Memories

Some people had Super Mario, others had Zelda and Final Fantasy. But for me, there was only one video game from my childhood that mattered: Gran Turismo. Now, I realize that the game was released 10 years ago but seeing how my parents never bought me a Nintendo or Super Nintendo (due in large part to me never really asking for one), 13 years old is an adequate age to still be considered part of my childhood. Don't get me wrong, I played Mario and Super Mario at my cousin's house when I would go over but it never really excited me the way GT has. Partly because I was probably too young or impatient to sit through a level of Mario and also because GT revolves around what is probably my only true passion: cars. I know its kind of a silly thing for a 22 year old guy to love but I can't help it. I've loved them since I was in diapers. Anyway, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue just released in the U.S. (a precursor, or "demo", to the full version of Gran Turismo 5 which will hopefully release next year sometime) and since I haven't found anyone to take my Xbox 360 off my hands yet, all I have to look at are videos on YouTube of other people playing the game. This got me all nostalgic and I had to look up the intros to the previous four games (which were epic by themselves).

Gran Turismo 1



This is the one that started it all. When I first got home and popped it in the PS1, I had no idea what to expect. All I had to go by was the sleek silhouette of an anonymous car draped under a silver curtain, which was the game's cover art. Once I fired up my console and saw the intro, however, I knew I had found what I'd always been looking for. The intro proceeded to blow my mind with stunning, life-like gameplay footage that made everything else to have ever graced the T.V. screen obsolete (as far as video games are concerned). Even looking at it now its hard to imagine how good the games looks, even compared to more modern offerings. Keep in mind, this is the original Play Station.

All the subsequent releases were huge improvements upon the ones they replaced, but you always got the feeling they respected the older titles. They kept the core themes and idiosyncrasies of the original but never tried to outshine the other one. Put simply, I could go back and play the original version right now and still have a hugely satisfying experience.

The only new version I've played was the downloadable demo on PS3 (Gran Turismo HD) that came out over a year ago. Even though the graphics and driving dynamics had vastly improved, there was something still very familiar about it - like a pair of old jeans or shoes. It just felt right. And this is what I love most about GT (aside from the cars): its unflinching ability to give you that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. A feeling that, even though everything around you is constantly changing, your old buddy Gran Turismo is there to keep you sane and bring you back to a time when things were a little bit simpler. Now, does anyone want to buy my 360?

Conceptual Art

In the wake of Aliza Shvarts' antics and those of Guillermo Habacuc Vargas, I've been inspired to surpass my monthly quota of two blog posts and write a third. Now, Shvarts' "art project" has been confirmed as a hoax while the validity of Vargas' exhibit is still up in the air. In some small way I believe Shvarts' project was the real deal but is being kept under wraps to protect Yale University's good name. There are so many things wrong both of these stories I don't know where to begin. My main concern with both of these people is that they claim they are shedding light on issues which they believe don't get enough attention. (In this case, stray dogs in Costa Rica and "the relationship between art and the human body.") What both of these people fail to realize is that through the severity and extreme nature of their art, the message disappears in a sandstorm of social outcry. Its the same with the dog, we are all aware that many stray dogs end up dead everyday but actually killing one yourself does not bring attention to the issue; it just raises debate on whether or not you're a murder. I know a way to alleviate the stray animal problem of your country, start an animal shelter. This guy isn't part of the solution. I realize the abortion thing is 99.9% fake, but its the nature of conceptual art that pisses me off. Any asshole who thinks he or she is clever can take a chair and paint it red and put it in a museum or an art gallery and call it conceptual art. Its like this band Health:
There is nothing musical about that "song". Just like there is nothing artistic about those pieces of "art".




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4-20-2008
UPDATE: I knew it! Shvarts' art project wasn't fake at all.

Candice Parker

Just figured out how to take a screen shot. Sweet.

Evil Urges

I know this was posted some time ago but I just stumbled upon My Morning Jacket's live set from SXSW, 2008. The band runs through their typical set list but includes songs from their new album Evil Urges. The new songs sound pretty cool and I've got high hopes for the new album; unlike the fiasco that was the new Ghostland Observatory album. The album drops June 10, so go cop it!

Yo David!

Who the hell decided to give Spence Pratt his own advice column? Apparently the assholes at Radar decided that it would be a good idea. The cleverly titled "Yo Spencer!" column deals with problems of "regular folks." Hey, wait, I'm a regular guy. Fuckin sweet! All kidding aside, the column has a few gems like a girl passing out in the bed of a guy she really likes and then wakes up to find she pissed in it. Should she apologize or act like it never happened?! Only the infinite wisdom of Senor Douchebag can get her out of this one. I have advice for you, sweetie: Have sex with the guy and I'm sure he'll forgive you. Good luck getting a hold of him because I'm sure he thinks you're a disgusting bed-wetter. I have a question for Spencer: How does it feel to be hated by basically everyone? Not because you were kind of a dick on T.V. (to a girl who was being a total bitch to you in the first place) but because you and your girlfriend are the fakest thing since Milli Vanilli. The wreckage of Oceanic 815 thinks you're over the top. No number of photo-ops of you feeding the homeless, curing AIDS, cancer, and ending genocide in Darfur could save you. Here's my advice to you: Dump Heidi and go into hiding.

On a lighter note, while reading Austin's post about how the Brand New demos were scrapped because they got leaked, it got me thinking about something my uncle and I were talking about the other day. He was telling me about when he used to work at Sugar Hill studios in the late '70s and early '80s, he would wander into their storage and there were all these studio sessions for huge stars like Hendrix, Clapton, and Willie Nelson, to name a few. I guess before they would play a show in Houston, they would go to Sugar Hill to rehearse in privacy. I can't imagine how many cool tracks and jam sessions are on those tapes. Its kind of crazy to think of how many songs the Beatles could have recorded but decided to scrap. That's why if I ever go to the studio ,for whatever reason, I'm documenting everything so nothing gets lost.

Here's a couple of tracks I'm glad didn't get scraped:
Pinback - From Nothing to Nowhere


The Whigs - Right Hand on My Heart


LCD Soundsytem - All My Friends