AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/30/2003 09:55:00 PM ----- BODY: Feeling a Little Screwed Over

I found out today that the company I interviewed with in North Carolina offered the job to someone else. Instead of being bummed about it, I'm actually rather angry about the situation. I guess, for that branch, there are two people in charge of hiring new recruits. For some messed up reason, only one of them was in the office the day I had my interview. I have no idea why they would have me fly out there if only one of them would be there. When I left, the guy who talked with me told me he wanted the other missing guy to talk with me and wanted to call me later that week to speak with him. Well, I never got a phone call and was informed that I was out of luck. I'll be going to Kansas City, where I originally interviewed, this Tuesday so hopefully that'll work out. I decided to call the man that I talked with in NC just to see what I could have done differently. I was told three things: 1) I was the best interview he had had since working at the office. 2) The only reason they hired the other person was because the guy who was gone the day I interviewed had met this other person. 3) If I had been able to meet with the other guy in person, there's no question I would have gotten the job. So, yeah, I got screwed and I'm a tad bitter about it. On a good note, the guy who interviewed me felt bad and told me he had no idea that the other guy was going to be out that day. He is writing me a recommendation for the branch in KC and is explaining the situation to them. We'll see how it goes, I guess. I'm just sick of jumping through hoops to actually get a job after graduation. It's kind of scary to think that I'll be officially done with school in about 43 hours, and I'm left scrambling for a job. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/29/2003 01:46:00 PM ----- BODY: Scary Larry

As of yesterday, our head men's basketball coach has been under fire for his crazy antics after losing a couple basketball games on the road. As reported in yesterday's Des Moines Register, he went partying at K-State and Missourri with college students, kissing some of them on the cheek. His comments during the partying included, "Why aren't you going to KU? The girls down there are much hotter" and "My team sucks". Some people are really upset about it while some find it funny. Personally, I think it's sort of cool that Larry would go out and interact with students. On the other hand, the man is the highest paid employee in the state, not to mention he is known around the country. I hope he learns from his mistakes and that he doesn't do anything else to bring more shame to our program. Having an assistant coach arrested for child pornography was enough negative attention to our athletic program. In a way, though, this gives ISU a loophole for them to fire him if he fails to produce teams that were as good as they once were a couple years ago. In his contract, he is signed through the 2011 season as long as he represents Iowa State properly at all times. He obviously didn't. It's sad that now the two big schools in Iowa now have men's basketball coaches who have brought shame to their university's at a national level. ESPN has this funny write-up about Larry's big nights out. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/28/2003 12:57:00 AM ----- BODY: A Formal-Filled Weekend

