go look at other stuff

I haven’t a whole lot to say for myself, so I’ll just send y’all to a bunch of other places. Much of this is old news, and it’s not even my news, but it interests me. It also travels the web with a quickness, and I hate to recycle it unnecessarily (imagining that at least some of us share the same haunts), but I’d also hate for it to go unnoticed. I like things. Maybe you’ll like things, too.

First off, “Child’s Pay” is the stunning winner of MoveOn.org‘s “Bush in 30 Seconds” ad campaign. This ad and others are being funded for television broadcasting by you-n-me donations. The plan was to air “Child’s Pay” during the Super Bowl, but CBS won’t allow it. Is it defamatory? Offensive? Anymore “political” than a commercial about National Drug Control? No. Dammit. This is such a fascinating country… fascinating being my new favorite euphemism for painfully fucked up.

If you dig on the MoveOn ads, also check out Bush in 41.2 Seconds, a delightful but probably not work-safe spoof. (Cross-reference with the salon.com article “Don’t be an asshole, vote Democratic”—if you don’t have a premium account, you’ll have to watch an ad to read the whole thing, but it’s okay this once, I promise.)

Lastly (with the left-leaning), see David Rees’ latest. I’m pro outer-limits exploration, believe me, but right now? we don’t need to go to Mars, dude… I don’t even want to go back to the moon, not for “seeing what’s happenin” and certainly not to establish a space station. I hear the argument, “We haven’t been there for thirty-five years—it’s time to go back.” Time to go back?! The universe is 13 billion years old! We just got back! I’m half-convinced the only reason they want a human presence not-on-earth is to have a protester-free venue for hosting WTO conventions. Simply fascinating.

Stepping off politics a sec, I invite all the literary elitist snobs to join me in great guffaws at McSweeney’s. (You laypeople can come too, I just don’t expect you to get it. You could, however, get me some lemonade.) The intriguing and pleasing design of the print journal (found but not bought at a Border’s) had me gaping, and the subsequently explored website, most notably the daily short and hilARious writings, puts me in stitches (so it all works out). Choose your own adventure with American canon authors, scratch your head in confusion (or your wax with phat mad skillz, yo!) at My DJ, or my personal favorite, buy some peanuts from Don DeLillo, the author of one of the best books I’ve ever read (Underworld) yet how I laugh at this mockery and not even nervously. I think it’s the Next Tool Album Art effect (going 60 hits a week strong!). Every once in awhile you have to beat the hell out of your heroes.

And now, for something completely different:
A shout-out to Jawsh Dckr, aka Artbreaker, who’s got a lil sumpin special going on at the newly designed and progressively fleshing out Grindthieves, International. In this space Jawsh showcases original music, art, design and idea(l)s; in February he pushes into event promotion in the Fargo area. See the site for details and to download some mp3s—Artbreaker navigates both the hard and melodic, thoughtful and chaotic (which is also thoughtful, that is… if you like to think about bullets spraying broken things).

A big Happy Birthday goes out to my brother Joe who is now 14, and Happy Chinese New Year to anyone who gives a damn. Do I, really? Naw… but it is the year of the monkey, and being a monkey whatever-that-means truly it makes me smile, and I’m all about feeling good.

Ahem. Finally. Pay no attention to the machine behind the curtain. And I know I could do this on the sly, but what the hell. I don’t write enough letters anymore.

dear Google,

Saboingaden! Fargo dance scene!! Fargo music electronic techno saboingaden! Drum and bass jungle saboingaden dance party don’t drink Fargo water event North Dakota get-down saboingaden!!! Dilworth! Bump-n-grind trance glowstick rave saboingaden RAVE!!!!!1 Experimental broken beats life sucks and I want to die Red River Valley saboingaden!! Disco house noise sensation saboingaden! Big pants!!!

love, deepsicks