World Cup Day 2: Robert Green #fail

Robert Green England's Proud #1 Keeper


SOUTH KOREA vs. GREECE:  Thanks to a dvr mishap I missed all but the last 15 minutes of this match.  Not that I needed to watch.  How did Greece make it into the World Cup?  They have been a spent force since they (miraculously) won Euro a few years ago.  Bunch of fat, lazy, complacent European footballers with no national pride.  And who can blame them, Greece is a pretty pathetic nation ATM.  

ARGENTINA vs. NIGERIA:  Something that no one seems to mention about Diego Maradona the coach is how he takes pressure off his teams with his outrageous, attention-grabbing antics.  I'm sure Lionel Messi appreciates that all the media talk is about Maradona and his foibles rather then on the subject of "When Will Messi Deliver the World Cup for Argentina?"  I actually think he's a good coach. Argentina looked great here, the score could have been 5-0 Argentina instead of 1-0.  For all the questions the commentators were positing about the Argentinean back line, they weren't tested by the Nigerians, who frankly looked disinterested and apathetic.  Nigeria is another nation that shows up every four years with some new coach they hired 6 months ago and... wow- exactly the same story this time round.

     After only two games, Group B looks predictable with Argentina and South Korea through and Nigeria and Greece crashing out.  I just can't see it going down any other way.


UNITED STATES vs. ENGLAND:  US media made a big deal about this one, but can you spare me the "Former colony" bullshit?  Former colony?  Seriously?  That's what ABC came up with?  I feel bad for Robert Green giving up what has to be the cheapest World Cup goal of all time.  How do you miss that?  After five minutes in I was worried that the US was heading to an 0-3 result, but then the professionalism really kicked in.  This is a different side with more top flight experience and a couple of local club players who come in on a hot streak (Gomez, Buddle.)  The US has more inspiration at the front of the line up then I've seen...ever... and they look to be dedicated and determined.  US/England drama aside, this is really one of the easiest groups to come out of, since neither Algeria nor Slovenia are anything other then "happy to be here."


DAY 3 MATCHES

ALGERIA vs. SLOVENIA:  Slovenia is from the former Yugoslavia, and Alpine republic on the western end of the Yugoslavian aggregate.  Slovakia is the ex-partner of the Czech Republic- on it's own in the World Cup for the first time- they are both here, this group has Slovenia, not Slovakia.

SERBIA vs. GHANA:  This is the game that should be on ABC instead of the next one but oh well. Can Serbia deliver on the promise at the big show?  Can Ghana overcome injury and get it's shit together? Probably, and probably not.

GERMANY vs. AUSTRALIA:  People say Australia is good but they looked terrible against the US in warm up and they start off against Germany.  Yikes! This could be the first laugher of the first round.  I feel bad for Australia.

World Cup Day 1

  






















DIEGO FORLAN: URUGUAYAN STIKER

        This World Cup is perfect for me blogging-wise because everything is done for the day by 1 PM.  Since I actually wake up at 6-7 AM the only game that is going to give me drama is the 4 AM.  Check out these 4 AM winners:  South Korea vs. Greece,  Algeria vs. Slovenia,  New Zealand vs. Slovakia.  During today's matches they were flashing up an amazing statistic about the relationship between first game results and advancing to the second round in the World Cup over the last three Cups.  Specifically, teams that lose their first game advance 3% of the time, and teams that win and tie are at 80 percent and up.  What that should tell every single team in the World Cup is that you should play your first game to tie rather then win.

  Oh- and what happened today in a competitive group?  TWO TIES!!!! THAT'S AMAZING!!!  Sounds like everyone got the memo.

SOUTH AFRICA vs. MEXICO:  Home team hasn't lost the opening match or failed to advance to the second round like, ever.  Say what you want about the FIFA world rankings and South Africa's low rank therein, but considering South Africa didn't have to qualify for the World Cup, and therefore that they haven't played a meaningful international match in four years... why would their ranking be anything other then low?  On the other hand... they are the home team, and home team advantage is a big deal.

