Jason Toney

Friday Random Ten - 2004 Floats On Today Edition

"I know you got some place to get to and I really gotta get somewhere." - The Faint, How Could I Forget (Wet From Birth)

It's the last one of 2004 (and the last post of 2004) and surprise, surprise, the most common band on my random ten lists -- The Beastie Boys -- show up 3 times this morning.

You know the deal. Out of 2629 songs, 984 artists, and 517 albums in my iTunes we get the

Friday Random Ten

1. Tony Guitar Watson - Hi-Tek - Hi-Teknology
2. Mullet Head - Beastie Boys - Sure Shot CD Maxi-Single
3. I'll Be There (Soul Mekanik Remix) - Weekend Players - Pursuit of Happiness
4. Eugene's Lament - Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
5. 99 Problems - Jay-Z - DJ Dangermouse: The Grey Album
6. Oriental Folk Song (La Funk Mob Mix) - Wayne Shorter - Blue Note Revisited
7. Oceania (featuring Kelis) - Björk - Unreleased
8. Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun (Green Mix) - Beastie Boys - New York State of Mind
9. How Deep is Your Love? - Jonatha Brooke - Steady Pull
10. Sail Away - Randy Newman - The Randy Newman Songbook Volume One

Negro Please Zeitgeist 2004

"Don't give up now, it is our time." - Wale Oyejide, Keep Pushing (One Day, Everything Changed)

Give or take some down time in November, some code snafus here and there, and what not, here's how y'all spent your time at this blog in 2004.

The Basic Web Stats
151, 070 unique visitors
208, 339 page views
September had the most visitors, June and November tied for the lowest (both because of site downtime and coding snafus I think)

The site numbers skewed upwards when I launched Time Wastin' in July, my 4 month audio blog experiment (now unceremoniously dead as audio blogging is a lot of work) which quickly began  mirroring (and sometimes beating) the traditional blog's stats.

On September 1st, I started tracking some new interesting items like:

The top 10 Non-US Countries where site visitors come from:

1. The UK
2. Canada
3. Germany
4. France
5. Australia
6. Japan
7. Sweden
8. The Netherlands
9. Belgium
10. Italy

The 10 words most likely to bring you to this site via search engine:

1. negro
2. download
3. black
4. mp3
5. hot
6. like
7. drop
8. white
9. please
10. ass

Which goes to show you that people really wanted that Drop it Like it's Hot song.

The 10 Top non-search referrers to this site:

1. Tofu Hut
2. Bad Gas
3. Soul Sides
4. Moebius Rex
5. Uppity-Negro.Com
6. Aurgasm
7. Sarah's Fiasco
8. Ultra Tart
9. Tuwa's Shanty
10. Womenfolk

Which goes to show you that the audio blogging community is crazy hot right now.

My own personal thoughts are:

1. In a year dominated by the deaths of a few people close to me, the one that hit me the hardest was of someone I'd never met. A fellow blogger. A fellow negro blogger. A friend. 2 years ago, I would've chuckled at the thought of having real online friendships. Aaron's passing showed me how truly foolish that idea was.
2. In a year when I'd given up the idea of freelance writing, I now find myself contributing to several online sites and thinking about writing differently. I'm feeling much more comfortable in the confines of formats other than my own personal blog and I'm getting better at it. I can even write about things I don't particularly care about now and do it decently. I guess. I'm still hyper-critical of the "professional writer" in me.
3. After spending 2 years baring much of myself here, I made a conscious decision to pare back on the public private in my life. I think the site is better for it.
4. In past years, I've had favorite posts of my own from the year. This year I only have one. Were there any that I wrote that you particularly liked? I'm not fishing for compliments here, I'm just curious.

And with that, I'm officially done with 2004 two days early. The Year of the Sexy was a success. It's time to look ahead to the '05. The Oh Fitty? The Oh Nickel? The Futuristic Nickel Bag of Funk? The Oh Fire?

Damn. My ability to come up with snappy names for things has left me. What we goan' do now?

