Technically speaking, the show was my best yet. I managed to go a full hour without any fuck ups and there wasn’t much in the way of dead air. I recorded this episode using a MD player rather than a tape, which was much less of a hassle since I just turned it on and forgot about it, but I think the recording was a bit lower quality than the last.

Enjoy.

Punky Reggae Pilot Show (2007-09-24)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Playlist:

Echo Base Soundsystem - Dem Have
Scientist - Dance of the Vampires
Don Carlos - 400 [Dubs]
Junior Byles - Hail to Power
*Pocket FishRmen - The Leader is Burning
Seein’ Red - Hometown Blues
Bury the Living - Sugar Free Kool Aid
*The Ritchie Whites - The Color of Blood
Necros - Youth Camp
Peligro Social - Dominarte
Bad Brains - Banned in D.C.
Bad Brains - Roll On
Dadawah - Run Come Rally
*Pedestrians - Future Shock
Feederz - 1984

* denotes vinyl, yay!

Punky Reggae Pilot Show (2007-07-02)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

On September 24th I’ll be hosting another pilot show, most likely using the same format. If anyone would like to hear something in particular, leave a request in the comments or e-mail me.

1) When I cued up Fascist Cops, I forgot to give the turntable a ½ spin backwards before the start of the song, the result of which was you could hear the record spinning up. Technically, I guess this isn’t really my fault, because the track before it leads directly into them counting into the song.

2) I saw both turntables had their levels up, and I accidentally turned down the wrong one. The result was Pressure drop fading out then in over the air. Oops. In hindsight, a better way to handle that would have been to start up the next song and sacrificing the last minute or so of that song.

Doing the show certainly made me appreciate the effort that a lot of the programmers at KOOP put into their shows, especially ones like Stronger than Dirt where the DJ plays several seven inches in a row. On the other hand though, I can certainly see the appeal of playing most of a show off a CD or laptop like other DJs do.

In the next few months, KOOP members who have completed the apprenticeship program, FCC training and studio training will be eligible to pitch their shows to the Programming Committee. I haven’t decided whether I’ll actually apply for a show or not. I’d like to have one, playing the same sort of stuff I did on The Pilot Show, but I think I’d have a hard time making a case for it (How would it benefit the community?) when they already have an excellent reggae show and another show covering a good variety of punky stuff.

Eventually, I’ll make a digital copy of the recording of the show and host it here. In the meantime, here’s the playlist:

La Fraction - Dansez Les Mortes
The Buzzcocks - Fast Cars
*The Clash - Police and Thieves
*The Kids - Fascist Cops
Ronnie Davis - False Leaders
*Johnny Clarke - Simmer Down
Peter Tosh - Stepping Razor
*Toots & The Maytals - Pressure Drop
Dandy Livingston - Trouble In The Town
Don Carlos - Lazer Beam
Cornel Campbell - Fight Against Corruption
The Selecter - Too Much Pressure (Live)
The Specials - Skinhead Girl
*The Jam - In The City
*Radio Birdman - Murder City Nights
Teen Cool - Partners In Crime
Les Calamites - Toutes Les Nuits

* denotes vinyl, yay!

Smiley Face: A pot comedy placing the stoner protagonist amidst increasingly over the top and ridiculous situations. Very much along the lines of Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. Normally, I’d judge a movie like this on how many times I’d want to watch it over and over again, but I think I’ve outgrown that. For allegedly being sober throughout production, Anna Farris does an amazing job of playing burnout Jane F. And for having eaten an entire platter of pot cupcakes, Jane’s exploits move at a pretty brisk pace, introducing her to a bevy of people who all manage to alter her trajectory, for better or worse, as she tries to acquires the money she needs to pay off her dealer. The casting is a veritable who’s who of actors whom most people would probably recognize from their other roles as burnouts. Danny Masterson’s scenes near the end of the film are both disturbing and hilarious, though Roscoe Lee Browne’s narration takes the cake. I really liked several sets of cuts in the movie that reminded me a lot of Requiem for a Dream, which maybe was intended, but probably not.

