this one's for the people who think all new music sucks

as a music fan, it seems that at some point in life, the easy thing to do is realize you've reached a certain age where you're allowed to say something like, "music sucks nowadays. it was better back in my day," and totally give up on new music. and i get it. a lot of the new music you hear sucks. and finding new music that you enjoy listening to seems to get harder with age. so fuck it! fuck this generation of kids! give up and tell 'em all your generation did it better.

but i think that's all bullshit. i think there's always great new music being cranked out. right now, at this exact moment, somewhere in the world, someone is working on great new music. there's just too many people constantly working on new music for all of it to suck. that's a damn near scientific impossibility  i think anyone who gives up on new music altogether is just being lazy and letting that natural jadedness that comes with age get the best of them.

does a lot of the new music suck? sure does. y'know what else sucked? a lot of the new music that came out back in your day. if you limit your quest for new music to top 40 radio or hearsay from the hipsters around the water cooler at work, then you're doing it wrong. you're just as guilty as when any adult from your childhood said, "i just don't get what these kids are listening to nowadays." remember how lame that sounded coming out of their mouths?

if you can't find anything worth listening to nowadays, then you're probably not putting in enough effort. sure, as you get older, it's gonna get harder to be connected to what's new and exciting. cuz you're not constantly surrounded by people who are into that sorta thing. you're gonna have to try harder and dig deeper... really get your hands dirty, before you can say something as bold as, "all the music that's out today sucks ass."

and as music fans, we owe it to all that put their efforts into creating new music to give it a shot and hear them out. getting people to listen to your music isn't easy. you probably have a favorite band and at some point your favorite band probably had a hard time getting anyone to listen to them. every band/singer/musical act has to be the brand new thing that nobody wants to know about before they ever make it big. you owe it to all the music you ever enjoyed to always keep an open ear and never give up on a band just because they don't come from your grand era of music.

in the end, it doesn't matter. cuz great new music is always gonna find its audience. no matter how much you wanna hate on everything the kids are listening to, what's meant to be popular will find its way into the light. you can sit at home, staring at the wall, ignoring the world around you and curse these damn kids and their infernal racket like old people used to do with you, or you can embrace the idea that there will always be something new and great in music. you can either try to enjoy it or be a total crank about the whole thing. either way, it doesn't need your acknowledgement to be great.

believe in the bronx

the bronx are a hardcore band from los angeles. i've seen them live twice now. it was never specifically my intention to see them live, they just happened to also be on the bill of two shows i went to. but for a band i didn't intend to go out and see two times now, they are fucking awesome.

the first time i saw them was at riot fest in brooklyn this past summer. a severe thunderstorm was in the forecast for later in the day but early on it was a typical summer day. the sun was shining and there wasn't a breeze in the air. the headliners of riot fest were the descendants and gogol bordello (hot water music was there to and they're a pretty big deal). i would never get to see any of them. this hardcore band called the bronx hit the stage and the place was still pretty empty. there were probably only a few hundred people there at the time (that's a lot of people for a show but it looked empty at the time at a venue that was supposed to eventually hold thousands of people).

the bronx came out and threw it in our face. they rocked. they screamed. they let you know just who the fuck they were and they were awesome. and suddenly the weather began to drastically change. clouds were rolling in fast. the sky was getting dark. in between songs, the vocalist, matt caughthran, was screaming up at the sky, telling mother nature to bring it cuz i guess that's just how the bronx rolls.... they're in your face and confrontational even if you happen to be nature.

so the bronx finished their awesome set. and it began to pour.... hard. extremely hard. the bronx came on the stage and brought it and nature wasn't gonna be outdone by a band. the storm hit hard and within five minutes of the bronx leaving the stage, they cancelled the remainder of riot fest (we were all refunded of course which in hindsight is sorta cool cuz i saw four bands for free).

anyways, the point is, the bronx told nature to bring it and nature did. total coincidence? maybe? probably? but that was the first time the seed was planted in my head.... believe in the bronx.

