What Community? #91: I am nowhere near here

Some dude I don't know tagged some dude I do know (and miss) on the old FB in this video. If you ignore the time stamp (I thought only dads left that shit on in 1999), you can kind of pretend that one of the dudes in the video is the dude I know (and miss). I can't think of anything apt to joke about the whole FEMQUEEN side of things other than they sure know how to vogue and pop, hug and twirl. Not my scene, clearly, but it looks fun. Even early on Sunday after whiskey gifts. --RWK

Reclamation #6: Pick yourself up.

Our man said so, so, you know, follow through: pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again. --RWK

Songs #30: There's a leak

This is my post-run "so real I can feel my face" face. And this is my post-run stretching soundtrack. My soul has got to move.

The Paramount Singers - There's a leak in this old building (zshare)

Encounter #119: Shirt off, hey.

When you cant sleep cuz you dream ugly hurtful thingz, this trifle makes life seem ok again. But it doesnt help the sleeping, really. It just makes you want to eat steak sandwiches and fries, to take your shirt off and to play ball in a sunny park. --RWK [via palms]

Reclamation #1: Yes we will. We did. Reclamation #2, Songs #29: I'm so grateful!

by Ryland Walker Knight

Although the haters of my home state, that odd paradise on the gold coast, seem nearly victorious pushing Prop 8 into legislation, we do, indeed, have our first black president in President-Elect Barack Obama. Yes: this is our first black first family. Yes: there are still hurdles--there's a ton. But: fuck that. This is awesome. This is big, like HUGE. And his speech was so well written it was hard not to smile and tear and laugh and raise my flute more than a few times. I went on a run at midnight last night, then I stayed up late reading all kinds of reactions and watching the Prop 8 results slowly reveal their terrible (as well as the sad loss of Al Franken, who I was pulling for for a variety of reasons). I didn't sleep much. I read the transcript of our man's speech and I brimmed again. I re-read some Cavell that stirs my soul, that I sent around the internet the past week in emails, and then I put on Happy-Go-Lucky and then I fell asleep smiling. This morning brings those realizations of defeat home a little harder, yes, but it equally reminds us of that trope everybody is loving right now: a new dawn. Yes: the idealist in me only wants to weep, to celebrate, to dance in the streets of Chicago and show the world love, to remind my friends that, well, it's just a law and while we must subscribe to that law if we live in this society we may also see some brave body say, "No," and appeal his and his and her and her rights to build a more perfect union along with the rest of America, this America that, for at least a speech's length, was, Yes, my head.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

[There will be something embeddable in the near future, I'm sure (as evidenced above), but for now look here to see these words performed, passsionately.]


As Mark and Kate and I cleaned up a bit last night, before our free can of PBR downstairs and my joyful departure home, I put on this Dennis Ferrer song that Cam sent my way because, really, what else were we to listen to? Fuck. Yes. FUCK YES! Maybe, fuggit, I'll eat some bacon. Or, hell, I'll go get coffee and donuts. Whatever it is, I'm feelin it already.

Dennis Ferrer ft Kenny Bobien - Grateful (Df's Raise Yo Hands Vox Mix) (zshare)

[x-posted on VINYL IS HEAVY]

Songs #28: These girls are rmx'd to chime/kill. What Community? #62: We saw some Halloween crazy.

In these daze of waning interest in most things bloghouse, when I mostly want to listen to house -- or DEEP house -- the Valerie crew still kills me. I'm just a sucker for synths, I guess. Also, epic things. My Halloween was epic. But it was more epic in a let's fight this ass clown for his cab kind of way. Less of a dressed to kill kind of way. Still, we got our life on. We saw some sites. We saw some numbers, some neons and blacks and blondes and pavement up close. We saw a young man fight a mattress with his head hanging low and his shirt tattered by life; and we saw a mob of bums laughing, seeing us fall on the ground. We saw my hand a bloody mess. We saw no cabs for 30 minutes. We almost saw the sunrise. If we found some facts along the way I'd want their crazy to be scored by this song. Luckily, we did not find any facts. We only found fairly crazy crazy. And I lost some valuable thing. Some thing. Something like money, something like a name, something like knuckle skins. --RWK

The Outrunners - These girls are dressed to kill (Russ Chimes rmx) (direct discodust link)

[Pix: I found some facts in Carlton's room, with Pager Code goin nutty in between changes. We'll see if these gain public motion, but, for now, I gotta be real: doesn't look good, iNet mini-monde.]