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man: The film suffered a little from being conceptualized and directed by someone who was obviously a big fan. At the very least, the film could have benefited greatly from editing by someone who would have taken a slightly more critical look at the film and the musician. The film does a fine job at outlining the path of Walker’s career, paired with his own commentary and that of other big music names, but where the film really shines are the shots of Walker in the studio recording his latest album The Drift. Rather than more footage of various industry insiders all questioning why Scott 4 and other albums didn’t sell, I would have much preferred to see the filmmakers take greater advantage of the amazing access they had to Scott and his work environment. The scenes of the more playful, whimsical Walker directing a studio percussionist on how to better punch a rack of pork ribs or shuffling a metal pail over a giant wooden cube are some of the best of the film. On the subject of talking heads though, some of my favorite non-Walker interview footage in the film are very tight shots of the guests listening to various Scott Walker albums and songs. Watching how they react to what they’re listening to and describe what parts of the song that draw them in or fascinate them comes across as intimate, and surprisingly, very interesting.

A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar…: A documentary following six law school graduates as they prepare for the California bar exam which has the lowest passing percentage in the country (39%). Most are taking it for the first time, one for the forty-first time. There’s a good sense of humor about the film, and the footage of the participants is nicely split with interviews with fairly well known lawyers and commentators offering insight to various subjects ranging from frivolous lawsuits to the bar exam to the American perception of lawyers. I probably could have enjoyed the movie a lot more, but I feel the filmmakers did a real disservice to the film with it’s treatment of the participants. One subject was painted in such a bad light that at the end of the film when they learned that they didn’t pass the bar, there was actually cheering and clapping scattered throughout the theater. Maybe the director felt that the film needed a villain, or perhaps he was just trying to add more drama. I would have preferred to have seen a more even-handed approach to their subjects rather than having them patch footage together in an attempt to create a character to fill a role that they feel is needed in the film. If the subject was half as bad as the footage portrayed them to be, they should have been left to dig their own hole, rather than having it dug for them in such a heavy handed manner.

Cat Dancers: A documentary chronicling the lives of dancers Ron & Joy Holiday and the creation of their performance act ‘Cat Dancers’, and their later partnership with Chuck Lizza. The editing of the film coupled with the use of Ron’s own archival footage of their old acts give the majority of the film a very dreamy nostalgic feel that worked really well with Ron’s narrative. Given the material to work with, I think Ron’s story was treated very earnestly and sensitively. Ron comes across as an open and sincere individual and very honestly recalls his experiences with Joy and Chuck throughout their career and relationships, which could have likely been twisted to make many easy jokes at his expense. Luckily there’s genuine humor in the film, which the majority of the audience picked up on despite a few snickers during Ron’s introduction, and even more when the nature of the Holiday’s relationship with Chuck became clear. Joy & Chuck’s absence in the beginning of the film hint at the tragedy to come and prepare the viewer, but I still found Ron’s somber description of the incidents paired with his and (I assume) the police photos of the scenes completely heartbreaking.

Scrambled Beer (Malta con Huevo): An absurd dark comedy with time travelling and a prophetic goth teenager. The title refers to a vile cocktail that plays a prominent roll in the film. The drink is concocted by blending an egg, some sugar, and a pint of beer. “It’s the champ’s breakfast!” After the first few minutes of the film, I didn’t think I was really going to get into it, particularly because of the ‘Odd Couple’ cliche that’s set up early between Vladimir and his new room-mate Jorge. Luckily, the film does not rely on that dynamic as a source of comedy for long and Vladimir shortly finds himself time travelling while his chaotic world is thrown into disarray. Without giving too much away, there’s a major perspective change part way through the film that really caught me off guard and completely endeared me to the film and really won me over. Scrambled Beer will be screening again Tuesday the 13th, 10PM at the Dobie.

originally uploaded by giantrobotsf.

Sometimes fandom results in The Best Thing Ever™. This is one of those times.

