Author: smackyjackjack

Arrested Development

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There are few shows that have been as amazing as Arrested Development.

Of course, shows like The Simpsons have been better all around, but there hasn’t been a show, in my opinion, as smart as Arrested Development.

The show is entirely based around the Bluths, a upper class family that is having a financial meltdown. The one member of the family that tries to keep them all together is played by Jason Schwartzman.

The show has an amazing cast (another one of the best parts of the show).

The only bad part about it is that it only had three seasons. That was not nearly enough. There had been rumors forever about a movie being made of the show, but that never happened.

Now, the show is being revived for a fourth season. It will be aired exclusively on Netflix.

Let’s just say I know what I’ll be doing during finals week.

Duane Allman

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There are those who spend their whole lives trying to be great.

There are those who die young and are remembered for their contributions to this planet.

Then there’s Duane Allman.

By all accounts, Duane Allman’s measly 24 years on this planet should not have built up to much. But he managed to become one of the most influential guitar players in history…a couple of years out of high school.

Duane Allman has, obviously, played for the Allman Brother Band. He also backed greats such as Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton (who was quoted as calling Allman his soulmate in terms of guitar playing), Wilson Pickett, King Curtis and Derek and the Dominoes.

He became the sound of American Soul before anyone knew who he was. Sadly, he died in a motorcycle crash before he became the next Jimi Hendrix.

Duane Allman isn’t the best guitarist of all time, or my favorite. But if I could sound like any guitar player ever, it would definitely be him. He has more soul than some sort of soul machine. Just listen to this song he played with Clapton.

There’s Always Something

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As everyone generally feels, junior year is the hardest year in high school. Well, they don’t tell you about senior year.

While it’s true that academically this has been by far my easiest year, applying to colleges has been one of the most stressful things I’ve had to do all high school long.

I figured I’d know where I’m going by the hard deadline most schools set of May 1st as a reply date.

Well I was wrong about that.

I just figured it out on Thursday, and that choice is Chapman University (or more specially Dodge College).

Okay, so now I’m done.

Well, no.

I still have to figure out housing, classes and worst of all…finances.

Applying for financial aid is an ordeal in itself. Because after grants and scholarships come the dreaded student loans. Those are going to stack up. All I can say is that I hope I have a damn good job when I leave college or those are going to stay with me for a while.

Charley Patton

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Last Wednesday, or Ocho De Mayo, I got three albums of the partial anthologies of Blind Willie McTell, The Mississippi Sheiks and Charley Patton. All three of these artists are absolute blues legends that were instrumental in creating modern music.

One of these legends, Charley Patton, was perhaps the most influential of them all.


While I was listening to his album recorded entirely in 1929, I started to read his biography on the back of the album.

First of all, he recorded his biggest hit, Pony Blues, when he was only 19.

Secondly, no one knows when he was born or what race he was. Some people say he was fully African-American and others say he was part Cherokee.

Thirdly, and most importantly of all, he taught some of the other biggest blues players of his time.

Son House, Robert Johnson and Chester Burnett (AKA Howlin Wolf) were just some of the names who he taught how to play guitar.

I for one, am very, very grateful to Document records and Third Man for bringing some of these guys back into the mainstream to be appreciated by more and more people than ever. This is music that should be appreciated by everyone that appreciates music.

Violence

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So, as I’m writing this, I’m finishing watching the excruciatingly long “Django Unchained“. Before this movie, I’ve been somewhat okay with Quentin Tarantino’s overly violent films, but this one is just absolutely ridiculous. However, the reason I didn’t like it wasn’t because the script was written by a five year old or because the acting was probably the worst I have ever seen, it was because of the unfathomably ultra-violent content.

Just watch this scene from Django Unchained and tell me if it doesn’t make you a little uneasy.

Viewers Discretion is Advised

I can’t begin to imagine why anyone would be into movies like Django, Saw or any of the other modern movies that rely on violence to draw a crowd. Movies like Django are only memorable because you see gunfights where the blood rains down in the scene and makes it impossible to see what’s happening, or scenes where naked hillbillies get their junk blown off.

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Yeah So That Didn’t Go Well

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So my last blog, “The End”, was basically about how all the Lakers needed to do was just lose their next game and everything would be okay.

Well, they even screwed that up.

Not only did the Lakers lose, but they did it in a terrible fashion.

