BLOG FAAAAAAIL......aaand RECOVERY! The ANGERBALL BLOG!

Okey dokes!! Get your anger out kiddies and get it out noooooooooooooooow!!! I know, I know, I tried to do the upbeat thing with the February blahs and all but dumb people got to me. So here it is, your first unofficial Angerball Blog Playlist (Dancing About Architecture shoutout), it's called (of course) Confusion to Insanity Playlist because that's what people can drive us to sometimes (if we don't meditate and learn to ignore  them). So so so.....do enjoy, or don't if that's your thing. Whatever it is, please do have a good and angry happy rest of the week and I'll see you next this Sunday. (with a considerably lighter workload)

BTW...if  you haven't been watching Marvel's Agent Carter I STRONGLY recommend it. So much awesome in just one hour, similarly The Flash is cleaning up in the awesome department. Get your she-roe and hero on y'all.

Peace Out Kittens!

Jazz and Blues and Allllllll the News.....

Oh Hello Friends, Enemies, Kittens etc,


You guessed it, today's blog which is a mite late (I apologize) is all about  JAZZ hands JAZZ (and Blues and Doo-wop-y kinda stuff). I've kicked it off with the very talented (and Canadian) Oscar Peterson (RIP good sir), and continued onward down the path towards jazz and rhythm and blues enlightenment with The First Lady of Song, some Sarah Vaughan and the incredible Sammy Davis Jr, I moseyed on into Otis Redding territory but not before hitting up Harry Connick Jr (the first concert I ever attended). Oh guys it's so lovely, don't listen to Noel Gallagher about 'shite jazz' he doesn't know it but he's on about, which (to be honest) is 'Smooth Jazz' and 'College Smooth Jazz' which is not the same blessed thing.

It's February (I know, I know) and as such all the Valentines are getting their chocolate on but more importantly it's Black History Month and when could be a better time to learn some American History through the magnificent world of Jazz? (that was rhetorical) So please do dive in and enjoy the splendor and magnificence and if you feel the inexplicable urge to check out a local jazz show in your area this week by all means darlings, GIVE IN!

Anyway, I wish you (and myself) a mighty fine grind this week to accomplish all the things you need to get 'er done and do consider playing this lovely, melodic dreamscapey Jazz and RnB playlist if you get a little too stressed out. I'll also leave you with this bluesy version of Summertime that my friend Jorge Gavidia and I recorded and a reminder that Summer will return someday (sooner than you think).  Until then? Hang onto that pigfoot and bottle o' beer, scooobley-doobl-ey-doobl-ey out!

*always hear when you cry sigh dagnammit! Probably a Freudian slip*

*I would be remiss not to include a song from the movie that started my Vaudevillian obsession here's a cover for Burlesque fans <3

The Britpop!!! AKA UK Invasion AKA People Over There....

FEBRUARY'S HERE (yeah I'm not happy about it either)


Waaaaay better mood today though because my lazy ass finally hit the gym! Eff yeah! Endorphins. Yesterday I was wilin' out like a crazy person. Y'all I'm sorry to say this but it's February now, historically the most depressing damn month of the year so if you find yourself crying for no damn reason or over-reacting or being a real freakshow, take heart. You're not alone, We're all miserable as f*ck right along with you. I'm gonna try to keep the playlists this month very upbeat for that very reason. Let's see if we can put some pep in your step (see what I did there?) I have included some slower, vibey songs but they're sandwiched between clangers and bouncy, block-rockin' beats, so you're good.


ACROSS THE POND PLAYLIST

Yup, this is some good sh*t right here. If you wanna know what I was doing in the 90s? Probably vegging out listening to this stuff, dancing like a nutter listening to this stuff or walking really aggressively listening to this stuff imagining sh*t was blowing up behind me. Yup, the Brit Awards had just hit my radar and they had that one amazing year where, Skunk Anansie, peformed Hedonism (Just because it feels good) and Diana Ross and Jamiroquai did a duet and I fell in love with music from across the pond. Some goodly gear there, goodly gear. Plus I was getting sick of the grunge so there's that, I can't rain all the time (even though I'm only happy when it does ;) I do of course owe my introduction to Britpop, UK music to Spice Girls and Oasis. My two favourite bands of all anything really and if it weren't for Noel Gallagher I wouldn't be bothered with half this ish (including learning the guitar or making music at all). That man made Britpop music palatable for me and his blatant brashness and honesty has always been more than welcome in an industry full of liars, cheats and backstabbers. You always know where you stand with Noel Gallagher and there's precious little of that left in the world. I really could talk about Noel and Oasis for a whole blog (which I think I shall) so I'll just leave that for the future then.