What Community? #53: Have fun your own way, Juggalos.

me: mike said it was just a really good vibe
lots of dancing
not really thrashing
goofy fun
awk just wanted people to get big
(diff words but you get the idea)
Willie: yeah i understand that, the music is just terible tho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUOvnbCtnVQ
a little over the juggalos' heads
me: mike saw him at great american back in the day
Willie: "do your thing have fun your own way"
me: he looks thinner
less of a meat head
maybe more and more blow
Willie: i could see that
i wonder who he rolls w in nyc
me: it's pretty amazing how much shit he withstands
Willie: from ICP fans no less
--RWK

What Community? #51: Paradise?

Bill sent along this link with this sentiment: "I want to change people's lives." It's a pretty awesome documentary about the roots of Larry Levan and Paradise Garage and the whole beginnings of dance culture. Yes, it began as a haven for (primarily black and Latino) gay dudes. But it was more about feeling free than anything. What's weird about the dance scene now, or at least the SF dance scene, is the emphasis away from that communal spirit towards supreme partying and fucking and money. Not that that didn't happen then. And maybe it's just a sign of the world's changes. But I get a way different vibe at joints like Blow Up or Lights Down Low. Everything's become packaged, a sign of cool, instead of just something cool. The cool kids are probably the biggest posers/actors, too. Bill and I were talking about that a bit, too, the other day: we don't dress hip, nor do we only dress like bums, nor do we take a simplicity stance towards hipness; we definitely exist in the middle ground, which works against you in a place like SF, and fits the East Bay a lot better. Something about a holdover punk ethos. And, you know, neither of us has a job. Although that will be changing quite significantly soon enough. Both of us need jobs now more than ever (in the past two years). The point of all this is that Larry Levan changed people. Dance music can change people. And with a little luck Bill and Carlton and Stevie Fresh will change the East Bay and its (mostly stupid) perception of dance music. Berkeley house parties were the first step. Look for the Husky Boys brand to expand to Oakland (and beyond, like Thailand) through the fall. We may not be able to start the next Garage but we can definitely start something. And we can always dance. I hope I can take some pictures. More later, soon. --RWK [To watch the full doc, just follow the links; I know you can do it.]

Encounter #87: Jerk It

Thunderheist. Chickens. Leopard print. And, um, some sexuality. It's a hit. --RWK

What Community? #33: I love the energy and the spirit here.

Since I fancy myself some kind of critic, lemme pledge solidarity with AO here, judging only by what I will post below.

Roeper is such a hater. So, I guess as part of the promo for John M Chu's Step Up 2: The Streets, or maybe just for fun, really, he and his star, Adam Sevani, challenge Miley and Mandy to "The Biggest Online Dance Battle in the History of Man Kind"...

Yea, that was dope. Right? Right. Okay, so how do them (idiotic? obnoxious?) jailbaiters respond? Pretty well. It's a better video for that Madonna single than the one she made with JT and Timmy...

Damn, that Channing Tatum guy is kinda tight. But, wait, the next response from the Adam / Chu Dance Crew has even more celebrity cameos. Spot 'em all! (They help you out.)

I'm fucking sold. When I saw TWBB last January there was a trailer for How She Move and I really wanted to see it then. Of course, I didn't remember it, or make time for it. But now I might start watching dance clips all the time on youtube. Also, I just want to see where this goes from here. The energy and the spirit -- both of them -- are fucking dope. The internet is a wonderous tool, platform, theatre and audience. --RWK