Holy cow, this weekend was fun. On Friday, I went to AGD formal in Des Moines at a Holiday Inn that had a rotating dining room. It was good to just go all out and have a good time with one of my good friends. Afterwards, we went to Paddy's with our formal attire on and continued to party with more people. After the bars closed, we went back to my date's apartment and joked around with her roommates until I went home at around 4. The next night was my fraternity's formal in Minneapolis. I took another good friend of mine as my date and rode up with another guy in the house. We stopped to see my date's cousins and the Mall of America so I could get some new shoes (my other shoes leaked water in anytime it rained...and no, K-Yo, the new ones aren't white) before arriving at the hotel. We got there pretty close to dinner time so there was a minimal amount of pre-partying done beforehand, but we got dressed and were able to swing by a liquor store to pick up a few beverages before settling down for our meal. During dinner, another guy in our house had compiled a slideshow that basically displayed the many great times us older guys had gone through in the house. In the past year, I have grown a little distant to the house and this slideshow was an excellent reminder of what a great thing it really was in my life thus far. It also served as a bit of foreshadowing of what was to come later in the night. A guy that graduated last year and lived in Minneapolis showed up at the end of dinner and informed us he'd be our leader in showing us a good time out on the town. We went back to our room to gather some things when our ears were greeted with the sounds of Tim Mahoney playing a live outdoor show directly across the street. This was very amusing to me because his music makes me laugh while others (mostly girls) seem to enjoy it. His music reminds me of something you'd hear in a Disney movie or in one of those Fox Family shows. Basically, the guy voice resembles that of a woman and the content of his music doesn't expand past the realm of love songs. Like I said, though, the girls were excited and wanted to go across the street to see him. Luckily, though, there was a long line of people already trying to get in to see Mr. Mahoney so we walked towards downtown where we settled at a bar called "Grandma's". The bar was really fun despite the name, and we stayed there until the bars closed at 1:00. The entire night consisted of all of the over-21 kids going all out and not having a care in the world what anyone thought. The events of the bar and afterwards are as follows: - Tu and I reenacted the street fight scene from West Side Story along the bridge. - We met a girl who immediately introduced herself as being from Iowa. She was from around Muscatine so we chatted about eastern Iowa business. I think she was alone and was looking for a man that night. We all took turns grinding on her on the dance floor while laughing to our friends. I think she took it seriously. - I was given the sandwich treatment on the dance floor by some overweight, older-than-50 biker babes. I got a picture with them. - I danced with a friend's girlfriend and gradually pushed her into a girl that got really mad about it. I ran right over to apologize for "my girlfriend who can't handle herself when she gets drunk" - I performed a mock tap dance while lifting up my pant legs to show the Velcro shoes I was wearing - Tony, Tu, and I bought a couple rounds of drinks courtesy of Donna, the Gamma Phi house mom - A semi-synchronized dance redone from Sweepstakes when "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson was played - A couple friends of ours peed off the bridge after the bars closed - We took funny pictures while climbing onto a sculpture of a naked, fat man We split off into two groups for the walk home. My group did the above things while the others were not as fortunate to partake in such immature activity. Instead, they were a victim of a hate crime involving some dudes that called them "fags" and used the term "white power". I don't understand what got these guys so angry, especially because the group they were yelling "fags" at were walking with their female dates. The men ended up getting out of their car and wanted to get into a fight. Fortunately, they ended up leaving. My friends were in shock they had witnessed something so ignorant. As they headed back to the hotel, a drunken Bret said, "Ya know, that's just Iowa for ya." We came back to the hotel and had a couple more drinks and ordered pizza. At the close of the night, my date and I got into a friendly little brawl. It started as joking around and ended up transforming into the most aggressive fighting you could get into without actually trying to hurt the other person. I used my dirty, sweaty socks and nun-chucks as I whacked her in the head while she threw shoes at me. We also hit each other with rolled up magazines and pinned each other down while attacking them. It was really fun, actually, except we each had some pretty good sized bruises the next day. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/25/2003 03:59:00 PM ----- BODY: Another Soundtrack Clip

As I have posted on this site a few times, I love The Soundtrack of Our Lives. Apparently, they were on Conan a few months ago and I didn't know about it. As far as live performances on late night talk shows are concerned, I think it's pretty darn good. You can click here to view it, but you'll need Real Player to view it. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/25/2003 10:39:00 AM ----- BODY: T3 Trailer

For some reason, I'm really not that excited about the new Terminator movie coming out this summer. I loved the first two, but I'm just not anxious about seeing a post-50-year-old Ah-nuld play the role of an action star again. I just saw the trailer for it, though, and I must admit it looks kind of cool. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/24/2003 12:20:00 PM ----- BODY: What is Wrong With Me?

Last semester I was awakened from my slumber to the most horrible pain I had ever felt coming from my stomach. I ended up going to the hospital early in the morning to get it checked out. I thought, at first, that it may be an ulcer. The doctors originally believed it could be an appendicitis. I ended up traveling all over the hospital as doctors performed tests, x-rays, and cat scans on me. All of the results were inconclusive, leaving the doctors and nurses baffled. They put me up in a room for a while, and I felt completely fine by the middle of the afternoon. All was well with my stomach until last night. The pain was back again. This time, however, the pain was coming from the lower right sight of my stomach just to the left of my hip bone. Judging from prior experience, I figured I'd just let it pass. I ended up getting maybe an hour or two of sleep last night. I was almost sure it was the big one. I started to panic after a while because I have two group projects due next week and all of my finals which I would surely be forced to miss. I finally managed to get up and take a shower this morning and the pain gradually subsided. I have no clue what it was. The only thing I can think of is that it is gas or something that is causing problems in my stomach. I'm still slightly paranoid about it, and I the only reason I am functioning today is because of my savior in a pill named Ritalin. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/24/2003 02:04:00 AM ----- BODY: Bold Opinions By Musicians and the Backpeddling That Accompanies It

