ghosts

halloween dance mix

I've been to the hospital many times, and I've never had a nurse with massive cleavage and a miniskirt. I've also never been pulled obver by a cop with the same. It's a sad life, I tell ya.

Happy Halloween!



Tracklist:

the crowd - dig yourself (1995 lethal)

I must admit, when I originally got this, I was prepared to be disappointed. Classic early Orange County 80's surf-punks reunite (I don't think they ever really broke up) to cash in on the mid-90's punk revival - a recipe for embarrassment. But that's not the case. The opposite in fact - this is really good! They didn't stray from what put them on the map, and it paid off.

1. Life's A Pill
2. Dig Yourself
3. Booze Blues
4. Love You More

last fm
myspace


DOWNLOAD 'DIG YOURSELF'

best costume, 2009

In case you are not aware of all internet traditions, here is his inspiration: 

Dude does lose points for not hunting down that Cardinals shirt. Still, though, inspired.

[wonkette]

spooky

A Halloween treat for you. Warning though - DO NOT watch if you are squeamish.

matt drudge is very, very honest

The Drudge headline:

The story it links to:

The White House warns that many names that may appear familiar — and controversial —do not in fact refer to the most famous people to carry those names. Jeremiah Wright is on the list, but it's not the president's former pastor. Michael Jordan is not the basketball player. This Michael Moore is not a filmmaker. And William Ayers, who took a group tour of the White House, isn't the former radical from Chicago.

 Where's the list of Bush White house visitors? Oh yeah.

"The Bush administration fought tooth and nail to keep secret the identities of those who visited the White House," said Melanie Sloan, CREW's executive director.

lenovo sucks, and i will never buy from them again

Bought an IdeaCentre HTPC from Lenovo. The idea is to stream Netflix, Hulu and other stuff on my TV. It works pretty well. I like it. I'm excited to use Windows 7 Media Center on it, which I've read is awesome. The unit shipped with Vista, but I was promised a "free" upgrade to Windows 7 once it came out. I would have to pay shipping and handling, but for an upgrade disc, what could that be, $5? $6? It's just a CD. Actually, Lenovo probably has a ISO file I could download, then they would just have to send me a serial number. We all win!

Except that shipping is $17 and there is no ISO.

Is $17 going to break my budget? No. But does it cost $17 to ship a CD? No. It's the principle of the thing that has me upset. I called to clarify, and was basically told that it's $17, there is no download, and if I'm unhappy I could return the unit after paying for return shipping and a 15% restock fee.

Now that's what I call customer service!

This was my first, and last, purchase from Lenovo. Crazy that they would choose to alienate someone who actually likes their product over a bogus shipping charge.

deadly encounters hardcore compilation (1996 agitate-96/kill)

1997 comp featuring some of the heaviest hitters in the hardcore/powerviolence scene.

1. Psycho  -  Blinded
2. Anal Cunt  -  Newest HC Song 4-Newest HC Song 5
3. Crom  -  Drinkers Of Mung
4. Spazz  -  Redenbacher's Orgy Of Pain, Fear and Pestilence
5. Capitalist Casualties  -  Sarin (Live)
6. Dropdead  -  Boiling Point (SSD)
7. Lack Of Interest  -  Pressure (Negative Approach)
8. Vilently Ill  -  Viet Vet
9. Charles Bronson  -  Better Never Then Late
10. Laceration  -  Who Needs Kleenex
11. Bad Acid Trip  -  Dig Up Your Dead

DOWNLOAD 'DEADLY ENCOUNTERS'

handerpants

Christmas is a comin'.

odd headline of the day

Goes without saying that I feel bad for the girl and her family. But still...

it feels like summer in october

And I hope this day is never oo-oo-over.

f.y.p - cooties (1993 recess)

This particular EP changed the way I listened to music. Before hearing this, the punk I listened to tended to be of the Epitaph variety. Not that I limited myself to Epitaph, but most stuff tended to be a little polished. Then F.Y.P entered my life, and suddenly sloppy, raw punk became my favorite. F.Y.P was my favorite band for a few years, and this EP is a great example of why I loved them. Great fucking stuff.

