The devil is in the internet, and we are all to blame.

The world we live in is driven by information and technology. It’s never been more accessible, and finding information has never, ever, been easier. However, with all of this information out there, being digested, recycled and reshared, can you tell the difference between the noise and the really valuable titbits online? I think the internet is becoming too much of a real entity, and less fun, mostly because of the big ol’ grey cloud which continues to grow, every day.

Deciphering the grey cloud (areas), or the “details” as I like to the refer to them on social media, and the internet in general, takes up so much of our time, that more often than not we forget what really matters. What, when, who, why and how are the cornerstone questions of any event, but none of them change the fact that said event already happened.

This is where I think we can all be better people, and for the better of humanity as whole. The details of stories are the juicy bits of the story, they’re the parts that are retold, debated, and analysed to death after an event, or post some newsworthy tragedy. This is where the problem starts. Everyone has an opinion and because social media has taken on the role of a soapbox, we all feel inclined to share our opinions, whether they add value to the conversation or not. This is the main grey area I am referring to, the self-importance we as humans have extended to our online personas.

These details evoke all kinds of emotions, and with the voice given to users of social media, everyone tries to scream the loudest, to tell the world their view. I know many people will think this is a good thing, when in actuality, I think it just adds to the noise. It fills the world with more useless information, more grey, and another step away from the real issues behind said matters.

This grey area has become such a massive part of your life, that you may not even know it. How often have you read something online where someone reacted like a fool, then gone home to tell someone what you think about that person’s reaction as if that was the news story? I know I have, even though I know that it’s completely futile and doesn’t matter at all in the bigger scheme of things.

We’re filling the world up with so many details and useless things, that our really important values are forgotten. It’s up to us, to be responsible citizens, and compassionate human beings when it comes to the sharing of news and the forming of opinions. I want to appeal to people to be stronger, more opinionated and to not get caught up in the hype, but to see whatever the flavour of the week is, for what it really is.

Let’s look at Oscar Pistorius’ situation. Actually, that’s the wrong way to put it; it’s the murder of Reeva Steenkamp situation, because THAT is the real story here. That is what is important; an innocent person was shot, and killed. Who, what, why, when and how are the crux of each news report; however they’re only a means to an end, that end being a story readers want to see. I want us all to be bigger and better than that. I want us to see past the grey mist which hides the black and white nature of the modern world.

Stop fretting about things you can’t change, and take an actual stand against or for the things you can. Think about what you post, how you say things and about the way in which you react. If your opinion only adds another opinion, is it really worth sharing? I know you want your voice to be heard, but you should also be acutely aware of where you are sharing what, and why.

As a final thought though, I present you this. In this story I’ve gotten too involved in the grey areas myself, talking about social media, people’s opinions, and Oscar, but when it comes down to it, none of that even matters.

Social media is not a substitute for real human interaction, and it can’t solve the world’s problems. Remember that it’s not the real thing; it’s not a tangible entity. It’s just a platform for communications and information. That is all it is. It’s not the saviour of the third world, or the jury for the first; it’s a tool to enhance our lives.

It’s just the internet. It’s the biggest cloud in the world, and it’s so distinctly grey that you need a really sound compass to navigate all of its treacherous corners.

...Like Clockwork? ...more like killer opening lines.

I've been killing the new Queens of the Stone Age record, and the one thing I really love about the album is the lyrics. Then I noticed that the opening line of each track is fantastic. Check it out.

1. Don’t look, just keep your eyes peeled.

2. I sat by the ocean, and drank a potion baby to erase you.

3. I want God to come and take me home, 'cause I'm all alone in this crowd.

4. Gitchy, gitchy, Ooh la la, do run run, you won't get far.

5. Far beyond the desert road, where everything ends up.

6. I never lied, to myself, tonight.

7. Is there anyone out there? Or am I walking alone?

8. It's all in motion, no stoppin' now.

9. Calling all comas, prisoner on the loose.

10. Everyone it seems, has somewhere to go.

They're like little one line poems. I like. A lot.

Don't sink, swim, V2.0

So I am going to revive my blog. Yes, I have said this on numerous occasions, but no, it's not what you might think. I'm sick of reading blogs pushing competitions in my face, resharing videos that are perfectly viewable on YouTube, and linking me to shit I can find on the intertubes.

Basically, I want to use this as my notepad. I want to use this to try new things with words, rearrange letters in a different way, I want to use my blog the way I think blogs were originally intended.

I don't want to tell you which bands to listen to, which tv shows to watch or to make money from advertising or get free shit from brands. I know, the last two are very assumptive and slightly egotistical, thinking that this stupid blog could be monetised. Luckily, I give not a care in the world, I am doing this for me, not you.

