American Samizdat

Friday, January 29, 2010. *
Wednesday, April 15, 2009. *


Quasimode vs. Soil and Pimp Sessions. And note for Soil and Pimp dudes: Step it up. Show some damn emotion. Act like you're really into the neo bop thing.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 11:48 PM
Tuesday, February 17, 2009. *
Tuesday, January 20, 2009. *
Sunday, November 30, 2008. *



I actually think this Portishead tune "Threads" is the winner but judge for yourselves...

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 2:12 AM
Monday, October 27, 2008. *


vs this young punk! We must stop the South Korean Mutant Guitarist Child Threat Now! Before it attacks Israel...

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 11:47 PM
Friday, September 26, 2008. *
The Acid Jazz Channel. Just the last 1000 or so vids. Someone will make a million dollars being a first mover using this tech. Why can't it be me? Sigh.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 11:58 PM
Saturday, September 20, 2008. *
Saturday, September 13, 2008. *
Monday, September 08, 2008. *
Thursday, September 04, 2008. *


Uh oh. I don't like that subversive uncle scam/ddjango third party message in the vid. Like Markos, I'll wait until I get 2000 comments and then spike this post...no one will ever know.


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posted by Philip Shropshire at 11:17 PM
Sunday, August 31, 2008. *
Tuesday, August 26, 2008. *
Monday, August 04, 2008. *
Monday, July 28, 2008. *


Girl fight! More on Inara George, yet another COM pletely unapproachable alt pop icon that I can obsess over.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 11:53 PM
Wednesday, July 16, 2008. *
Thursday, July 03, 2008. *

Link: sevenload.com



VS. (I should have used an Interpol vid because I swore that's who I thought this band was...but Interpol's songs aren't as catchy or rhythmically as interesting so...)

Link: sevenload.com

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 11:40 PM
Thursday, June 26, 2008. *
Thursday, June 19, 2008. *

Link: sevenload.com



Still think the music is the best part of classic Connery Bond films. And the Thomas Crowne affair music makes me dance all sixties beach blanket stylee. And I'm beautiful.

Link: sevenload.com

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 11:04 PM
Monday, June 09, 2008. *


You might like this, Philip.

Then there is this version:



Lastly, live at Madison Square Garden:




Shit I had added to this yesterday, 'how soon will it show up on a commercial?' and today while watching Olbermann it's already on a Bud Light commercial.

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Sunday, June 08, 2008. *
Thursday, May 29, 2008. *
Saturday, May 10, 2008. *
Tuesday, April 29, 2008. *
Monday, April 21, 2008. *
Sunday, April 13, 2008. *
Sunday, March 30, 2008. *
Saturday, March 22, 2008. *


Also liked this Howling Bells tune.




vs.




Like everything from this band. Would have used "Be My Fucking Boyfriend" here and here but couldn't find a competitive vid for combat against this strong group of fighters.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 11:42 PM
Saturday, February 23, 2008. *
Tuesday, February 19, 2008. *


Also good live version of this song but not suitable for bloody ultimate fighting vid battle...Two band enter. One band leave. Two band enter. One band leave. Two band enter...

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 8:23 PM
Thursday, February 14, 2008. *
Sunday, February 10, 2008. *


I think that people have watched me through the history of the video war "troubles" and know that I'm quite impartial. I try not to take sides. But I must state that this EBTG vid "dizzy" is so beautiful, haunting, and lyrical that it physically hurts.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 2:50 PM
Sunday, February 03, 2008. *



I'll end the horrible bloodshed of these video wars as soon as we pull out of Iraq...

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 10:46 PM
Sunday, January 20, 2008. *
Saturday, January 05, 2008. *

wpe1F.jpg (108835 bytes)



And pretty Bjork jump up and down in new predictably head spinning Gondrey video. Nice declaration for a free Mars as well.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 7:42 PM
Tuesday, December 25, 2007. *

Video Showdown Special: Peanuts Theme with Christmas Lights versus South Park's Merry Fucking Christmas. And so it begins...

vs.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 3:09 PM
Sunday, December 23, 2007. *
Thursday, December 20, 2007. *
This is the battle that had to happen. And who is better? Who is better indeed.



If you look closely at the vid, you'll notice that me and Uncle Scam are with Sammie and Hef at the party...

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 7:20 AM
Tuesday, December 11, 2007. *


Winner: Yukimi Nagano, daughter of hippies.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 9:03 PM
Sunday, December 02, 2007. *
Thursday, November 29, 2007. *
You can go vote here. Although it would be nice if Progressives had, you know, a party that represents them.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 8:44 PM


I have to admit. This second describes my life fairly well, but I will fight back...