How ironic that the day after I write about how annoyed I am at musicians who don't have the courage to stand up for what they believe in a report comes out that the Dixie Chicks will be making an appearance on national TV to talk about their remarks about President Bush. They will be speaking with Diane Sawyer about how bad they feel for the "mistake" of speaking their mind at a concert. I wish they would actually have the courage to say what this fake appology has them saying. Though I am not a fan of country music, I will say that I have like what the Dixie Chicks stood for ever since they made "Goodbye Earl". This comment about Bush just got completely blown out of proportion and I cannot believe people are still talking about it. People are actually boycotting them at a time when a man who took money from his first record deal to sell crack can have a #1 song with lyrics like "I'm into sex, I ain't into makin' love" and "I got X if you're into takin' drugs". There's something very wrong here. The fact that these women would back down from what they said so that they could be accepted by more people really irritates me. If those people are upset at what the Dixie Chicks feel then who cares? I wouldn't want someone to even buy my music if they were going to care that much about something I said. Heck, Michael Moore's comments during the Oscars were much worse and his sales skyrocketed after the event. Tonight, I finally was able to watch the new Wilco DVD titled, "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart". They really are one of my favorite bands and their approach to music represents exactly what every band should be like. Wilco's latest album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, was #1 on my list of best albums of 2002 last December, and the movie chronicles the difficult obsticles the band encountered to even get the album published. They were dropped by their label, Reprise Records, because the album wasn't commercial enough. The label wanted them to rework the songs so they could be more radio friendly. Instead of giving in, the band stood by their music citing that it had substantial artistical integrity. Wilco was then dropped from their label, leaving them with no one to represent them. Fortunately, other labels offered to pick them up, but it is an amazing story of how these true musicians cared only about the music and not about being accepted or album sales. The best quote of the whole film is in the bonus disc by the man who engineered the album. He said, "I don't think they care if this record sells 2 copies or 500,000 copies, as long as they get a copy of it to take home." It's unfortunate more bands/artists don't have that mentality. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/22/2003 07:11:00 PM ----- BODY: Madonna Update

As I have mentioned before, I really don't care for Madonna. She's a phony who is totally in love with herself. That is why I find this story to be very entertaining: "Last week, the Material One and label Warner Bros. Records tried to thwart would-be pirates by issuing dummy song files to sites like KaZaA and Morpheus. The files appeared to be leaked tracks from American Life, but when downloaded, instead of the songs, fans got a looped recording of Madonna saying, "What the f--k do you think you're doing?" Apparently, somewhere between Friday night and Saturday morning, the hack counterattack began. A digital guerrilla tapped into madonna.com and replaced the home page with a message that read, "This is what the f--k I think I'm doing," along with MP3s containing the full American Life album, according to the Smoking Gun Website, which has posted screen grabs of the hacked site." That hacker deserves a generous reward for sticking it back to that egomaniac. The only thing better would be a backlash against her leading to a boycott of her new album. Did she really think tricking her own fans with a profanity laced statement was a good move? It's obvious that Madonna is unable to find a consistant sense of who she is based on her past and current actions. I mean, her new video was supposed to have anti-war and anti-Bush sentiments in it, and then she altered it to her dancing around with American flags in the background once she faced opposition to her views. If she feels that strongly about the war situation then she should have had the guts to stand up for what she belives in. Not to get off on a tangent, but too many artists today fear having their sales drop after making any sort of bold statement. Instead, they stick to what is safe and sing sappy love songs or rap about "rollin' on dubs". Where's the courage that was once a staple of music? A song like "Masters Of War", one of my favorite Dylan songs, would never be made today. Anyway, I'm getting away from my point. Basically, Madonna is a puppet controlled by two hands, one being money and the other being her self loathing. Peace out. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/22/2003 12:21:00 AM ----- BODY: A Landmark

This site just hosted it's one-thousandth visit in the past 24 hours. The thought of 1,000 clicks to see this website and read what is in my head is just mindboggling. I realize that most of my blogger buddies get way more visitors, but it's still crazy to think about. I'll be back later once I am able to whittle my next wave of marketing projects down to a manageable size. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/20/2003 09:50:00 AM ----- BODY: NC Trip

