Old video games.

I started watching some speed runs of Super Mario Bros. 3, done on emulators and exploiting every glitch known to man.

Then, I remembered that Matt had a Nintendo...

Last Sunday I played the following for about 6 hours before beating it (didn't use any warp whistles):




It was an addictive experience. I remembered all these little things about it, and every level. I had forgotten about the Hammer Bros. suit, and a couple of other little things like that.

So then, yesterday, I started in on



I wasn't able to beat it in one night, but when I popped it in today, I got through it in two tries (using all the warps I knew). Then, once I had beaten the final Bowser, I used the special warp ability you get when you beat it to go back and play through every single level. And I remembered every single level. I don't know how I played that as a child (I even remembered where hidden 1-ups and stars were!). But, by now, I think I've become rather skilled in the game, as opposed to in my younger years, when I remembering running into those stupid spinning flames in the castles constantly. Yet, somehow, I remember something about every stage. I must have played it a lot.

Matt also has Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- the first one, yeah the original. And I even remember stuff about that too-- I think. I'm not gonna try to beat that one, I just played some of it and it can get frustrating.
And, he has Top Gun, which I don't remember playing and will not attempt.
And, he has Dr. Mario, which pales in comparison to the original Gameboy Tetris.

Yeah, I went there.

That pointy little square controller hurts so much.

--Anyone have questions for The (International) Noise Conspiracy?--

GA.

In some annual events, in certain parts of rural Georgia, bands like Echo Valve compete in a fishy battle against local bands after touring Germany and playing on the Warped Tour. Suck Valve gets to play last, of course, as other lesser-known bands who, coincidentally, have music in the artistic left field of the mainstream cRap/heartfelt-metal/"make some noise"-toting lead singers with junk for melodies and blandness for music rock groups that comprise the rest of the battle of the bands line-up get to go first (through a random drawing).

In broad daylight.

With a crowd of 10 less-than-thrilled Georgians.

With no light shows that happened for every other band.

Being judged in such categories as:

Appropriateness: Were their lyrics, gestures, etc. appropriate for the (Bainbridge College) campus?

and

Wardrobe: Does the band's physical appearance match its music?

***

***

Sitting through this event once again reminded me that not everyone has the Club Downunder. That, although there are hundreds of good bands out there, under the radar, there are probably 1.5X that many bad "don't go psycho" bands out there.

"This is a song about somebody that goes psycho..."

Jewish Rapper + Gypsy Punks ... = ?

Matisyahu speaks out

I do not like reading or linking to Rolling Stone's Web site. But, this guy is not bad -- my roommate has the CD and he does (Matisyahu does, that is) some mad-wicked beatboxing.

Gogol Bordello

I might have mentioned Everything Is Illuminated, but maybe (maybe?) I did not mention that the guy who plays Alex opposite Elijah Wood in the film is Eugene Hutz, lead singer of Gogol Bordello, a punk band... with gypsy influences. Yeah, strangely enough, that same roommate of mine also has these guys' CD, and it does not sound bad. (I started cracking up when I heard "Start Wearing Purple" play during the credits of Everything...