This song by Green Day is quickly becoming my favorite song right now and possibly of 2009.  David Letterman has always been good to Green Day and I think he really likes them too.  He has said that Foo Fighters are his favorite band to perform on his show, but I think Green Day is up there too.

Unfortunately, I can’t remember who posted this video, but it’s a funny one with Green Day talking with Access Hollywood of all people, backstage at the American Music Awards that took place on November 22, 2009.

The holiday season is upon us, and especially now that Thanksgiving has passed, you start realizing all the good and the bad time. And most of all, you start thinking about your family.

My co-worker just came back from Baltimore, after spending some time with his family for Thanksgiving. This was the first time in 10 years since he had been home, and he had alot to share. You start thinking of how thankful you are for your family.  For the ones that God has chosen out for you, and even for the ones that you were fortunate enough to pick for yourself.

I’m thankful for this label, and for this new family that has grown because of this label. I am thankful for my job, my health, the friends I’ve made, and the friends that are long gone from my life. I am thankful for my beautiful son, and my wonderful, sexy husband. I am thankful for many things, but I think one of the many things that people forget about is there family. Family made you who YOU are.

My co-worker came to NY a few years ago. And he doesnt get to spend alot of time with his family. His family consist of us,…his co-workers!

He was gone for a week from work, and when he came back, he had alot to talk about. The main reason I actually paid attention to what he was saying, is because he was talking about his sister.

The conversation came up when a Taylor Swift song came on. Taylor Swift likes to promote herself as a country artist, but I don’t buy it. But nonetheless she is a talented artist. My co-worker, said that he was surprised that his sister was really into country. And the thing that really sparked my interest was when he said

“I can’t believe she’s into country. You know, I think it might be a phase. Who likes country anymore?”

And than it hit me. What happens if she really DOES like country, but because HE doesn’t like country, it’s weird. Now hear me out, every person is different. We are all entitled to our own taste. Now my preference is not country, but does that mean it’s wrong?

Hiphop is NOT my preference either, but growing up, I’ve learned to go ahead and give it a shot. Gimme Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, 98 Degrees, Britney Spears, GreenDay, Linkin Park ANY DAY and i will be the happiest little camper on site.

But HipHop is not half bad.

Is music just really a phase in someone’s life? Does the type of music you listen to, really define what type of person you are? Your attitude towards life? Why are some people quick to judge based on the music you hear?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bashing my co-worker on his taste of music, but I am curious to know,

If you’re on the train, and you hear someone BLASTING Keith Urban, music. Are you going to assume they are white with blonde hair, blue eyes, etc? Or if they’re BLASTING some Aventura? Does that mean that they’re automatically Dominican or Spanish? Or how about Jay Sean? Are they considered Indian? What happens if I’m bopping my head to some JTrain, would people assume I’m black?

Really gets you thinking right??

I am thankful for freedom of speech. I am thankful that with the many genres of music, we could go in and out of phases all the time. Maybe country isn’t for me, but at one point, the lyrics/beat that country had, probably did work out for me.

What do you think?

Happy Holidays

TTYL

NH <3

¡¡NOVEDADES!!

A primeros de diciembre llega la nueva versión de 21 guns.

Si si, Green Day se encuentra en estos momentos en Estados Unidos, preparando una nueva versión de su segundo sencillo 21 guns del actual disco  21 Century Breakdown.
Esta nueva producción del segundo single, está siendo producida por Billie Joe Armstrong, vocalista y líder de la banda. Para finales de noviembre y primeros de diciembre, se plantea lanzar este nuevo sencillo como single digital.  Al mismo tiempo, se encuentra elaborando el video de esta nueva versión contando con la presencia de los participantes del musical American Idiot producido por Michael Mayer.
Este musical está basado en el disco que la banda publicó en el año 2004 y con el que logró renacer tras cinco años de silencio y volver a retomar la carrera de premios y trofeos con los que siempre se les ha caracterizado. El musical American Idiot se estrenó en septiembre en Berkeley y ha tenido tal éxito que se prevé que para el año que viene se estrene en, nada más y nada menos, que en Broadway.
Y es que para la banda California, la canción 21 guns, le ha llevado a hacerse con varios premios como el del Disco de Platino por el sencillo, o 3 MTV Video  en los Music Awards 2009 del pasado septiembre, incluyendo también el del Mejor Video Rock y a la Mejor Cinematografía.
En cuanto salga este sencillo digital, os lo adelantaré, así que permanecer atentos. ¡Lo bueno se hace esperar!

Den nya versionen av 21 Guns är den absoluta stora nyheten! Men det jag inte visste var att den versionen av spelats in tillsammans med medlemmarna i den kommande American Idiot musikalen! Musikalen får premiär någon gång nästa år medans 21 Guns ska komma ut i slutet av November, jag lägger ut den när den finns ute officiellt.

Always thinking out of the punk-rock box, Green Day is re-recording their hit “21 Guns” with the cast of the American Idiot musical, in addition to shooting a brand new music video for the song featuring the cast. (No word if all the cast members will start making out in the middle of the vid.) The digital recording will be available in late November, and the highly-praised musical (which we thought was freaking awesome) is heading to Broadway in the not-so-distant future. Trailer for the rock opera after the jump—it’s a helluva lot louder than Showboat, we’ll tell ya that much:

SPÄNNANDE! <3 <3

Rösta här! för People Choice Awards 2010

Nomineringar för 2010! (Du kan inte rösta) Besök Billboard.com

De känns som om det år jättelångt kvar till 2010! men det faktum är att det bara är 32 dagar kvar…hehe

Green Day reemerged from its five-year break with a brand new rock opera-style song cycle called “21st Century Breakdown,” which sent the pioneering pop punk band back to the top of the Billboard 200 the week it was released. “Breakdown” gave the band its second chart-topper, following 2004’s “American Idiot,” its celebrated breakthrough that saw the Bay Area-based ban take home two Grammys – Best Rock Album in 2005 and Record of the Year in 2006. Now, with a stage musical version of “American Idiot” headed to Broadway, Green Day may add to its Grammy collection.