I took a trip late last week to Raleigh, North Carolina for a job interview. The second I hopped in my rental car, I was able to notice the beauty of the area. It's no wonder Petey Pablo was so inspired. His lyrics accurately reflect the foliage and temperate climate of the region. It is obvious the NC has had a profound impact on his songwriting much like how the Federal Hill Mansion inspired Stephen C. Foster to write "My Old Kentucky Home" or how this grand country inspired Woody Guthrie to pen "This Land Is Your Land". Raleigh felt like a large suburb, to be honest. That's not bad thing, though. There were differences, obviously, between Raleigh and Iowa. The biggest one was in how developed everywhere was in that area. In Iowa, new residential areas look so fake with man-made ponds and newly planted trees. In NC, however, all those those things are already there, so even the newest apartment complexes look really nice. Another thing I noticed was that business signs were never taller than the buildings themselves. I'm used to seeing the golden arches in the sky and billboards along busy streets. Instead, the bottom of the arches were only about a yard from the ground. This had a massive impact on the preservation of beauty in the city, although it made it difficult to find places, at times. I drove by a Best Buy there twice without even realizing it. It was worth the hassle of trying to find it, though, because I was rewarded with finally being able to purchase the new Wilco DVD which was nonexistant in three Best Buy stores I had been to in Iowa. The interview went well, I believe. It isn't my ideal choice for a job, but I figure I can't be too picky considering most of my friends will be jobless come graduation. The most entertaining aspect of my trip had to be watching people's reactions when learning I was from Iowa. The man behind the counter at the hotel I stayed at tried to act like he was familiar to that area of the country -- "Ahh yes, potato country", he boasted with pride. I couldn't count on one hand how many times I was asked what the abbreviation for Iowa was by various apartment realtors. One lady, a cell phone salesperson, even laughed in my face when I told her I might be moving from Iowa. She said she had never met someone from there before, and she couldn't believe that's where I was from. I also made the mistake of ordering a "pop" at an Arby's by NC State. The man taking my order replied, "Umm...you mean, like, a soda?" These encounters have made me wonder if people from the south really are as slow as stereotypes seem to suggest or if Iowa really is viewed that negatively by other citizens around the country. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/15/2003 10:38:00 PM ----- BODY: Proof I (and my family) Have Really Achieved Stardom

Yes, it's true. I have reached celebrity status. The bustling metropolis of Sac City, Iowa has decided to feature our family home in the city's promotional brochure. They even included it on the city's website. It will surely attract fun-seeking individuals to the fastest growing area of the midwest. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't want to move to the city that prides itself for creating the famed world's largest popcorn ball? -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/15/2003 02:06:00 AM ----- BODY: Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf: The Truthful Iraqi Information Minister

Ok, this guy absolutely cracks me up. Every funny lie coming from Iraq seems to stem from this man, and I've finally found a site that collects his wonderful quotes. My favorites include: "I blame Al-Jazeera - they are marketing for the Americans!" "Be assured. Baghdad is safe, protected" "We are not afraid of the Americans. Allah has condemned them. They are stupid. They are stupid" (dramatic pause) "and they are condemned." "The Americans, they always depend on a method what I call ... stupid, silly. All I ask is check yourself. Do not in fact repeat their lies." "Lying is forbidden in Iraq. President Saddam Hussein will tolerate nothing but truthfulness as he is a man of great honor and integrity. Everyone is encouraged to speak freely of the truths evidenced in their eyes and hearts." "I triple guarantee you, there are no American soldiers in Baghdad." "they are nowhere near the airport ..they are lost in the desert...they can not read a compass...they are retarded." "Blair...is accusing us of executing British soldiers. We want to tell him that we have not executed anybody. They are either killed in battle, most of them get killed because they are cowards anyway, the rest they just get captured." "They are superpower of villains. They are superpower of Al Capone." "We will welcome them with bullets and shoes." For more insightful quotes sure to induce hours of gut-busting laughter, please visit this site. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/14/2003 03:44:00 PM ----- BODY: A Mighty Wind

I am giddy as a school girl over the latest Christopher Guest movie that is being released in select theaters nationwide this weekend. Other than the Matrix sequals, A Mighty Wind is one film I have been anticipating for quite a while now. After reading about it, I discovered that all three of the Spinal Tap members (sans the drummer, of course) will be playing together on film once again. If anyone has any idea when/if it'll be coming to Iowa, please let me know. Meanwhile, I encourage those who liked past Christopher Guest movies (Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman, Best in Show) to check out the A Mighty Wind website. On it, you can see the trailer, preview songs, and even view some clips from the movie. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/14/2003 01:06:00 AM ----- BODY: Sucks To Your Ass-Mar!

