plainclothes press
posted by dean | mar 7, 2010
my diary entries are typically attempts at humour, but this time, i'm all business. in a few months time, sheena (the wife) and i will be officially starting up our own short-run cd/dvd printing business called Plainclothes Press. we hope to serve the many bedroom musicians, garage bands, and other independant artists out there looking to get an album made, but who maybe don't need 500-plus copies. we may also come in handy for those looking to print-on-demand, like before a tour, a show, or to send out to radio stations.
in addition to cd printing, we shall also provide a number of packaging options, from the standard jewel case to cardboard sleeves, as well as other creative designs that artists may have in mind. we want to work with artists to come up with some new ideas, and also potentially work with local visual artists if anyone needs a hand with cover designs.
i think there are many different options out there for short-run printing - all which are quite expensive. we will hopefully be able to provide printing and packaging at a reasonable cost while still maintaining professional quality. but most of all, we want to provide personal service - working directly with artists to find out exactly what they need and what they can afford.
so stay tuned for more information - we will have a website up soon, as well as all the obligatory facebook/myspace/twitter pages. also, if you are an artist who is interested in this kind of service, please send me a message and we can discuss any ideas you may have.
new order: talented
posted by dean | mar 3, 2010
i am certain that it is not fashionable to enjoy new-period new order, but if you have ever seen me, you know that i am not very fashionable.
i have been listening to this album, 'get ready', as well as 'waiting for the siren's call' a lot lately, and i have to admit, i enjoy it much more than most of their early material (except for some of the obvious early singles). peter hook is great, obviously, but bernard sumner is a very underrated guitar player, and stephen morris is one of my most favourite drummers - perhaps why i have been liking newer new order these days.
the 2010 slam dunk contest: the worst
posted by dean | feb 20, 2010
this dunk by demar derozan, however, was very impressive:
favourite things: 2009 edition
posted by dean | jan 18, 2010
like everyone typing words on the internet right now, i am a narcissist. my opinion matters, and if it doesn't matter to you, it should. so, here are some lists of some of my favourite things in 2009.
albums:
it was not one of my favourite years for music - probably another sign that i'm getting old - but here are a few that i loved.
1. bat for lashes - two suns. put this one on while you are reading a sci-fi/fantasy novel, or just close your eyes and let the images of crystal towers, snowy battles, and huntresses fill your head.
2. junior boys - begone dull care. they did it again. they've slowly become one of my favourite artists of the last decade. i feel like they make music designed specifically for my tastes: dark, perfect melodies, plenty of nuance for repeated listens.
3. the xx - xx. lately, any young band coming out of england has been too abrasive, too upbeat, relentlessly blasting high-frequencies at your ears. how refreshing it is to hear a band so subdued, without being boring. i am certainly a sucker for minor-keyed pop songs.
4. tor vs. sufjan stevens - illinoize. mashups, at best, are amusing at first, but i never have the desire to listen to them again. when i read about this album (available for free at illinoize.biz) i thought it was a stupid idea. but these songs are more than mere mashups. it quickly became the only hip-hop album i really enjoyed in 2009.
5. wild beasts - two dancers. this album is wonderfully produced. sit in your living room, place two speakers on opposite sides of the room, sit in between them, and listen to two dancers.
songs
each year for the last 5 years, i create a playlist of my favourite songs of the year, and i attempt to put them in order, with my favourite being last on the playlist. the number of songs on the playlist indicates how good of a year it was. this year, i have 53 songs. last year i had 89, and in 2005 i had 98. 2005 was an amazing year, apparently.
i was going to list all 53, but that would be boring, and i would feel like i would be revealing a bit too much of myself. most of the songs were from the above 5 albums anyways.
tv.
i love music, but my true passion is watching television. here are my favourite shows to watch in 2009:
10. house
9. it's always sunny is philadelphia - i can only handle this show in smaller doses, though. a show consisting only of horrible people is very funny, but gives me a tummy ache after about three straight episodes.
8. 30 rock
7. the price is right - being on parental leave for 6 months left me addicted to the price is right. want to know the actual retail price in US dollars of a chevy malibu? gold bond medicated powder? a dune buggy? come see me.
6. the IT crowd - i discovered this show this year - i only wish there were more episodes. british tv always goes for quality over quantity.
5. sportscentre when hosted by jay onrait and dan o'toole - they should have their own talk show
4. man vs. wild - my wife and i both have a crush on bear grylls. he's everything that i'm not. i think the episode with will farrell was my favourite hour of television this year.
3. how i met your mother - certainly the most underrated show on television. it's like the 'lost' of sit-coms. except 'lost' is quite overrated.
2. the tonight show with conan o'brien - i was so excited to watch conan an hour earlier, but was worried the quality of his show would diminish in the new time slot. but conan's 'tonight show' is even better than his 'late night' show (at least the last few years of his 'late night' show). i love that andy is back. although it appears this show may not exist much longer, i'm sure conan will be on tv somewhere.