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 8:37 PM
Thursday, November 22, 2007. *

Fun fact: It was John Mclaughlin who got Jeff Beck into jazz rock. Beck started recording instrumental jazz rock right after he saw the legendary central park concert with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. It was sort of referenced in This is Spinal Tap when the band went down its jazz rock path...And the winner is: Jeff Beck's hot bassist Tal Wilkenfeld...

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 7:43 PM
Tuesday, November 13, 2007. *

I'm making a call: I think John Edwards is the best choice for the presidency. I like Obama and I think he would make a very capable president or vice president but his vote for that Peruvian free trade deal, the scare talk on social security...of course, he might think Hillary has wrapped it up and thinks this secures his rich guy money base back in Illinois but still...I would probably vote for Hillary but this would be the first election cycle in four years where I probably won't do any door to door work for the dems if she gets the nomination...Unless the GOP nominee is Tanc or Newt or somebody....

I just can't stand that "lobbyists is people" line, which, appropriately enough, was turned into an ad by the Edwards camp. Seen here in the "Oops. Our Bad" ad:

Ted Rall also has the anti Hillary analysis down:

I forgive easily. I could have let Hillary off the hook for supporting NAFTA, screwing up healthcare in 1993 and voting for the proto-fascist USA-Patriot Act. I could have overlooked her Reaganesque cluelessness about the lives of ordinary people. (Reneging on her "baby bond" proposal that Americans receive $5,000 at age 18, she now wants to give everyone a 401(k) and have the government match it "up to $1,000." Thanks to this windfall, she says, "they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will be able to make that down payment on their first home." Lame idea, obviously. What I want to know is: Where can you buy a house or a college education for $1000? On the moon?)

I might have even have forgiven Hillary's vote to authorize Bush to start the unprovoked war against Iraq, though she never apologized for a cowardly (and miscalculated) act of triangulation that contributed to the deaths of more than a million Iraqis. As Tim Grieve wrote in Salon: "She has gone from 1) voting for the use-of-force resolution, to 2) questioning the intelligence that formed the basis of that vote, to 3) arguing that the Bush administration distorted the intelligence, to 4) saying she didn't regret giving Bush authority to use force but did regret the way he used that authority, to 5) saying the resolution never would have come to a vote if Congress knew then what it knows now, to 6) saying that Congress wouldn't have voted for the resolution if Congress knew then what it knows now, to 7) saying that she wouldn't have voted for the resolution if she knew then what she knows now."

Hillary's October 2003 speech to the Senate is a fair summary of her defense: "The idea of giving our president authority to act...against Saddam Hussein, was one I could support and I did so. In the last year, however, I have been first perplexed, then surprised, then amazed, and even outraged and always frustrated by the implementation of the authority given the president by this Congress." Good idea, fouled up by hyper-aggression and lousy implementation. Well, what did she expect? Bush was a warmonger, a liar who'd already attacked Afghanistan, where Osama wasn't, and sucked up to Pakistan, where he was, after 9/11. She gave him a blank check. She can't have been surprised when he cashed it.

As I said, I'm the forgiving type. I get it: Hillary can't apologize for her Iraq vote. It would make her look weak. As she said in September 2006 on ABC News, "I can only look at what I knew at the time because I don't think you get do-overs in life. I think you have to take responsibility. And hopefully, learn from it and go forward. I regret very much the way the president used the authority he was given because I think he misled the Congress, and he misled the country."

Except...except...she did get a do-over. The same president who misled her, Congress and the country, asked for her vote on yet another resolution based on phony intelligence that starts us down the path to war--this time against Iran. She had a chance to prove that she'd learned her lesson. She voted yes. Again.

President Hillary won't close Gitmo. She won't stop torturing. She won't stop listening to our phone calls. She won't stop the war in Iraq, much less in Afghanistan. Heck, she might even start a new one.

Fool you once, shame on Bush. Fool you twice, I stop thinking how cool it would be for the United States to finally elect a woman president.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 10:34 PM
Thursday, November 01, 2007. *
I still can't see myself voting for him but he truly does have radical ideas. He's openly against the drug war for example. I would give him a look. I'd also vote for David Cross if he ran for anything....

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 9:52 PM

Stunning new John Mclaughlin vids from July Crossroads guitar festival. You can sample them here, here and here. For years now J Mac's electric guitar sound had become, well, wimpy and mushy. He was probably hoping that Tony Mowad would play him (to no avail.). Here he seems to have discovered his Mahavishnu/Electric Guitarist strat sound and he sounds Godlike. He's never sounded better and this was recorded just a few months ago. Wow.