Källa: The home of Green Day

Vill du höra Green Day i andra låtar än deras egna?? Här kommer ett gäng…

We are the champions, Fucking beautiful

Eye of tiger & You shook me all night long, inte så långa.

Eye of tiger, ???

Jingle bells, sweet!

Irei fazer a 7ª edição então sem mais delongas ai vai:

I was feeling a bit nostalgic and going over some music from my school days …. Ahhhh Memories.

And Finally One Lesbian-Loved Song To Make Rome Feel Happy :

If you have any more suggestions and were passed the 90’s in your formative years feel free to suggest! Nothing like a trip down memory lane.

Of, of…
Ieri am fost la shooting foto cu inca niste colegi pentru nu stiu ce bannere de Craciun care sa promoveze universitatea din Sibiu. Normal ca m-am bucurat ca am fost remarcata (poate a fost si noroc cu noua mea tunsoare. Da, m-am tuns si toti au picat in fund cand m-au vazut, asa de mult a placut!). Na… si ne-au dus la Paltinis la cabana ULBS-ului si acolo ne astepta un brad impodobit, un covor pufos, pereti in lemn si un foc de vatra. Era superb, era atmosfera aia din filmele de Craciun. Langa brad erau puse cutii de cadouri cu fundite… Doamne cat mi-a placut. A venit pro-rectorul sa pozeze cu noi. A venit un fotograf profesionist, ne-a aranjat pe acolo… Noi a trebuit sa venim frumos imbracati si sa facem o poveste intre personajele din poze. Adica sa fie o relatie intre ele, sa nu fie ca mamelucii.
Am vazut fotografiile doar pe aparat, inca nu le-am primit, dar din cate am vazut eu, au iesit genial!
Am inteles ca o sa fie bannere mari prin oras cu noi. Hm, oau!
Dupa ce am terminat sesiunea, ne-au pus la masa, ne-au dat si felu’ 1, si felu’ 2, si dulciuri, si sucuri, vin, de toate. A fost ca de Craciun. Mi-am petrecut Craciunul cu colegii mei, haha.
Nici nu mai vroiam sa plec de acolo, atata mi-a placut de mult.
Pe drum inapoi m-am gandit si mi-am dat seama ca eu acum fac tot ce imi doream eu candva si nu credeam ca se va implini vreodata… Sunt la actorie, facem un spectacol de Craciun care include si muzica si dans (cum sa nu imi placa asa ceva, ca e aproape ca un musical?!), cam cum vezi in filme, facem dansul Craciunitelor, tot cum vezi in filme, mai pregatim inca un spectacol (da Doamne sa fie bine!), mai suntem chemati si la shooting foto… si-o sa aparem pe bannere…
Cred ca ar trebui sa-mi amintesc de astea mai des… Desigur… niciodata nu e de ajuns. Intotdeauna mai vrei cate ceva, intotdeauna te visezi mai sus, mai departe… Da’ ce faci cand ajungi si acolo? Ce faci cand iti atingi visu’? Iti implinesti destinu’ si atata ti-a fost… Sau na, nu stiu, poate nu-i chiar asa tragic.
Da, imi dau seama ca am multe… si nu stiu daca gresesc cand spun ca as vrea mai mult… Dar vreau mai mult. Si vreau sa fiu in locul ala pe care l-am visat de cand ma stiu… Si nu stiu daca anul asta va fi posibil. Sau poate va fi, daca trebuie sa fie acum. Toate la timpul lor. Cred ca am invatat si sa astept… asta e ceva e acum un an sau doi nu concepeam. De ce sa astepti cand ai putea sa ai totul de-a gata?
Visul meu ce a renascut prin septembrie la sfarsit (parca suna a “Wake me up when September ends”!) e inca aici… Si va mai fi, si nu se va stinge pana nu-l voi implini… Stiu ca nimic nu-mi garanteaza ca il voi implini anul asta sau la anul sau cine stie cand…
Ca am mentionat de “Wake me up when september ends”, pe care o ascultam in adolescenta… acum cateva seri vorbeam cu o colega pe mess si ne trimiteam poze din tineretile noastre… M-am uitat peste poze de-ale mele de acum cativa ani si mi-am dat seama cat m-am putut schimba de mult… Si prin ce etape am trecut. E ca si cum n-ar fi fost… Nu inteleg de ce am impresia asta… Parca am trait de cand ma stiu aici, printre colegii mei de la Sibiu. Chestia e ca nu-ti pot ramane indiferenti niste oameni pe care-i vezi in fiecare zi, de dimineata pana seara. Chiar am ajuns ca o familie… desi, se spune, trecem acum printr-o criza. Eu nu inteleg unde e criza. Nici ceilalti nu au inteles-o… Dupa aia am auzit din toate partile ca ar fi criza si culmea e ca am inceput si noi sa credem. Deci, cum e si criza in lume: totul e psihologic. Eu una sunt mult mai deschisa si ma simt foarte bine in clasa.
Whatever… am multe de spus… si am spus destule pana acum. Maine merg acasa…

Part II of AJ Ramirez’ exploration of Dookie is now up at Popmatters.com. Go on over and leave some comments to get the conversation about this album going! The post includes a slightly out-of-sync performance of “Having a Blast” from 1993 as well.