     Mexico had an early goal disallowed based on what the announcer said was a bad offside call, but they consensus by the end of the day is that the linesman was right and the announcer is wrong.  South Africa got an electrifying opener to go up one nil early in the second half, but Mexico was able to equalize in surprisingly easy fashion and then both sides seemed totally fine with getting a tie.  I have to say that I think South Africa's energy is going to give the lethargic French side a lot of issues, and the disciplined Uruguayans might cut up the South Africans.

FRANCE vs. URUGUAY:  For me, the big story here was first, the lethargy of the French side, and the Uruguayan striker Diego Forian.  Diego Forlan is the reason I watch the World Cup- the chance to see a guy from a smaller country really do some damage at the highest level.  He looked great- had a couple of chances to score... but the whole Uruguayan side looked disciplined and focused.  I think they match up well with both South Africa and Mexico, since both those sides are given to gaps in discipline, and that is Uruguay's strong point.

   France, on the other hand, looks like they couldn't care less.  I think this is going to be a real issue in the France/South Africa match- you can almost here the French mega stars shrugging off a loss "C'est la vie."  The French players all want to get to their summer vacation homes before the tourists start showing up.

6/16  SOUTH AFRICA vs. URUGUAY
6/17  FRANCE vs. MEXICO
6/22  MEXICO vs. URUGUAY /  FRANCE vs. SOUTH AFRICA

  

Book Review: Africa's Discovery of Europe 1450-1850 by David Northrup

Africa's Discovery of Europe
1450-1850
second edition
by David Northrup
p. 2009
Oxford University Press

       The topic of African history cries out for clarity and insight.  As I've mentioned before in this space, the number one attitude of American's towards Africa is "Ignorance" followed closely at number two with "Ignorance."  You can't really blame people, finding out the truth about what happened in Africa is a task complicated by contemporary racial politics on three different continents.  I know that Africa has lots of social problems and such, but it's hard to look at a continent with more then a billion people (and climbing) and say "Oh- what a disaster."  You want to see a disaster?  Check out Russia- negative birthrate?  That is failure for you.  My take is that people just need to chill out about Africa and try to appreciate some of the astonishing diversity and cultural power that comes out of there.

    Africa's Discovery of Europe is a good continent wide introduction to the relationship between Africa and Europe.  It is, as much as possible, written from the perspective of Africans and comes with ample footnotes for further reading.  Northrup's main thesis is to dispel the "ignorant african" stereotype  in terms of their trading relationships with Europeans.  In the words of Northrup "Africans got what they wanted out of Europeans."  During the time period covered in this book, the Europeans are hardly dominant.  From the Portugese traders of the 15th century onwards, the Europeans existed on the fringes of a sprawling continent with it's own empires, nations and peoples.  Africa was a place where slavery was already existent, and most of the slaves who made it to the New World tended to spend time as the property of other Africans before they were actually sold across the sea.  Northrup even notes that many freed slaves remarked that their main issue was not with slavery, but with the fact that their African owners sold them out of Africa.

   Whatever your interest level in the subject, Africa's Discovery of Europe is a good starting point for reading about African-European relationships from the beginning.

BOHEMIA

   What's up with the Czech Republic these days?  They had it for a minute, but right now Prague is a location for torture-porn flicks (Saw II) more then a cultural trend setter.  The Czech Republic needs a re-brand, and might I suggest renaming the country "BOHEMIA."   It comprises a substantial part of the entire mass of the Czech Republic and to be frank... it's just a sexier name.  BOHEMIA.

WEEKEND EVENTS

    We all know what it's about this weekend (World Cup) but still...not as horrific as last week:

FRIDAY NIGHT

AUDACITY
JUNGLE FEVER
DREAMBOAT
CLEAN CUT DJ'S
@ SODA BAR

BEATERS
NEON DICK
NUDE BOY
@ TOWER BAR

  This is a devastating 1-2... Check out Nude Boy playing first at Tower, then go to Soda Bar for Jungle Fever and Audacity.  Please, stop sleeping on Audacity, San Diego.  BURGER RECORDS WHAT'S UP???  Don't count on a single one of these bands to start before 10 PM, so plan accordingly, people.  Don't drink and drive!!!