1. Maynard
2. Born With A Dick
3. Predict The Past
4. Bring It On
5. Ice Cream
6. Animism
   

myspace
last fm

DOWNLOAD 'COOTIES'

it's the not-so-great pumkin, charlie brown

While looking for either a Toboas Funke or Stephen Colbert pumpkin stencil, SC came across this site, which let to a full half-hour of "what the fuck"'s.














BUT NO SPUDS MACKENZIE STENCIL?!?!!? C'MON!!! /gobvoice

catfight

noodles, baby!

[boston.barstool]

what is going on at the daily beast?

This Daily Beast article comes directly from my Google Reader inbox.

Okay, so the headline indicates there was a "crash", which leads me to believe that there was a crash involving a car or cars. There wasn't. The blurb then says, "that caused California's Bay Bridge to come crashing down Tuesday night'. Really? The Bay Bridge came crashing down? That seems like a major news story if you ask me. Turns out a few pieces of the bridge fell onto the bridge. A serious story, no doubt, but nothing like the headline and blurb indicate.

This isn't a one time deal for The Daily Beast. Spelling errors and clumsy writing is expected for an amateur blog like mine, but for a high-profile, money-making business, I have no idea how these errors continually get buy. Worst edited news site around.

coincidence

Yeah, right. 

The thing is, while I'm not really down with Arnold, I really do appreciate this sort of stealth insult. I am totally cool with this. Of course his people have to deny it's intentional. And of course it was intentional.

[wonkette]

stun guns - 1995 - i can't believe it's not murder (1995 star crunch)

The Stun Guns were from Miami, Florida and were a hands down fantastic punk rock band. This came out right around The Hitmen from Chicago released and EP with the same cover art. And this has a song called Hitman. This was all coincidental, but it would have been rad if The Hitman had a song called "Stun Gun".

Brian Bush played in other great Florida bands like Chickenhead, Cavity, Los Canadians, Kreamy 'Lectric Santa (get it at the Hearse), and the Jack Palance Band.

1. Brand New Year
2. Hitman
3. Bullet In The Head

myspace


DOWNLOAD 'IT'S NOT MURDER'

operation: cliff clavin - top secret (1995 plan-it-x)

Very good and catchy DIY pop-punk from Indiana. Sometimes OP:CC can be a little too literal and/or earnest and/or utopian (in an elitist, Fifteen-ish "Ride a fucking bike" way) in their outlook, but that's also what makes them lovable, as they took the DIY ethic a lot more serious than a lot of crusty punks.

This was the first release on Chris Cravin's Plan-It-X Records. OP:CC would spawn The Devil Is Electric and Ghost Mice.

1. Kenny's Job
2. Jerk
3. All I Can Be
4. Fine
5. Fair Is Fair
6. When I Grow Up
7. My Girl

myspace
last fm

DOWNLOAD 'TOP SECRET'

nick canepa writes more stupid things

I knew this was going to happen. The Chargers crush a really bad teams, and suddenly Norv Turner apologists like Nick Canepa are all, "how you like me now?", sarcastically amazed by how quiet the Fire Norv types (like me) are.

Interesting. When the Chargers lose, I hear from dozens of Anti-Norvites within minutes of the final whistle. Not even Satan should hear some of this stuff. But, when they win, as they did convincingly Sunday in Kansas City? Very little.

Like somehow the piss poor decisions Norv has made in the past never happened. Like somehow that's all water under the bridge. I am happy with the win, and really have no beefs with Norv's gameplan. But don't be confused, Nick, the Chiefs are a terrible team. Bad decisions in a blowout are much easier concealed than bad decisions in a close win or a loss. We beat the Chiefs.


Furthermore, Canepa thinks we hate Norv Turner as a human being.

Those who know the Chargers head coach love him. Those who don't, or those who think they might and don't, flatly can't stand him and would prefer his next outfit be made of tar and feathers.