Encounter #84: Stress / Burnin' What Community? #32

This is rather unsettling. I don't know if Gaspard and Xavier really see themselves as banlieue bullies but this video certainly says their idea of "and justice pour tous" is anarchic (just like Metallica), their idea of faith is ironic (they believe in themselves, for sure) and their understanding of how to market themselves is pretty smart: only provide provocative art, and shift moods with each offering (see how different all their videos are), and never explain it -- just do it. (Oh snap!) Romain-Gavras directed this video, and a comment on his myspace page says he's the son of Costas-Gavras, which kind of makes sense, considering I've never seen a film by the elder Gavras, since I hear that Costa's style is a similar brand of immersive polemical. The scary thing is this clip's verité style looks so verité that I began to worry: how much are these boys acting? is the banlieue really this terrible? what are the moral implications of all this? how does this compare to Simon's B-more? how does it compare to West Oakland? East Oakland? Richmond? Hunter's Point? I really know nothing about the world. I live in such a safe bubble that my biggest worry right now is whether I'll ever get a job I like, not "Will I ever get a job?" So what's the value of this brand of art, really? Is it supposed to sell the song? It definitely performs an amplified stress with its parade of hate. Is it supposed to provoke me to take stock of ghetto life? I clearly have, at least superficially. Is it just an affective clip, plain and simple? I think it's a good selling technique to say you're not even a part of the world, that you're somehow above the law and that you're here to cause a little ruckus while you can. Sure. But that can be done with a little more joy, right? I'll grant that this could be read as an affirmation of the world in that there is pain in the world, but maybe I just want my music to be more fun. Clearly these boys like Daft Punk a lot, and they're modeling their career/s after the OG French robots, but what Daft Punk did with their robot rock was funnier and cooler and less pompous in a way. Their third single off Homework was "Burnin'." Here it is:

See, this one is definitely about being so cool you set the world ablaze, and want to see it, so long as it's a good time. The firefighter and the kid aren't who Daft Punk are aligned with: it's the Chicago house DJs making cameos next to those French robots at that table. Maybe I'm a wuss, but I appreciate the spirit of this video more. I just don't need to see kids beating strangers up any more. (I like the Burgess version of Clockwork better than the Kubrick version.) But if you do, here's a high quality Quicktime version of stress for you to download and get nervous with in the safety of your home. --RWK

Title sequences #8: INLAND EMPIRE What Community? #29

Fuck it: I'm giving away the screen shot below. This is seriously one of the great things. Too bad it's best when big and loud and crisp not small and tinny and blurry. Oh well. That's life. --RWK

Encounter #77: Licky

This video is a couple weeks old, the song older than that. But, you know, the song is fun and the video's got girls acting silly so why not throw it up? --RWK [via]

Encounter #67: I Lust U

Neon Neon will probably get big. Funny that one half of this duo first got pub for making music (made of bleats and pops and odd sounds; genuinely weird "hip hop") with Dose One. I don't quite like this song that much (it's, wudduyacallit, obvious?) but I can see some bedroom dudes remixing it into something way more fun and, let's face it, crunchy. If Ocelot get their hands on it, you know where it's going. If LA Riots get their hands on it, you know where it's going. I think I'd rather hear Moulinex's grind. Call this my off-in-a-corner vote. Scroll down on this post to get some free listens of other songs. Or, if you like this song, click here to get it off zshare. Hey, it'll probably grow on me if I listen to the mp3 instead of looking at some fool named Gruff Rhys not smile. --RWK

Husky Boys Artwork #1

The myspace page will have songs at the end of this week. They promise. Again: Thank you a million, Mia. You're the coolest. --RWK

[Visit Mia Nolting's blog, and her website proper, for more cool art; some like this, most not.]

† DVNO video

Justice - DVNO [NEW]
Uploaded by PeteRock

”
I have no idea how long this video has been out, sorry if its old news.

What community #20: Dangerseekers

Everybody wants to be Daft Punk. Not everybody succeeds. But this is just too cute to pass up and not spread around. And the animation is pretty dope. --RWK [via]

Songs #3: Cherry-Cola Funk (Sta remix)

Not sure how old this song is (on the bloghouse tip) but it was stuck in my head all last night -- in line (for the door and at the bar) and even later in the cab home. It's damn simple, and a little more downtempo than other hits, but it gets my limbs popping, moving along lines of chance and fate and funk and love. That vocal sample is just too catchy...

Hail Social - Cherry-Cola Funk (Sta remix) (zshare)

[Pic: I'll keep them easy until you start guessing.]

What community? #19: The Touch - Le Night Dominator

I don't know if it's "the best thing since Citizen Kane" but this is pretty good. Altho, I will say, I dig the parts without humans -- the parts with buildings getting traced by light -- better than the parts with humans -- you don't really get to see the blonde dancing, and the brunette is oddly weird looking (to me). Still, let's go to Sweden. --RWK

GET BIG! HUSKY BOYS, SONS!

Although we arent quite fully locked and loaded over at myspace, two weeks will soon be one, and one will be tomorrow and Cam and Willie aka Young Aladdin aka Pager Code will kill it again. Last night -- no name on the flyer, no bills our way, but alas, Husky sons got big, stayed big (as we knew we would). ahhh, thats what killin it looks like! >>çb