But like a good bro, I'll share. Maybe you like the way I structure my sentences, perhaps you fancy the way I don't use too many hyperboles or adjectives, or maybe, you just like my writing. That's all I can ask for as a writer, so if you are reading this, thank you.

I am very inspired and keen to get this going properly, because I want the end result to be a book of some sort, who knows, but that is what this is about, finding out where to go next. Expect some photographs, ideas, both short and long, as well as some insight, thoughts and more of me than I'm accustomed to sharing.

Welcome to my world.
Rick

Music, and how we relate to it

As you may know, I listen to a lot of music, and as someone who listens to a lot of music, I think a lot about the kinds of music I listen to. As I've grown older, my music taste hasn't really changed, and even though I've explored and listened to some new stuff, I am increasingly finding myself completely unphased by "new" bands. I have a bunch of favourite bands that make up my normal listening, and these bands are punctuated by the occasional exploration of some random acts, but in the end, I always end up in my safe place. In my familiar zone, if you will.

This got me thinking, is it because most new music is shit (a completely feasible point of view if you asked me three years ago) or is it perhaps because I am getting older? My answer to this question is what got me writing this post you see, it's because I am getting older. 

A really great example is Brand New. I feel like I went through the first-love heartache with Jesse Lacey (Deja Entendu), followed by the first serious girlfriend and the disintegration of whatever the fuck that turned out to be on The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. Once Jesse and I got over the stupid women we were involved with as younger men, we both obviously found love and started hating other, more worldly things, as can be heard very clearly on Daisy. 

That really is the way I see it. I get it now, I get when my dad used to tell me "you kids and your music", and "when you're older, you'll understand." I do understand, I understand that ageing with a band obviously means that you will be ageing with the material and their inspirations as well, but as you grow with some bands, you will distance yourself from others. 

It's not a case of older music being better, see the new Queens of the Stone Age if you want proof that rock and roll is far from dead, it's just a case of being able to relate to it. That bond is the result of your age and the age of the musician whose music you're listening to being similar. It makes sense that you would identify to music made by someone at a similar stage in their life, rather than with someone who is 10 years your junior and still hasn't had his heart ripped out through his face by a first, or young, love. 

I am not saying you should avoid all bands of which the members are younger, or older, that you are, at all. What I am saying is that if you go and look at your favourite artists of all time, you will likely find some similarities between their stories and yours. 

I think that's how we choose our favourite bands, and the fact that I believe it doesn't have that much to do with the actual music might make me sound a tad nuts, but you know me better than that.

Rick. 

Out.

When the world surprises you…

I will be the first to admit, I’m a bit of a hater. I don’t like the idea of agreeing with something, “just because.” I like thinking for myself, I like calling things I don’t like “shit” and so on, and so forth. However, this post is not about anything I don’t like, in fact, it’s a happy post. A post about six things which have surprised me in 2012, now remember, I choose to focus on the simple things.

We take too many things for granted, so here (without any promise of a little hating in there somewhere) are my six biggest surprises of 2012.

My first Cape Town autumn. Bizarrely during the five years I’ve lived in Cape Town, I’ve experienced two seasons. Scorching summers, and cold, wet, stormy winters, but this year is different. There’s sunshine to keep the cold away just long enough for me to appreciate the gentle autumn chill in the air.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah played for us, in Wynberg. As if one of my favourite indie acts touring SA isn’t enough, we went to watch them in Wynberg. We were followed by bergies, strolled through the Southern Suburbs and got to see a world class live show. Epic night, epic show, and considering how short the notice was, it was a very pleasant surprise.

VETO. Now I am sure if you follow me on Twitter you would’ve read something about these guys during the past few months. They’ve released a few albums and an EP, and every single song is awesome. I’m not kidding, it’s been a long time since a band had me hooked so quickly. Thanks Alex, I owe you one.

WebAfrica – Once again I have Alex (and Dale) to thank for this one. I was with another service provider and thinking all is well, until I heard of WebAfrica. Not only is my internet connection faster now, but I can also monitor my usage and in so doing avoid be shaped on my uncapped line. Oh, and did I mention that it’s a R100 cheaper than the exact same package I had with my original ISP? They’re a local company, and if you’re looking for an ISP to get you connected quickly, easily and cheaply, I can’t speak highly enough of these guys. Thanks fellas.

How much I’ve learnt about fashion. This is quite a strange surprise, but considering my designer girlfriend and much of my professional work being about fashion, I’ve picked things up. I know the differences between fabrics, I know why melange is all weird looking and what a high-low dress is. Not particularly useful on boys nights, but as I said, SURPRISE!

