"Is this a---what day is this?" -The Dude
Any writer will tell you that one of the biggest fears about writing is staring at a blank piece of paper. Or in my case an empty screen. I forgot where I was going with this.
So today is 4/20 and I just did my civic duty of making at least one joke about it. Now I can move on and never mention that this day, while full of harbingers of death (Hitler's birthday. The Gulf oil spill. Dudes in trench coats playing a live-action version of DOOM inside their school.), it is also the national holiday for pot smokers everywhere to have an excuse to do what they probably did yesterday - smoke more pot. I'm not judging, just merely stating the obvious because I'm sure as I write this most of my friends have already sparked a J at some point today and I'm jealous. All I've done is sit in Anatomy class and look at vaginas and penises all morning. Relax, we're studying the Reproductive System right now. Besides I've been close to these models since the first day of the semester. There was no other way to get all the giggling out of the way.
I'm testing myself right now because I just remembered why I started talking about writer's block. I've been suffering from it off and on for the past few months. I'll get a stroke of luck and be able to write paragraphs and paragraphs of pure brilliance. And then go through a dry spell and realize that just typing the word the is enough to make me run away from my computer in extreme terror. The only advice I've been able to follow is something a mentor of mine told me when I asked him what he did when he had writer's block.
"Simple. You write through it."
"That's it?"
"That's it. Just start writing and don't stop. Even if it doesn't make sense - don't stop."
That's what I'm doing right now; Writing and not worrying about what I might say. The filters are off, which could end badly, but who cares? How many people read this thing by choice anyway? I usually have to bug people to read when it goes up, which I always feel bad about doing. If people want to read it's their decision. I'm done censoring myself for the sake of who might read what I have to say. Hell, it might even make it more enjoyable. Like that poop you took the other day while still on the clock at work. Or pulling a pesky chest hair from your neck. Maybe those are just things I enjoy.
God damn you Matt Beringer. Seriously, why do you have to write songs that relate to so many males aged 25-35 and their problems? If I didn't know any better, Matt, I'd just go back to listening to Aaron Lewis complain about his life. Which, I'm guessing, is far more brutal than yours. I mean come on. Look at the amount of criticism the guy takes on a daily basis from people like you and I. We may not judge the content of a person's character by the color of their skin, but I'll bet you buttons to biscuits that we'll judge someone by what music they listen to. It's a bad personality trait to have, it's true. And obviously not one I'm proud of, and I'm working on it, really. But I just can't help but cross-reference a person's visual IQ to the music he/she probably listens to. I say visual IQ because where I live the meth look is always en vogue so chances are a good portion of the population here does not listen to The National or even know who they are. Their tooth loss.
This song from the king of brooders was written and recorded for the video game Portal 2 which I probably will never play. Video games and I have a distant relative kind of relationship in that we only see each other a few times a year and maybe when someone dies. But since this is 4/20 and pot smoking and video games are synonymous to, well, pot smoking and video games, I'm willing to give it a try. Now all I need to do is find someone with the game, get out of work, drive to their house, eat their food, drink their beer...fuck it, nevermind. No wonder most spot smokers have the edge on laziness. Some of the actions involved are way too movement driven which is why I'm surprised smokers haven't invented more remote controlled objects. I'm getting off topic here and I'm not even high. I think just being awake during 4/20 gives you a contact buzz similar to watching James Franco host the Emmy's.
Raw. Visceral. Another power word used to describe a new song, book, or movie. "Exile Vilify" doesn't sound like it belongs in a video game. It sounds like it should have been on High Violet to replace one of the other crappier songs. I'm looking at you "Runaway." Honestly, I can't really sweat The National's balls too much. They make great music. Music that I wish the people living off Fish Hatchery Road would discover. Yes, that is a real name for a road here. This one's for you guys. It's also for my friends. Because lately I feel like I'm living somewhere in obscurity off Fish Hatchery Road.