How could that possibly be true? I doubt many Charger fans know Norv on a personal level, so why would we hate him personally. We know him as a head coach and we hate his decisions as a head coach. It's not rocket science. Yes, of course there are fans who take shit way too seriously and make personal attacks. But Nick, it's 2009. You must know this fact by now: The ignorant minority of fans are usually the most vocal. I guarantee that the vast majority of Charger fans are like me. We would like to see Norv fired. We assume that Norv Turner is a good man on a personal level. And we don't lose too much sleep over any of this. You, on the other hand, do know Norv Turner. Your column is practically screaming, "Hey everyone, I know Norv Turner and you don't." So maybe, just maybe, it's in your professional self-interest to not speak truth to power?

Here's some more lame things Nick gets paid decent money to say.

Bring in Bill Cowher, I hear (not going to happen). Until he finally got lucky and won a Super Bowl, what coach in history lost more big games than Cowher?

One more Super Bowl than the Chargers have. That "luck" also got him a 149-90-1 career record. But Nick prefers  Norv and his no Super Bowls and his 80-98 career record. Who needs luck.

Yet his players play for him

Well, that's a questionable notion in the months of September and October, and a large part of the problem. But let me grant you the point. His players play for him. Yeah, and? What do you expect them to do? No one has ever suggested that the San Diego Chargers are a team in disarray like the Raiders or Redskins. So it shouldn't be all that surprising that a bunch of millionaires actually try and earn their paychecks. Players playing for a coach is expected. No medals should be awarded for doing so.

They still spanked the Chiefs, and no matter what you think about the opponent, you go into Arrowhead Stadium and try to win.

You mean the same Chiefs who  are in the midst of a 10-game home losing streak? The same Chiefs who lost at home to the friggin' Raiders this year? Are you even paying attention anymore, Nick?

That he isn't a cheerleader doesn't bother me in the least, although it seems his biggest fault to the Anti-Norvites.

Ugh. Not true. We've covered this before. This is a cop-out, Nick.You're using a couple of knuckleheads to dismiss an entire group, never actually addressing the main arguments.

And if you're looking for someone who succeeds most of the time, better try going back 21 centuries. 

Did you seriously just bring up Jesus in a Norv Turner discussion? Wow. Anyhoo, heree's a quick list of available coaches:  Bill Cowher (149-90-1), John Gruden (95-81), Mike Shanahan (146-98), Mike Holmgren (161-111), Marty Shottenheimer (200-126), Tony Dungy (139-69). Oh, and my dream coach, Pat Hill (92-51). Do you notice anything about that list? See, for all of those guys, the first number is much bigger than the second number. This means they have more wins (which you might call "success") than losses ("non-success"). Therefore, when you do the math, they succeed "most of the time". There's no need to bring Jesus into it.

This is why newspapers are dying, BTW.

paranormal activity

More like Shitanormal Activity, amirite?

Good Lord, that made the also shitty Blair Witch Project look like Citizen Kane.

joan!

in my bed crashed out

insert waaaahmbulance joke

Seems some people forgot we just had an election.

 DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO — A large, enthusiastic crowd of people carrying signs and waving flags in protest of a government they say is not representing them gathered downtown yesterday morning to kick off a cross-country tour to demand change.

Your government is not representing you? Welcome to my life, January 2001 to January 2009, you fucking crybabies.

chargers 37, chiefs 7

You'd probably think that after a 37-7 win, I wouldn't have a lot of complaints about the Chargers. Well, you'd be....right, mostly. Only a couple of (minor) complaints this week.

1. I don't know what Norv is trying to prove running up the middle near the end zone. I sure as hell wanted to see LT score, but the definition of insanity, according to Einstein, is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". Wait a second - that's not even close to the definition of insanity. I officially am casting doubt upon the Theory Of Relativity. E=MC squared my ass.

2. But it's not like anything else is working near the goal line. The red zone offense is starting to become a major, major concern. Yeah, the score was 37-7, but it could have been two billion to 7. Part of the problem is a lack of creativity. What ever happened to LT throwing the ball, or the occasion Phillip Rivers draw? Or the infamous fumblerooski-statue-of-liberty-wildcat-double-reverse-triple-salchow-flea-flicker-alley-oop-double-lindy?