(side note: by happy accident i would end up seeing jello biafra and the guantanamo school of medicine later that night. if not for the bronx tempting the storm, that might've never happened. and jello's one of my all time favorite punk icons. believe in the bronx.)

so the second time i saw the bronx was last night. they opened for bad religion. but the bronx wasn't even supposed to be there. against me! (who just happen to be one of my all time favorites) was supposed to tour with bad religion but they cancelled. they cancelled about a week, week and a half before the tour started. i already had my ticket before they cancelled. i mean, i like bad religion, but against me! being there sealed the deal. so when they cancelled, i was sorta bummed. but then i read that the bronx would take their place, which is sorta nuts cuz the bronx pretty much committed to a whole damn tour about a week before the tour started.

so i was definitely interested in seeing the bronx last night. they had rocked hard the last time i seen them. and now they were pulling one of the most clutch moves i've ever seen a band pull. they were replacing (sorta) against me! on the bill and though i love against me!, i wouldn't hold that against the bronx. i was gonna give them my full attention. when we got there, they had their backdrop up against the back wall of the stage:




except it was way cooler in person. the eyes were actual lights. when i saw this draped over the back wall of the stage, i just had a good feeling. and my intuition was spot on. the bronx came out and tore it up. they're so fucking intense. i couldn't help but think that anyone who wants to tour or play music for others should behold this shit... cuz even if hardcore's not your thing, you have to appreciate the intensity of these dudes.

throughout their set, the vocalist would keep saying, "there's no rest for the wicked." he was directing it at the people in the mosh pit. but i'm sure part of it was about them as well. here they are on a tour they only had about a week to get ready for. no rest for them. keep it moving. keep playing. not just playing, but playing hard. most of the time whenever i hear someone say, "there's no rest for the wicked," i just think it's a stupid, played out cliche, but these dudes earned the right to say it and mean it.

my personal highlight was when matt caughthran crowd surfed fairly deep into the crowd, singing the whole time. at certain points he'd land on the ground and sing his head off surrounded by a bunch of moshing maniacs. and then he'd jump up and surf the crowd some more. just way fucking intense. i cannot say it enough... the bronx is intense. their live presentation is exactly what live music should be about.

believe in the bronx.

later that night i fucked up my foot in the bad religion mosh pit. a fairly big dude fell on my leg and most of him fell on my right foot. people were trying to pick me up but couldn't cuz my leg was stuck under this guy. as soon as he was able to get up and off of me, i got up and high tailed it out of there (it was the last song of the night too... almost made it).

i checked on my injury. i wasn't sure if it was anything bad but i wanted to get a look at it. once i got some space, it didn't seem too bad. it still hurts a bit, but i don't think it's anything serious. whatever happened to my foot, it didn't stop me from walking the city streets and hanging out in a karaoke bar till 2am and having a grand ol' time. no rest for the wicked. believe in the bronx.

i woke up today and i wanted to run so bad. i wanted to run and know that whatever happened to my foot, it's not something that will prohibit me from running. so i strapped on my sneakers and headed to the park. the plan was that if it started to hurt, i'd stop immediately and come back home. instead i ended up running eight miles and it felt great.

no rest for the wicked. believe in the bronx.

farting in yoga class

i enrolled in a 12 week yoga course offered through my job. it's once a week and i'm currently three classes into the curriculum. i haven't learned a whole lot about yoga except that it's harder than i thought it was gonna be, i'm clumsier than i thought i was... which speaks volumes cuz i had already considered myself to be a clumsy dude, and most importantly, sooner or later, someone's gonna fart.

yoga stretching was made for farting. if you partake in farting contests, you should also partake in yoga. i'm almost certain that if you can find just the right combination of eating selection and yoga pose, you could go on to be some sorta farting contest champion. i don't even know if there is such a thing, but if there is, and you didn't already know this, then you're welcome.

what makes the whole thing more awkward is that i'm in the same space with about 15 of my coworkers, people i see everyday. we all share the same office and spend 40 hours a week trying our best not to fart in each other's presence. we've done ourselves no favors in that mission by signing up for yoga. this will turn out to be 12 hour long sessions of trying really hard not to let one go.

and farting has already happened. i don't know who, i don't wanna know who. and even if i did i wouldn't mention their names cuz i don't wanna associate shame to it. i personally think there should be no shame attached to it. i'm no yoga pro, but i'm willing to bet that the passing of gas happens all the time.

i got into a conversation with a few coworkers about the ethics of farting in yoga class. that tells you two things.....

one- we all know in the back of our heads that farting is going to happen in yoga.

two- we all think people should follow some sorta yoga farting ethics which means we've all envisioned ourselves farting in yoga class.