Another really amazing album that I've included some tracks off is The Saint Soundtrack. The film was the business and the soundtrack was even better. Val Kilmer, Elizabeth Shue and a crapload of crazy disguises. Check it! Shout out to Kilmer, (sending nothing but good vibes his way right now) who made some of the most fun,clever movies of my childhood life. (Real Genius, Willow, Top Gun) Just as an aside I did happen to hit up the bar they filmed Top Gun in when I was in San Diego, great balls of fire y'all! (pretty sure I say y'all more than any other Canadian,ever (must have been that Louisiana stint) wow).

So here's your Britpop AKA UK Invasion AKA People Over There playlist with some damn good music to get it poppin' to (don't even know what that means) ...oh maybe bottles, yes pop some bottles. No, don't pop bottles just chill, have a coffee, do your homework, read a book, jump around, whatever. Have fun, and folks...Have a Nice Day!

Beverly Hills 90210. Yes.

Need I say more? Ah but I will, back in the day I would turn on my television and watch the escapades of the rich and over-privileged (excepting the Walsh Twins and Ahhndrea) and boy was it entertaining. You know I'm pretty sure FOX Network started that whole 'scenes from the next thing' and if they didn't start it they sure were the first to make an event out of it and make an event out of television.

The way they got us hooked was to run a full first season of 90210 then when everyone else's show was on hiatus they carried on through the summer with special "Beach Episodes" by the time they came back for fall (after a short break) we were addicts, bona fide, tried and true 90210 junkies. We needed to know if Brenda and Dylan would ever reconcile, if Kelly's mom would stay off the drugs, if Brandon and Ahhndrea would ever get it on, if Steve's mother would ever love him, if Donna would ever have sex, if David would ever stop being such a loser (or being treated like such a loser)....WE HAD TO KNOW!!!  My sister was kind and clever enough to buy me the first season on DVD and I marathoned it like Terry Fox. I welcome you to take a dip in the original Beverly Hills 90210 pool. The water's fine, folks.

You know last week was all about the 80's and I snuck a little Shannen Doherty in there for ya with Heathers ( I hope you watched it) but when Shannen really hit it big was with this wonderful show. If you've never seen an episode of the original 90210 then you probably weren't born yet, or perhaps not on the continent of North America but have no fear, it is all perfectly wonderful because now you have a chance to discover it.

Me, personally I only made it to the end of season 4, when Shannen peaced out I did too and I am mighty glad for it. I found the show went from a top quality show about adolescence to a Dallas/Dynasty-esque bitchfest, not that there's anything wrong with that but I liked having Brenda Walsh as the moral, dramatic centre and without her to guide it I felt like the show lost its heart. So there you are. Seasons 1 through 4, it's fun, topical (well it was at the time and still may be) and thoroughly enjoyable and if you ship Brenda/Dylan like me then it's very tragically romantic (I learned the majority of Ophelia's monologue from the summer episodes)

Beverly Hills 90210 was also the first serial of their time (aside from 21 Jumpstreet) to be a drama targeted entirely to teenagers. At that time networks didn't think they could make any money out of teenagers (crazy right) and it was only during the 90's that the big marketing boom towards teenagerdom (tv, magazines, books) really took off. Somebody uttered the words "disposable income" and it was off to the races. So I've made you a Beverly Hills 90210 playlist  of course (heads up unless you have a deezer account this playlist is only viewable on your laptop). It's a blast I tell you, and due to The Peach Pit scenes (Ah Nat!) there's a lot of good 50's and 60's music too. Do enjoy kittens and have a wonderful week!

Hip-Hop. The Game, The Network, The (Hopeful) Evolution?

Hip-Hop. Loved by many, understood by few. It's a huge topic to tackle (which is why I'm only semi-tackling it). We all have our favourite rappers and emcees and we all have our favourite albums and stand alone tracks but nowadays many of us are left wondering ....what the hell happened? More and more we find ourselves heading back to the vault of the eighties and nineties and early 2000s to get our fix of meaningful lyrics encased in beats that stick in our minds like macaroni and cheese to a stove pot.

