It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

I gotta say this is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. It's about four fuck ups that work in a bar and the trouble they get into. Three of the stars created and write the show. Topics include abortion, racism, sexism, religion, transsexuality, slavery, war, sexual harassment, cancer, homelessness, and drugs... lots of drugs. In fact, there is more drug use and humor in this show than anything I've ever seen. The characters somehow always find a reason to get hooked on crack, meth, glue, cocaine, seditives, LSD, and more. The episode where Danny Devito doses Charlie and he becomes the Green Man is a classic. You can tell by the writing these people trip. Charlie Day has got to be one of the funniest characters ever. They shot the pilot themselves for 85$, the FX Network saw it and signed up for a season. Devito saw it, loved it, and came on as the bar owner in season 2. This is a show that gets funnier as you get to know the characters better. I know most people hate sitcoms, or TV in general, but this one is worth watching, renting, or even buying.

Celebrity Madness

The Potion Lords went to the Grove to see No Country for Old Men. Great movie. On the way out I noticed a nicely dressed girl with short blond hair and a really nice ass. She was walking in front of us with some dude. Just before we walked out the front door of the theater I noticed it was Paris Hilton. Ut oh. Cameras starting flashing, paparazzi started scrambling, yelling, and running. They cornered her and she couldn't go anywhere until security came over and escorted her to the parking lot. I'd never seen that sort of thing happen right in front of me. It was weird. The camera guys were menacing and obsessive and the overall vibe was not cool. What a crazy life she has. Just trying to take in a Coen Brothers film on a Monday night just like everyone else and she has to deal with those wackos. It took her 5 minutes to walk like 100 feet. She could barely move because they kept jumping in front of her. Below is picture from the fiasco.

A while back I ran into David Lynch at the Grove. That was pretty amazing. He was on his way into a restaurant with a young girl and his coat was tattered with holes in it. He looked like a real character in person.

Warrens Song of the Month.

Here it is.

Ketamine Brothers: After The Final Rose

New mixes are finally available! Its been 9 months since we did any recording. Here are a few hours of our November 7th set at the Arsenal.

Ketamine Brothers Live: After The Final Rose Mix Part One

Ketamine Brothers Live: After The Final Rose Mix Part Two

Ketamine Brothers DJ every Tuesday and Thursday at AC Lounge, 2819 Pico in Santa Monica. Also at the Arsenal in west LA every Wednesday. And every fourth Thursday at Mountain Bar for the Cradle to the Rave party.

Here is another one from November 21st. Its a house mix:
Ketamine Brothers Live at the Arsenal November 21st 2007.

Eraserhead

Tim, Alex, and I saw the midnight screening of David Lynch's debut feature, Eraserhead, tonight at the Nuart. The film debuted there in 1977 and played every weekend for seven years. It took Lynch five years to film it, mostly at the American Film Institute here in Los Angeles. The film is an uncompromised vision of self expression dealing with the darkest parts of human exsistence. Using subconcious archetypes and surreal images, Lynch presents themes and ideas concerning sex, creativity, birth, alienation, and the grotesque. Any interpretation is a worthy one, Lynch has never openly discussed the film in depth. Tim found it angnst riden, the work of a young man coming into himself and "sheding his clown suit." He saw it as an exorcism of the disturbed and isolated parts of the mind. The sound and music is absolutly incredible, constantly creating a tone that is downright heavy. The title is an interesting idea and metaphor. Tim saw the eraser looking head of the disturbed protaganist Henry as negative, representitive of the force that erases the creative spirit. I saw it as the idea of eraseing all rational thought and everything you ever knew from your mind to make way for The Other to rear its unknown head. Fans of this film include Mel Brooks (hired Lynch to direct Elephant Man after seeing it), Stanley Kubrick (he used to screen it in his house for friends), Terrence Malik (tried to raise funding for it), and Charles Bukowski (one of the only films he deemed worth watching.) This is Lynchs dreamy vision of one mans Hell on earth and, as he says, his most "spiritual movie."