1. dexter - each season comes closer and closer to giving me a heart attack. we watched the last season in 4 days, then i couldn't sleep.
websites
5. aintitcool.com - my favourite movie news website, although the readers comments infuriate me. i'm not sure why i read them.
4. thesuperest.com - this site won't make any sense unless you go to the archives and start from the very beginning
3. rogerebert.com - you haven't seen much of roger ebert lately. apparently he can't eat or drink any more. but he can write, and he's been writing more than ever. regardless of whether or not i agree with his opinions, i can read a review and know whether or not i want to see the movie.
2. latfh.com - a constant source of hilarity for those who despise modern 'hipster' culture
1. kijiji.ca - i have bought and sold so many things that i can't keep track. it's also a good place to find a good deal on music equipment, and a great place to find horrible deals on music equipment.
food
5. sheena's homemade soup - she was a soup-making machine this summer
4. the chicken quesadilla i had at la bamba del norte in saskatoon
3. the classic nachos at chili's
2. any kind of donair from shawarma donair on primrose drive in saskatoon
1. a&w's mozza burger - fast food is great. it's fast, it's delicious, it makes me happy
a series of tubes
posted by dean | dec 1, 2009
this is how my wife and i spend our time: we sit and watch tv, then one of us says "who was the guy from that thing? i wonder where he is now?" since the tv and computer are in the same room, the least lazy of us (usually my wife) goes over to the computer and searches the man's name. so now we know what peter from the cosby show has been doing for the last 20 years. then i inevitably say "you know, not too long ago, there would have been no way to find that out - it would have remained a mystery until a 'where are they now' show appeared on tv. i sure hope young people out there appreciate how easy it is to access any information they choose." then my wife leaves the room, invariably wondering what has become of her life. we now know what EVERYONE from the cosby has done since the cosby show, we know what the all-time lowest scoring NBA game was, we know who actually sang on the milli vanilli albums, and we know that the guy who wrote 'teen wolf' and teen wolf too' now writes episodes of 'heroes'.
one night, though, there came a moment where we were left breathless by the abominable power the information super-highway. we saw a music video for the song 'day by day' by Doug and the Slugs - canada's answer to Huey Lewis and the News. i said something like "i wonder if Doug is still making music - i bet he still has a following in southern manitoba or something." so we looked it up. turns out Doug is dead. he died in 2004. we were both sad. then my wife marveled at the length and detail of the wikipedia entry for Doug and the Slugs. it's not really long (not like the saskatoon wikipedia entry) but i expected maybe one or two sentences, if anything. (this supports my theory that every band in history has at least one die-hard fan willing to maintain their presence on the web - although there is no myspace page for the Slugs. there is, unbelievably, another band called Doug and the Slugs, who do have a myspace page. they have 6 fans.) then we scrolled down and noticed this:
someone took the time to make a chart outlining the various members of Doug and the Slugs from 1977 to 2004. this is astonishing. first we laughed and laughed. and then we thought about it some more and felt sad again. it's also interesting to note that from 1996 to around 1998, there was only one Slug - Jay Wittur - and he played the bass. just Doug and a Slug - bass and vocals. if i had a time machine, i would go back and find a bar in etobicoke ontario and watch these two perform.
scrolling down further, there is a list of 8 more former Slugs who were not included in the chart. this means that there were 19 former Slugs in total, which leads me to believe that Doug was perhaps quite difficult to work with - he was like Canada'a James Brown. and also Canada's Huey Lewis.
most importantly, directly below the chart, we have the following: Dennis Henderson is now a high school electronics teacher at Hugh McRoberts Secondary School in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.
because of the internet, we know the occupation and city of residence of the person who played bass for Doug and the Slugs in 1977. oh , what an age in which we live!
experts
posted by dean | nov 21, 2009
an expert is someone who claims to know more about a certain subject than you. an expert thinks you are idiot.
since the beginning of civilization, there have been experts. someone was happily busy making his clay pots, until an expert came along who said "whoa whoa - that's how you make clay pots? you've got it all wrong. you're using the wrong kind of clay, you're technique is rudimentary, it's all wrong. let me show you how to really make a clay pot." and so, the expert earned a living telling people how to make clay pots properly, while also selling his special kind of clay.
today, experts are still busy telling all of the beginners what to do and how to do it. pick any hobby and there will be someone waiting to sell you the necessary equipment to fully experience this hobby. take something as simple as walking - you cannot just go out and walk. you need walking shoes, walking pants, even walking poles when necessary. you also need to master certain walking techniques - you can't move your arms that way! better ask an expert.
i have decided that most things - hobbies, crafts, talents - are generally quite easy. i'm not saying that playing one of bach's organ fugues is easy, but with enough practice, i'm sure you could do it. experts, however, will tell you otherwise. if you want to get into photography, you can't just grab a camera and start taking pictures. you need a $4,000 slr, the right lenses, filters, photohsop, etc. if you want to record an album, you can't just borrow a microphone and a tape machine and get to it. you need better equipment, the right technique, and lots of money. talent has little to do with it.