Here's one for your approval:

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 9:04 PM
Monday, October 22, 2007. *

Two more vids from this gifted Youtube director. Profiled earlier here. The first one I remixed and added a different tune. His original is here. It also makes me want to fuck Audrey Hepburn. Her being "dead" wouldn't stop me. That's the kind of fella I am.

The second one features a song from The Stone Roses, a band I wish had made more music.


"Samba Nexusia"
Uploaded by Steelydan


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posted by Philip Shropshire at 3:25 PM
Saturday, October 20, 2007. *
Thursday, October 04, 2007. *
This is a bad jazz tune that Wynton Marsalis, Stanley Crouch and Uncle Scam don't approve of. This isn't conservative god fearing jazz.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 7:38 PM
Sunday, September 16, 2007. *

Jim Hightower explains the mortgage crisis with handy toons.

And if you recall (they'll be a quiz later) Jim Hightower also explained why we're in Iraq and it's not about democracy or "helping" the Iraqi people, unless you define helping as killing about 600000 Iraqis. We're full of help over here. We're really there so that our puppet goverment can pass something called the Iraqi Oil Law, which Hightower explained here. Or as I described it earlier this is legalized plunder. Nobody talks about it, even the dems. It would be nice if they said that we're above killing hundreds of thousands of people and taking their stuff "christian" nation we are and all that....

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 8:48 PM

Your contemplative Sonny Sharrock song for Sunday.


Link: sevenload.com


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posted by Philip Shropshire at 8:45 PM
Wednesday, September 12, 2007. *

Saying Goodbye to Mr. Gone

Joe Zawinul b. 1932 d. Sept. 11, 2007

Whenever noted jazz police fascists like Wynton Marsalis or Stanley Crouch (and Uncle Scam Hah!) talk about all that "bad" jazz that doesn't meet their pre 1962 standard they usually refer to people like the late great Joseph Zawinul. Unfortunately for them and yet fortunately for us Mr. Z produced a lot of demanding world class work that the entirety of the imagination/vision starved Marsalis clan will never ever touch in the forever Kind of Blue continuum that they're hopelessly trapped in. (And what's sad is that they don't realize its a trap.) Z even wrote better trad standards than Wynton or what's a Marsalis tune that's as memorable as "Mercy Mercy Mercy", or "Country Preacher"? I still can't believe a white dude from Austria wrote those tunes.

Zawinul understood that the beauty of jazz is in its growth and reach. You're supposed to improvise and experiment in jazz. Bebop and smaller than Big Band ensembles used to be heresy too. Thank you Z for music that expanded my ear and blew my mind. I never needed drugs thanks to you. Not to mention music so futuristic fluid and cool that 30 years later it still sounds futuristic fluid and cool. By the way, Z isn't only the father of acid jazz but he was one of the first samplers. A fuckin' genius.

Thanks to the Youtubes you can visit the entirety of the Z canon from his days with Cannonball Adderly:

to his peak work with Weather Report and even, and I admit this as a fan, his somewhat disappointing work with the Zawinul Syndicate. Just about every song from Heavy Weather, definitely their masterpiece even though Night Passage is a beautiful album as well, is online. You can find tunes from Heavy Weather here, here, here, here and here.

As for showcase pieces, I think these two songs from Mr. Gone kind of catch Z at his best. I just wish someone had taped the 79 Weather Report that I caught at the old Stanley Theater with Jaco. Still one of the most memorable concerts that I had ever seen. I was actually not a big fan of Mr. Gone when it came out but these tunes have aged very well or maybe its Jaco's sinewy live bass lines. Z or Weather Report was never as good post Jaco. Just an opinion. (Another opinion: He probably needed another heavyweight like Wayne Shorter to occasionally tell him no.)

and River People:

You'll never be forgotten Z. I can't imagine my life without your sound.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 10:01 PM
Sunday, September 09, 2007. *
Yet another gifted youtube director who feels like a professional. Catch the funny sax a minute 28 in...

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 5:14 PM
I'm sure that Trevor used the term "noble savage" to describe gay people. I suppose when he's refused service at the pub or pointed to the gays only john he'll remain firm in his separate but equal principles.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 4:51 PM
Tuesday, August 28, 2007. *
Since Uncle Scam has opened up the sexy vid box...This is a gifted director by the way.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 10:07 PM
Sunday, August 19, 2007. *
Saturday, August 04, 2007. *
Don't do drugs. Do the Drug Music.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 9:28 AM
Tuesday, July 31, 2007. *
Sunday, July 29, 2007. *
How Science Differs from Religion.