I’m pretty sure I let the hefeweizen sit too long… I brewed the batch on June 28th, and transferred it to the secondary on July 9th. I had planned on kegging it on the 28th but noticed a rather large patch of mold growing in the airlock. Closer examination of the beer revealed some white specks suspended in the brew just below the surface with a few clusters actually floating on the surface. The top one and a half inches of the brew also showed some discoloration and was noticeably cloudier than the liquid below. After conferring with Scott I was determined to see it through and give the beer a fair chance in the keg. After moving it as gently as I could to kitchen I noticed that the brew had stirred enough to disturb all the specks and what little sediment there was at the bottom. Given the various things that had floated to the top during fermentation, I opted to give it several more hours to settle than I normally would. When I came back to check on it, I noticed the specks that had previously been suspended near the surface were now freely floating throughout the entire brew, and the dark ring of liquid near the top had completely vanished. Dissipated throughout the rest of the beer I assumed. Letting the beer sit overnight didn’t make a noticeable difference either. I had no confidence in the brew at this point, but was still willing to give it a chance. Pulling out the airlock and stopper let loose a rather unpleasant scent from the carboy and caused me to write it off as a total loss. Just to make sure I wasn’t being overly sensitive I had Dakota give it a sniff and he concurred with my assessment.

The improvised Fat Tire had a far shorter stay in the carboys, but still longer than normal. The brew seemed to be suffering from the early stages of an infliction similar to the Raspberry Wheat’s. There were a couple of very small specks on the surface which may have just been bubble clusters, but it was difficult to tell. A greasy looking film also covered the surface of the brew, which could possibly be normal, but I’ve certainly never noticed it before. It smelled fine, but the taste wasn’t quite right. I decided to move forward and keg it anyway. After letting it sit in the keg for a few days it still tastes a little off, but everyone else seems to like it well enough.

homebrew
Originally uploaded by gina pina

In happier news, the Raspberry Wheat can definitely be counted as a success. Next time though I think I’ll wait for Raspberries to be in season and use a lot more than 10 ounces and try to cut the Raspberry flavoring out of the recipe all together.

It’s encouraging that the razz brew turned out as well as it did. Having two batches turn out so mediocre (as far as I’m concerned anyway) and one not turn out at all had really killed my confidence in brewing. I want to brew again as soon as possible, and keep the fermenting time as short as I can. I’m going to aim for a one week stay in the primary fermenter, followed by one week in the secondary, then keg it. Not sure what recipe to go with this time, but I’m leaning towards giving the hefeweizen another shot.

Though I haven’t been posting, I’ve been faithfully keeping notes. I should start somewhere, and what better place than beer? Since the previously mentioned Pear Beer effort I’ve…

Not much to say about the Irish Red, I shared most of it with friends, and it was very well received. I’ll probably brew it again. Great color, a balanced taste, and just the right amount of head on it.

The Fat Tire clone was what you’d expect. As long as I have the kegerator running, I’ll always have this on tap, or at least, I’ll try to.

The Porter turned out beautifully, even if it’s the wrong time of year for it. I wasn’t wholly confident in it initially, but it’s matured very well in the keg. When tapped, the brew yields a rich chocolate mousse colored head. The flavor carries a very rich taste and has just a hint of chocolate in the nose and aftertaste. Very exciting.

The Bier de Mars is pretty disappointing. I wound up using dry extract rather than a liquid, and I think I might have skewed my measurements trying to compensate for the dry extract being stronger than the liquid. I plan on going back to review my notes then try the brew again. Considering that Bier de Mars is undoubtedly my favorite New Belgium offering I’d really like to get this one right. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to invite Scott or one of the Black Star Pub brewer guys over to have some and help me figure out where I went wrong. In the future I’ll probably try to err on the side of too much rather than too little given my taste in brews.

I’m still yet to name any of my beers. The reason for this, at least partially, is that since all of my brewing has consisted of other peoples recipes, I don’t really feel entitled to naming the brews. On that note though, I’ve recently picked up ‘The Joy of Homebrewing’ and ‘Designing Great Beers’ and hope to come up with an original¹ recipe sometime in the months ahead. Needless to say, this is something I’m very excited about.

¹ relatively speaking of course. it would be nigh impossible to do something that hasn’t been done before.

Created by aegix.
Here’s the original.

It’s unfortunate that I still haven’t managed to pick this one up.

via: Joystiq