Explaining the Title of the Last Post

My last post was a tip from my good friend George Smith. I recall early in our friendship, we had a good long argument over the objective artistic value of the work of Mr. Robert Kelly. You can most likely guess what side I was on. I argued that despite his apparent sleaziness and retardation were part and parcel with his proven craftsmanship and genius, and it was often impossible to tell the difference. Such an oblivious and tortured songwriting savant was obviously an heir to the sublime/icky legacy of Marvin Gaye. Smitty didn't agree about the complicated brilliance of R. Kelly's songbook. All we really agreed on is that he definitely did fuck that little girl and tape it. Anywwaaayyyy, I somewhat cryptically titled the last blog, but in fact it was a Kelly reference. I think this is a great example of Kelly's pop genius: a wonderfully sang and structured track that epitomizes his fluid mix of gospel uplift and new jack schmaltz. The really compelling questions are: is he singing this to an old lover or a dead homey? and how many times do you think he repeated the wierd but touching phrase "come on and braid my hair" in the studio?

Come On & Braid My Hair

This blog is about sharing. There will be no original ideas of my own, but I will aggregate the ideas of my friends and the silly stuff they look at, as opposed to my own personal flavor of triviality.

I am not a gamer, it is still more worthwhile to me to spend my money on booze and music rather than investing in consoles and cartridges. I do believe, however, that video games are probably the ascendant popular art form of this century, just now coming into its own and poised to blossom like cinema did in the twentieth century.

There was a game I have not seen or played that came out this year called Braid. A philosophical side-scroller, it got a lot of jizz from outlets like the AV Club for its visionary themes and storytelling.

Some gamers I know, however, have called bullshit on the praise heaped on this title. Gamer/philosopher/writer/producer George Smith, a good friend of mine, is particularly sour on the supposed deepness of Braid. He recently sent a particularly good e-mail linking to a video review by a gentleman who calls himself Soulja Boy. Whatever you make of this, I think it is a particularly honest and realistic approach to game journalism:

the horror

Lists are fun, and this one I'm particularly proud of. I meant to compile and post it in October but it seemed creepier (lazier) to do it in December. This is a small collection of favorite horror movies by myself and a few other No Ripcord film writers, George Smith and Gary Collins. Get down on it. Feel free to argue with us. We love that shit. Check it out here.