AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 10/22/2003 10:27:00 PM ----- BODY: R.I.P. Elliott Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003)

It was early this morning that I found out the news that Elliott Smith had committed suicide at the age of 34 only hours before I had woken up to get ready for work. I had always been a fan of his and appreciated what he stood for. His music rarely ever strayed from the stripped sound of a guitar, his angelic voice and his dark, sad lyrics. Looking back at them, I can't help but find them quite haunting. Everyone who knew him believed he was the most loving and caring man they had ever known. Some even say he would go out during his own shows when the opening act was playing to talk with his fans and get to know them. His songs are a reflection of his inner sadness and I find it very unfortunate that his songwriting alone couldn't help him cope with his pain. His most well-known song, Needle in the Hay, was featured in the movie The Royal Tenenbaums which, ironically, was used in a scene that involved Luke Wilson attempting suicide. The scene already was chilling enough, and I will never be able to view it the same way again. He will be deeply missed by me and anyone else who has ever heard his music. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 10/16/2003 11:43:00 PM ----- BODY: I Hate the Yankees

I was so excited at the thought of the Cubs and Red Sox possibly making it to the World Series to face off against each other. They represent all that is right with baseball. They actually have a create good teams instead of just buying whoever they want. They also have classic old ballparks with some of the most dedicated fans in all of sports. It just seemed too good to be true. Little did I know, it was. Now it's the Yankees and Marlins in the World Series. I can't remember a time in my life where I've been so unexcited to see the supposed best teams in baseball compete in the championship. This may sound harsh, but if you are in my generation and aren't from New York and still root for the Yankees, then you really don't get what baseball is about. The Yankees stand for the very reason that the US has a bad reputation. I put the Yankees right up there with McDonalds food, MTV, infomercials, and shady politics as the list of things that are truly what America has become about and also things that I am embarassed to be a part of. Please, comment below and let me know if I'm correct in my beliefs or if I'm just some crazy baseball fanatic. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 10/15/2003 10:26:00 PM ----- BODY: Two Movies and a Concert

Two weekends ago, I got to see the movie School of Rock. It stars one of my favorite actors/comedians of all time, Jack Black. I was worried when I saw the previews of it at first because the man loves to swear. The man is the funniest swearer on the planet. To be honest, just hearing him talk normally can even make me laugh. Yes, I love Jack Black. I've been a fan of his ever since I witnessed his fat figure for the first time in old, taped episodes of Tenacious D from the 90's when I was a sophomore in college. I have since seen him twice in concert, as well. Anyway, the movie was actually hilarious. Even though it was a little cheesy and for the kids, I seriously believe anyone could watch School of Rock and enjoy it a lot. Last weekend was when I got to see the other movie I had been waiting months for -- Kill Bill. I love Tarantino's work. He's one of the most unique mainstream directors in the business, in my opinion. The film itself is full of action and the plot is really not too complex. It doesn't matter, though, because the scenes are so well done and creative that you really don't notice. The only thing I didn't care for was the fact that one of my favorite things about Tarantino's movies, the dialogue, was pretty weak. In his past films, the man had a way of making the most basic conversation seem so interesting and natural. This aspect was lacking in Kill Bill. It was also unfortunate that you only get to see the first half. It's not like the Matrix or Star Wars where each film is like its own complete story. Instead, you want it to just keep going and it gets cut in half...bummer. In short, I loved Kill Bill and can't wait to own it. It's very, very, violent and there are tons of bloody scenes, but if you view it as a film and put yourself in the mind of the director, you'll end up more impressed than anything. On Sunday night, I went with a friend to Lawrence to see the Starlight Mints, Elbow, and Grandaddy play at Liberty Hall. The venue is just awesome. It holds only a couple hundred people and is designed in a way that it's impossible to have a bad view of the bands. The Starlight Mints played first and didn't really impress me much. Their songs sounded as if they were based off of a cool riff but couldn't do anything else with thei songs. Elbow was next and they played well above my expectations. I have been a semi-fan of theirs for a couple years, but didn't expect their sound to translate well live. I was dead wrong. Not only did they completely jam and rock out, but they played (and sang) with a ton of emotion. The highlight of their set was Fugutive Motel which was accompanied by a neat montage that fit the song perfectly. I liked Elbow before, but I gained a whole new appreciation for them after seeing them live. Finally, Grandaddy came on. They played nonstop through a collection of their new and old songs. The band played very well and everyone had a great time. I was disappointed, however, at the lack of crowd interaction the band had. They didn't stray much from the original songs, either. The lead singer wore a baseball hat with cat faces drawn on it and their sense of humor was displayed throughout the night. For example, during "AM 180", they played a video of a cat and a dog playfully getting into a fight. At one point, the video monitor displayed, "Grandaddy...the band with class". All in all, it was a great night of good music. --------