Finally, our flat. If you've been to our place, you will know that it's old, and cold and awesome. We love our home and that's quite surprising for us, because we've been moving every year since moving to Cape Town. I'm surprised we won't be moving again this year, and the thought of another winter with a fireplace makes me very, very happy. 

So those are my six biggest surprises so far of 2012. I hope the following eight months will be equally surprising and rewarding. I’m definitely not used to such positive posting, but I think I like. I hope you like reading it, and if you did, I may even be able to add a number seven to the list. Not bad at all, considering I don’t like surprises. 

The Modern Geek

Gone are the days when Rick Moranis was the shiny embodiment of the word "geek", or "nerd", because as insulting as those titles were while growing up, today, we're all nerd and communicating online is our revenge. These include our lashings out at society's occasional stupidity, the world's issues and of course, personal preference.

I can see you shaking your head right now, "I'm not a nerd" I can hear you think, but I hate to break this to you, you are. Well, that's not strictly true I guess. If you found this post via Facebook, chances are that you're safe, however, if you stumbled upon this post via Twitter, then I'm afraid you may have to face the facts and embrace your inner Urkel.

We're all constantly online, browsing, surfing, chatting, learning, smutting, whatever floats your boat, and growing up, that kind of thing was reserved for the uber-geeks and superhackers. Those guys that hit puberty and moved into their parents' basement to hack the planet. However, technology has moved on, and has given every single person in the world the opportunity to share his or her views on the world, all the time, and to me, that signifies what I am going to start referring to as the "Dawn of the Modern Geek."

You're still not convinced? How many pirated films have you watched? How many albums have you listened to that were downloaded? How many people that you've never met do you talk to on a daily basis? All of these things have contributed to our technology driven society, whether here in Africa or in the "First World."

The stereotypical "nerd" or "geek" wears thick glasses, can barely see and has the high score on "Frogger" or "Pac-Man" at the local arcade, but no more. Now, to be a true nerd, you need to be a luddite, a technophobe, someone who does not dabble online, the tables have turned and the reluctant will be left behind if they do not embrace the tools at their disposal. In a nutshell, you need to be an ignorant fool.

I am very proud of being a geek, I embrace it, now the question is, can you shatter that bubble around you and embrace your fate? It's evolution, our natural progression, we need to adapt to the times and utilise the tools and gadgets at our disposal to the best of our abilities or risk being left behind, alone in a dark corner somewhere on MySpace.

Here's the kicker, if you told me in high school (which ended 11 years ago) that the geeks and nerds would be taking over in South Africa, I would've laughed my ass off, however I think it's true.

It's 2011, and every day we're online, every time we share some of ourselves with the great online information superhighway, we contribute to the revenge of the nerds, we're contributing to the toppling of the "old way" of doing things. We're ushering in a new era, we're spearheading it in fact, and I, for one, think that there has never been a better time to be a geek, nerd or which ever term you prefer, because this is our time, and if you're reading this, welcome to your evolution.

Rick.
Out.

I tweet because I'm unhappy and I'm unhappy because I tweet.

It's very strange how my blog has become a barren wasteland in recent times, but as usual after a slight spurt of posts, none about music mind you, we're back baby! This brings me to the topic of today's discussion, do we tweet because we're unhappy and unfulfilled in our real lives? User patterns lead me to believe so.

It's weird, when I worked in an office full time, I thought about different things I guess. Now that I work from home, for myself, the whole social media-sphere isn't irrelevant, but real life just takes priority and I find it much easier to take a backseat.

What I've noticed is that Twitter's peak times are office hours, when everyone is working. This I have no problem with, my ex-employers were very good about letting us use social media during office hours and I am sure most companies have adopted the same attitude, it's a part of society now, how could they not, right?

It just fascinates me to see people posting around 6 - 10 posts per hour during the week (they are quickly unfollowed btw) during work hours. Now I realise that it takes seconds to post a tweet, but one every ten minutes, that leaves VERY little space for productivity and opens a wide door of annoyance to me, inconvenient. Not that I've become anti-Twitter, completely the opposite, but I've just noticed the patterns and thought the proper thing to do was to share it with you.

What I don't like is how real life somehow plays second fiddle to our online personas, as a good friend always introduces me, "This is RickBosch from the internet." And the fact that people respond to that tells me that social media is the perfect tool for expanding and developing our personal networks, but what about people who broadcast their comings and goings as if they're a news provider?

I am pretty bad when it comes to playing on my phone, however, telling me that you're at the Old BIscuit Mill five times in an hour is just stupid. You're not adding value to anyone's life, not even your own, even though you may think you are. Put down your phone and enjoy a coffee with your friends you anti-social bastard.

I wish I could make huge generalisations regarding this matter, oh wait, it's my blog and I can do whatever the  hell I want. I think that people who tweet EXCESSIVELY from work are either stuck in jobs they hate or in professions that are as stimulating as finding parking in Long Street or Hell.