Rub n Tug

Rub n Tug did there 3rd party in Los Angeles on Saturday. If you're not familar with them, they are a DJ duo consisting of Thomas Bullock and Eric Duncan. Thomas came from England in 1991 and was the 'crazy one' in the legendary San Francisco psychedelic dance music crew Wicked. He has produced many styles of music over the years under the names Mammal, Mirror Boys, and Otterman Empire. Also, in the groups A.R.E. Weapons, Bobbie Marie, 3 Wheels Out, No Hassle From the Man, Supergroup, and Map of Africa. Eric is a DJ from LA that hooked up with Thomas in New York and started throwing parties in an old massage palor, hence the name Rub n Tug. They have made some of the best dance music ever by remixing a variety of artists. At this weekends party they played harder and deeper than usual, focusing on house and techno with a good dose of disco and 60's rock. When the sun came up at around 6 they broke out the weird eclectic tunes like So Happy Together by The Turtles and played them for an hour or so. That was the best part. Thomas dropped their classic mix of Sly Mongoose right towards the end and people went nuts. They were working the volume knobs from silence to full blast to emphasize different parts. Classic. It seemed like a bigger turnout than last time, maybe words got around a bit. The amazing photo above of Thomas was taken by Rob Derba. Listen to some of their mixes here.

Warren's Song of the Month

Warren has classic songs to revive at our DJ gigs come to him in dreams. So here is the first song in a new series. Hear this and more at our weekly gig at the Arsenal in west LA every Wednesday 8 till 1am. 12012 Pico.

10 Absolute Disco Classics

Hmmmm... You thought you didnt like disco? Thought it was all about the BeeGees and Saturday Night Fever? Wrong. That was bullshit. Disco was an underground counter culture party movement that changed the world. It was open minded, open armed, psychedelic, and just about every good thing you can think of. It certainly didnt matter what you wore or how rich you were. Anyway, to learn more read Tim Lawrence's book, Love Saves the Day, A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979. In the end, it's all about the music. Here are 10 classic jams. Click on the song title to hear them.

1. I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl) (Larry Levan Mix) by Instant Funk

Between the deepness of the bass tone and the kick drum, lies open space that propels the tune into sonic perfection. This is funk. Deep dance music. If you listen to the original, then Larrys mix, you will realize the danceloor genius of Levan.

2. Let's Start The Dance by Hamilton Bohannon

Lets start the dance. This song will make people move no matter what. Unbelievable vocals, crazy arrangements, i dont even know what to write. Just an estatic tribute to life.

3. Disco Circus by Martin Circus

How the hell did he make this music? There are so many voices and melodies it sounds like raving maniacs escaped the circus to make a dance record... When the famous, sampled many times over, da da do do do voices come in, watch out. Psychedelic in a merry prankster way. There is a rare 14 minute version out there somewhere but this is the 8 minute Francois K edit.

4. Thinking of You by Sister Sledge

My favorite track off an amazing record that gave us some of discos most famous tunes like We Are Family and He's the Greatest Dancer. Thinking of You is a ballad, a very funky and beautiful ballad. Chic does the music and the Sledge sisters get super soulful. My favorite love song ever.

5. Try It Out by Gino Soccio

Not sure what to write about this one either. Its got a great message, an incredible bass line, horns, and arrangements. It has never left my record bag since I bought it and I always reach for it whenever the party is at its peak.

6. Let No Man Put Asunder by First Choice

To hear a record like this that was recorded so well to tape in the seventies played on vinyl on a good sound system is an experience you won't soon forget. It sounds so fucking good. If you have only heard recordings like this that have been digitized, come over and let me play this for you. Recorded at the classic Sigma Sound Studios in Philly.

7. Somebody Else's Guy by Jocelyn Brown

A slow groovy jam about being cheating on. She has such an incredible voice that can also be heard on Cerrone's classic Hooked On You. The thing that gets me is when the chorus of different voices sing with her. This is a remix version on Prelude.

8. Don't Make Me Wait by Peech Boys

Also known as NYC Peech Boys, after legal threats from the Beach Boys, this Larry Levan produced group made a number of classics like Stay With Me and Life Is Something Special. I included this mellower tune because it shows the sublety of the nuanced groove that Levan was producing in the early 80's.

9. Stand On The Word by Joubert Singers

This was a gospel tune by The First Baptist Church Of Crown Heights that Tony Humpries either added music to or re-recorded everything for his mix. The first version was first circulated by legendary mixer Walter Gibbons. Pure joy. Best Song Ever. Almost makes me believe...

10. Keep On by D-Train

This is what is up. A loft classic. An anthem. "The sky is the limit and you know you can have what you want, be who you want..."