I was rudely interrupted for a while by my Ethics professor and his ability to make me and my fellow classmates feel like imbeciles. We're currently on the topic of feminism, and while his views are poignant and on track with how the world should be treating women and men, it becomes difficult to speak out against patriarchy and the power over an individual when the professor treats his students as second-class. I understand that there is a teacher/student rapport, but some of his comments to me and to others on the discussion boards are deplorable. I empathize with his beliefs, but he needs to recognize that he's not going to sway a demographic that is mostly white, middle-class, and monotheistic to his side when acting like an Ivy League snob. I'm not saying he needs to dumb himself down, but he could certainly make his rebuttals a bit more polished and respectful and not so fuck knuckle-ish.
Discussing patriarchy made me think of this song which is a nice little battle cry against fitting into the cookie-cutter kind of life most men expect of women. In fact most of Live It Out is about Emily Haines' falling into the typical expectations of women the world seems to have in store for her. I've been a big fan of Haines' music for a while now. Her solo album Knives Don't Have Your Back is a favorite of mine. I might have actually included a song from that album on 5SIAR at some point. I don't know -- I can't remember right now. If you're following along that was another pot joke.
I'm a dude and even I have a fear of comparison shopping. I must admit that I tried the typical American lifestyle on for a while. A wife (Girlfriend that hated me), a steady, good-paying job (Still here. And define: good-paying), children (Chips off the old smartass block. So proud of them!). And just like an American Apparel t-shirt it was cut a bit too small for my liking. That could also be because I weighed 180 lbs. and even a size L shirt was snug on me. I'm happy to say that I'm now a happier person because of a few things I've learned and changed within the past years, months, weeks, and days. I'm still learning actually because no one should ever stop in the first place. This is why we still have the same kind of shitty problems everyone complains about yet does nothing to make it better. For instance, the lack of equality amongst the races and sexes. The abundance of childhood obesity. Or the inability to find a deli that makes a good pastrami sandwich.
It's 10:00PM and I may not be able to get this post done and posted before my midnight deadline. It's a 420 post so it'll be really awkward if I post it tomorrow. Maybe I'll just hold off on this one till Christmas. Then everyone will surely be lost! It'll be like a pot flashback. Do those exist? Do people get so high that once they come down something will trigger them to get high again later on? And if so do they crave the same kinds of food? I can't imagine a former pot smoker turned family man out to dinner with his wife and kids at Chili's and suddenly ordering a bottomless brownie sundae as his main course and the mozzarella sticks for dessert. Actually, yes I can.
What's a post about 420 on 4/20 without one song referencing smoking mary jane? Just so you know I felt very white typing "mary jane" just now. Is that capitalized?
I know I could've chosen a better song about pot. Are there better songs about pot? I feel like that isn't possible unless the name of the song doesn't reference pot in any way and the name of your band is Animal Collective. Speaking of bands with trippy album covers, what's up with this one? The skull is just being creepy by hiding behind those cannabis plants. And if you stare deep into it's eyes you can see a Kanye West meme stare back at you. But seriously, Bone has written and recorded enough songs about smoking out to warrant a greatest hits? Cypress Hill didn't even do that. Well, I guess they really didn't have to considering their entire back catalog references MARY JANE in some way or another.
I have one hour left to write about two more songs. And go.
I'm eating crow at this very moment. I originally wrote this album off very early. Then I found out one of my favorite producers was involved in the making of it - Chris Coady. He produced Teen Dream from Beach House, so maybe giving it another try and a deeper listen wasn't such a bad idea. That and my friend Aaron would've given me shit if I put a song from this album on my year end mix without previously stating I liked it in some way. That's how I squeaked in a Health song from my 2009 mix. I like Health now and to be honest I would've given me shit too. And yes I think too much about this kind of stuff. There are rules to mixtape/CD making, right? Rules that must be followed to some extent. Someone back me up on this.
This album has been on constant rotation. I admit I am quick to judge something new. It could be because I expose myself to too much new music at one time...Shit, it's 11:21!
The only things you need to know about this song is that I listen to it a lot and I'm running out of time to post this blog on 4/20. So much for having enough time to write without stopping and without a filter! That proved to be kind of impossible considering I'm at work and doing schoolwork at the same time. I make a great employee.
This song is a boner jam. Whatever that really is. What is anything?
I'll leave you with that.
Goodnight.
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"Because lately I feel like I'm living somewhere in obscurity off Fish Hatchery Road." ...I understand exactly what you mean. I always look forward to reading a new 5SIAR :)
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Thanks for reading, ladies. :)
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