3. Chris Chambers. What the hell happened to this guy? I can't remember ever falling out of love with a player quicker. I'm much rather see Legadu Naanee out there than Chambers, who is dropping everything as of late. 

4. Shawne Merriman. You lining up offsides is getting as annoying as Rivers' delay of game penalties. Patience, son.

That's about all the complaints. Now how 'bout some compliments - acknowleding that the Chiefs are a horrific team, and stomping them doesn't exactly prove anything.

1. Tim Dobbins. I've always liked Dobbins, and don't understand why he doesn't play more. He was everywhere yesterday.

2. As was Eric Weddle. Weddle has had a couple of off weeks, but he was back in form yesterday.

3. Vincent Jackson. Getting tired of hearing how he is "on his way" to being a legitimate #1 receiver. He is a legitimate #1, and has been for a while.

4. Kevin Ellison. Improving every week. Injuries have him in the lineup now, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him named a permanent starter by the end of the year.

5. Jacob Hester. Dude is awful as a running back/fullback. But he's carved out a niche on special teams.

6. Rivers, Gates. Excellent. Expected. Yawn.

7. The Chiefs. Thank you for being an atrocious football team. We needed that.

,

blatz - cheaper than the beer (1990 lookout records)

The East Bay group that was ground zero for a billion other bands. You should need no introduction to this.

last fm
myspace

1. Fuk Shit Up
2. Fuk New York
3. Lullaby
4. Blatz To The Future
5. Hustler

DOWNLOAD 'CHEAPER THAN THE BEER'

evolution control committee - the whipped cream mixes (1996 eerie materials)

Big-time twelve-to-six curveball here, for sure, but also one of my favorite 7-inches ever. This would easily make my top ten EP's of all-time.

ECC was mash-up before mash-up was cool. They were mash-up as fuck. Here, they take some Herb Alpert and throw some Public Enemy vocals over it. It works well on "Rebel Without A Pause", but it works absolutely brilliantly on "By The Time I Get To Arizona".

1. Rebel Without A Pause (Whipped Cream Mix)
2. By The Time I Get To Arizona (Whipped Cream Mix)

last.fm 
myspace


DOWNLOAD 'WHIPPED CREAM MIXES'

the undesirables - four years (1997 quincy shanks)

Back to Illinois for more Quincy Shanks goodness. This was produced by Ken Weevil of the Bollweevils. Tomorrow will be something non-Quincy Shanks or Chicago. Pinkie swear.

1. Take A Look
2. Refuse To Learn
3. Stevenson County Massacre
4. I'm Giving Up

DOWNLOAD '4 YEARS'

the best 0-6 team in fantasy football.

I'm in a fantasy football league, but I'm a terrible owner. For the draft, I just picked who I liked. I set my roster, drop/acquire players, etc at like midnight on Saturday. I don't really give it a whole lot of thought until gameday. So it's no surprise that my team is 0-6, the laughing stick of the league. But I have some decent players, so what's going on? Well, besides Steven Jackson and Brandon Jacobs sucking beyond all belief, a lot of it has to do with my shitty luck when it comes to the schedule. Here's a week-by-week listing of all teams scores. My scores are bolded red, my opponent's scores that week are bold black.

WEEK ONE

132
124
119
109
104
104
94

75

Okay, my team blew this week. It happens.

WEEK TWO

148

129

129

114

102

89 

88

76

Middle of the pack. Deserved the loss. Would have beat three other teams.  

WEEK THREE

141

121

100

95

77

72

61

66

In the upper-half of scores this week, but my opponent was even higher. Dammit.  

WEEK FOUR

143

132

125

119

104

91

98

94

Okay, now this is getting annoying. There's only two teams I wouldn't have beat, and of course I was playing one of them. 

WEEK FIVE

136

117

115

100

86

86

63

33

Back to the bottom half, but not the bottom. Still would have beat three other teams. 

WEEK FIVE

185
142

137

130
124
119
99
97

You've got to be kidding me. Repeat of week three. If Matt Schaub doesn't play out of his mind, I win. If Steven Jackson does jack shit, I win. If Brandon Jacobs does Jack shit. I win. If I was playing 5 of the other 7 teams, I win.