The Big Post of 12 Favorite Albums (2004)

"There's just one thing that you should know, I still live at home." - Spymob, I Still Live At Home (Sitting Around Keeping Score)

"Raise that money, son, we raising these kids."
1. De La Soul, The Grind Date (Sanctuary Records)
Is it so wrong that I absolutely love hip hop that grows up as I do? That with each successive album, I've found plugs won, two and three to continue to speak to my particular point in life as well? The Grind Date is absolutely dad rap. It's bumpin' and hard and clever and on point but De La understands that there are those of us that can remember 20 years of hip hop. There are those of us who need a little more from our hip hop. And De La responded by saying, you know what, "we give you much more." And this isn't harkening back to times and sounds long since past, this album is fresh. Fresh as in clean, crisp and now and fresh as in FRESH make me wanna walk the streets with my boom box blasting joints. FRESH like head nodding hard on the bus or the subway or in your car at stop lights. FRESH like put that shit on repeat fresh.

"I keep talking trash but I never say anything."
2. Rilo Kiley, More Adventurous (Brute/Beaute)
Tracks Magazine and Amazon.com have both put this on their best of 2004 lists but I haven't seen it getting much play elsewhere. This is a travesty. I know a lot of old Rilo Kiley fans don't necessarily appreciate the more polished and lush sound and I also know that it's hard for this band to pull serious indie cred when so many hipster boys in geometric shaped glasses are drooling over the music nerd wet dream known as Jenny Lewis but, come on, several of the songs on More Adventurous are perfect. Hooks, choruses, and willfully poetic lyricism from the red haired songstress are sung with the right emotion and skill (something that can't be said about previous albums) and the music itself is just, just pretty. The So. Cal. kids wanted to make a big record and they did and I love it a little more every time I hear it. Well, except for Blake's odd ditty early on but, come on, he was on Salute Your Shorts. He gets a pass.

"When I'm feeling alone, you feel like home. You feel like home."
3. Zero 7, When It Falls (Elektra)
There are valid criticisms for this album. Binns and Hardaker are overly in love with their arrangements often letting them ride two and three minutes too long just for the sake of hearing a xylophone or some pretty chord played by string instruments. True. They take no risks on this album not even taking the Simple Things formula to it's next progression. It's a safe record that panders to their most die hard fans. Also true. Thankfully, I'm a die hard fan. I think Sia, Tina Dico, Sophie Barker, and Mozez are the bee's knees and I could hear them sing translations of Osama Bin Laden tapes and still love them. The story of my romantic life this year is hidden in the grooves of this album. If you are happy, sad, resolute, and cut raw at all the right moments on When it Falls then you totally get me. Let's not talk about it, though. I have this firm belief that Zero 7's only purpose in the world is to make me happy and I don't want you to ruin it.

"In my head, in my heart, in my soul."
4. Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Like Bad News (Sony)
I knew very little about Modest Mouse when I bought this and, in truth, I still don't know much. Float On sucked me in and the rest of the album haunts me. Isaac Brock, all my instincts suggest, is just thisclose to bat-shit crazy but it's that off-kilter energy permeating every song that sticks with me. I found myself regularly singing parts of Bukowski and Ocean Breathes Salty and Blame it on the Tetons and The Good Times Are Killing Me whenever my mind idled. And the horns. An album with horns just randomly blaring must get recognition. Fuck more cowbell. Find me a brass section.

"The pain that you've known, evil you've seen, I've got a feeling that we're gonna be alright"
5. The Foreign Exchange, Connected (BBE)
This was originally slotted at #6 on this list but this had to move up. Nicolay's beats are  luxurious. I recline into them the same way Phonte does when he's rhyming over them. Every time I play Connected it's like sliding into leather bucket seats. Seats that conture to your frame and get more comfortable with each ride. Yeah, that's what this is like. And, like every BBE release, this is woefully underbought and underappreciated. You need The Foreign Exchange in your life.

The rest of my list after the jump.   

101/1001: 12 Down, 89 to go

"Who would have known a beauty this immense" - Björk, Cocoon (Vespertine Live)

With the lull that is the week between Christmas and New Year's, I was actually able to sit down and work on completing a project that should have been done about 4 months ago.

The 12th completed task on my 101 in 1001 list is the creation of the site for the 101 in 1001 list.

No more 101 in 1001 updates on negro please proper. You'll need to subscribe to the feed or bookmark that site if you want all the good insider getting things done scoop. It's also purty and plain over there and it's making me think we need to move out of the autumn colors here.

Anyway, that's another one down y'all!

Christmas Kitchen Candor

"I can't keep my heart from you, baby, but you keep it on a string." - Candi Staton, Heart on a String (Candi Staton)

What Jessica wrote was for true.

This is almost.

INT. KITCHEN. CHRISTMAS NIGHT.