SATURDAY NIGHT

NO RECOMMENDATION

SUNDAY NIGHT

      L OS TIGRES DE NORTE @ SAN DIEGO COUNTY FAIR:: THAT SHIT IS GOING TO BE OFF THE HOOK.

2010 World Cup Picks

   The 2010 World Cup in South Africa starts tomorrow.  The World Cup is amazing!  A true pageant of the nations... more Olympic then the Olympics themselves.  And I love 7 AM start times!  The principle when it comes to World Cup picks is "advantage to the home continent."  I think northern/southern hemisphere has something to do with it...and I'll be applying that principle here.  I think you have to pick the home team to go through to the 2nd round.  Soccer is a game of inspiration, and the South African team is sure to be inspired.

GROUP A

URUGUAY
SOUTH AFRICA

    I always pick against Mexico, sorry Mexico.  France- in disarray, and I'd rather not pick France and just be wrong.  I'm picking Uruguay because they have World Cup pedigree, came out of the tough South American qualifying group  anddd... I think the southern hemisphere thing is going to wierdly come into play here, perhaps during a Uruguay/France match-up.

GROUP B

ARGENTINA
SOUTH KOREA

   Greece- has a good team, but they are more of a Euro phenomenon then a team you'd expect to splash out in a South African world cup.  Nigeria...um... no.  South Korea has a great team game... the players aren't exhausted like the Europeans.  I'm a big believer in Argentina... they have the best player in the world and coaching isn't that big a deal in soccer.

GROUP C

ENGLAND
UNITED STATES

    I'd love to pick Slovenia over the U.S. but I don't have the nuts.  I do think this team is better equipped to score goals, with a hot club striker and greater depth of international experience.  Plus, they did well at the Confederations Cup that was held... in South Africa.  Personally, I think that kind of thing makes a big difference.


GROUP D

SERBIA
GERMANY

    No to Ghana and Australia, you have to be kidding me. Serbia is a break out club in this group.... Germany won't be trying too hard.

GROUP E

NETHERLANDS
CAMEROON

    I'm not feeling Denmark or Japan... but the fact Denmark is there at all makes me think that they have some push.  Netherlands is a classic strong early/fade late side... certainly in this ridiculously weak qualifying group they'll have to be the favorite.

GROUP F

ITALY
PARAGUAY

   The other teams in this group are New Zealand and Slovakia... this is the other qualifying group where you're like... what?  I think Paraguay is another side that benefits from the Southern Hemisphere group.  New Zealand is only here because Australia got moved into Asian qualifying this time through.

GROUP G

PORTUGAL
BRAZIL
  

  Solly Ivory Coast and North Korea.

GROUP H

SPAIN
CHILE

   Another underwhelming group... Switzerland... not enough to get through, Honduras... C'mon- the third qualifier from the CONACAF group?  They might as well give another slot to Europe.

SECOND ROUND
49) URUGUAY- SOUTH KOREA:   SOUTH KOREA outclasses Uruguay.  I really think South Korea is a team that is kind of like the Germany of Asia in terms of their toughness and discipline with enough artistic flare and scoring
50) ENGLAND-GERMANY:  I just see England as the hotter club... you know Wayne Rooney delivers in this scenario, total familiarity between the sides... Does Germany even show up? Do they want it?  I think not and ENGLAND wins.
51)  SERBIA-UNITED STATES: It ends here for the United States.  Great job. SERBIA
52)  ARGENTINA-SOUTH AFRICA:  Argentina takes out the home side.  Messi, Messi, Messi!
53) NETHERLANDS-PARAGUAY:   NETHERLANDS.
54) PORTUGAL-CHILE:  PORTUGAL IN A LARK.
55)  ITALY- CAMEROON:  ITALY for the win.
56)  SPAIN-BRAZIL:   If this is the real match up- hoo boy.  You gotta go with Spain, don't you? Brazil just doesn't have it going on this year.