the general consensus was that if you fart in class, you should own up and apologize. at the time, that seemed reasonable. when you talk about farting in yoga class outside of yoga, it probably seems like no big deal. you fart. you apologize. but a few days have passed since that conversation and i've changed my mind.

i think the thing about farting in yoga class is that if you're the farter, you're not sure if everyone in the class heard you. maybe you got away with one. you'd probably glance around real quick to catch any possible reactions. but if nothing's said out loud and no one's giving any sign that they know you farted, why would you go out of your way in the middle of downward dog to let the rest of the class know, "oops, my bad. i farted ya'll?" just doesn't seem to make much sense in the heat of the moment.

so i think the new rule should be that if you fart and it's obvious to everyone else in the class, then maybe you should acknowledge it with an apology. but if you think you got away with one, then i say you bring it to your grave... or to your friends who don't take yoga and mock you for it.

most importantly, i don't think anyone should look down upon anyone else who farts in yoga class. it's gonna happen. everyone farts so you shouldn't be a dick to someone else cuz they accidentally did what you're concentrating really hard on not doing. we can't all be perfect, buddy. cut a farter some slack.

plus, farts are funny. and if you don't think so, then you're one of those aliens among us i hear so much about.

ps- i never farted in yoga class.

pps- yet.

reinventing a stereotype: assholes get all the women

it's been said over the years that assholes get all the women and that women find assholes more attractive for some reason. and this is why a nice guy can't catch a break in this cold, cruel world. they'll tell you that's just the way it is (who's the 'they' in this scenario exactly? some assholes). either continue being nice and suffer the consequences or be an asshole for once in your life and get the girl.

but i'm almost certain it doesn't have to be this way. this is all based on some silly stereotype and the great thing about that is we can do whatever we want with stereotypes. they're not built on anything more solid than the collective assumptions of many people. what kinda foundation is that for a belief? that's bullshit if you ask me. just make up your own stereotypes. pick up the clay and mold it till it fits you best.

example:

did you know that when assholes get the girl, the relationship always squanders into complete misery within the first two years? by the end of year two, arguing becomes the preferred form of communication. it's no longer about building each other up, but tearing each other down and trying to make each other feel as guilty as possible about as much stuff as possible. there's a whole lot of sadness and way more crying than laughing. they'll eventually come to the conclusion that this tragic lifestyle can somehow be magically transformed with a baby, maybe two babies, maybe more. but with each baby comes more problems, more worries, more stuff to fight about, more misery. and then they raise miserable, asshole children who grow up to become asshole adults who in turn date other asshole adults and the viscous cycle rolls on.

and that's the thing... it's not that assholes get ALL the ladies... they just get the assholes. assholes naturally attract other assholes. it only seems like they're hoarding all the available options from the rest of us cuz unfortunately there's a ton of assholes in the world. assholes outnumber everyone else 10:1. if you go by this ratio, assholes date ten women for your every one. and you could feel bad about this but you shouldn't cuz they're dating ten assholes and that's nothing to be happy about at all.

i still don't wanna be a jock

i think there's certain divides and boundaries that can't be crossed in life that are created in high school (or in the proximity of the high school years). like who you choose to hang around with and how you label yourself. i think there's a lot of self labeling in high school that gets stuck with us for the rest of our lives and for me it'll probably be that, in my own mind, i saw myself as more of an outcast that anything else. i didn't have school spirit. i never owned a piece of clothing that had the name of my high school on it. and for the most part, i thought jocks were lame.

i'm older now so of course i don't think all jocks are lame anymore. but there was a certain stereotype that bugged me. it was the conceited meathead who was a real dick but got to date the hottest girls just cuz he was on the football team and he was "popular." i guess if certain jocks had never personally acted like dicks towards me, i never would've had this issue. but i did. now i just try and not like people who act like dicks. doesn't matter whether you're a jock or a nerd... just don't be a dick cuz when it comes down to it, being a dick is lame.

however, in the past few years, i've become more physically active. i run a lot. i'm clocking anywhere from 20-30 miles a week. i exercise. i do push ups and crunches everyday. i take yoga and boot camp classes that my job offers. i participated in a mud run last summer. i'm signed up for two 5k races already this summer (with my eye on doing at least one more mud run sometime this year). me in high school would find this all very lame. me in high school would accuse me now of selling out and being jock-ish.