A MOTHER, FATHER, and SON are milling about as they each put the finishing touches on their parts of dinner. The SON, single and soon-to-be thirty, hovers over the ham, grazing as his FATHER talks to no one in particular about the day's gifts.

FATHER: What I want to know is was anyone surprised by any gift this year?

SON: Well, I didn't ask for anything so I was, of course, quite surprised.

MOTHER: I didn't even ask you what you wanted.

SON: I like that better. I do for myself at this point so I'm more curious to see what people think I might want or might like or might need. That's also why I never ask what anybody wants. The fun is in the picking and the giving. Am I right?

FATHER: Well, I'm wearing the cologne you got me, son, but I was most surprised by what your sister gave. She's been paying attention.

SON: Really, I'm glad that we are all prosperous at the same time.

MOTHER: Yeah, isn't that great? [She turns towards her son, considering him for a moment.] You're looking thinner. I can see it in your face.

SON: I haven't lost any weight. Leaner maybe, I've been working out.

FATHER: You're living pretty well, aren't you? I tell everyone that you're the only person in this family I don't have to take care of.

MOTHER ignores the comment and continues.

MOTHER: You should get married.

FATHER: You're about to turn thirty, son. Your mom is worried about you. [chuckles]

MOTHER: That's not it. I just think you'd make someone a great husband.

FATHER: Yeah, that's true. Are you dating anyone? Seriously?

MOTHER: Don't pressure the boy.

FATHER: You're pressuring the boy.

MOTHER: I'm not. I just think there are lots of assholes out there and some nice girl could have a real man with our son.

SON: Well, I have this joke with Tracy. She'll say,"You know what? We're desirable" and I say, "You know what? If you were to look up 'catch' in a dictonary...well, there's a picture of me but right next to me, there's a picture of you."

MOTHER: See that? You're charming and funny, too.

FATHER: But here's what else I want to know: What do you think about, uhhh, same-sex marriage?

This non-sequitor leads to a long and powerful conversation about rights and prejudice and government and child rearing and morality and the bible and what the SON believes. At the end of it, MOTHER considers her son again.

MOTHER: You really should get married.

SON [smirking]: To a man?

FATHER: Oh God, no. You're kidding? He's kidding, right?

SON: I gotta go.

MOTHER: Okay, dear. Get married, okay?

SON: Okay.

Love, Piece, and Merry Xmas

"Before you count 1, 2, 3, I will grow my own private branch of this tree" - Björk, Unison

So, a friend asked me "How's your love life?" to which I responded:

Do you want to know about my love life or my romantic life? My love life is wonderful. Everyday I feel incredibly loved and that people care about me and care to have me around and that I feel the same about them. I have a sea of friends and people in my life that give me joy and make me laugh and take care of almost all my emotional needs and wants.

That said, I don't get laid enough.

Happy Holidays to all you fine folks who fill my life with love.

Wanna make out?

The Song Meme-ory Game

"Let's build. Somethin' for the whole family." - The Foreign Exchange, Let's Move

I've been wanting to do this all week.

I saw it on KB's site first.

The rules:

Step 1: Put your media player on random.
Step 2: Pick your favorite lines from the first 25 songs that play.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song the lines come from.
Step 4: Cross out the songs when someone guesses correctly and give them credit

I can't give y'all 25 but here's 10. Also, all songs in this list were released in 2004 as I'm shuffling my best of 2004 playlist right now (well, except for one. The remix I'm bumpin' came out this year but the song is older).

The Wire: Mission Accomplished

"Foolish pride is all that I have left so let me hide from the tears and the sadness you gave me when you said goodbye" - Cyndi Lauper, Walk On By

When I read a great page turning book, I barrel through those final 40 or so pages with an agitated excitement. My chest tightens. My mind fills with that world as my own reality falls away. It's a rush. Mingled in with that is a sadness. This fictional world's time is coming to a close, at least for now. The characters, people and places that I've loved for 400 or 600 or 1000 pages revoke my priviledge of peeking into their world and while I enjoyed my stay more than maybe even I know, I want more. I'm greedy for more.

The third season finale (and possibly the series finale?) of The Wire feels exactly like that.