Passa på att handla in Green Day skivor på Cdon! Just nu är det rabatt, vet inte hur länge det varar. Så passa på…NU!

Klicka här! för att se vilka/vilka album du kan tänkas köpa.

Själv vill jag handla in Dookie, Bullet in a bible (eller…ALLA!)

Denna bild är så himla fin! Love it <3

Ett fint litet bildspel med massa nyheter! (Sorry, att man inte ser hela.)

Den stora nyheten är att de ska göra en ny version av deras bästa låt 21 Guns! Jag är RIKTIGT nyfiken om hur det kommer att låta. Vad tror ni??

Källa: The Home of Green Day: greenday.com

Artikel till den stora nyheter:

November 19, 2009 – Burbank, CA – Multi-platinum rock band Green Day are in the studio this week recording a new version of their hit single “21 Guns” with the cast of American Idiot – the critically acclaimed stage version of the band’s 2004 album that has been playing at Berkeley Rep since early September. The band’s singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong is producing the track, which will impact radio at the end of November and be made available for purchase through all digital retailers.

Green Day, which also includes bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool, are shooting a video for “21 Guns” with the American Idiot cast. American Idiot premiered at Berkeley Rep on September 4th and was extended through to November 15th due to record-breaking sales and unprecedented demand for seats. Called “the hottest fall theatre ticket,” by the San Jose Mercury News, American Idiot brought Green Day’s blockbuster album to life in a show staged by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), who collaborated with Armstrong on the story.

“21 Guns” is the second single from Green Day’s gold album 21st Century Breakdown. The digital version of the track has gone platinum, selling more than one million downloads, while the video won three 2009 MTV Video Music Awards in September, including “Best Rock Video.” The band recently completed a sold out European Tour and will next appear on the American Music Awards on November 22nd, followed by NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly on December 31st.

Källa: greenday.net

E o perioada in care ascult Green Day “la greu”. Asa ca voi continua cu postat-ul pieselor care-mi plac de pe albumul “21st Century Breakdown”. Astazi: “Before The Lobotomy”!

Free download Green Day – Before The Lobotomy

Do ponto de vista jornalístico, o rock deveria produzir mais caras legais como Sergie Loobkoff — o mesmo vale pela visão de um fã de “boa música”. Entrevistar o guitarrista do Samiam pela segunda vez – sete anos após a primeira conversa — confirma a afirmação!

De malas prontas para o segundo giro pelo Brasil, os californianos a princípio fariam apenas um show em São Paulo (no dia 06/12, no Hangar 110), mas Mr. Loobkoff revela que José dos Campos e Rio de Janeiro também terão a oportunidade de vê-los ao vivo — por enquanto no MySpace deles só consta a do Rio, dia 10/12!

Confira a conversa exclusiva que tivemos com Sergie, nela ele conta das lembranças da tour brasileira de 2002, de seu trabalho como designer gráfico, literatura, Obama, as maiores farsas da música atual, e, claro, as expectativas para os shows por aqui!

Entrevista: Sergie Loobkoff (Samiam)
Por Ricardo Tibiu
Tradução: Marina Melchers

Queria começar falando da turnê que vocês fizeram por aqui em 2002, mas é impossível não lembrar de uma coisa em particular. Eu te entrevistei por e-mail antes de virem pra cá e na época eu escrevia para um jornal grande daqui… Enfim, quando vi o texto publicado tomei um susto, o editor não pensou duas vezes e o título da matéria foi: “Californianos trazem emocore ao Brasil”…
[Risos] Isso provavelmente foi na época em que a palavra “emocore” era bastante popular e quem sabe seu editor achou que as pessoas teriam mais interesse em ler a matéria. É, a gente não grita e não faz peripécias com as guitarras jogando elas para o alto ou usa maquiagem… então espero que não tenhamos decepcionado ninguém.

Então, como você definiria o som do Samiam para uma pessoa que nunca o ouviu antes?
Essa pergunta é bastante comum quando dou entrevistas. Na verdade, eu nunca falo para as pessoas que conheço ou com quem trabalho que já tive uma banda. E se eles descobrem e perguntam, geralmente respondo “rock… mais ou menos como Foo Fighters ou Green Day”. Eu imagino que se elas nunca ouviram falar do Samiam, então elas não têm interesse ou não sabem muito sobre punk rock. Foo Fighters e Green Day são os pontos de referência mais próximos para elas. Se eu dissesse “nossa banda é mais ou menos como Lemonheads com Bad Brains ou Descendents”, elas diriam “nunca ouvi falar dessas bandas” [risos].
Na verdade eu detesto quando amigos me apresentam para as pessoas dizendo que eu fazia parte de uma banda… para mim é embaraçoso. Geralmente a pessoa pergunta “qual é o nome da sua banda? Ah, nunca ouvi falar…” [risos].