QUARTER FINALS

57) NETHERLANDS- PORTUGAL:  PORTUGAL has to be the pick here.  You need to figure out "When do the Dutch fail to deliver."  They fail to deliver here.
58) ENGLAND-SOUTH KOREA:  I know England has flamed out in the last few World Cups, but this is as close to a home environment as they can get outside of Canada, Australia or the UK, so I think they will school the South Koreans... who will be looking for inspiration against the solid English defense.  ENGLAND.
59) ARGENTINA-SERBIA:  Are you kidding? Argentina in a tough match.
60) SPAIN-ITALY:  This is the toughest semi-final.  In the end equation, the Italians are complacent, the Spainards are hungry. SPAIN

SEMI FINALS

61) ENGLAND-PORTUGAL:  I think this is a game where maybe England gets a home town kind of boost and wins in emotional penalties.
62) ARGENTINA-SPAIN:  Maybe this is where coaching comes into play and Spain completes its ascendancy. SPAIN

FINAL

63) ENGLAND-SPAIN:   SPAIN... it's you... SPAIN... time for you to win... SPAIN.  GO SPAIN!

Simon Frith

(WIKIPEDIA)

IMA PUT THAT OUT ON EDISON CYLINDER

  PUT THAT ON CYLINDER.

Book Review: That Moaning Saxophone by Bruce Vermazen

That Moaning Saxophone
The Six Brown Brothers and the Dawning of a Musical Craze
by Bruce Vermazen
p. 2001
Oxford University Press

    It's hard for me to imagine the music industry before recorded music was popular.  Popular music and physical media are often treated as one and the same thing, but truth is,  many of the characteristics of the modern music industry took shape BEFORE recorded music was a big component of society.  The modern music industry was built around the touring circuits established in the post civil war era and the musical theaters of New York City, Chicago and London.  Recorded music emerged largely out of the sheet music centered Tin Pan Alley complex of song writers and music publishers.  The development of recorded music happened largely in New York City, but the audience/market had been established by close to half a century of Minstrel shows and Vaudeville.

   Such a foreign world, it led me to wonder: Who were these people?  Well... a good example of what I'm talking about are the Six Brown Brothers and their moaning saxophones.  They were huge in the 1910s... washed up by the 1920s.  They recorded a few "sides" for music cylinders, a physical format that preceded vinyl records, but recorded music was never their thing.  Before the Brown Brothers, saxophones were around, but they weren't a big deal. After, the saxophone became a main stay in jazz etc.  Fun fact- the saxophone was invented in France in the 1840s by a cat named Adolphe Saxe (!) and the first fans were the buyers in the French army.

   Tom Brown was the head Brown brothers.  He came up in rural Canada in the late 19th century. He joined he circus and picked up the saxophone after he had already decided to join circus life.  During that time period, the main form of traveling entertainment were circuses and minstrel shows.  Minstrel shows consisted of white performers dressing up in black face and pretending to be black.  Some of the material was "humorous" and some was musical.  Tom Brown's basic act was to get dressed up in black face and then use the saxophone to "talk."  People were enthralled with the noises he was able to coax out of the saxophone, and he developed a following.

   From there he developed an act that involved bringing in his brothers, who were also circus performers or close to it, and they became the Six Brown Brothers.  Their act was paired with other vaudevillian acts, though during their hey-day they headlined or even soloed shows.  Their career was based on constant touring on different circuits- one on the east coast, one on the west coast.  They recorded a little, but they got paid on a one time basis.

   World War I was kind of a bring down for everyone in the entertainment business, and after World War I it was all about movies.  Vaudeville couldn't compete with movies.  The entire industry was literally crushed beneath the jack boot of Hollywood.  It was a brutal raping.  The only people who survived were the ones who got out of vaudeville and into film, music or radio.  The Brown Brothers, with their black face and novelty sound, did not make the transition.   Because the Brown Brothers existed before recorded music was popular, they were not remembered.   Today, I would wager that there is not a single person who reads this sentence who had ever heard of the Brown Brothers and their moaning saxophones before two days ago.