experts have convinced me to buy certain things, do things a certain way, but deep down, those recordings i made back when i did not know what i was doing still sound the best to me. most experts are not experts when it comes to experimentation, however.
letters
posted by dean | nov 12, 2009
dear new york yankees,
many congratulations on capturing your latest world series. it's really neat how the team with the highest payroll won the world series this year. keep signing those free agents and victory shall continue to be yours.
sincerely,
dean.
dear ipod,
every morning at work, i put you on shuffle, and every morning you play the same songs. you have over 2000 songs to choose from, yet you always choose the same songs. please broaden your tastes, or be truly random. perhaps this is my punishment for not listening to complete albums anymore. if this is the case, i have learned my lesson.
thanks,
dean.
dear driver that just had to get in front of me this morning,
congratulations on getting to where you need to be 5 seconds earlier than me. i am sure your time is indeed more important than the safety of others.
dean.
dear person on kijiji attempting to sell a 3-inch patch cable for $5,
i admire your patience and tenacity. you must be getting frustrated though. it has been many months that you have been trying to sell your item, and i suspect you have not received many offers. perhaps because it is much safer for a buyer to go to the local music store and purchase a brand new patch cable that is guaranteed to function properly, as opposed to contacting a complete stranger, going to that stranger's house, and exchanging $5 for a patch cable with no guarantee of functionality.
keep catching that butterfly,
dean.
dear everyone younger than me,
your spelling, grammar, and customer service skills are atrocious. please inform you teachers, parents, and employers.
dean.
getting all nostalgic part 3: the cosby show
posted by dean | nov 12, 2009
this is my favourite television moment, i think:
nba predictions
posted by dean | oct 28, 2009
yesterday on tv i saw three sports analysts boldly give their predictions for the nba finals. the season started last night. one said the lakers vs orlando (same as last year), another said the lakers vs cleveland (same as what everyone predicted last year), and the other said san antonio vs cleveland (same as two years ago). they were really going out on a limb this time.
my prediction is the portland trailblazers vs the philadelphia 76ers. the blazers will have the best record in the nba this year. you heard it here first, folks.
don't live every day like it's your birthday
posted by dean | oct 22, 2009
it was my birthday on tuesday, and as per tradition (a tradition that i started last year) i took the day off and just did whatever the heck i wanted on by birthday. i eat what i want, i watch what i want, i drink alcohol in the morning, and it's great. it's how birthdays should be. at the time, i came up with a lovely motto: 'live every day like it's your birthday.' this motto probably exists somewhere, but i soon realized that it is horrible horrible advice. if i lived everyday like it was my birthday, i would be dead within a year. and my lifestyle on my birthday isn't even that bad.
here's what i did:
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woke up early, opened presents. my wife bought be some chocolates and skittles
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my wife made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. i also had two large mugs of coffee, one of which had a healthy dose of kamora
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watched the price is right
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showered
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went to chili's for lunch. we shared classic nachos (which are the most perfect nachos i've ever had) and some fajitas. but i ate about 80% of the food on the table, while my wife had 20%
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came home, watched tv all afternoon whilst eating chocolates and skittles
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we were too ill from lunch to eat supper, so we ate birthday cake instead
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put the baby to bed, then i lied on the couch, watched more tv, ate more chocolates and skittles, and made my delicious drink invention - amaretto, orange juice, and raspberry syrup.
while this is pretty tame (ie no binge drinking) note the amount of sugar i ate and how little i moved. if this continued, i would gain 100 pounds and die of a diabetic coma. don't live every day like it's your birthday.
the easiest job in the world award
posted by dean | oct 20, 2009
2nd runner up for easiest job in the world: pinch runner for a major league baseball team. you sit on the bench most of the time. in rare situations, you enter in the game for the purpose of running.
1st runner up: third-base coach for a major league baseball team. you stand by third base and tell the runner to either stop at third, or go home.
and the easiest job in the world award goes to: first-base coach for a major league baseball team. you stand by first base and tell the runner to stop at first or go to second. the first-base coach has a slight advantage over the third-base coach in terms of ease, because the third-base coach has slightly more responsibility.
i am unsure why any of these positions exist, and i'm sure they pay more than my current job. i could write more about the baffling sport of baseball, like why they play 162 regular season games, and only 13 to 21 games in the playoffs, or why the abbreviation for a strikeout is 'k' and the abbreviation for a walk is 'bb' - i'll save that for a future entry.
bobby brown: ahead of his time
posted by dean | oct 14, 2009
if this track was released today, it would be a HIT! commercial radio would love it, pitchfork would love it, your mother would love it.
i wonder what LA and Babyface are doing right now?
more entries
economics released their debut album in the fall of 2008. the self-titled full-length can be purchased