Voltando à tour de 2002, quais são suas lembranças dela?
Nos divertimos tanto… aquela turnê nos levou a vários lugares do Brasil e vimos muitas coisas e conhecemos tanta gente. No meio da turnê eu fiquei muito doente, não comi ou dormi por três dias. Foi horrível. Quando melhorei eu senti como se o peso do mundo tivesse sido tirado das minhas costas, porque ficar assim tão doente em turnê é difícil demais. Eu dormia no chão do ônibus, nos pés de todo mundo, suando como um louco e ao mesmo tempo congelando. E aí eu precisava tocar quando mal conseguia parar em pé. Mas a melhor coisa foi conhecer muitas pessoas legais. Estamos muito ansiosos para ver muitas delas novamente. Bem, com sorte, se elas ainda se interessam e vêm aos shows. Quando você faz parte de uma banda há tanto tempo, é engraçado como as pessoas param de vir aos shows… Elas podem vir aos shows ano após ano, mas em determinado momento elas se casam ou arranjam um bom emprego, e aí perdem o interesse nessa bobagem de punk rock [risos].

Da outra vez vocês vieram para cerca de 10 shows e desta vez teremos uma única apresentação. Por que isso? As pessoas de fora de São Paulo tão achando que o Samiam não gostou delas… Ok, tô brincando!
Originalmente seria apenas São Paulo, mas agora vamos tocar em São José dos Campos e no Rio também. Eu não sei qual a explicação para menos shows, talvez porque vamos tocar no Chile e Argentina dessa vez, então foi uma questão de tempo e também dos compromissos dos membros da banda. Eu adoraria voltar a todas cidades… a decisão não foi da banda. Em São José dos Campos vamos tocar com o Dead Fish, estou muito ansioso para vê-los, vai ser muito legal! Eu gostaria que pudéssemos tocar em Santos com o Garage Fuzz de novo, é uma pena!

O Samiam e o Jawbreaker foram citados no romance Eeeee Eee Eeee (2007), de Tao Lin. Em tempos de crise fonográfica e artistas/músicas tão ruins, acha que foi uma forma de valorização do trabalho de vocês?
Eu nunca conheci Tao Lin pessoalmente, mas trocamos e-mails porque ele queria permissão para publicar algumas de nossas letras. Parece ser um cara legal. É um bom escritor também. Acho que ele é simplesmente uma pessoa que gosta de nossas bandas, então é sempre legal saber de alguém que aprecia o que fazemos. Eu não sei quanto a “valorizar nosso trabalho”, isso soa como se nós nos levássemos muito a sério. O Samiam não é um “trabalho” e nós definitivamente sabemos que há um milhão de bandas por aí, não somos nada de muito especial. Mas é legal. O Jawbreaker é mencionado em um livro de um escritor famoso chamado Dennis Cooper, da década de 90… Eu fiquei extremamente impressionado com aquilo quando o li. Na verdade fiquei chocado e surpreso. O livro era muito estranho, mais ou menos como uma história de amor através dos olhos de um pedófilo… Um homem mais velho e um garoto adolescente… [risos] definitivamente algo que a maioria das pessoas não conseguiria suportar. Era muito estranho… Pensando nisso agora, não faço ideia de por que comecei a lê-lo. Deve ter sido porque alguém me recomendou!

Aproveitando, o Samiam tem cerca de duas décadas e “somente” sete discos, sendo o mais recente de 2006. É impressão minha ou vocês gravam pouco? Já existem planos para um novo álbum?
Pra dizer a verdade, lançamos seis discos em 11 anos, de 1989 a 2000. Não é nada mau. E aí, basicamente, a banda acabou… ou parou de fazer turnês ou gravar seriamente. Nos últimos nove anos fizemos uma turnê ou outra por ano, mas não trabalhamos a banda como nos anos 90. Em 2006, tentamos fazer um sétimo disco, mas foi um fiasco total, alguns de nós brigávamos muito e acabamos fazendo um disco abaixo dos padrões, que me decepcionou muito. As músicas são muito boas, mas o som é horrível. Basicamente há uma divisão na banda, onde uma pessoa quer que o Samiam se torne algo totalmente diferente, mais thrash e com o som fodido, e eu quero que o Samiam soe como Samiam. Para mim, nossas gravações devem ser bastante nítidas, claras e poderosas. Isso era basicamente o motivo das brigas.
Recentemente falamos sobre fazer um disco novo… e eu escrevi e gravei (de forma caseira) nove faixas que acho que seriam ótimas canções do Samiam… mas realmente precisamos dar um jeito na tensão dentro da banda com relação às nossas intenções antes de nos comprometermos a fazer um disco novo. Fazer outro álbum de que eu não tivesse orgulho é algo que partiria meu coração. Ainda assim acho que poderíamos realmente nos redimir com um disco novo “quebrando tudo” em 2010. Vamos ter que esperar para ver!

Quais seriam seus três discos prediletos atualmente?
Isso muda sempre, mas nesse momento eu diria que amo o Where You Been, do Dinosaur Jr., How It Works, do Bodyjar e o álbum branco dos Beatles.

E as três maiores farsas da música mundial de hoje?
Eu não presto muita atenção no cenário musical, mas sempre há os grandes pop stars que são bobos e fazem algo que atraia as massas para ganharem dinheiro sem nenhuma consideração pela arte ou talento. É simplesmente assim que funciona. Uma coisa que tento nunca fazer é escolher determinadas bandas ou artistas e dizer que são horríveis. Claro, eu não gosto de Jonas Brothers ou do Kanye West, mas eles são importantes para muitas pessoas… Então quem sou eu para dizer qualquer coisa negativa sobre eles?! Eu só penso [risos]. Claro, eu acabo de escolher os Jonas Brothers e o Kanye West, então estou sendo um hipócrita… que se foda: eu os odeio! [risos].