    We're talking about a popular music act, from America, that introduced the SAXOPHONE to the american public, less then a hundred years ago, totally forgotten.  Think about that shit.

NXNE/SESAC SOFT PACK BEST COAST ZOLA JESUS COLD CAVE DJ SET TORONTO JUNE 16th

SESAC/NXSE PRESENTS
THE SOFT PACK
BEST COAST
ZOLA JESUS
SOFT COPY
COLD CAVE DJS
THE GARRISON, 1179 DUNDAS WEST TORONTO CANADA
JUNE 16th 2010

Next Wednesday: ABE VIGODA///ALL SAINTS DAY///HEAVY HAWAII

WEDNESDAY JUNE 16th 2010

ABE VIGODA
ALL SAINTS DAY (MEMBERS OF VIVIAN GIRLS, CAT POWER)(ART FAG RECORDINGS)
HEAVY HAWAII (ART FAG RECORDINGS)
DJ MARIO ORDUNO (ART FAG RECORDINGS)
THE CASBAH/ 21+
EIGHT DOLLARS

Link From Buddhist Gazette

        People are all like...hey... you are full of bulls*** but then I'm like...oh yeah... the people at the BUDDHIST GAZETTE think I'm aight.  They even used my picture. What? What? (BUDDHIST GAZETTE: UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM)

Dum Dum Girls/Crocodiles West Coast Tour Poster

Dum Dum Girls  (Sub Pop/Hozac/Captured Tracks/Zoo Music)
Crocodiles (Fat Possum/Zoo Music)
DJ Mario Orduno (Art Fag Recordings)

PEOPLE GET READY

Obama in the Whoomp There is is Video

56

  I've been seeing this Obama in the Whoomp There it Is video meme going on, and I wanted to ad an observation.  Whoomp There It Is was distributed by Al Bell.  Al Bell ran Stax Records, was disgraced, and then ran Motown Records for a minute.  He was buddies with Jesse Jackson and all sorts of people in the Civil Rights movement, and that would explain how Obama got into the video- via the Chicago based civil rights connections of Al Bell.  (WIKI AL BELL)

Is it Racist Even to Post Minstrel Show Bits?

     I'm reading this book about the Six Brown Brothers and their Moaning Saxophones.  They came out of vaudeville, and part of vaudeville was white people swearing cork on their face and pretending to be black people.  They called it a "minstrel show" and it preceded and extended into the vaudeville era.  Shameful, shameful stuff.  I mean the only humor derives from the ridiculously offensive racism.  I suppose it shows how deep racism runs in our society- these weren't particularly popular in the South, but they were huge business in the North and West.  This stump speech is a fair example of reoccurring part of the Minstrel show- the "stump speech" which was basically a chance to laugh at how stupid Black people were supposed to be.  I think people should see this stuff because it demonstrates where we come from.

Old Mountain Dew Ads

  "Mountain Dew tickles your innards cause there is a bang in every bottle."

 "Mountain Dew... It'll tickle your innards."

Country Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

  COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME

  ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM

        The first hall of fame was the Forum Augustum in Ancient Rome. It was built by Augustus who vowed to build a temple honoring Mars, the Roman God of war, during the battle of Philippi in 42 BC. The Forum incuded statues of heroes of the Ancient world.  There is something inescapably bourgeois about any hall of fame.  Victorian?  You could say that the purpose of culture industry is to dissect, compartmentalize and sell non-bourgeois culture products to the bourgeois.  That sentence captures the whole relationship between the music industry and african american artists in the 20th century up to hipsters today.  In all cases, the artists producing the products incorporate influences from outside the current bourgeois culture taste and the resulting products are mediated by culture industry institutions.

  TO WHIT, HALL OF FAMES for POPULAR MUSIC GENRES.