Talk about a major medical breakthrough! Scientists are starting to think they may have found a vaccine to rid sufferers such as myself of the evil curse of asthma. Early tests have proven positive results and it is believed that the drug should be released in the next five years. I can't wait! -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/14/2003 12:54:00 AM ----- BODY: Veishea Weekend

This past weekend was Veishea, the self-proclaimed "largest student-run festival in the nation" at Iowa State. I believe that, at one point, this claim was true. I've heard all kinds of crazy stories of people coming all over the state to take part in the weekend's events. It was wild, crazy, and most importantly, it made Iowa State attractive to others outside the wonderful utopia that is Ames, Iowa. Luckily, the weather was absolutely perfect over the past few days with highs in the mid-70's and not a cloud in the sky. This was the best thing the festival had going for it because many people decided to partake in the festivities for once. In years past, the weather has been less than favorable, leaving many people opting to skip the parade, campus events, and activies along Welch. I had a good time, but I can't help but notice some serious issues that need to be resolved to ensure Veishea will continue to happen in the future. Being a music freak, I think it is a complete shame that we are no longer able to bring in decent acts for the weekend. Back in the day, the biggest bands in the nation would come to play during Veishea. Now, we didn't even get oneact to come. The people in charge say that they don't have enough money to bring in a top draw anymore. I find this weird since they offer discounted rates to students for bands like the Goo Goo Dolls and Soul Asylum for around $10. Why would they go after bands no one cares about just so they can offer cheaper tickets to students? I've seen more college kids travel to Ames to see a Dave concert at $60 than I have for all the Veishea shows during my college career combined. There are some really popular bands on tour right now like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Everclear, and Bon Jovi that would surely be attractive to people. Heck, Hootie and the Blowfish are on tour right now. They're at least better than nothing. Price of the band should not be a concern for the Veishea committee. The draw of the act should be the most important factor. I also think that being dry almost hurts the event more than it helps. Sure it is good to portray a more family-like image, but no one would be allowed to drink on campus anyway, which is where all the activities for families are to begin with. All because one person got killed five or six years ago when Veishea was wet, now everyone has to pay the price for it. I joked with a friend this weekend that someone should murder an innocent person because maybe the university would change it back to being wet. I think it'd be great for police to block off Welch and ID people. The people of age could be given wrist bands and they could drink along Welch, grab some greasy food at the stands, listen to the battle of the bands competition, and just have a gay old time. The bars could stay open, as well. Many festivals do it this way, including The Bix in my hometown. The third thing they need to do is change the way parade participation is being done. Few floats are even being built anymore which lessons the overall parade experience. This isn't entirely the Greek's fault for being lazy, though. Almost every float was only able to collect sponsers from a handful of businesses, with most of them coming from out of town. Companies just aren't supporting Veishea the way they used to, leaving the students themselves to bear the load to build floats. I've always found it funny how ISU boasts having an active Greek community and uses their elaborate float creations to their advantage, yet they provide no support whatsoever for the houses that participate. It's like they're being used. Something should be done about this or else more houses will decided to allocate their time and money elsewhere. As I mentioned before, my weekend was pretty fun. My dad, stepmom, and half-sister came to town and we went out to eat a few times, saw the parade, and went to see the Stars Over Veishea production of Brigadoon. The musical was done very well, and it was especially entertaining because I knew a few people in it. The bars were packed throughout the weekend and very fun. Some older guys in my fraternity came back in town and we partied at Paddy's. Afterward, some of us came over to my house and hung out. We ended up going to Big Shots at 3:30 in the morning because a couple of my friends said it was still open. Baker, one of the guys who was in town for the weekend, paid our cover and we walked inside the bar. Lo and behold, it was a party for an all-minority fraternity and we were the only white people in the entire bar. Granted, there were only about 60 or70 people there, but it was still strange. The weird part was that I was expecting everyone to stare at us because of our racial differences. Instead, they just did the opposite -- they wouldn't look at us at all. This was just as awkward as if they would have stared, in my opinion. We had a fun time, though, and it really put things in perspective of how they must feel virtually everywhere here in Ames. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/11/2003 05:26:00 PM ----- BODY: Bowling For Columbine Update

When I saw Bowling For Columbine I absolutely loved it. A documentary about America's problem with guns and violence, the film presented facts with humor in a manner that was very interesting. Though I didn't think director Michael Moore's comments about the war situation during the Oscars were appropriate, I appreciated him doing what he believed in. He is a man who actually does something productive with his beliefs. Instead of holding an anti-war sign in a small town in Iowa, Moore would opt to collect facts/evidence and present it to people as a way to see things from his perspective. He doesn't just sit around and complain about problems. Instead, he goes to the root of the problem and tries to fix it. As much respect as I have for the man, I must express some doubt regarding the credibility of Bowling For Columbine. After reading about the truths about the movie, I can't help but wonder if Moore was reporting factual information or if he was skewing the facts that he had so his audience would agree with his beliefs. I encourage anyone who has seen the movie to read about the truths of Bowling For Columbine. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/11/2003 03:43:00 PM ----- BODY: Where's George?

