Ah summer. With the weather the way it has been the past week, I'm thinkin hey Monday day off!
Picnic in Prospect Park? Sure. Here's what's going though, Parked at Bklyn Yard will be on 100 percent Monday afternoon, some of the city's best food trucks will convene and foodgasm all over the stank of Gowanus. There's some Facebooking about it already saying that it's 12-7 but The Brooklyn Paper is all about 2-9. So join at like 4? I'll be there with crumbs on my FACE.
To kick off some summer lovin', here's Husker Du with "Celebrated Summer" from their amazing album New Day Rising.
Imagine my surprise when I saw this ringworm/feces opportunity present itself in front of me coming home on the B train. This couple was totally in love judging by their smooch fest but come on lady, your dude don't wear heels, he's got no reason to not have shoes on.
Now I'm a huge fan of going barefoot when I can. I love the feeling of my feet in warm sand. I love the feeling of my feet on hardwood floors and on carpeting of all textures. I'm a barefoot kind of guy partly because that's how I was raised, to take shoes off when entering residences.
However, when you know your feet are probably going to encounter what can be described as a terrific amount of spots where animals and people have either urinated or shat on, where garbage has run rampant at some point, where you probably want something to protect you from just rough ground, AND you decide to go not a block but an entire subway ride's length to some point B destination and back again, you sir are noteworthy of a blog post from an insignificant blogger.
The dude's neck was also bushier than Scorsese's eyebrows. But that's just pickin' on him.
This piqued my interest sure enough: a small lineup of bands performing as a big eat-shit to loosely defined hipsters everywhere. Now I am not a fan of hipsters (although my girlfriend says if I was white I just might look like one, whew good thing I avoided that when I was born), and I do appreciate the sentiment that Jay Banerjee is putting out there with his Hipster Demolition Night at Southpaw in Park Slope on Thursday night. Yet, I can't help but wonder two things: first, there are plenty of great bands out there that aren't hipster but can't control who champions their music, and second, that hipsters are something to make a stink over. To me, hipsters have taken over all types of music, and many indie rock and indie pop bands are influenced by music similar to what is going to be blasting from Southpaw this week. So where does that leave us? Death metal. If you're going to do an anti-hipster show, you might as well make a point by doing death metal or hardcore punk. Or better yet, just have Seth Putnam do your entire show.
Anywho, I guess we should all agree that there needs to be a whole lot less bullshit when it comes to either music or lifestyle and although Banerjee is all about Brooklyn being the place to demonstrate this kind of movement against those too cool for school and/or a job, Brooklyn is breeding more hipness than any other area.
My friends Dave and Mike are all about good ole home brewing techniques courtesy of Brooklyn Homebrew in Gowanus, so I visited Dave at his Wall Street apartment to get friendly with the ale they were producing. As we were listening to Less Than Jake's Hello Rockview (All My Best Friends Are Metalheads video below) and singing along like good bromances are, I saw their process (they had already brewed the combination of hops and malt and now it was time to sanitize and bottle).
They took out their large container filled with the good stuff, it smelled very sweet. I was informed that Homebrew has all sorts of kits to start people off. After sieving the gunk and sanitizing the bottles (which is very important), a simple syrup was made and the beer was transfered to a large dispenser to bottle once the ingredients sat for a bit.
I have yet to sample my small 12 oz. bottle, but maybe I will this weekend. Check out these photos in the meantime.
I admit it: I watch both the NY and NJ versions of Real Housewives. I actually got started on Orange County when I got the first season of that on DVD for free when I was at New Line. It was pretty tame, nobody fought with each other or anything.
This PMS fest in New York goes to show that the darkest places of New York exist in the condos of the Upper East Side.
Countess LuAnn has enough retard moments this season and especially tonight's episode This episode tonight proves a couple of things. First, music producer and 24/7 indoor sunglasses donner Chris Young may produce gems like the World Cup theme and contribute to has been pop stars and goddamn Crystal Method, but I know he's laughing on the inside when auto tune can't even save the horror that is "Money Can't Buy You Class", an unfocused lyrical manifesto with random etiquette tips that just don't make sense at all.
I'm sorry I just saw Kelly make a total fool out of herself. I should have done something ridiculous when I saw her on Lafayette the other day but whatevs.
Back to LuSer. So besides the massacre that is her song, she almost ruined Apotheke in Chinatown when she brought that James Cameron meets Bon Jovi lookalike in to give each other awkward pecks on each others' sliver lips.
Yes I watch this show. Does that make me a masochist?
You may recall I mentioned Crystal Method before. Remember this gem from The Replacement Killers? I'll remember for you.
As my friend Mike was recounting (what he could remember) the last nights of Freddy's Bar in it's original spot in Prospect Heights, I thought of the Kings County Cinema Society and their compilation of owner Donald O'Finn's video art, check out one below.
Freddy's was pretty awesome because it was down and dirty with a sense of cultural achievement; the backroom was privy to all sorts of acts and it's like an eclectic friend's basement where awesome nerdy things happened and who gives a shit about what anyone else thinks.
Never fear Freddy fans; they are moving slightly away from the Atlantic Yards to a new hotspot of activity: 4th and Union, just outside the R stop. You know, the one where attractive people get off at to go to Union Hall. And now the block where Cattyshack used to bring the masses has a Bar Great Henry side bar (judge's sidebar) going on. Is 3rd avenue really going to be hopping in the next year or so?
Ah summer. With the weather the way it has been the past week, I'm thinkin hey Monday day off! 