Secondly, if you post EXCESSIVELY during your own time, maybe you should do more exciting things with your time, things that will entertain you long enough to forget about the "e-verse" that is our social networking landscape. It's just a suggestion.

No one really cares that you've just eaten a pie, unless it was off the back of a migrating wildebeest.

Rick
Over.

What your tools say about you…

As a writer by trade, and passion (fortunately), I find myself thinking about the strangest things at the most bizarre hours. Like last night, I was all tucked up in bed and it struck me like the fright I get every single day when the Noon Gun goes off. (I am not new to the Noon Gun; I’ve just moved a LOT closer to it, gets me every. single. day.) So I was thinking last night, what do the tools you use for your technological fix say about you?

Actually, that’s not exactly what I thought, I thought this. (patience please)

There are two kinds of writers. Those with laptops and those who prefer desktop machines. This is where my dilemma struck, because I have both, and I use both. I thought to myself, “pick one, pick a favourite, get off the fence.” Alas, I could not.

Off the top of my head I can think of a few laptop kind of writers that I’ve seen on the telly. That girl who looks like a horse uses a laptop to do her writing on Sex and the City and I believe the bastard responsible for “XOXO” becoming a socially acceptable phrase also uses one. I can’t think of any others right now, but as you can see, we’re not off to a good start.

Now for the desktop, the old school I believe. Ugh, not much better here to be honest, the one glimmering light is Jerry’s first generation personal computer, which I don’t recall seeing any of the characters use in any of the series, wait, maybe once, vaguely. Ray from Everybody Loves Raymond (kakkest title for a show EVER, for obvious reasons) uses one too, and in an instant all of Jerry's progressive thinking is erased. 

Bummer.

So it seems I only have a horse-face, an uppity schmuck, Ray “I have the weirdest voice ever” Romano or Jerry Seinfeld to relate to television characters, pretty damn wild, but help me out can you think of any others?

Speaking of strange, no idea where this post came from, but it seemed important.

Rick

Over.

Heartbreak, violence and controlled aggression...

These, in my opinion, are the three most important traits of Mr Nick Cave. I've long been a fan of his work with the Bad Seeds and in more recent years, Grinderman. During my journey through the musical repertoire of Uncle Nick I also found his work pre-Bad Seeds with The Birthday Party.

I've only read his first book, And the Ass Saw the Angel, and as a writer he's as accomplished as any household name out there, if not as well known. He really is a wizard with words, an evil Gandalf if you will. Before you all comment telling about his second book, I know all about it, I just haven't gotten round to reading Cave's second mindfuck, but I will. Bunny Munroe seems like a dude I would like to get to know.

Cave's musical outputs are however what I want to talk about. The Birthday Party was a noisy, disjointed, post punk ensemble and delivered their music with a ferocity and energy that I've not really encoutered since. Keep in mind that this is from 1982 and from Australia. This is pretty crazy stuff, even I can admit that.

Here you go, Junkyard...



I must admit, I don't listen to the Birthday Party as much, but the Bad Seeds and Grinderman are two entirely different monsters.

From the first time I heard Murder Ballads (his seminal album in my humblest of opinions), I was intrigued by Cave. We share a fascination of the bizarre, the ultra violent and of course, love. Nick Cave writes a lot of love songs, but real love songs. They're twisted, warped and dark, but they're also brutally honest. Just the way I like it. Here's an example...



He's most known for his collboration with Kylie, if I would hazard a guess, but I think Grinderman may have the potential to overshadow his already supreme influence on the creative world. his albums with the Bad Seeds are crammed full of passive aggressive anger and more dark undertones than a Burzum record. However, Grinderman is his release from all of that. It's noisy, messy and crammed full of bad attitude. I can't get enough of it.

Proof for you...



So there you have it. If you like your music / reading matter dark and twisted, without it losing any of it's edge, Nick Cave is your man. He also wrote a film, The Proposition. So I can honestly say that I consider him a Jack of all trades, and he rips every single one to shreds, just like Stagger Lee fucked up that stupid barman. As you can find out below.



Rick.
Over.

Welcome 2011

I know, it's been a really long time since I've posted anything, and for that I apologise. Did you miss me? I am glad to report that 2011 has gotten off to an absolute flyer for me. Let me tell you what's what.

I've started a brand new job at the same company (I'm heading up our content department), I've bought a brand spanking new car and I generally feel pretty good about the prospects of 2011.

Ramfest is around the corner and as the premier rock and roll festival in the Western Cape, possibly the country (I will get back to you on that once I return from Oppikoppi in August) and I am incredibly stoked with the lineup.