Você é designer gráfico, ainda tem feito trabalhos para bandas?
Sim, mas há 10 anos eu fazia umas duas capas de disco por mês, e agora, com a indústria fonográfica na merda, faço uma a cada dois meses. É bastante triste, mas não há dinheiro na música, então não há trabalho. A maioria das bandas tem um amigo que cuida disso para eles de graça. Recentemente fiz a arte do último Strung Out [Agents of the Underground, Fat Wreck Chords, 2009] e estou trabalhando com algo para o Piebald… E fiz uma caixa para o aniversário de 15 anos da Hopeless Records, mas é isso, agora a maior parte da minha clientela não faz parte da indústria fonográfica.

Aliás, ainda sobre esse assunto, fiquei sabendo que recentemente rolaram uns “art shows” e, inclusive, com a participação de nomes como H.R. (Bad Brains), Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools), Jonah Matranga (Far, Gratitude), Steve Soto (Agent Orange, Adolescents) e Jeff Pezzati (Naked Raygun, Big Black). Como eram esses eventos e como foi reunir esse time de peso?
Isso foi no final de semana passado e foi muito divertido. Mas eu era apenas um dos artistas, não organizei nada… um cara chamado Joe Nelson [The Killing Flame, ex-Ignite] organizou tudo, trouxe os artistas até Los Angeles. Foi um evento beneficente para duas organizações de caridade, então foi muito legal. O H.R. foi muito interessante, ele é um velho estranho hoje. Parece ser legal e tranquilo, mas meio louco. O Walter foi incrível, ele tem tanta personalidade no palco… Eu não sou gay… mas aquele cara é muito charmoso! É melhor você não levar sua namorada ao show dele [risos]. Pezzati e Soto foram muito legais também. Foi muito legal… e eu vendi três peças também!

Como designer gráfico, como você vê a expansão que essa área teve? Concorda que, por exemplo, anos atrás ninguém diria que a street art e o graffiti se tornariam tão populares. Nem mesmo que a imagem mais forte usada por um candidato à presidência nos EUA seria assinada por um “artista que veio das ruas” – no caso, Shepard Fairey.
Eu não sou mesmo o tipo de artista que Shepard Fairey, então eu não quero parecer um cara metido. Mas falando como um fã de arte, eu acho legal que essa cena exista, que você possa ir a uma exposição onde Barry McGee ou Shepard estão expondo e há centenas de pessoas e muito entusiasmo. E é muito legal que caras como o Farofa, do Garage Fuzz, possam ser convidados para mostrarem sua arte em outros países. É maravilhoso. Mesmo se ele tenha vindo à Los Angeles no ano passado e não tenha entrado em contato comigo… eu só fiquei sabendo depois. Filho da puta! [risos]. E quanto à arte do Obama, Shepard é um grande artista. Antes disso ele fez capas para o Led Zeppelin e para o Smashing Pumpkins e outras coisas enormes, não é como se ele tivesse sido “descoberto” com o lance do Obama… Bem, eu acho que então para o público mainstream, talvez, então eu não fiquei exatamente surpreso. Eu acho que ele arranjou alguns problemas por ter usado uma foto sem autorização para aquele poster… que merda.

Pra finalizar, obrigado pela entrevista, quais são as expectativas para o show no Brasil. Algum recado aos brasileiros?
Minha única expectativa é me divertir. Não há rios de dinheiro e não estamos divulgando um disco ou coisa do tipo. Eu espero poder compartilhar algumas músicas com um público entusiasmado! Encontrar alguns velhos amigos e fazer novos. É sempre divertido estar em uma cidade legal tão longe de casa… São Paulo ou Rio ou São José, é legal. Estou sempre em Los Angeles, pode se tornar algo repetitivo [risos]. Espero que alguns de seus leitores brasileiros que leiam essa entrevista decidam ir até o show, vai saber quando ou se vamos voltar um dia! Obrigado!

Links relacionados:
www.myspace.com/highlightsounds
www.myspace.com/samiam
Sergie Loobkoff [arte]
www.ticketbrasil.com.br [venda online de ingressos]
www.hangar110.com.br

Hundreds of bands have played and recorded “I Fought the Law” – Hundreds make it rock. Here’ s the song channeled through Green Day… the pop/punk/killer harmonies version. And you can NEVER go wrong with the six snare shots any drummer worth a shit will play following the line “…Robbing people with a six gun”.

The NME got in on the act early. This Sunday the Observer Music Monthly publishes its top 50. So I thought I might as well have a go. I wanted to get mine done first and see how much common ground I’ve got with the OMM seeing as its my favourite music mag. It’s harder than you’d think to select just 50 albums that span 2000-2009. I’ve had to leave out some records I really like. But here we go… Please comment as you feel necessary!

50 – Daft Punk: Discovery.

49 – Bob Dylan: Modern Times.

48 – Camille: Le Fil.

47 – Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

46 – The Blue Nile: High.

45 – New Order: Get Ready.

44 – Mercury Rev: All Is Dream.

43 – R.E.M.: Accelerate.

42 – Fionn Regan: The End Of History.

41 – The Beatles: Love.

40 – The Avalanches: Since I Met You.

39 – Badly Drawn Boy: The Hour Of Bewilderbeast.

38 – Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep.

37 – Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever ago.

36 – Mark B & Blade: The Unknown.

35 – Coldplay: Parachutes.

34 – Malcolm Middleton: Into The Woods.

33 – Seafood: When Do We Start Fighting…

32 – Doves: The Last Broadcast.