This site is pretty darn cool. You just enter the some information about dollar bills you may have, and then this site will tell you about where it has been. I think this site may be pretty new because it doesn't go too far into the history of the bill, but it's worth checking out. Click here. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/10/2003 12:23:00 PM ----- BODY: War Questions

After viewing all the images on t.v. showing Iraqi citizens tearing down Saddam's statue and carrying it throughout the city in jubilation makes it pretty easy to think of the U.S. as the hero in this war. The photos of people cheering on American soldiers for liberating them from their once-cruel Iraqi regime almost brings a sense of pride and patriotism for this grand country I live in. That is, until I think about the reason we were supposedly supposed to be waging this war. Wasn't this war started because Iraq posed a clear and present danger to the United States? Wasn't Iraq supposed to have all kinds of weapons of mass destruction. So far, I have not seen one official report stating that we have found those things. The most I have ever heard or read is one unconfirmed report about finding some chemicals a couple weeks ago, but nothing stemmed from it. So what was the real intention of this war? Was it really to just oust Saddam and to change the government in Iraq to be more like ours? If so, then why were we lied to? So far I get the feeling that we were told about this weapons of mass destruction to strike fear in us and to attempt to gain our support for war in the middle east. Plus, trying to prove that Iraq poses a threat to our national security could seem to be a reasonable excuse to disregard the act created by Ronald Reagan that made it illegal to target specific individuals from other governments. I do empathize with the citizens of Iraq and what they went through. I do feel joy for them as they run through the streets of Baghdad experiencing the feeling of freedom for the first time in their lives. But what I don't feel is that our government was honest with the American people in the real reason of this war, and that is what really bothers me. If our only goal was destroy their government and rule it as our own, then they should have just come out to say it. That being said, I really hope we find some weapons of mass destruction over there. If we don't, this war will be a complete waste of money and lives. Of course Iraq tortured our people and used deceptive tactics to try to gain an upper hand in the war. If we were such an underdog I can assure we would do the same things out of desperation. So far, I am a skeptic to what is going on right now. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/09/2003 02:07:00 AM ----- BODY: Soundtrack of Our Lives Video

I just stumbled upon the new Sountrack of Our Lives video for "21st Century Rip Off" today. Though it isn't my favorite song of theirs due to it sounding very Rolling Stones-ish, I like the concept of the video and it gives a glimpse of what they are like live. I'm assuming the show they filmed it at was either for when they opened of Oasis or it's of a place over in their native land of Sweden because the venue is nowhere near as small as where I saw them a week ago. The video can be seen through this link. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/07/2003 12:37:00 AM ----- BODY: Little Mac and Anti/Pro-War Activists Part Two

Last night was the last fraternity house party of my college career. It is kind of sad to think about, actually. It's always fun to find a ridiculous costume and display it at a party with all of your friends. The theme of last night's fiesta was video game characters. Being one to always try and find obscure oppurtunities as a way to publicly humiliate myself, I went as Little Mac from Mike Tyson's Punchout. Instead of wearing his signature black tank top and green shorts, I opted to dawn his bright pink sweatsuit the boxer uses while jogging through New York City in the game. The downside to the suit was that it was basically skin tight, causing a high degree of discomfort around my midsection. We went to Ferg's to party and the night was a blast. I went with a Pi Phi friend of mine, and we were not the least bit timid to act like idiots all night on the dance floor. I also got to sing "Bust A Move" with both my sister and date assisting me with background vocals. The best part of the night came towards the end when the lights were dimmed, techno music started blasting, and glow sticks were distributed to the party attendees. For the remainder of the evening, the Phi Delt house party was transformed from one of booty shaking and cheesy dance antics to a rave with goofy glow stick movements. It was a great night. Today, those crazy war extremists managed to amuse me for the second weekend in a row. They were still divided into their own little teams at the same intersection of Lincoln Way and Welch Ave., and they still held the same posters. As I drove west, I honked at the pro-war activists and pumped my fist in the air at them to show my support. Some of them cheered and pumped their fists right back at me. Then, moments later, I honked at the anti-war protesters and did the same. They, too, cheered right back at me in response to my artificial support. It's a good thing I'm able to amuse myself so much. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/06/2003 03:40:00 AM ----- BODY: A.D.I.D.A.S.

