Monday, June 30, 2014

Keep On Running: 50 Years of Island Records

Los Angeles, CA

A friend of a friend pointed out this documentary from 2009, which celebrates 50 years of Island Records. If you listened to any music in the last half-century, you probably came across an artist from Island Records. It started out as a niche label that imported records of Caribbean and Jamaican artists. Island Records originally filled shelves in immigrant neighborhoods in London in the early 60s before it finally got widespread distribution in West End London record shops. Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records, started signing local acts like The Spencer Davis Group and the rest is history.

Here's the documentary... Keep On Running: 50 Years of Island Records...

Friday, June 27, 2014

Inside Dope: Behind the Scenes of Ep. 22 [Jordan Morgan]

Los Angeles, CA

Shane stuck around Vegas instead of driving back to LA, which meant he would have to call in via Skype to record the latest episode of Dope Stories -- Episode 22 with Jordan Morgan. We have a kick-ass producer (DJ Trent) who cleans up the audio on Skype calls, which can get dodgy at times. We try to minimize Skype usage and prefer to record as many episodes as possible inside the Dope Stories studios in the Slums of Beverly Hills, however, Shane was stuck in Vegas and forced to call in.

On the flip side, because Shane was in Vegas it was easy to wrangle our guest for the episode -- professional poker player Jordan Morgan. It' common for pros to share hotel rooms when they are on the road and Shane often traveled with Jordan. They were roommates in Vegas this past week. When we started recording the episode, Jordan had just won a WSOP tournament (and his first-ever WSOP bracelet) and he walked into their hotel room while I had Shane on Skype, so we literally interviewed Jordan the moment he returned to his room. Perfect timing!

Jordan Morgan is one of the nicest guys on the circuit and he's been friends with Shane for a decade. Jordan recently was prescribed Adderall by his local physician and Jordan claimed the ADHD drug helped him get his life back on track. For his interview segment, we spoke about the effects of Adderall and how it helped him get out of a rut in his life. Pretty crazy coincidence... only 90 days after getting a script for Adderall, Jordan finally breaks through with his first WSOP win after playing that event every summer for the last 8 years!

Jordan's interview occurs in the second-half of the episode. The first part of the episode is a discussion on Electric Daisy Carnival and some of the worst festival experiences that Shane and I encountered. I told the story about Coventry, Vermont and the spun-out girl who wanted to trade a puppy for cocaine. Yikes!

Shane also quizzed me about my writing process. He knew I was working on the second draft of a new novel Fried Peaches, but wanted to know how all of that happened. I told him about how Ray Bradbury directly and indirectly inspired me as a writer. I wrote about Ray Bradbury's influence before. I'm not a huge fan of his work, but I was deeply affected by one of his interviews in which he explained how fictional characters came to him and he simply transcribed their stories.

Here's a condensed version of the Ray Bradbury interview that partially inspired Fried Peaches...


Here is the setlist for Ep. 22...


Listen to Ep. 22 here...


Download Link for Episode 22.

Subscribe to Dope Stories on iTunes.

Listen to previous shows with full description of every episode... DOPE STORIES - EPISODE GUIDE.

Also, check out other Inside Dope posts, which give you a behind the scenes look at the development of each episode.

Here's Inside Dope for interviews we conducted...
Inside Dope - Ep 7: Greg Merson (WSOP Champion)
Inside Dope - Ep 8: Dr. Carl Hart
Inside Dope - Ep 11: Sean Azzariti
Inside Dope - Ep 16: Ben Sinclar and Katja Blichfeld from High Maintenance
Here's the Inside Dope for the last month of episodes...
Inside Dope - Ep 18: We Are So High
Inside Dope - Ep 19: Lost Vegas
Inside Dope - Ep 20: Dr. Shulgin, MDMA and New Reefer Madness
Inside Dope - Ep 21: Dope Economies
Thanks for listening.