Safe to say, I'm not heading to Vegas anytime soon.

the worst slate article ever

And that's saying a lot. Cuz there have been some doozies. But contrarianism has finally jumped the shark with the publication of this:

 Jonah Weiner, if that is your real name, feel free to not ever write about music again. You are officially now know as "that guy who likes Creed."

Good lord, that's just terrible. It's not even April 1.

finway fish camp - s/t (1995 quincy shanks)

Yet another Quincy Shanks release, which usually means the band is from Chicago. Not this time. Finway Fish Camp was from Tallahassee, FL, and played something between pop-punk and straight up punk.

1. Waiting
2. Interference
3. Stranded
4. Sucker

DOWNLOAD 'FFC'

Buy @ eBay:

the parker brothers - s/t (1994 beefy/quincy shanks)

You've probably figured out that at one point I placed an order with Quincy Shanks and placed all the records together on my shelf. So here's another Chicago band on Quincy Shanks. Snotty punk rock. Hope you like it, cuz there's more Quincy Shanks stuff on the way.

1. I Hate
2. Dr. Crain
3. Sausage
4. Punk Rock Baby
5. Mike

DOWNLOAD 'PARKER BROS'

the 4-squares - madman (1994 quincy shanks)

The 4-Squares have been featured at least once before, so check the archives for more info. SparkNotes version for the lazy: Chicago punk rock.

1. Subject To Change
2. John Jordan
3. Get Up
4. Asshole

DOWNLOAD 'MADMAN"

the mayo-lution will not be televised

This friggin' hilarious Colbert bit about XXXTREEEEEEEEEM mayonnaise,


Reminds me of this classic David Cross riff:


Life imitates Cross, once again.

hooley's

Corned beef taco's at Hooley's.

various - from the fox valley to the northside (1996 quincy shanks)

Compilation of some fine Chicago punk rock. Chris from Tricky Dick is now in The Lawrence Arms.

1. The 4-Squares - Sick
   
2. Tricky Dick - World Gone Mad
   
3. Bollweevils - Altered States
   
4. Hitmen - Day Today 

DOWNLOAD 'FOX VALLEY / NORTHSIDE'

i want a van

So I can get this airbrushed on the side.

[wonkette]

csi: colorado

[bwe]

the spent idols - oh no (here we go again) (1995 spent city)

The Spent Idols were from North San Diego County and played a late 70's style of punk rock. I don't know a whole lot about them, except that they've never been fully appreciated.  Also, I can't be sure, but I think the B-side is actually a song called "Violation" (that's what it's called on their myspace page).

1. Oh No (Here We Go Again)
2. No Broken Promises

myspace

DOWNLOAD 'OH NO (HERE WE GO AGAIN)'

rape-nuts

balloon boy

If everything in the Balloon Boy checks out (and it sounds a little sketchy to me), I completetly empathize with Falcon (really, parents, Falcon? Really?).

See, when I was little, my oldest brother had some sort of Goodyear Blimp replica hanging in his room, and I somehow was goofing off and knocked it down/broke it, I can't really remember the details. What I do remember was being scared shitless that I was in big trouble, so I decided it would be a good idea to hide under my sister's bed. Where, of course, I promptly fell asleep.

No one knew where I was. I don't know if cops were called, though I highly doubt it (sis, feel free to fill in these gaps in my memory), but I do know my parents were briefly panicked.

I haven't watched all the interviews, but I'm guessing Falcon did the same thing, except he broke a much bigger "blimp", hid out from the upcoming shitstorm, and fell asleep. End of story.

EXCEPT. I wouldn't be surprised if this was all a publicity stunt by the parents. Storm chasing, Wife Swap, making your kids make anti-pussification videos - this was a weird family, and one not at all allergic to the spotlight.  Eh, the real story will get out soon, no need for me to be speculating.

ALSO. When this story turned from "KID TRAPPED IN RUNAWAY HOT AIR BALLOON" to "KID HIDES IN ATTIC", why was it still on the news nonstop for hours? The former is a news story, the latter is not.