I just watched one horrible lame excuse for a music video. It was called "A.D.I.A.S". No, this wasn't the original song by Korn, instead it was the magistical creation by a guy named Killer Mike.. The chorus goes something like this: "All Day I Dream About/ All Day I Dream About Se-ex". Ironically, the song was aired after the song "Boom!" by System of a Down, one of the more talented, eclectic bands out there right now. Man, I really feel sorry for those who mistake Killer Mike's lyrical anthems for actual talent. All I can do is laugh. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/05/2003 09:43:00 AM ----- BODY: The Band I Never Had

When I was in high school, a few buddies and I would gather in someone's basement and jam a little. This "band" was called Sniffy Takes a Trick which somewhat explains my email name. We wrote a few songs (which, I must admit, were pretty darn good) and we'd cover some songs. Sadly, the singer was always too wrapped up in his girlfriend and rarely ever practiced with us, causing most of our stuff to be intrumental. I always wanted to start a band up in college. I even went as far as placing fliers up at local music shops. I got two calls back -- one from a guy in Des Moines who wanted to start a Christian rock band, and another from a couple who wanted to start a hardcore death metal band with growling and screaming. Needless to say, I just remained a lonely guitar playing music lover who just wrote songs on his own, sometimes recording bits and pieces onto a four-track recorder. One of the things I'm excited to do after graduation is to dedicate a good deal of time towards creating an album worth of material and just try to make it sound good. Maybe some day it'll lead to actually starting a band. Until then, I can at least pretend with this website. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/04/2003 04:50:00 PM ----- BODY: Best Buy Opening

I ventured out to the new Best Buy that just opened in Ames today. I was expected it to be a madhouse in there, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the place well-staffed with a moderate crowd. I decided to give in and buy the new White Stripes album because I'm just too lazy to spend time finding each song with decent quality on mp3. They gave out 10% off coupons at the door so the total came to only $9.57 -- not too bad for a CD Rolling Stone awarded with a five star review. I suffered a massive letdown while I was there, though, because they didn't have any copies of the new Wilco DVD, "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart". They had five in Des Moines, but none in Ames. I guess I'll just have to wait for when I am passing through Des Moines in the next couple weeks to purchase what I have been waiting months for. It almost seems cruel to build a guy's hopes up and then send them crashing due to the lack of a fully stocked inventory. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/03/2003 10:07:00 PM ----- BODY: TSOOL Concert Review