Quick links: Dope Archives | Twitter | Donate | Soundcloud | Subscribe iTunes | RSS

Friday, June 20, 2014

Inside Dope: Behind the Scenes of Ep. 21 [Dope Economies]

Los Angeles, CA

Short and sweet. This week's episode included a mentioning of Dock Ellis LSD no-no. But for the most part, we discussed a documentary called Crackhouse USA, which was just like The Wire. We also chatted about how legal weed in Colorado and Washington state will affect the future of marijuana growers in Northern California.

Here's the setlist for Episode 21...


Listen to Episode 21...


Download link for Episode 21.

Subscribe to Dope Stories on iTunes.

Listen to previous shows with full description of every episode... DOPE STORIES - EPISODE GUIDE.

Also, check out other Inside Dope posts, which give you a behind the scenes look at the development of each episode.

Here's Inside Dope for interviews we conducted...
Inside Dope - Ep 7: Greg Merson (WSOP Champion)
Inside Dope - Ep 8: Dr. Carl Hart
Inside Dope - Ep 11: Sean Azzariti
Inside Dope - Ep 16: Ben Sinclar and Katja Blichfeld from High Maintenance
Here's the Inside Dope for the last month of episodes...
Inside Dope - Ep 17: Get High With A Lil Help From Strangers
Inside Dope - Ep 18: We Are So High
Inside Dope - Ep 19: Lost Vegas
Inside Dope - Ep 20: Dr. Shulgin, MDMA and New Reefer Madness
Thanks for listening.

Quick links: Dope Archives | Twitter | Donate | Soundcloud | Subscribe iTunes | RSS

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

This Is Phil Fish and Why We Hate Nickleback

Los Angeles, CA

If you saw the doc film Indie Games, then you know who Phil Fish is. If you don't, then don't worry. This video will give you the necessary background info on... 1) who is Phil Fish, and 2) why does everyone hate Phil Fish. It's really a lot about hater internet culture and a glimpse into the psychological reason we loathe Nickleback as a society. Interesting and intriguing.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Heavy Metal Parking Lot (Documentary)

Los Angeles, CA

Bring the LULZ. Big hair. Lots of big hair. And denim. Ah, those wacky metal daze of the 80s. This is a mini-doc shot from the parking lot of a heavy metal concert in May 1986 I believe it is the lot of the Cap Centre just outside DC. The headliner was... Judas Priest.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Inside Dope: Behind the Scenes of Ep. 20 [Dr. Shulgin, MDMA, and the New Reefer Madness]

Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Alexander 'Sasha' Shulgin passed away earlier this month. He's known as the Godfather of Psychedelics because of his detailed research in the field. For the newest episode of Dope Stories -- Episode 20: Dr. Shulgin, MDMA, and the New Reefer Madness -- we set aside a segment to discuss Dr. Shulgin, who is most known for perfecting MDMA. We also discussed our recent proclivities to certain activities. For Shane, he's been binging on chocolate (even in the middle of the night). Me? I'm hooked on a silly game called Two Dots. Dope Media this week included the last recorded episode with Dr. Shuglin (by Vice), Finding the Funk documentary, and a Believer article on the future of marijuana growers in Northern California's Emerald Triangle.

Here's the setlist for Episode 20...


Listen to Episode 20...


Download link for Episode 20.

Subscribe to Dope Stories on iTunes.

Listen to previous shows with full description of every episode... DOPE STORIES - EPISODE GUIDE.

Also, check out other Inside Dope posts, which give you a behind the scenes look at the development of each episode.

Here's Inside Dope for interviews we conducted:
Inside Dope - Ep 7: Greg Merson (WSOP Champion)
Inside Dope - Ep 8: Dr. Carl Hart
Inside Dope - Ep 11: Sean Azzariti
Inside Dope - Ep 16: Ben Sinclar and Katja Blichfeld from High Maintenance
Here's the Inside Dope for the last month of episodes...
Inside Dope - Ep 17: Get High With A Lil Help From Strangers
Inside Dope - Ep 18: We Are So High
Inside Dope - Ep 19: Lost Vegas
Thanks for listening.