BUT. If it is a story, I want my retroactive 15 minutes of fame for my brief little manhunt back in the day, dammit.

michael scott vs the mafia

That was pretty muchon of the best Office episodes in years. The choice quotes:

• Meredith, describing her weekend: "I caught my son taking a dump on the upper part of the toilet. He calls it an 'Upper Decker.'"
• Kevin: "Jim's gone on his honeymoon, so I started borrowing his office to fart in."
  
• Oscar: "The Coalition For Reason is extremely weak."
  
• Dwight: "R is among the most menacing of sounds. That's why they call it murder, not muckduck."
• Andy: "When someone threatens you, you give in right away."
• Michael, ordering Italian: "I'll have the gabba gool." and "If the salad is on top, I send it back."
• Kevin, to Oscar: "You'd love jail"
  
• Andy, as a mechanic: "Your motor....drive...is probably...down", "I had kind of a long day at the mechanic store" and "you got a leaky spark tube, so your car's totaled, you're gonna wanna get a refund on that."

The lack of Jim/Pam really freed up this episode. It's among the all-time best IMHO. SC probably thinks I'm crazy, since she's in bed, and I am watching this with headphones, so all she hears is my uncontrolled laughter.

dear larry david: chill, holmes

Love, Millie.



[wg]

more beer

Yeah, man, more alcohol. That's exactly what you need.



[barstool]

the real mckenzies - fat club (2000 fat wreck chords)

The Real McKenzies are from Canada, but of Scottish heritage. They are also self-described as "Celtic punk rock", complete with bagpipes. I'm kind of ignorant when it comes to European history, so when I think "Celtic", I think "Irish" (I am wrong). But I think of bagpipes as a Scottish thing (wrong again). But if they were Scottish it would be the Real MacKenzies, not McKenzies (right, Mark? Wrong yet again). So basically I know nothing.

If it's not Scottish, it craaaaaaaaaaap. Or so I've been told.

1. Another Round
2. Loch Lomond

last.fm

myspace


DOWNLOAD 'FAT CLUB'

three legged dog - sniff this (1989 lame k-9)

Three Legged Dog (they left out the hyphen, not me) were Bobby Christopher, Deva Maheswaran (aka Hurrican Luther White), and Tim Aynardi (who also played in Lurking Fear, Bristle, and The Load Levelers), all students at the University of Missouri. I have no idea how to classify this. There's an 80's sleaze-metal vibe (complete with dog howls) going on on "Three Legged Dog", "Hate School" is more punkish, and "Spinnin' Whirl" has a little white boy funk element, even if the beginning reminds me of Dokken's "Dream Warriors".

1. Three Legged Dog
2. Hate School
3. Spinnin'Whirl

myspace

DOWNLOAD 'SNIFF THIS'

Buy from me at eBay:

three time loser - get out of my way (1989 ripost)

Some Frenchies play some garage-influenced, American-style rock'n'roll. And they pull it off! It also features horn's in a non-ska way, which rock'n'roll needs more of.

1. Get Out Of My Way
2. All Along The Day
3. One Way Love

DOWNLOAD 'GET OUT OF MY WAY'

Buy from me at eBay:

miller

This was an insert that came with the Dennis Miller Off White CD. For some reason, I find it hilarious. Like, what was I supposed to do with this? Carry it around so I could stare into his dreamy eyes while imagining him make references to Truffaut? Do not get.

angry villagers

The local media in San Diego has got Norv Turner's back. They may mention fans being unhappy with Norv, and speculate on whether or not he will be fired, but I don't think I've seen a single prominent local voice come out and say Norv deserves to be fired. In fact, more and more, I'm seeing Slate-like contrarianism saying Norv is actually, upon furtger consideration, not that bad. To wit, Nick Canepa's latest piece, which requires an amatuerish FJM-style breakdown.

Chargers' real problems aren't Norv or A.J.

Yes, they are. Well, not AJ, but Norv. Especially Norv. Definitely Norv.

The Chargers, now expected by torch-toting angry villagers to be the Packers of the '60s, the Steelers of the '70s, the 49ers of the '80s, the Cowboys of the '90s and the Patriots of the 2000s...