but i'm not a jock. and just cuz i'm more physically active doesn't mean i'm gonna turn into some kinda dick. all i'm really doing is trying to keep myself in some sorta acceptable physical shape. things started getting weird in my mid to late 20's. i started noticing my gut was getting bigger. you can call it a beer belly if you want, but it was more like a beer / i fucking love fast food / i'm a total couch potato belly. and as the 20's dragged on, it became more obvious. i started noticing in the mirror's reflection and in pictures. ugh, the pictures. i didn't wanna be beer belly josh. i wanted to be skinny, no beer belly josh. so one night after work i stopped watching tv, put on some shorts, went outside and ran.

i sucked so bad at running. i could barely run a half mile without stopping. but i kept going. i started running three to four times a week. i started to run slightly longer distances. i started adding a fifth or sixth day in some weeks. and soon i found myself enjoying it. enjoying getting out, enjoying fresh air, enjoying some sorta exercise, enjoying moving... it was like i was freeing myself of my own self imposed shackles.

so here i am a few years later and i'm still at it. and over the years i find that, of course, i end up talking about it with other people. lately i find myself in some deep, serious discussions about health and exercise and it sorta makes me feel jock-ish. and i'm starting to find myself on this fine line between 'dude who exercises but still enjoys life' and 'dude who totally commits to all things fitness.' and the thing is, i see some people who are totally dedicated to fitness (aka- pretty damn jockish), and sure, they look great and they probably feel great. but it's almost like they're executives at a job and are constantly tied to it 24/7 via emails and cell phones. and i don't know if i wanna be that dude. i don't think i wanna be totally chained to the fitness junkie lifestyle.

i'm trying to remember that at some point during my runs, this became kinda fun and liberating. and it still is. but i don't ever want it to turn into something else, something more serious. i don't wanna measure how fast i can run or how long i can run for. i kinda just wanna run cuz i enjoy it. i kinda just wanna come home from work, do some routine exercises, and move on with my life. i kinda wanna have a life outside of fitness. all i ever wanted to be was a fitter/healthier dude in whatever other endeavors i decided to pursue in life. and i feel like i'm there. and that makes me happy.

don't wanna be another internet cry baby

i haven't written anything on this blog lately.

i used to hate that phrase. back in the myspace days, i used to type that all the time, somewhere in the beginning of my blogs. and i'd always read them back and think, 'why did i write that? it sounds stupid.' my blog seemed to carry a theme of a dude who doesn't blog a lot. and i didn't want it to be about that. i either wanted to blog more or if not, respect the topic at hand and not give it a half assed intro that includes, "oh by the way, i don't do this a lot." if you heard a musician or a comedian or some athlete say this before a big show, game, or event, that wouldn't instill much confidence that what's to follow is worth sticking around for.

so why go back on this and use that phrase now? cuz in this instance, it's sorta what this particular rambling is gonna be about. this will only by my third post for the month of march. that's pretty weak compared to my usual writing frequency. but it's cuz i find myself troubled as a writer. i suddenly find myself in a position where i don't wanna be another nagging voice on the internet complaining about stuff. i figure the internet is already filled to the brim with that. and when i come across it, most of the time i don't dig it. so why turn around and spit that sorta stuff out myself?

and i know why. it's a two-fold answer really. first reason is that it's easy. so easy. turn on a tv. go to any news website. open your eyes. walk the streets. the world is filled with an infinite amount of subject matter to complain about. just throw a dart at the board and complain about whatever you hit. fucking drones. fucking michael vick's book. y'know, that sorta stuff.

the second reason is that i'm a human being prone to emotion. i get mad. i get angry. if i find myself in front of a keyboard under that kinda emotional influence, i'm prone to let it bleed into the writing. so when i'm pissed i'll think something like, "oh, y'know what would help me feel better? if i blogged about the inconsistency of the 192 bus to lyndhurst." so lately when i've been feeling rage-ish, i stay away from the computer. just don't wanna throw that out there in the world. you probably don't wanna hear about it and i should really be writing an email to new jersey transit if that's the case.

i guess the convoluted point i'm trying to make is that complaining about stuff at random is never gonna fix anything. i mean, on a big enough scale it might. but i'm not gonna complain about anything anyone else more famous than me isn't already complaining about. the internet probably has all angles covered on all topics. i doubt i have anything new to bring to the table. and anytime i do think that, i'm almost certain i'm a google search away from finding out how wrong that notion is.