Quick links: Dope Archives | Twitter | Donate | Soundcloud | Subscribe iTunes | RSS

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

555

Los Angeles, CA

Phish released 555, yet another track on their upcoming new album Fuego. The funky 555 is slowly becoming one of my favorite new songs (it was a close fight between Fuego and Wombat).

Listen here...

Thursday, June 05, 2014

Inside Dope: Behind the Scenes Ep.19 [Lost Vegas]

Los Angeles, CA

It only took four years before Shane cracked open Lost Vegas. Better late than never! He started reading my book just before a trip to Las Vegas. Many themes I introduced in the book was on his mind, so we dedicated an entire episode -- Dope Stories - Episode 19 - Lost Vegas -- to Las Vegas as a drug and humorous, yet naughty dark side of Sin City. We chatted about strippers and the golden rule of Las Vegas: Don't get rolled by a hooker. We even got to tell a Vegoose story. Dope Media selections this week included an obit on Dr. Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin (a.k.a. the Godfather of E), Bob Dylan's Ramblin' Gamblin' Man, Tom Wolfe's The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Bab, and the Vegas episode of Drugs, Inc.

If you do not have a physical copy or an e-book version of Lost Vegas, you can buy either here.

Here's the setlist for Ep.19...


Listen to Episode 19 - Lost Vegas...


Download link for Episode 19.

Subscribe to Dope Stories on iTunes.

Listen to previous shows (including Broke Stories special) and read full description of each episode... DOPE STORIES - EPISODE GUIDE.

Also, check out other Inside Dope posts, which give you a behind the scenes look at the development of each episode, like one of my favorite episodes: Inside Dope - Ep 10: Ridin' Dirty.

Here's Inside Dope for interviews we conducted:
Inside Dope - Ep 7: Greg Merson (WSOP Champion)
Inside Dope - Ep 8: Dr. Carl Hart
Inside Dope - Ep 11: Sean Azzariti
Inside Dope - Ep 16: Ben Sinclar and Katja Blichfeld from High Maintenance
Here's the Inside Dope for the last month of episodes...
Inside Dope - Ep 14: Acid Test and Ep 15: Acid Test, Part 2
Inside Dope - Ep 17: Get High With A Lil Help From Strangers
Inside Dope - Ep 18: We Are So High
Thanks for listening.

Quick links: Dope Archives | Twitter | Donate | Soundcloud | Subscribe iTunes | RSS

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Two Dots

Los Angeles, CA


Two Dots.

My newest addiction.

Two Dots.

I know when a new-found obsessions reaches a tipping point when I start dreaming about it. Blue dots. Green dots. Red Dots. Purple Dots. Yellow dots. And those fucking anchors. All hovering above me during the few hours I'm under.

I'm consumed with Two Dots, a recently released app and sort of a sequel to its predecessor: Dots. I originally came across Dots in January during a blizzard in NYC. My flight(s) were cancelled and I was holed up at my mom's apartment. I was pretty much out of weed and watched every music documentary on Netflix and bored outta my skull, so I turned to Dots. I got hooked for a couple of days but then when I finally flew back to Los Angeles, I sort of forgot about Dots. I wanted to get to a certain level (500 score) and as soon as I got 501, I quit.

Enter... Two Dots.

I downloaded it and knew I was flirting with a dangerous activity. I dabbled with Two Dots to bide time during intermission of the hockey playoffs. But, then I couldn't stop.

Two Dots is sort of a mind puzzle that haunts you when you're not playing it. In your sleep. In your waking life. When you're cooking breakfast. When you're walking down the street. It's like Tetris in that regard. When I first got sucked in by Tetris, I used to dream about falling blocks. All the time. Raining blocks and cubes. For most of the 00s, I had nightly dreams about poker hands about both online hands and "live" hands. Yet, it's been a while since I had any specific dreams of either nature.