31 – Duke Special: Songs From The Deep Forest.

30 – Morrissey: You Are The Quarry.

29 – Guillemots: Through The Windowpane.

28 – Bruce Springsteen: The Rising.

27 – The Gaslight Anthem: The ‘59 Sound.

26 – Billy Bragg & Wilco: Mermaid Avenue Vol. II

25 – Richard Hawley: Coles Corner.

24 – Fleet Foxes:  Fleet Foxes.

23 – Athlete: Vehicles & Animals.

22 – Spin Doctors: Nice Talking To Me.

21 – Sigur Ros: Takk…

20 – Goldfrapp: Felt Mountain.

19 – Maxïmo Park: A Certain Trigger.

18 – Delirious?: Glo.

17 – The Shins: Wincing The night Away.

16 – Ben Folds: Rockin’ The Suburbs.

15 – Green Day: American Idiot.

14 – Neil Young: Living With War.

13 – Ray Lamontagne: Til The Sun Turns Black.

12 – Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs.

11 – Idlewild: The Remote Part.

10 – Johnny Cash: American IV: The Man Comes Around

An extraordinary achievement for a man in his final year. Johnny Cash’s last ‘proper’ album has the power to bring me to the edge of tears. I bought it the week he died in 2003 and played it a lot. A mixture of originals and covers, Rick Rubin’s brilliant production means there’s pathos dripping from every track. ‘Hurt’ is one of the songs of the decade which couldn’t even be ruined by that dire Nike advert. When I first heard ‘I Hung My Head’ it stopped me dead in my tracks. Just like most of the rest of this awesome album.

9 - Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights.

I think there’s a good case to be made for Interpol as the band of the decade. To my shame I’m yet to see them live but their three dark, brooding and melodic albums demand that I get round to it soon. I think their debut is the pick of the bunch. Starting with ‘Untitled’ which takes its cues from the shoegazing bands of the early 90’s, the album goes onto channel the best of My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division and classic Krautrock. I suppose it can be said about all the records in the list but I can’t listen to this album too many times. It sends me to sleep, it wakes me up and generally soundtracks my life.

8 – Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend.

The drums alone deserve some kind of award. Chris Tomson is, for my money, the best drummer in a rock band at the moment. But this isn’t Keith Moon fury, or John Bonham theatrics. He sees the drum kit as a melodic and harmonic instrument. The kit is a lead instrument here and when allied to fantastic songwriting, it’s a winning combination. The African influence if overstated (this isn’t even the noughties’ Graceland, let alone Fela Kuti or Ali Farka Touré). However, the hints of afrobeat are enough to make this stand out from the crowd. Walcott is a great track – but there aren’t any duds here.

7 – Grandaddy: The Sophtware Slump.

This outstanding record is often compared favourably with ‘OK Computer’. Well, I’ll put my cards on the table. There’s only one winner; and it isn’t Radiohead. Grandaddy are impossible to categorise, but this record combines the best bits of alt-country, electronica and post-rock. The audacity of a 9 minute opening track has been matched by many bands. The difference is they’ve not made a song as arresting as ‘He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot’. ‘The Crystal Lake’ is among the best songs of the decade while ‘Undreneath The Weeping Willow’ showcases a brilliant knack for melancholy. Released at the start of the decade, very few records have got anywhere near matching Grandaddy’s Magnum Opus.

6 – The Hold Steady: Boys And Girls in America.

‘Best bar band in the world blah… blah… blah’ said the music press. Talk about damning with faint praise. The Hold Steady are one of the greatest bands of the 21st Century, full stop. And though their earlier albums are packed with gems, this breakthrough album sees their manifesto fulfilled. How many bands could start a record quoting Jack Kerouac but never fail to be fun? The sound was compared to classic E Street Band and that’s probably as close as you can get to describing this joyous racket. Craig Finn’s lyrics are always interesting and frequently brilliant. So looking at our checklist we’ve got superb music, superb lyrics and some guys that seem delighted just to be playing rock and roll. It’ll do for me.

5 – Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid.

I suppose too much has already been written about this album. It’d be easy to include ‘Asleep In The Back’ to prove I’ve liked Elbow since I used to play them on student radio in 2000. But that would miss the point: for once, the awards committees, journalists and hype-merchants got it right. This is an amazing album. There’s not an average track in sight in an hour’s running time. Picking highlights almost seems crazy, but ‘Grounds For Divorce’ and ‘On A Day Like This’ have deservedly grabbed the headlines and soundtracked a million daytime DIY programmes. But some of the less well know tracks contain stunning music and lyrics. When Guy Garvey croons ”We kiss like we invented it” on ‘Mirrorball’ it’s enough to melt your heart.  We await their next move with eager anticipation.

4 - Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther.

Take a moderately successful Texan indie band and give them a copy of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’. Stand well back and light the blue touch-paper. Doesn’t sound promising does it? How wrong could we be??? This was THE album of 2006. Inventive harmonies, layered synths and lyrics pining for the antebellum South came together to produce a stunning record. The guitar solo that comes halfway through ‘Head Home’ is one of my favourite musical moments of the decade, but this album contains several contenders for that title. The real genius of ‘…Van Occupanther’ is its ability to keep you on your toes. Just when you think it may slip into mid 70’s FM rock pastiche, the band pulls out a track like ‘Young Bride’ which forces you to admit this is a record which is far more than the sum of its considerable parts.

3 – Damien Rice: O.