About 20 minutes into the game, Howard fouled out, probably intentionally. Now, being a loser in a professional sport comes with the expectation that you won’t be a baby and that you’ll lose with some sort of dignity.

Well, Howard screwed that up.

After fouling out and leaving his team to basically be a bunch of dying fish trying to make their way to some kind of water, he got into an argument with the ONE person he shouldn’t have.

No it wasn’t D’Antoni, and it wasn’t Jerry Buss’ kids either. It was Mitch Kupchak. Yes, that’s right, after intentionally leaving the court during a playoff game, the little punk Howard got into an argument with the Lakers’ General Manager.

There isn’t really a whole lot for me to say about that, other than let’s just hope he can clean up his act this summer, or that was a LOT of money down the drain.

The End

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As this article in the LATimes said, the Lakers’ season cannot end soon enough.

They couldn’t be more right. Plagued by injuries and drama, the Lakers have utterly failed at having a good season.

Probably the most hyped season in recent Laker history has turned out to be just an utter failure. In last night’s loss to the Spurs, the Lakers showed that if they don’t get their stuff together this summer, they may not have a great future in basketball.

With Kobe out, things don’t look too great. He might not  ever come back, which would be catastrophic for the Lakers. However, knowing Kobe, I’m sure he will. At least for one more season.

Luckily, Dwight Howard is looking like he’s going to stay in LA for at least one more season. This gives the Lakers something to build off of. If at least nothing else.

However, one thing is definitely for sure, the next game cannot be over soon enough. It’s one last humiliation that the Lakers are going to have to face before they can restart.

Life Outside School

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I don’t know about any of you, but I get very anxious having to stay in one place all the time.

I know I can’t really complain though, because unlike a lot of you, I’m not a boarding student, but still. Especially recently, I’ve wanted to leave school for a while and travel to as many places as I can to just get away from the normal routine.

So what better timing could be possible than leaving the day after Prom to go to Guatemala with my friends for a bit longer than a week?

I’ve already been down there, having flown into Honduras first. Let me just say, that I’m very glad we aren’t flying back into San Pedro Sula this time. We felt like there was a weird vibe that time we were there. It could have been the graffiti that said “Gringos Asesinos” or just the generally weird looks we got walking down the street. But it was probably the statistic that that was the most dangerous city…on the planet.

But Guatemala is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. Traveling to different places is my favorite thing to do, the more different the better.

And what better of a place to stay than the amazing Tortugal river lodge? Honestly, even though I’ve only stayed there once, this place is one of my favorite places on the planet.

Who knows what awesome things we’ll see this time. All I know is that I’ll have something to blog about when I get back. Which is good because I’m running out of ideas.

Third Man

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Honestly, I don’t see how I’ve gone this long without doing some sort of blog about Jack White and Third Man Records, so let me just start it by stating (or understating) that Jack White is my hero, so just about everything he does is awesome.

Third Man Records is the label that Jack White started in Nashville as a way to basically bring back the blues into the modern era.

One of the things Third Man has in their store that is extremely awesome is the reissue of the anthology of Blind Willie Mctell (one of the greatest guitar players ever), Charlie Patton and the Mississippi Sheiks (one of the first rock n roll bands ever). This is an awesome way to make sure that Delta Blues stays in our culture forever. This is some of the best music ever recorded, I highly recommend you all go check it out.

One of the acts signed to TMR is the incredible and unique Seasick Steve. Seasick Steve…well…he knows what he’s doing. One of his guitars only has three strings, while another one, that he made out of a broom stick and pie pan, has only one. Check him out if you like slide.

Some other artists that are or have been signed to TMR are the Alabama Shakes, Reggie Watts, Beck and Pokey Lafarge (check him out he’s awesome).  But above all else, just go  look around the website here, and you’ll be opening a door to some amazing music.

Little Kim

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Poor North Koreans.

Not only do they have to live in a state of complete dictatorship and just a pure totalitarian nightmare, but they think it’s a good idea to keep showing off their nuclear arsenal and taunting America and it’s allies.

This whole situation is so ridiculous.

Yes, I see that America is pretty close to last on the list of countries with good international relations *cough* Abu Ghraib! *cough*, but who in their right minds think that nuclear war is a good thing to get started?

Well, apparently this guy does.

Mr. Un, I’m sorry, but the US is capable and ruthless enough to convert your country to ash within about an hour. Yes, that’s pretty messed up, but that is a definite possibility if you take one more step in the direction of nuclear war again, it might be time to get out of Dodge.