Chillin at the new Lebanese cafe...

Happy holidaze.

So, last night after leaving the new Lebanese hooka bar (it was sweet), a buddy of mine offered to pay my way into a show. The "venue" was amazing. It was this old run down amphitheater, and it was huge. Normally they have a show once every two months or so as a fundraiser because the place is in the midsts of a long and arduous renovation, but I thought it looked great all worn down. The band that I caught at first was a mix between Growing, OK Computer, and the Apples in Stereo. The droney stuff was cool, but not loud enough, and everyone was lounging on couches or sitting/laying on the concrete floor.

Any way, I was wearing my Corrupted shirt that I got from EatDeath. I was a the Merch table, and some guy asks, "Hey, did you get that from EatDeath?" and we talked about it for a while and he told me that the bassist for the band on stage helps screen print shirts for EatDeath.

Kinda cool, eh? I mean, he could be bullshitting me, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I can't remember the name of the band, I can remember how it sounds but can't spell it for shit.

I talked to the fella that's planning on taking it over, and I hope to see some more shows scheduled, and would go as far as to help get some people playin there. The place is just begging to be the center of attention, you know, they could definitely do more than just shows there as well. It could definitely be a part of the whole "scene".

Bioshock vs Mass Effect vs Oblivion

God.

The 360 is awesome.

He said:Dubai still looks awesome. I wonder if in 20 years it'll become a crime ridden megalopolis that will not be able to survive without JUDGE DREDD.

LUNCHED

A term used by the old time R & B collectors to denote a record that is so beat up that it has no redeeming value. This came from seeing a record that was so trashed that you thought somebody tried eating it for lunch.

DYNAGROOVE

Record cutting system introduced by RCA Victor in 1962 that supposedly reduced tracking distortion by computer controlling cutting characteristics to overcome the imagined faults of playback equipment. Considered a disaster by everyone except the New York Times writer Hans Fantel who wrote the blurb inserted in all of the early pressings, it brought the golden age of RCA Victor Living Stereo to a screeching halt. Because there is a possibility that this system was used on later re-masterings of the early Living Stereo records, collectors try to obtain only early pressings of these masterpieces--usually called "Shaded Dogs" The words "Stereo-Orthophonic" are on the record label and sometimes the cover of the "good" Living Stereo albums.

Hmmm.

So, I'm sure a good chunk of the PA userbase has read this delicately titled opinion over at IGN.

The Wii is a Piece of Shit

Let's ignore the baseless whining at the beginning of the article, and focus on "It's not clear to me that Nintendo gives a s*** about games as an art form,". Suddenly, in one sentence, Hecker instantly defines "art" and "games as art" to his seemingly very strict set of standards.

This bothers me (a former Art Major) for a few reasons. Mainly, Hecker doesn't think he is capable of art unless he has the specific tools at his disposal. So, him being a developer (graphics artist?) does that mean that someone who would rather spend their time with a pencil and pad instead of a 3500$ gaming rig are suddenly not artists?

Hecker even dismisses past consoles. Because the Genesis was underpowered compared to the SNES (in terms of graphical ability), does that mean that art isn't capable on the machine?

When I was your typical college slacker in your typical college slacker art courses, we were often challenged to create something with limited supplies or set rules. Only collages/no pastels/10"x10". So, because I preferred to work in acrylic was I no longer an artist when I was "forced" to use a medium that I generally didn't care for?

Who cares that the Wii is only capable of displaying a third of the wonder that the 360 and the PS3 can. It's still capable of being a platform of your art. Quit bein a snob! Silent and Black and White films 8MM films are no less art than the latest full color, surround sound, digital masterpiece!

Something else caught my eye.

To illustrate his point, he searched for references to games as art on all three console manufacturers web sites. While he found numerous such references on both the official PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sites, Wii.com had none at all. He then shared quotes from executives at Sony and Microsoft talking about games as a serious artistic medium, and then a quote from a Nintendo executive saying the company only wanted to make "fun" games.

Defining a "medium" as an outlet for artistic merit based on pure PR bullshit is incredibly thick headed. I hate it when car manufacturers attempt to sell their latest death machine with arty buzzwords (Our new Bling 2008 with artful curves and an exquisitely tasteful interior!), I dislike it when housing realtors and furniture companies attempt to hock their interests on me by playing up the "discerning, artful consumer". Hecker seems to think that these marketing people actually care about art.

Art isn't defined by the medium or the people who display it and sell it. Art is a product of the creator. If you're unhappy with having to work with something you'd rather not, fine. But don't insult the very thing you are attempting to defend. Don't pander to the smallest aspect or the niche that you work in. No one liked it when Roger Ebert condemned games because they were interactive. No one should like it when Hecker proclaims that games can only be art when it's 1080p, light bloom, high definition, and when the console manufacturer "says it is."

Wouldn't you agree?

Reference:

Games Theory: Games as Art

Recent Additions to my Personal Belongings

Music:

Total Life LP
Sunn/Boris - Altar 3LP
Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the Decline 3LP
Monarch - Speak of the Sea LP
Monarch - Dead Men Tell no Tales 2CD
Ghost - In Stormy Nights 2LP
Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld 2LP
Vulture Club - Pure Agitator CD
Vulture Club - Live Young, Die Fast, and Leave an Exquisite Corpse
Faust ...in Autumn Boxset
Fennesz - Live in Japan LP
Eloe Omoe - Marauders LP
Eloe Omoe LP
Wooden Shjips - Shaking Moon for You LP

Books:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
-Child's book, but 500 and some odd pages. Writing is a bit on the boring side, however, the story doesn't suffer at all. Well told, with the narrative often stopping and the storying being furthered by a series of black/gray and white pencil drawings. Sorta like an old silent film.

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend by Winsor McKay
-Small Collection of the first strips for Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend. Some of them are hilarious, but he hadn't quite gotten up to his best quality work.

Games:

Lunar Knights DS
Oblivion 360
Saint's Row 360
Xbox 360