i can tell you what's wrong with people and things and stuff and what-have-you.... but who can't? tell me how to fix people, things, and stuff. give me solutions and not just empty complaining. no one likes a cry baby and everyone thinks a baby who can change his/her own diaper is awesome (or the thought of one since one probably doesn't exist).

okay, rambling done. i'm sure i'll void this whole concept sometime soon when i inevitably encounter something that pisses me off.

america needs a mom

america doesn't need a better president or a more efficient government to better its own future. what america needs right now is a mom. we don't need any politician who's allegiances may rely elsewhere outside of the best interests of their constituents. how can we ever fully rely on politicians and trust that they want what's best for the rest of us? is there any politician who's ever been willing to sacrifice as much as a mom has for the betterment of her own children?

besides, america needs an authoritarian figure who's gonna tell us when it's time to clean our room, do our homework, or sit in the time out corner and think long and hard about what we've done. you might not listen to any member of the government when they tell you what's good for you. you might even talk back a bit. but mom's not having that. you don't talk back to mom. mom knows what's good for you and you better listen.

and mom's gonna make sure we're not a bunch of jerks and savages. she'll tell you when you've been an asshole to the other children in the playground and when to go back out to the sandbox and apologize for the bad things you've done. mom's not raising a bully or a fool. mom's raising a well mannered, thoughtful child. so go do the right thing and make your mother proud.

and at the end of the day, when america's having a rough one, what better way to alleviate the tension than a hug from your mother. and who better to look up to as a role model than your mother. and if you've done enough good with yourself that it puts a smile on your mother's face, what more acknowledgement is needed to assure you that this indeed is the true american way.

dentists are cool. going to the dentist is lame.

i had to go to the dentist today. routine, twice a year cleaning. no big deal. i don't hate the dentist (not anymore. i used to, but i'm over that nonsense. gotta keep the teeth correct), but there is something lame about the whole 'going to the dentist' experience. same goes with going to doctors and i suppose any and all medical related happenings. the dentist is never fun. it's like medicine. it's supposed to suck but only cuz it's good for you. but it's not immensely awful either. dental technology has never been better and it's always improving. they've really worked out a lot of the kinks.

but it's the waking up early to do it. it's the sitting around in a waiting room for an hour even though you showed up 15 minutes early for your appointment. it's the several month old magazines that i don't wanna read on the table in the waiting room. it's the facebook news feed that people won't post updates onto fast enough to occupy my mind while i'm here. it's sitting in a chair with my mouth wide open for 30 minutes while two other human beings shove dental instruments and fingers in there.

"everything okay?"

"sure is!"

and i wonder if they can make out the words at all so i always give 'em an enthusiastic thumbs up. even if it was awful, i'd probably give 'em the thumbs up. i'd hate to kill their morale. imagine a dentist having a shitty day at work? it's got to happen. it happens to everybody so dentists can't be immune to it. you wake up, feel shitty or something shitty happened. you go to work and tell yourself, "fuck it. i'm half-assing this workday right here." i want no part in having anything to do with a dentist's shitty day so i do my part to play nice and stay positive.

and for all i could tell, my dentist was having a good day. and i've lucked out cuz every time i go she seems to be having a good day cuz i never get the sense that she's half-assing it (she also likes to hum to the pop music playing over the speakers, which i always take as a sign of comfort). and i'm grateful. but i found out i have two cavities and that sorta bums me the fuck out. i brush twice a day. i floss everyday. but i'm doing something wrong. and now i have to come back. back to the waiting room. back to my mouth wide open with instruments being shoved into the innards of my teeth. there'll be novocaine and a numb jaw. then i'll have to schedule my next routine cleaning with an impaired ability to talk correctly. cuz that's what going to the dentist seems to be all about. me being put into positions where i can't talk clearly.

but dentists rule. and you should really go to one. the whole thing is lame just like a lot of other lame things i suppose, like doctors and trips to the dmv and getting a ride somewhere far with that friend who loves maroon 5. but don't take it out on your dentist. that's an honorable profession. i don't want any part in sticking my fingers in people's filthy mouths, large stacks of money be damned. i'm just glad there's someone who does.