Unlike the last two season finales, I'm not left feeling like I need more, though. I understand that the worlds of these characters will go on but I'm satisfied. I know enough about McNulty and Bubbs and Daniels and Freamon and Pearlman and Bodie and Puddin' and Omar and Mouzone and Herc. Okay, maybe I could get a bigger taste of Kima and Carv and Cutty and Bunk and I'd like to see how Marlo does as the new big dog on the corners but I don't have to. In truth, I know how their stories will go. The details may be different but as we've been told over and over this season: the game is the game. Whether it's the hoppers or the police or the politicians, the game don't change.

What else doesn't change is how spectacular David Simon is at capturing the soul of a city. Maybe Spike Lee does it in The 25th Hour and Do The Right Thing and maybe Walter Mosley gets old Los Angeles right in his Easy Rawlins and Fearless Jones mysteries but, damn, David Simon is Baltimore. From his books to Homicide to The Corner to The Wire, if you don't feel like you could step foot in B'more and survive, well, you just aren't paying attention. Everything he writes is a tough love letter to his hometown, a city ever teetering on the precipice of oblivion.

It's horrifying and invigorating.

And maybe, this is enough. Enough to see The Corner's real DeAndre McCullogh playing Brother Mouzone's muscle (and by extension knowing he's still alive and, apparently, doing well...something that can not be said about most of the real live people from Simon's novel). Enough to see McNulty finally see himself for who he is while Kima rapidly turns in to him. Enough to hear the venom in Bunny Colvin's "Get on with it, motherfucker" to a smug Rawls. Enough to hear Rawls say "bend over" and get why he is always amused by his sexual metaphors to his subordinates. Enough to see dark skin on dark skin. Enough to see dark skin on light skin. Enough to know that Avon has finally realized the hell that he had brought into the world.

It's enough.

But like an addict, I will always be ready for another hit. And I will always hope that it will be as good as this even though I know in my heart it really can't be.

How can it?

Mission Accomplished.

Friday Sunday Random Ten - Anti-Clutter Edition

"No matter how easy time may slip away, I'm here to tell you, I'm not going to change" - Fantastic Plastic Machine, I'm Still a Simple Man

It's a Sunday morning and I'm getting organized, dumping all the uselessness in my apartment and clearing my mind, body, and soul as 2004 limps to it's end.

Out of 2490 songs from 941 artists, we have a

Friday Random Ten

1. I'll Be There (Soul Mekanik Remix) - Weekend Players - Pursuit of Happiness
2. Lil' Black Boy - Dudley Perkins - a Lil' Light
3. Pictures of You - The String Quarter - Whisper: A String Quartet Tribute to the Cure
4. Wasted Time (featuring Vikter Duplaix) - Jazzanova - In Between
5. Fall Behind Me - The Donnas - Filter Magazine, Holiday 2004
6. List of Demands (Reparation) - Saul Williams - Saul Williams
7. Bangzilla - Mixmaster Mike - Bangzilla
8. Freaky Black Greetings - Mos Def - The New Danger
9. Tres Cun Deo La - Shi Oakenfull - Scuba: Hidden Treasures
10. Dreams - Fleetwood Mac - When I Met You

LA Insight - Let Us Shop

"I thought our friendship meant more to you Clark?" - Smallville, episode 202 (Heat)

Thanks to Hacking Netflix, I'm in the netflix friends program that they are currrently beta testing. It's pretty cool. If you're interested in testing it out too and are already a netflix member, send me an email and I'll hook you up.

Also, am I the only one having trouble with the lablogs feed? Posts from lablogs just don't show up in my bloglines.

Anyway, on to the show.

1. Start big, if you had to pick a favorite mall, which one?

Ugh. Who knows? I hate the mall. The Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks is never very busy so maybe I like it best.

2. Least favorite mall?

The Northridge Mall. Damn kids.

3. Favorite shopping street (example, Montana, Melrose, Robertson, etc...)

I'm a valley kid so I spend a lot of time on Ventura but, you know, 3rd Street Promenade does me well on the west side and I do like a bunch of the shops on 3rd in WeHo.

4. Go-to gift shop, i.e. where do you end up, knowing you can find a great gift?

Really? Amazon.com but I also like Urban Outfitters for gift shopping and GR2.

5. When you decide to treat yourself to a gift, where do you duck in to?

Amoeba Records

6. Where do you go to find great deals?

Buffalo Exchange. Almost all the shirts in my wardrobe come from there at this point.

7. What gift does every Los Angeleno need?

Hey, didn't I do an LAist.com piece on this?

8. Ahhh, enough consumption, what is your favorite local charitable cause?

AIDS Project Los Angeles