It was early in the 2000's when we heard Alkaline Trio for the first time and they were the perfect band for that period in my life. I mean, I wrote my first car off whilst listening to "Good Mourning" for the first time. Port Elizabeth is not the most glamorous place to grow up, but the Trio made it a little better.

With more scream along friendly lyrics than a Human Rights protest, the Alkaline Trio were the soundtrack to a long period of my life and finally, they're coming to South Africa, and best of all, I only have to drive about 90 minutes to see them.

My favourite Hunter Thompson book, The Rum Diary, also hits the silver screen this year and it's just another reason that 2011 will rock. Death From Above 1979 are also reforming and performing at Coachella, and although I won't be there, it gives me hope for another album. One that will make many Top 10 lists come the end of 2011.

There may even be a new White Stripes album in the pipeline too, so lots to look forward to.

 I will be better at posting things this year, I hope, but for now this will have to do.

Rick.
Over.

Which album are you?

It's because of music that I started this blog. Somewhere deep inside, it's what I'm made of, little guitar solos and the bashing of drum kits. Sometimes just a smooth voice will do, on cold days one that's been matured in gin works better. In the summer it needs a splash of rock and roll, regardless of the time of year / day / night, music is a constant presence in my life.

Music helps us all get through the doldrums of our day to day strutting to and from work as well as the racing home on a Friday night to greet the weekend. Now, it may not move you to the same extent as a lighting storm does, but it can help you switch off for a split second in the midst of this entire "life" debacle. And in that brief moment, pictures can jump into focus, instantly.

There are only good reasons for music to exist, even though music often becomes associated with dark days of times past.

"It helps you get away from it all"

Love Won't Save You - Rain Machine

To me, music knows no bounds. We can't stop the juggernaught we've created. My musical education began with Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Sabbath, Chris Rea, Joe Cocker, Joe Jackson, etcetera etcetera. Back then, the cars looked as weird as some of the music sounded. They were clunky and heavy, but fuck it, some of them were beautiful, you just have to be selective and follow your instincts.

It reminds me of conversations with my old man about tunes and him unleashing tirades about "your generation this" and "you young kids that." And it's been a few months now, but this year, for the first time, I've noticed me thinking those same things. I'm getting old enough to see the generation gap between myself and the "next" generation and it's a little unnerving, but also gives me this sense of "I know so much crap you still have to learn."

And for someone, me, that really enjoys breathing in the crisp Cape Town air (although any old air will do) that freaked me out a little. Death has never and will never be one of my favoured topics of conversation, countless Seinfeld, Mighty Boosh, Black Books and Family Guy quotes require a lot attention to detail. Get you more laughs too.

Even though death sucks, it's been responsible for some of the most important and significant songs and albums ever recorded. Whether it's the subject matter of a single track, or the inspiration behind an entire album, misery loves company and sadness is the great writing companion.

That's how I see life, it's all one big dress rehearsal before your opening night. When a life ends, an album is born. Which album have you written? I'd like to think mine would be awesome and happy, but I'm pretty confident it would be noisy, hard to digest and appreciated by very few, but that's the whole point of the melodrama.

Write your own album, don't be part of what the world wants you to record.

Rick
Over.

Smoke

It's a cold, miserable night at the southern tip of Africa and the only thing keeping me from choking is the thick cloud of smoke surrounding me. I stare out across the city and her lights remind me of sitting in a plane, stuck in a holding pattern before landing at Heathrow. The city looks alive, bursting with promise, opportunity and despair.  From my perfect vantage point, I look out across the bay and smile at the hundreds of little red and white lights as they skilfully avoid the bigger, much brighter yellow ones. 

Then the air becomes hazy and the crisp, clear lights become blurred and for a brief moment, I feel like one of them. The stale whiskey taste lingers long after another drag of my cigarette is exhaled, but for some reason, I feel brighter, things are clear. Although her lights seem to be dimmed, I know it's simply a front, she's alive down there. She never sleeps, like me. 

We have a lot in common you and I, it's like I've known you my whole life.

Over

Rick

Volume III

So indie is in the mainstream now. Which results in the next part of my underground theory. Does becoming more famous affect the music negatively? And, quite possibly the most famous of all musical clichés, "I think the earlier stuff is better."

This is completely explainable by the way. Most of the time, when a band releases a debut album, it is on their own steam. This album when then become really popular, or maybe the second one will be. Then the band will be discovered by some record label trying to make a quick buck from it and kids, this will upset you. Because I have two examples. And I am pretty sure you're not going to like them.

Kings of Leon. Youth and Young Manhood was released and delivered 46 minutes worth of whiskey soaked southern drawl, set on fire with an energy hotter than a tight pair of leather trousers. I remained a fan, up until the release of "Only By Night". Where's the fire? Besides into all the sex that the band have been having with the hoards of groupies they gathered from the album? The spark disappeared and it hurt my feelings, it made for pretty dreary listening as well.