David Gray is a perfectly decent singer songwriter. The same can’t be said for the likes of James Morrison and James Blunt. But how any of them came to be spoken of in the same breath as Damien Rice is beyond me. The irishman deserves to be in far better company (Jeff Buckley for example). This debut album was a slow-burning word-of-mouth behemoth that managed to retain artistic dignity while being offered on 2-for-1 deals in Tesco. Its strengths have been repeated endlessly, but any blogger who can’t find room for Lisa Hannigan’s beautiful vocals, the stunning string arrangements or the strange re-working of Silent Night is a fool. If this album has a flaw, I’m yet to find it. I can’t pick one track as a highlight because the others simply look at me reproachfully and say ‘actually we’re all rather lovely’. And they truly are.

2 – My Morning Jacket: It Still Moves.

This album sounds like the best party you’ve ever been to. If you want to label it I suppose it’s alt-country. But what on earth does that matter when the music is as much fun as this? Don’t get the idea this is some kind of comedy record though. Howling vocals, squealing guitars and pounding drums fuse together to create a brilliant racket. ‘One Big Holiday’ has a guitar hook to die for, but this isn’t an album of simple pleasures. The genius of the songs reveals itself slowly. The first time you hear it, it sounds like these are well crafted and edited jams. But like Led Zep at their peak, the tracks are more cunningly moulded than that. Crazy Horse are another reference point and when talking about a rock and roll band there are fewer bigger compliments than that. It’s a long record (71 minutes) but unusually for an album of that length, it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Superb.

1 – Stephen Fretwell: Magpie.

I’m annoyed I couldn’t find a decent picture of this album without the parental advisory sticker on it. Ok, maybe it doesn’t make an ideal present for a toddler, but any parent who’s doing their job properly should be investing in this if their child shows any kind of serious interest in music. It’s as close to a perfect record as its possible to get. At the start of the decade, Scunthorpe’s Stephen Fretwell found himself in Manchester as a promising singer-songwriter. A little while later, he was in a recording studio creating some of the most beautiful music that great city has ever produced. By 2004 it was ready for release. In reality, the Manchester thing is a bit of a red herring. Fretwell owes little to the genius of the Smiths and Joy Division or the more prosaic talents of Oasis. He’s just a good old-fashioned acoustic troubadour. So who are the key influences here? I’d guess Neil Young, Bob Dylan et al. But that doesn’t tell you much about this record’s greatest strength. Fretwell’s gift for melody is astounding. Songs like ‘Emily’, ‘New York’ and ‘Rose’ are beautifully crafted and sung. But there isn’t a track here which leaves you cold. You may know ’Run’ as the Theme of ‘Gavin and Stacey’ but don’t stop there. Investigate it immediately. Buy it and love it. There’s only one album of the decade after all; whatever the Observer says!

Bom, meus amiguinhos fizeram as edições 3 e 4, mas hoje eu mesmo que irei fazer a 5. Lá vai:

The race is over and I survived!

Today I reached an unbelievable personal goal, completing a half-marathon after about two months of training. I started on this project as both a personal challenge, and as a way to inspire people through the American College of Endocrinology Power of Prevention program. Along the way, I have heard from so many of you who are following my progress, have been inspired yourselves, or who are just rooting me on to success. On this Thanksgiving Day, I have to tell you all how grateful I am for all of your support.  What started out as a project to inspire others has certainly changed my life, and a significant part of that comes from all of you.

Now, on to race day.

First, a brief note.  I did not run with my iPhone, so I did not take any pictures.  Sarah took some, and I will work to add them later in the day.

So, I guess the story begins with dinner last night. My good friend Britt has been following my progress in this training regimen, and was sorry to tell me that he would not be able to come out to the run and see me finish, due to the fact he is out of town today. But he did offer to help me carbo load the night before. So last night our two families went out and enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner. In fact, I had to stop loading because I was too full. (I had an awesome shrimp alfredo Sicilian style pizza. Pictures forthcoming as well. I promise you will be jealous).

I got home and had a good night’s sleep.  This morning when I woke up, my number one priority was my pre-race preparations. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go here to get up to speed, but suffice it to say, I was very nervous about making sure this was not a problem today.

Not joking, I resorted to jumping jacks in the living room, but it all came out fine in the end (did I really just type that?)

Sarah and I headed out to the run at about 6:45.  Race time was 8:00, but we wanted to get a decent parking spot and I also wanted to do a mile pre-run before the race to get loosened up.

People up north can complain about this next sentence, but it was cold this morning.  It was probably only 50 degrees when we got to the race site. I was not concerned about the race, because I know how much I heat up when I am running, but I was definitely freezing waiting for the race to start.

Sarah and our friend Melissa were running the 6k at the same time.  The starting line and starting time were the same, so we got “in the blocks” together and waited for the run to begin. After a pre-recorded National Anthem from Lee Ann Rhimes, the race was set to begin.

We had positioned ourselves towards the middle of the group.  We knew we were not fast enough to be in the front, but did not want to get stuck behind the walkers in the back, either. The gun sounded and we were off.  It took about a minute or so to cross the starting line. I’m glad this was a chip race, because I’m interested to see how off my chip time is from the race time. The first mile was the typical jockeying for position that you see at any race. I tried to keep my pace slow and steady, but it is definitely hard with the adrenaline of all the other runners around you.

Around mile one, the course split for the 1/2 marathoners and the 6k, so the crowds thinned considerably at that point. It was about this time that I realized I had forgotten to start the timer on my watch. This is a dual problem, because I had no way to track my time, and because it was not recording my heart rate (long time readers know that I have a history of overheating when not monitoring my heart rate closely). So I started the timer and hoped that at some point there would be a timer on the course that would allow me to get some idea of how I was doing.