No, we really don't. We don't even know what it feels like to win anything, unless you count indoor soccer, in which case, yeah, we rule. But we're not delusional. We just have these wacky expectations of crushing teams we should crush, beating the teams we should beat, and at least be competitive against our equals. without being embarrassed on national TV. Crazy, I know.

Norv Turner could go unbeaten, win the Super Bowl, pull people out of burning buildings and find a cure for cancer and the villagers still would drag out the guillotine.

Actually, I think we would admit we were wrong and go on to deify him. See, and you should know this Nick, San Diego may not be the greatest sports town, but we develop very deep bonds with players, coaches, and GM's who succeed. Don Coryell, Bruce Bochy, Bobby Ross, Dick Williams are all coaches who are still revered. Kevin Towers, and despite your headline, AJ Smith, will be remembered with fondness. The Padres retired Steve Garvey's number, fer chrissakes. And pretty much everyone here roots for and wishes the best for  Drew Brees, who was actually pretty terrible his first few years here. So to act like San Diego is some overly critical sports town is ridiculous. If you get run out of town here, you probably deserve it.

Having done nothing to warrant the label, Turner isn't a great head coach. But how many are?

Not a lot. We're not asking for great.

Turner constantly is criticized for not being a cheerleader.

No, he's constantly criticized for his game plan and not having his players ready to play. You can lay this on the players if you want, but the buck stops with the head coach.

He's 2-2, folks. It's October.

Included in that is a last minute win over the epically bad Raiders and getting completely humiliated on national TV by the Steelers. We didn't just wake up one day, pissed. There's a pattern of behavior here.

I got an email the other day saying Bill Callahan should be the next Chargers coach. Sigh. That's what I'm up against.  

Ok, that's pretty ridiculous. But what about the emails suggesting Bill Cowher? John Gruden? Mike Shanahan? Is Bill Callahan really the only option? If that were the case, I'd be part of the Keep Norv movement. But that is not the case.

Got another email yesterday informing me the Chargers would be 4-0 if Marty were coach. Maybe. But they'd finish 0-1 in the playoffs. Which do you prefer?

Well, maybe they'd be 0-1 in the playoffs. As bad as Marty was in the playoffs, he did manage to win five games. But at least it would be pretty certain we'd make the playoffs in the first place. I'd like to be a team that showed some heart. I look at the Bengals and the Broncos, who are playing so far above their expectations, and I'm envious. They are beating the teams they are supposed to beat. But they are also beating teams they aren't expected to beat.

I'd prefer that.  

columbus day

This should be required reading. Awesome book. 

don's ex-girlfriend - i am the devil (1994 no idea)

I was first exposed to Don's Ex-Girlfriend from the No Idea "Big Pants Waste Precious Fabric" comp. A song called "Chesapeake" which remains one of my favorites. I think this record is their only actual release, and I also think that members went on to play in Panthro UK United 13, but I could be wrong, since their is next to nothing on the Tubes about this totally tubular band.

Side 1 is angry ("I will fuck your shit up"), side 2 is a bit more, uh, contemplative ("the only gratification I need would be a beautiful smile"). Yin and yang all up in this bitch.

1. Noi's Arsenal
2. Grand Moff Tarkin

DOWNLOAD "I AM THE DEVIL"

room with a view

View from our room at the lovely Hilton in beautiful San Bernardino. SB makes Riverside look like La Jolla.

rama lama ding

ground round - painting vulgar dreams (1995 702 records)

Santa Rosa's Ground Round throws about every Bay Area influence into a blender. You can hear elements of Jawbreaker, J Church, The Potatomen and Pansy Division. Not surprising since bassist/vocalist Gabe Meline played in Tilt and the Mr. T Experience and drummer Adam Labelle played in the Potatomen.