Muse is another great example of what I refer to as "The Decline." Showbiz and Origin of Symmetry were musically extraordinary, then came Absolution and Black Holes & Revelations which weren't too bad if I am honest, but then The Resistance happened. And all my respect for the band nearly vanished. I still have not managed to listen to the entire album.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is how an indie band becomes a mainstream band under normal circumstances, they change their style to be more "acceptable", but luckily, that is changing. Indie bands are being recognised for their musical prowess, or perhaps the world has grown tired of all the bollocks. Either way, I like the fact that it's all a lot more transparent now, it does make my life as a self confessed elitist a little harder, but what kind of prick would I be if I didn't enjoy a challenge?

Over
Rick

Part Deux...

I'm stoked that my earlier post garnered as much attention as it did, simply because this is exactly the kind of thing that I let occupy my thoughts for days on end. In the first post of this series, which it has become, I said that I think the underground is dead. Now, without getting to existential on all of you lovely people, I don't really know if that is true.

I mean, the bigger the tectonic plate, the bigger the cavern beneath it, right? I think the underground in it's traditional sense is for all intents and purposes, dead. It has instead transformed, like some hideous moth, to a fat worm with more heads than Medusa's do.

There are more genres than ever before, many of them complete crap in my opinion, which if you remember cannot be wrong. But I think once one delves into the "World of a Thousand Genres" there is some gold to be found. However, the underground isn't a single room full of music. The underground is a host of small caves scattered along the way, each room offering listeners something new, something exciting and sometimes it may even be terrifying.

This is where it gets a little more tricky. Exploring these caves has also become easier than wondering Cape Town's streets on Street View. So all of a sudden, is the "mainstream" in the minority? It could be possible, especially when I look at something like The Arcade Fire's splendid, Rococo sporting, album The Suburbs. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Albums Chart in the USA. Vampire Weekend's album, Contra was the first independently released album to top the charts upon release and that in itself is quite a fucking feat.

Think about it, no other indie bands have been able to do that. I love the Arcade Fire, I unfortunately - for them - dislike Vampire Weekend a lot. But the fact that these two could beat out Radiohead in the first week of album sales, tells me that the tide is turning. The time for thoughtless, mass produced music will continue, but fear not, we're winning. The good stuff is making it into the bigger picture.

The underground as one entity frightened me, but it's much easier to deal with in these little caverns. Maybe you'll find some gems, quite often you won't, either way, half the fun is the search anyway. But more on that next time. Feel free to use the below forum (comments section) to tell me what you think...

Over
Rick

Long live the underground.

Writing a blog post is a strange sensation. I still don't really know if what I am doing and writing is actually contributing positively to society, or actually contributing at all. I mean, we all have opinions, and because they're opinions, they cannot be wrong. They can be different, but never wrong.

It seems that every blogger, including me, covering the topic of music strives to be an individual, some succeed, some of them fail, but regardless of their success rate, each music writer is an elitist. Whether they like to admit it or not. Music fanatics are weird things, we're not built like everyone else. 

This brings me to what I wanted to rant about. I think the world's done a flip-flop, a topsy turvy, yes people, the world has officially gone tits up. I think the underground has gone mainstream. And I blame the Internet. Although, I also thank the Internet profusely. 

The World Wide Web has brought music from anywhere imaginable right to all of our doorsteps. I think that so many people subscribe to the ethos of "being an individual" that it's become the mainstream. It's become the norm, nobody wants to be like anyone else, except for those people who aim to be like some flavour of the week jackass in designer heels or a popped collar, but more importantly, it's true, the underground is dead. Long live the underground. 

It was so easy to be a musical elitist back then, finding something good that no-one had ever heard of wasn't too difficult if you knew where to look. But now, everyone is always looking and people, like me, are recommending you bands that aren't mainstream, we're spreading the word and shedding a little light on something people may not have had any insight into 5 years ago.

Fuckery, it was us. We perpetuated this, we took the underground and sacrificed it for our own satisfaction. We told the world about bands that were never meant for mass consumption. I am a little sad about the underground being dead and all, although, as resources increase and the Web grows, the underground could just be buried a little deeper than I am currently aware of. 

However, if it's still out there, trust me, I'll find it. For now though, I will bid you adieu old friend. It was always a pleasure. Consider yourself saluted.

Over

Rick

Two thirds almost down, 2011 rapidly approaching. Flippit.