And put your faith in a scientific prediction. Just as a sidenote: atheists are not pussies and here Richard proves it.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 4:53 PM
Sunday, June 24, 2007. *
Features my favorite female playing tuba in a jazz rock band.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 8:17 AM
An okay song that turns into a world class tune when the sax solo kicks in.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 7:41 AM
Sunday, June 03, 2007. *

The Pinky Show : concept & purpose

Q: What is The Pinky Show?
A: The Pinky Show is the original super lo-tech hand-drawn educational TV show. The Pinky Show focuses on information and ideas that have, for various reasons, been misrepresented, distorted, suppressed, ignored, or otherwise excluded from mainstream discussion. The creator and main character of the show, a cat named Pinky, presents and analyzes the material in an informal, easy-to-understand way, with helpful illustrations that she draws herself. Episodes are short and are available on the internet for free at www.PinkyShow.org.

Pinky's Take on International Banking:



Pinky's Take on Globalization:



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posted by Philip Shropshire at 11:55 AM


The Youtube version of this tune was suspended! I am inquiring. However, there's always Daily Motion. I have never seen a music video pulled from Daily Motion.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 10:54 AM
Tuesday, May 29, 2007. *
Thursday, May 24, 2007. *
Saturday, May 19, 2007. *
Not to easy to answer Uncle Scam's better than average Gillian Welch selection. At first I thought camera obscura but its not from the folk tradition. Then the Roche sisters but they're too weird. Then it came to me: Neil Young. Take that uncle scam!


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posted by Philip Shropshire at 10:08 PM
Sunday, April 15, 2007. *
Note: You have to lobby these guys to do the right thing. Even AIPAC's man in congress sees the light on Bush and War. Lobby and pester. Who knows. Maybe they'll see the answer staring them in the face.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 8:36 AM
Sunday, April 01, 2007. *
This is the latest version of my music channel. It currently has about 100 videos. If I wanted to be competitive with the music channels it probably needs about 300 or so. And I should add new vids to the mix all the time. I think this is the way you could create your own propaganda. Note the Chomsky and atheism clips. Just like the Geico ads. Spread the message over and over and over again.

If you're interested in creating your own radical tv station you should go to this site. The Mad Hungarian who runs this site is very cool and he added Daily Motion--where the music vids at least don't disappear--to his mix, even though you can't add too many of them. I'm curious as to what you would come up with...IN the future, ideally, you could say: "No don't watch that sucky MTV which doesn't play music anyway. Go watch AMSAT Television. That's high quality stuff." Update: It takes a minute or two to load. Sometimes it doesn't load at all...

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 9:13 AM
Friday, March 23, 2007. *
Sunday, March 18, 2007. *
Friday, March 16, 2007. *
It only works with Mozilla. Has 50 or so vids so far. You have to move the cursor to find "play".
















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posted by Philip Shropshire at 10:20 PM
Monday, March 12, 2007. *



Interesting new acid jazz tune by the band called Miso. Very Portisheadish. You can download this vid here. Below: It's not shot very well but I can't get that beautiful guitar riff out of my head. "Sweet Trip" by Chocolate Matter. "Chocolate Matter" by Sweet Trip. And Yes: I directed and produced this Broadcast video, rated at two stars which I think stands for "EX cellence." And Goddamn you Reginald Hudlin. Goddamn you and BET on J to Hell. Update: If you check out Miso's site, linked above, the band actually seems to share the politics of the vid. Like the filipino bjork lead singer...


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posted by Philip Shropshire at 11:38 PM
Thursday, March 08, 2007. *

Province
Uploaded by Steelydan

Above: Neo alt african american rockers TV on the Radio with a backup assist from David Bowie. Well directed video. Also: Yes, I directed and produced this Broadcast video, rated at two stars which I think stands for "EX cellence." And Goddamn you Reginald Hudlin. Goddamn you and BET on J to Hell.

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posted by Philip Shropshire at 3:38 AM
Saturday, March 03, 2007. *

This is Mahavishnu Orchestra Saturday. Above: "You know you know." Forbidden secrets of the Mahavishnu Orchestra: Both Goodman and Jan "Miami Vice" Hammer were more melodic soloists than McLaughlin. Billy Cobham, after 30 years have passed, looks like he was the best composer. Below: "Dawn", which features, arguably, the greatest guitar solo ever. Right around 1:56 turn it to 11 and begin your air guitar pantomime. Also: Yes, I directed and produced this Broadcast video, rated at two stars which I think stands for "EX cellence." And Goddamn you Reginald Hudlin. Goddamn you and BET on J to Hell.


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posted by Philip Shropshire at 7:39 PM
Tuesday, February 27, 2007. *





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