 There's no way to pinpoint just where it all went wrong with hip-hop music, although it's probably around the same time it went wrong with every other kind of music, when the hippies and music lovers were shoved out of the record labels to make room for the yuppies and suits. Around the time when show business became more business than show and when making a dollar became more important than making a good record. Hip-hop transitioning (for better or worse) from making feel good music (Run DMC) and relevant music (Public Enemy) to pure product placements and bravado.

One way or another the game changed and current hip-hop artists must now struggle against the backlash of who is perceived as hip-hop (aside: blasphemy and parodying my favourite movie too, brain bleach please) and who is actually hip-hop. Wouldn't it be great with all this technology to have an app or a site that could help us differentiate? To be able to once again see true talent for what it is without the hype machine or the media barking in our ears about what is supposedly good and who the supposed new hip-hop kings or queens are? Wouldn't it be great to be able to make up our own minds about it?

In a word? Yes and this is what lead me to the idea for DroptheMic An website/app that gives emcees, djs and beatmakers the opportunity to network, build a following by showcasing what they can do to people who have a genuine interest and appreciation for their craft. Hip-hop didn't start out being all about swag, jewels and cars.It started out as a form of expression, craftsmanship and a way to release energy. As Common puts it "The joy and beauty of being a hip-hop artist, you can truly express who you are. When you're a rapper you get to say what you think, what you feel, people hear your perspective, people hear your spirit,  your soul (if you're using that) and they hear your imagination to be able to write a rhyme and say look, this is what my life has been about."

It's time we get back to the what was awesome, fun and exciting about Hip-Hop. That which ignited our souls and hearts and made us walk with a little more swagger and break like our lives depended on it. With that in mind, here's an old school hip-hop playlist for inspiration, so hip-hop hippity-hop  and don't stop...........

P.S Do yourself a favour and check out  The Art of Rap it's an absolutely fantastic (and informative) way to spend an hour and a half of your weekend. Peace Out Kittens!


"Find yourself, find your art, Find your heart." Snoop Dogg

IT'S THE EIGHTIES!!!! Shut up....it is...

Well at least here and now in this moment and on this mofo blog. Yup I got ya some eighties tracks here...bitchin'! I'm gonna recommend some stellar eighties movies for ya too! It's like Christmas again (or some other non-denominational holiday where you get cool stuff).

So, here's your playlist  and here are your recommended 80's movies, watch the movies then listen to the playlist 'cause I snuck some songs off the movies for ya:

1. Real Genius this f'awesome 80's movie features a young, eccentric Val Kilmer at a school for gifted minds...wackiness ensues (of course). Jammin'

2.  The Monster Squad  a bunch of kids battling Dracula, his brides (yeah I typed plural), a werewolf and some other untoward ish. Awww poor Phoebe *emoticon of a teardrop* This movie is AMAZING.

3. A Nightmare on Elm Street (the original) few movies at the time were scarier and more inventive than this one. It's still one of the creepiest ideas I can think of. We've all got to sleep sometime, maybe watch this one in the daylight hours. (and yes, okay fine for a young Johnny Depp) aside: look out for some parallels between this movie and Scream, (same director) the physical similarities between Billy Loomis and Glen Lantz are also worth noting.

4. Heathers before Mean Girls there was Heathers and never a more accurate or frightening description of the bitchiest girls in school and with a stellar cast including Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty. Excellent (you'll have to hunt for this one as I couldn't find a link)

5. Gleaming the Cube Later (I mean a decade later) renamed "A Brother's Justice" for no discernible reason. Anyway it's a skateboarding movie starring Christian Slater and yes, it's awesome. There's a chance to see some action by Tony Hawk as well. (you can try and find a better quality vid out there, hit me up if you do)

And that concludes our happy (partly) foray into the 80's. Gotta book! L8ergram kittens!

Bourne Fast and Furious and....Drinking the Vino...

Hello Kittens,


Oh life, how tough, how tricky, how goddamn bitchy....but! BUT! But, we can combat that (partially) with an inordinate amount of music, happy, exciting, energetic, powerful, peppy music. And folks (I know starting a sentence with a conjuction is incredibly wrong) (as was that incredibly long parenthesis and this one that follows it) that's what I'm here for. So here it is...your action movie music soundtrack. Have at it folks and enjoy, remember Fast 7  is due this year April 3rd to be exact and Avengers 2 to follow on May 1st (day before my birthday #justsayin). So drink your wine or your tea, hit that gym or that meditation centre and as Eve would say Grind or Die 'cuz you got this.

L8gram,

P.S If all else fails there's libraries. They have comics y'all.....COMICS!!!