke, Kingsley goes to work for his Uncle Boniface (aka Cash Daddy), who is in the business of Internet scams, otherwise known as 419s.
Nwaubani, herself a citizen of Enugu, Nigeria, paints a portrait of Kingsley Ibe as the fatherly type that simply wants to provide for his family. Having exhausted every other avenue of employment, our young protagonist slowly becomes entwined with Cash Daddy’s schemes. As his labors bear fruit (new cars, new clothes, new girls) and he can provide for his family, we see Ibe slowly begin to lose everything that meant something to him.
While not always entertaining, I Do Not Come To You By Chance is written in such a way as to keep you engrossed in the story. The voice Nwaubani gives Ibe is exceptional. I’m ashamed to admit this, but I did not even realize the writer was female until I began searching for pictures to use in this review.
As with many books about criminals, you find yourself rooting for the so-called “bad guy.” The pictured presented to the reader is one of Nigeria being a bountiful country full of human beings with religion, ethics and morality. To them, scheming $25,000 from a mugu (“fool” but often indicating a white person) is simply payback for all that has been taken from Africa. It is also intriguing just how easily people part with their money.
For instance, during a particularly successful scam in which Ibe has taken a businessman for over $100,000, Ibe becomes suspicious that the mugu might be on to him. Creating a new email account, Ibe sends a message proporting to be from a Nigerian Anti-Fraud Bureau. The mugu confirms these fears when he states to the fake organization that he has went to the FBI for help and found none. Ibe, posing as the head of this group, confirms that they have “caught” the scammers and can return all the mugu’s funds as soon as he pays a $5,000 release fee. Incredible.
I Do Not Come To You By Chance was one of those random books I just purchased for the hell of it. I had just gotten my Kindle and the book popped up on some list made by Amazon. I purchased it anyway and, though it is far outside my usual genre, I found it to be a unique view from the “other side.”
7/10
-Chad 2
My mother takes serious issue with my foul language. Though I rarely use any curse words around her, my facebook status messages sometimes see an occasional “fuck” or “asshole” creep into the mix. While not as militant about it as my mom, my wife also despises the fact that I use “such language.” I’ve tried to explain to both of them, but my words always fall on deaf ears. One thinks I am just doing it to “be a rebel” against society while the other feels she “raised me better than that.”
To begin, we must examine what is an actual “cuss” word. The majority of so-called bad words are really just vulgar. That means, in days long since past, they were used solely by the poor common class and by the self-described upper crust. Profane words, on the other hand, are words that denigrate God. There’s a big difference between the two, but many people don’t realize that.
Curse words become outlawed by society because of their connotation, not the word itself. . If, for instance, one were to talk about a man from unmarried parents sitting on his donkey watching his female dog give birth, it’s perfectly acceptable to say: The bastard sat on his ass while he watched his bitch give birth. If I uttered that phrase, many would find it reprehensible. The thing is, according to Webster, it is a perfectly legitimate sentence. Another example is the use of the word “frack” in place of “fuck.” The connotation is the same. The inflection is generally the same. The meaning is the same. But “frack” can be said on primetime television with nary an FCC penalty in sight.
I use cuss words as an intensifier. “I can’t fucking stand papyrus” conveys much stronger emotions than “I can’t stand papyrus.” George Washington, while going to war against the British, urged his troops to refrain from “the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing.” To me, there are words that are just more hurtful and degrading than “asshole.” I’d much rather be called a “motherfucker” than a coward.
Many people view the use of cuss words as a failure to properly master the English language, ie, “you’re an idiot.” My vocabulary is as big as my ego and I pride myself on my intelligence. Do I break the conventional mold of “foul language = ignorance?” Or do I simply stand as testament that even Einstein probably muttered “holy shit…” when he deduced that E=MC2?
Finally, I suppose I am sort of the “rebel” my wife always accuses me. I’m one of those annoying people that questions everything. I want to know why we wear tuxes to weddings. I need to know why we drive on the right side of the road. I have to understand everything. Someone, somewhere, sometime decided that fuck, bitch, asshole, shit and all the rest of the “dirty” words should be relegated to adults only and even then it was to be frowned upon. I’m not an anti-conformist, but I suppose I just have issues following some rule that was laid down centuries ago by parties unknown. It just doesn’t make any sense.
So, I will go right on cussing and cursing. When my old roommate’s first child is born, I’ll clasp him on the shoulder and spout “that’s fucking awesome, man!” When I stub my toe for the 30th time on our coffee table, I will roar “God dammit! Fucking table!” If my language forces you to see me as a lesser person or one born of some primitive conscience, then I feel sorry for you. Enjoy life. Question everything. Don’t accept society’s conventions if you don’t want to!
-Chad 2