1. 714 Humboldt
2. The Store
3. Nate Theory
4. 6,000 Miles

DOWNLOAD 'PAINTING VULGAR DREAMS'

Note: I will be going to the beautiful city of Riverside for some classes over the weekend, so the rock show will continue on Monday, dig?

gus - get well soon (1995 702 records)

This Gus is from Florida, not Canada, and rock that wonderful Spoke-ish mid 90's No Idea sound. The version of Gus that played here was Drew Demaio (Strikeforce Diablo, Assholeparade, Floor) on guitar/vocals, and Ron Sas (Floor) on bass. Liner notes also indicate a fella named Mike played drums, but the same liner notes say that Jason Lederman (Cavity, Where Fear And Weapons Meet) played drums on this record, so I don't know what's going on there. Also, Sam Fogarino of Interpol once played drums for Gus, though not on this record.

Thanks to South Florida Music Scene for info.

1. Get Well Soon
2. Unsober
3. 10 Point Pedestrian

DOWNLOAD 'GET WELL SOON'

quincy punx - (me) (1995 recess records)

St. Paul's lovable, politically correct, pop-punk funsters!

This was originally released in 1992, but Recess Records reissued in in '95.

1. Darby Was A Martyr
2. Safety Pins
3. Heavy Metal Blackmass Orgy Of Blood
4. Punker Than You
5. Brady Bunch
6. Cereal Killer
7. I Wanna Be A Dyke
8. Boot Party

myspace
last.fm

DOWNLOAD  '(ME)'

subincision / link 80 - rumble at the tracks (1996 switchblade)

Split EP from a couple of mid 90's Bay Area staples. Link 80, if I remember correctly, was fronted by Danielle Steele's son, who I believe died of an od'd. And The Google confirms the Danielle Steele part, but it was suicide, not an od.

1. S: Speed For Nico
2. S: 12-Pack Girlfriend
3. S: Fight
4. L80: Up To The Top
5. L80: Dime Store Hoods
6. L80: Those Days

Subincision myspace
Subincision last.fm
Link 80 myspace
Link 80 last.fm

DOWNLOAD 'RUMBLE AT THE TRACKS'

dear moon - don't mess around with god's america

Life imitates Mr. Show. 

mariscos german

For all the raving I do about the Mariscos German taco truck in City Heights, I can't believe I didn't know there was an actual restaurant in Spring Valley.

On the left is a marlin taco, the single best thing in San Diego. On the right is the gobenardor - also a thing of beauty. $3.75 a piece. Amazing.

less than jake - unglued (1995 no idea)

LTJ is popular enough that I don't need to waste space writing about them so I won't.

1. Time And A Half
2. Econologed
3. Black Coffee On The Table

DOWNLOAD 'UNGLUED'

norv turner is the long-lost duke brother

To fully understand my brilliant analysis, you first need to listen to this brilliant Patton Oswalt riff on the Dukes Of Hazzard.:


Okay, now replace all references to Bush/Cheney to Norv Turner, and pretend he's talking about football, not politics. I realize this is a lot of work to put in to understand my thoughts, but life's all about the journey, no?

Last year:
The Chargers start the season 4-8, with no realistic shot of making the playoffs. A disaster of a season. There's no way Norv Turner survives this. How's he gonna get out of this pickle.

Squid-bup-deed-da-dum-bowwwwwww....

The Broncos lose the rest of their games, and the Chargers win the rest of their games, miraculously making the playoffs. The definitely-to-be-fired Norv Turner becomes the definitely-NOT-to-be-fired Norv Turner.

Last night:
The Chargers go down 28-0 to the Steelers on national TV. They are getting humiliated on offense and defense. Oh, and they seem to not give a shit. All out there for everyone to see on national TV. It's not the first time the Chargers have shown up somewhere completely unprepared to play. For us Norv-haters, this primetime embarassment would certainly be casus belli for firing Norv no later than Monday morning. Out of this debacle, some good will come. No way Norv Duke gets out o' this bucket of syrup.

Squid-bup-deed-da-dum-bowwwwwww....

A flukey cherry pick for a touch down. A recovered onside kick. The offense finally shows up. The defense is still unable to get any pressure on Big Ben or stop anyone on third down, but the final 38-28 score is quite as embarrassing as the 28-0 start would portend, and thus Norv Turner,  will not be fired.

FUCK.

The real end of summer

Last game of the regular season.

winter is a'comin

Somebody is eager for the burrow bed!

props

Nice to see some Eric Weddle love at the El Cajon traffic court.