Deciding to take advantage of the cheap ($15 tickets) opportunity to see such a quality band, I went with a couple friends to see The Soundtrack of Our Lives last night in Minneapolis at the 400 Bar. The venue was much smaller than I expected. The place what narrow, holding maybe 300 people or so, and the stage pretty tiny. The first band, PaloAlto, came out and performed a decent set of alternative rock. They sounded quite a bit like early Radiohead (hence, the name of the band) but a little more radio friendly. The lead singer even used the signature Thom Yorke falsetto every once in a while. All in all, I would say they were pretty good. The second band went by the name The Caesars. Apparently, they just had to change their name from Caesars Palace due to copyright issues. Judging from the promotional posters for the band, it was pretty apparent that they were part of the retro-gimmick-garage-rock movement. They all dressed in dark denim with black shirts and a coat, and they played simple pop/punk with a keyboard in the background. They played pretty well together and sounded very much like a throwback band. Their lyrics were really bad, though. Ebbot Lundberg, the lead singer of The Soundtrack of Our Lives, came out with his camcorder to record them. Also, TSOOL's fill-in drummer stood next to me for a few songs. It ends up, the drummer is actually from the International Noise Conspiracy! At 11:00, Soundtrack walked onto the stage and opened with "Broken Imaginary Time". I love the trippy song on the album, but hearing this song live blew me away. It didn't take long to realize we were all in for a huge treat. They immediately charged right into "Infra Riot". While the drums pounded during the intro, all the other band members pumped their fists in the air, charging the audience up. I can't remember the exact order of the songs, but they played a lot off their latest album, Behind the Music. If I find a setlist, I will post it. Singer Ebbot Lundberg actually got down in the audience three times and sang throughout the show! One of the times happened during my favorite song of the night, "Sister Surround". This has been one of my favorites ever since I first heard it, and seeing it performed in person was awe-inspiring. Lundberg got down with the audience to sing and walked around the entire bar, weaving his way through the crowd of people. Meanwhile, the band played with an amazing amount of energy. Another time, he walked toward the center of the crowd where we were standing. He stopped and sang right next to us, took a few steps, and fell down. About four people, including myself, had to grab him to pull the large man up. Their singer was really quite a showman. While he sang, he would make connections with people, sometimes staring at them for a few seconds at a time. He brought one woman on stage, had her introduce herself, and then swiped her pint of beer and chugged it. Later on, another lady in the very front motioned for him to come towards her so she could touch him. When he did, the lady touched his chest and Lundberg held his tambourine in front of her, reached through it, and grabbed her beer and drank it, too. At one point, the audience was encouraged to join them on stage to dance while they played. I wasn't able to join them, but it was still great to watch. Then, towards the very end, Ebbot Lundberg told the crowd to take a seat (or squat down). The crowd followed his orders and he walked towards the middle of the crowd and sang during the intro to one of the songs. As the music started to build, the crowd rose up, surrounding him, and everyone was jumping up and down, pumping their fist in the air. I was curious to see if others felt the same as me, and this is what I found: "If the Soundtrack of Our Lives really were the soundtrack for living, it would be a lot easier to get up in the morning." -- Spin Magazine "The Soundtrack Of Our Lives will save rock and roll!!!” -Playboy “The best post-everything six piece space rock band in the history of the eardrum.” -NME "TSOOL nudge open the gates of rock heaven" -Village Voice "Some of the most extraordinary rock music you're likely to hear this year" -Billboard "As huge as its name implies, and deserving of every anthemic hyperbole your rock 'n' roll soul can imagine" -CMJ "Three albums -- huge fun … their full library of trips, covering all corners of the modern lysergic-beat vocabulary" -Rolling Stone "A godsend to anyone who cherishes the riffs, tunes and cosmic portent of classic '60s and '70s rock" -Mojo “Better than anything that's been out in the last six years...That Soundtrack Of Our Lives album, that’s mega!” -Noel Gallagher, Oasis "Considered by most Parasolarians as the world’s greatest living rock band, Swedish sensations TSOOL play clandestinely classic guitar rock!" -Parasol.com "Rock and roll the way it was meant to sound!" -Popmatters "The Soundtrack Of Our Lives are that rare breed of band that can effectively rekindle yesterday's vintage rock sounds while also tapping into the modern day zeitgeist." -chartattack.com "Think of Soundtrack Of Our Lives as what classic rock would sound like if it really was as good as radio programmers and ad agencies want you to believe it is." -Stinkweeds.com "The current music scene in Sweden is too fantastic to remain in Scandinavian obscurity, and the aptly named The Soundtrack of Our Lives has all of the facets that just might wake the timid American mainstream. " -Newsreview.com "The Soundtrack Of Our Lives rock...anyone who’s seen their live show will tell you that they’re one of the best live bands in the world." -Chartattack.com " T.S.O.O.L. are not only the best band to emerge from the bubbling Swedish wellspring right now, but are also in the running - at least for today - for the lofty self-imposed title once solely owned by The Rolling Stones." -Concertlivewire.com "Building a wall of sound to rival any of their contemporaries, SOOL blast us with euphoric, pyschedelic rock, the soundtrack to the best summers you ever had." -2-4-7-music.com "The Soundtrack of Our Lives are unassuming, pure and simple, rock and roll genius, played with desire and talent. Quite simply, they are the soundtrack of your life." -BBC "You'll hear echoes of the Kinks, the Beatles, Love and Pink Floyd. But what's really exciting is that Soundtrack may be the first group in ages that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as it's idols." - Entertainment Weekly It's good to know at least a few people seem to agree with me... Last night, I had a feeling I saw something great. I have never seen a band play with such energy and power before. It may very well be the best live show I have ever seen. After listening to their three albums, I have always thought they were one of the best rock bands out there right now, and after seeing them live I believe they very well could be the best rock band in the world. I know it's a bold statement, but I really think it could be true. My friends and I left the 400 Bar shocked that TSOOL isn't one of the biggest bands out there right now. It absolutely blows my mind that so few people have heard of them. Watching them live, I felt like what people must have felt like when they saw the Rolling Stones or Zep early in their careers. I can't help but feel that that is going to change soon...and I'll be able to say I saw them in a small bar back in the day. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/03/2003 04:16:00 AM ----- BODY: A Worthwhile Trek

I just returned home from Minneapolis not too long ago to see The Soundtrack of our Lives, quite possibly the best true rock 'n' roll band out there right now. We left almost 12 hours ago to go see this gem of a band perform in a really small bar and my ears have still not stopped ringing. I was a little hesistant to head out of town the night before having a test, a presentation, and a paper due, but there is no question I made the right decision. Simply put, tonight I may have just seen the best performance I've ever witnessed by any band at any venue, and believe me, I have seen my fair share of really good bands. I'll will post my full review later. But for now, I must do some last minute cramming and maybe even squeeze in a little nap before my 9:30 test...hopefully my ears will have stopped ringing by then. --------