Took in a pint tonight at the 'Splitter, and it looks like the bar across the way is becoming a haven for the baggy-panted, Chingy-listening, Concord-living set. Considering how our neighborhood has been becoming a haven for the tight-panted, My Chemical Romance-listening, fixed-gear-bike-riding set, Trevor and I have a theory that maybe it's a strategic invasion staged on the part of the chavs, like Take Back the Night.

Oooh, maybe there will be interscene breeding, and a hybrid of sorts will arise. It's so exciting!

Speaking of exciting, this is pretty cool.

Here's the Casual-T. Not too shabby:



























Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) there doesn't seem to be a female version.

I still think our South Park selves from the SP character generator look more like us anyway:

































NP: Gang of Four, Return the Gift. This is the album the recently reformed Gang of Four put out in 2005, where they rerecorded their old material and included remixes of the same.

Wasn't going to get this, but got it on a recommendation from a friend, and damn it if Jon King's voice doesn't sound fucking awesome. Their music still sounds fresh, in part because a lot of what is out now is a crude imitation of bands like Gang of Four and their contemporaries like Joy Division, Bauhaus, etc. (haha, who knew I'd become my parents so fast?). Perfect timing for a reunion and rerelease of sorts too, considering the (short-lived?) success of the reformation of said contemporaries Bauhaus, and the film about Ian Curtis that is being buzzed about.

And speaking of one of my favorite bands, if Bauhaus would just get it together and really do a song for Control ("rumored [to include]...Bauhaus", my ass -- I am losing faith that they can get their shit together), or pull a Gang of Four and get a song in a Sofia Coppola film, maybe they wouldn't have to support NIN to get publicity with the kiddies, or live feast or famine. But Bauhaus isn't Gang of Four. Gargantuan egos, squabbling, and power and substance abuse seem to be insurmountable obstacles for (at least two members of) that band.

Contrary to the Haskins brothers' Dorian Gray appearances, they're all 50 years old -- they need to either lose the crap, or use it for good, not evil and make some music, or just call it quits and/or tour once every 5 or 6 years when they can stand it/they need money. It's not rocket science, it's rock and roll. Maybe I'm being too harsh, and rolling out two new songs 6 months ago on a supporting bill for a band that is huge (potential new fans), and then doing nothing at all (or just saying nothing at all) about a new album, not even to their hardcore fans on their forum, and keeping a low profile t'boot is a new brilliant marketing strategy.

It's just so frustrating that they're not doing it my way! I want things to work out, and this doesn't seem like the best way to go about it, all willy-nilly.

Anyway, Gang of Four -- even if you have the brilliant albums Entertainment! and Solid Gold it is worth picking up Return the Gift. As my friend said, they don't make 'em like they used to.