So the year is flying by faster than enclosed stink, and I realised this morning that I’ve not posted a half yearly “let’s examine Rick’s world over the past three months” post. I will instead endeavour to summarise the last five months, that is the last time I posted a “wrap up” of any sorts. It has been a strange year, bizarre occurrences constantly boggling my mind, new music occasionally dazzling me and all the while, Cape Town becoming a bigger part of my existence.

So as regular readers will know, we were robbed earlier this year, but luckily I've started getting back onto the technology wagon, although I did manage to wash my iPod amidst an epic hangover last Sunday. So if anyone feels like buying me one for Xmas or just because, that would be sweet. For now I am making do with a 1 Gig iShuffle, a purple one, it does the job, but finding the right song to start your day on, especially for a music nut like me, is pretty damn difficult.

So what bands have come to the fore during the last five months of the year? I don't really remember, because these past few months have been absolutely manic. Luckily I have Last.fm to help me remember, the charts don't lie.

Soooo, apparently I've been super duper indie the past six months, TV on the Radio, Sunset Rubdown, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Wolf Parade, My Morning Jacket, The Black Keys, The Cramps, The Decemberists, Iran and Elliott Smith.

Besides three of these bands, the others have been in my collection for years, Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade and Iran however, have not. So this post will now take a turn towards what you all know has been coming, music. More importantly, one of the most, in my humblest opinion, important songwriters in recent memory.

I've raved about Spencer Krug in a couple of posts, thinking that I've done a whole post on him and I haven't. Very strange considering he's been responsible for my score of 2010. His bands have been on constant rotation, although I have not been as one track minded as usual, his efforts have stuck. I think if I could be in a band, we'd sound like Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade's bastard children. A little indie, a little noisy, but always sincere.

Krug's lyrics are pretty obscure, his stories fantastical, and his voice, regardless of the tempo or mood of the music can deliver as much angst, pain and joy (often all at once) as you are ever likely to hear. I love the fact that while he delivers these wonderful stories, he still manages to experiment with a wide variety sounds and instruments. Too many bands focus on one or the other, lyrics or music. And depending on the band and their sound, that is okay, but mostly bands fail in one of the departments, that however doesn't make them bad bands, it just doesn't make them great. Something I think both Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown are. I hope Krug continues to release records while becoming the next Robert Pollard.

As the year carries on, we need an album of the year, my top ten for 2010 so far would be...in no particular order...

Wolf Parade - Expo 86
Menomena - Mines
Liars - Sisterworld
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster - Blood & Fire
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Les Savy Fav - Root For Ruin
Against Me! - White Crosses
Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

If you can get hold of any (or all) of these, do. It's been a great year for music. I don't have anything smart to sign off with, I also realise that their are no links in the post, but think about it, when you read your favourite book, did it have links in? No it didn't. Exactly.

Over.
Rick.

My journey home last night.

I drove home last night and it was fucking bucketing down. At the traffic lights I realised I needed petrol or would potentially have to make an awkward "Please come get me" phonecall and being a man, I thought, fuck that. So I went to the nearest Engen, drew some bucks and popped some gasoline in my car's tank.

Then the shit really hit the fan. To get home the normal way I had to make a right out of the petrol station, but because of the weather and everyone's forgetting how to drive I could not. Alas, I made a reluctant left, knowing that the simple act of going to the "other right" would cost me 15 minutes and plenty of hairy moments on my drive home. Why hairy I hear you screaming at the screen? Well, because I then have to drive past 3 additional intersections, big ones, in the pissing rain. It was like movie rain. And my lights only work on dim (setting lower than normal) and brights. I turned on the brights, I am sure people didn't like it.

I nearly got hit by a truck crossing over three lanes and during my evasive manoeuvre I nearly took out some poor idiot on a motorcycle. "Jesus", I thought, "why the fuck would you get on that two-wheeled coffin in this madness?" and the thought quickly slipped my mind, because biker got left behind and I continued home. After the additional intersections the drive went smoothly and got home in no time. Traffic out of town was horrific, I pointed and laughed at the swine caught in it! "Fucking swine!" I said.

It's almost time...

I’ve long been fascinated by American Football. I like the ferocity, I like the 120 (on average) explosions per game when the 22 guys on the field attempt to rip each other’s faces off. Its intensity is not too different from our rugby and I have recently watched a couple of football themed, based on true events, kind of movies. This got me thinking about cultures, lifestyles, struggles and conquering insurmountable odds.

I went to school in rugby country. I did not play rugby. This was frowned upon and I had earrings and was from the “city”. Needless to say, I was a bit of an outsider and I liked it. High school was awesome; the way people carried on about rugby however, was not. It was all that mattered. The only achievements recognised were those achieved by the first rugby team.