Luckily, Two Dots hasn't become an all-consuming obsession. Yet. Two Dots is one of those incentive-based games that makes you pay to keep playing. I always opt out of any pay option (I'm cheap, but I'm also not a sucker), so I have to wait a specific amount of time before I can play again. Two Dots is one of those games that's free to download, but they'll generate revenue other ways like users paying money for power-ups and extra lives (continuing to play without a timeout). Two Dots freezes you out after you lose your allotted lives. You have to wait 10-15 minutes like a detoxing junkie to play again. Fieding. Sweating. Body aches. Hallucinations. It felt like I was withdrawing from OxyContin. The aches, sweats, and hot pokers underneath your skin.

But then the freeze out is over and I can resume playing until I hit another setback. Frustrating, yet addictive. Challenging, yet addictive. Mostly addictive.

Two Dots is more like a slow morphine drip.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Guess it's better to be consumed by a video game addiction than actual morphine. Unfortunately, I have proclivities for both sedating activities. Two Dots' time cap is forced moderation, so you don't lose hours and hours and hours and hours of free time. Videos games are a huge timesuck, which is why I tried to avoid those costly pitfalls. I've dabbled on and off with different games as an adult, but stuck to online poker mostly because I could actually make money playing it. Yet without online poker in the equation any more, the last couple of years I limited any video games to the occasional chess match -- heads-up vs. the machine (laptop and app), Scrabble (via app), and Open Face Chinese Poker (via app).

Two Dots is a dangerous slippery slope because I can play it on my phone and justify playing it because it's a "mind" game, or thinking game, and not just mindless entrainment where you blow shit up or knock down walls with funky, bloated birds. But you can blow up dots.

I've been dreaming about dots. Or am I really dreaming? Can't stop seeing those dots. Can't stop rearranging them. Purple dots. Red dots. Squares. Bombs. Anchors. Green dots. Dots. Dots. Dots.

I'm hooked until I get bored... or get super busy with work. Until then, it's back to the binge of dots.

Monday, June 02, 2014

Maron Tripping Balls at Jerry Garcia

Los Angeles, CA

Marc Maron tells his classic story about eating mushrooms and freaking out at a Jerry Garcia concert...

Sunday, June 01, 2014

Writing Music: Surfer Rosa by The Pixies

Los Angeles, CA

Been on a late 80s post-punk binge (although critics would consider this early "grunge"). Took a walk down memory lane with Surfer Rosa by The Pixies, which was released in 1988, a year before Doolittle, which I had listened to nonstop during the Summer of 89 (along with Dirty Blvd. and Ful Moon Fever).

During the summer before my last year of high school, I enjoyed Doolittle so much that I wanted to hear more from the Pixies, so I went backwards... to their previous album... Surfer Rosa. I was slightly bummed out. Surfer Rosa didn't move me or floor me or impact me quite like the exhilarating Doolittle effect. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that a specific girl had gone out of her way to give me a cassette copy of Doolittle, which was a pretty silly and superficial reason to prefer one album over another. But I liked her so much that I wanted to like the things she thought that I would like... or maybe it's because I liked it because she wanted me to like it. Hard to tell with my sexually frustrated 16 year old self.

Anyway, on a sonic level, Surfer Rosa had an edgier and swampier sound than Doolittle. I rarely listened to it aside from a song or two (like Bone Machine). Now it's 25 summers later and I find Doolittle a little "soft" and dripping in too much commercial pop for my tastes. Funny how music constantly evolves inside your brain, yet the songs remain the same.

In 2014 as a 40-something I can finally appreciate Surfer Rosa. Many songs off of Doolittle conjure up the past... blizzard of halcyon memories of that special summer of 89 (you never, ever forget the music you listened to religiously when you were 16 years-old). Yet, in these weird times, I rarely listen to Doolittle, rather it's Surfer Rosa that has been on heavy rotation the last week or so.

Here's a playlist with most of the songs from Surfer Rosa...