The first course clock did not come until mile two.  The race time at that point was 19 minutes. That meant that even if I had been at the front of the pack, I was pacing at sub-ten minute miles. This was both exciting and troubling. Exciting, because I did not feel like I was moving at that pace and felt fairly good. Troubling because I was not sure I could maintain this pace for eleven more miles.

The next few miles were relatively uneventful. I was able to maintain that 9:30ish pace and was not feeling tired. One thing I did not do was take water at the water stations. I have learned from experience that I get bad cramping if I drink anything while running. I had tried to hydrate myself well before the race, and was banking on that being good enough.

The race was actually quite uneventful in general until about mile eight. Right about that time my feet began to really hurt, especially on the instep. I know that I am due for new shoes, but did not want to get them so close to race time. Many runners have told me that’s a recipe for disaster with blisters and real problems on race day. But what was a mild nuisance at mile eight had become a real pain by mile nine.

The mile nine refreshment center had something I can only refer to as runner’s goo. It came in a foil packet, and had the consistency of Vaseline.  But it tasted good, was packed with sugars and caffeine, and really gave me a bit of a boost when I really needed it.

By mile ten, I was in uncharted waters. Ten miles is the previous longest run I had ever done, and I still had a full 5k to go to finish. I resorted to counting miles, not in distance, but in songs. At my pace (I had slowed to about an even ten minute mile pace, by now) I knew it was about two and a half songs between miles. So I just focused on the music and plowed ahead.

At mile eleven, the pain in my feet moved to my calves. This was a new experience for me. Whenever I run, the only true obstacle is breathing. I never have physical pain in my legs that prohibits me from going forward. So this really caught me off-guard. I knew that I only had two miles to go, however, and was determined to power through it, no matter what.

At mile twelve, I could smell the finish line, and so could the rest of the group running at my pace. Everyone kicked it up a notch at that point. I did the same, despite what my legs were screaming to me (R-rated, can’t repeat here). That lasted maybe a quarter of a mile. That’s when I thought I was going to collapse. Despite the fact that I had made it more than twelve miles without stopping once, I had to stop and stretch out my legs, then walk for about 30 seconds. I regret this terribly, but really don’t think there was anything else I could do at that point.

Once I started back up again, I decided to keep the pace slower and just get to the finish line. Two songs later, I was crossing the thirteen mile marker. At this point I knew that I had a 1/10 mile sprint in me, so I kicked it in and raced to the finish line, passing up a couple of guys down the stretch!

Final time: 2:07:18! Official results here: http://www.1stplacesports.com/obdc09halfres.htm

I looked around for Sarah, who had finished the 6k about and hour and 20 minutes earlier, but could not see her anywhere. So I got some water and tried to work out my legs a little bit. About 7-8 minutes later Sarah spotted me in the crowd and came over. I had anticipated finishing between 2:15 and 2:30, so she had gone home and got the turkey and stuffing in the oven, then was going to come back and watch me finish and take some pictures. Since I beat my goal time by about eight minutes, she missed the finish.

She’s more upset about that than I am. I’m glad she came back at all, and I appreciated the support in any case.

So we met up with some friends and compared times, then headed over to get a banana… AND THEY WERE OUT! So I settled for some orange slices and a couple of Michelob Ultras. Sarah also grabbed an Ultra, that she was actually getting for me.

As we walked to the van, I saw a sign for a “Brazilian Honey Bakery”. Having no idea what in the world that is, we headed inside and asked the question “What in the world is a Brazilian Honey Bakery?” The proprietor proceeded to give me a sample of a cheese bread pastry, which was so good, I immediately ordered a dozen.

And with that, we packed into the van, and headed for home. I received all of your well wishes on email, Facebook, and Twitter. You really have no idea how much that means to me. I am thankful today for all of you who have supported me through this training, and I look forward to sharing with you my next plan…

Until then, you know the drill…

Vital Statistics:

Workout: 13.1 Miles

Time: 2:07:18

Pace: 9:43

Playlist:

Neither Can I – Slash’s Snakepit

Estranged – Guns N Roses

Believe – Disturbed

Always On The Run – Lenny Kravitz

Sure Shot – The Beastie Boys

The Battle of Evermore – Led Zeppelin

I.R.S. – Guns N Roses

Brain Stew – Green Day

Miss Independent – Ne-Yo

Rusty Cage – Johnny Cash

The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson

Best I Can – Queensryche

All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix

Get It Together – The Beastie Boys

Strength Beyond Strength – Pantera

Hella Good – No Doubt

Hanger 18 – Megadeth

Used To Love Her – Guns N Roses

One – Creed

Razor – Foo Fighters

After The World – Disciple

Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani

Elvis Is Dead – Living Colour

Jane Says – Jane’s Addiction

Territorial Pissings – Nirvana

Madagascar – Guns N Roses

No Rain – Blind Melon

Monkey Wrench – Foo Fighters

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over – Lenny Kravitz

There Is No God – Extreme

Green Day på besök i Paris! OBS. På franska fattar inte ett skit.

Radioprat på franska! men man hör ju GD! Del 1

Radioprat! Del 2

Fan, ‘hur många finns det egentligen’ men jag tror denna är den sista!!

Här är ju också en del till den franska radiosnacket! Snälla titta på dena, den är skitrolig!

Lite bilder!

Gammal konsert med Good Riddance (time of your life) frånBarcelona