This reminds me of Friday Night Lights, a film (and television show more addictive than Nik-Naks) that depicts the struggles of a small Texas town and its football team. It’s not all that different to Somerset East, the little town where I spent those five glorious years. There was abundant racism, obvious favouritism and a sense of unrivalled pride. I hated rugby, and if the Boks aren’t playing I still don’t care much for it, but when our team ran out onto the field the stands would erupt and for those 60 minutes we were all one team. We felt every tackle, we cheered every point and we did all this on a Saturday. Madness I tell you.

This got me thinking about the World Cup and the struggles we’ve been through together in this country to have gotten to this point. Folks, in case it hasn’t sunk in, we’re hosting a World Cup. Never have we seen this kind of exposure, never has the magnifying glass been closer. It’s so close that I can smell my hair singeing.
We’ve overcome immense tragedy and injustice to be where we are and I truly believe that when it’s all said and done we’ll be a better nation for it. We pioneered some pretty insane concepts and did some awful things to good people, but now, when the world is watching we need to step up. We need to show that we’re not just some little country at the southern tip of Africa.

This is the calm before the storm, we’re on the stands and the first team is in the change room chanting away. We’re all waiting, we’re all anxious and the anticipation is deafening. When the tournament kicks off the stands will erupt, the lights will be brighter than ever and for those 30 days the World Cup will be the only thing that matters. Just like a Friday night in American High School football or a Saturday afternoon in the “Platteland”.

Time will stand still and when we collectively exhale when the insanity comes to an end, the world will be blown away.

Dear robbers, Fuck you.

Cape Town is an awesome place to live. Until you get a phone call at work, “Rick, we’ve been robbed, they took everything.” Now ‘everything’ is a little extreme considering they only took our high end electronics, laptops, Xbox360, fuck off big TV, you know the drill, but it was all the nice stuff. That is the way my three day week started – on a major bummer. This is my message to the badly-bred swine that carried our shit out the front door on Wednesday morning.

Firstly, I would like to thank you for being considerate enough to visit us while we were at work. I don’t deal with awkward situations very well, and bumping into you could’ve been more awkward than being caught ‘on the job’, by your mum. This would most likely have involved violence, being Africa and all, so I am glad we avoided that. I don’t like fighting and my witty (yet scathing) remarks would’ve done little, but more likely no, damage.

Secondly, fuck you, and not in a polite “oh ha ha” kind of way -in an abrasive, angry and downright loathing kind of way. I am not sad that you stole our shit, I am angry. I worked damn hard to save enough cash for those little dashes of luxury and leisure and you waltz into the house, in broad day light, and decide what I get to keep? Who the fuck do you think you are? I am pretty sure not even your mother loves you.

And that sucks for you, because mums are awesome. They spoil you, they make sure you never feel alone or kak and you, you second hand slab of incest and illiteracy, have none of these things, but touché douche bag, because you have my Xbox360. Or at least you did.

Thirdly, to the guy that buys it, that console is the tits, be nice to it, because I am sending 9 different kinds of bad karma its way. So sit well back, you never know what could happen. And I doubt I can be held responsible for mind-bullets. Last time I checked they were untraceable.

So that is my ranting and raving done, time to get on with shit you know. It’s a bummer and it makes me so angry, but at least there are some positives to take from this (two years ago there is NO WAY I would’ve said that) and lessons have been learnt, so kids, learn from mine.

Don’t buy stolen shit. You fuel the fire that is my inconvenience.

Over
Rick

Some mad, and beautiful lyrics...

I love The Mars Volta, always have and I always will, I think. Although, this song off the debut really does send shivers through me.


"Just as he hit
The ground
They lowered a tow that
Stuck in his neck to the gills
Fragments of sobriquets
riddle me this
three half eaten corneas
who hit the aureole
Stalk the ground
Stalk the ground
You should have seen
The curse that flew right by you
Page of concrete
Sting walks crutch in hobbled sway
Auto-da-fé

A capillary hint of red
Only this manupod
Crescent in shape has escaped
The house half the way
Fell empty with teeth
That split both his lips
Mark these words
One day this chalk outline will circle this city
Was he robbed of the asphalt that cushioned his face
A room colored charlatan
Hid in a safe
Stalk the ground
Stalk the ground
You should have seen
The curse that flew right by you
Page of concrete
Sting walks crutch in hobbled sway
Auto-da-fé
A capillary hint of red
Only this manupod
Crescent in shape has escaped

Pull the pins
Save your grace
Mark these words
On his grave

You should have seen
The curse that flew right by you
Page of concrete
Sting walks crutch in hobbled sway
Auto-da-fé
A capillary hint of red
Everyone knows the last toes are
Always the coldest to go."


The Mars Volta are one of my favourite "winter" bands. Yes, I have seasonal bands that I listen to. More on this in another post...soon. I promise.


over.