homesick

some austrian hip hop aint bad but it makes you miss the real thing

Freddie Gibbs feat. Chuck Inglish (of The Cool Kids), Chip Tha Ripper, Bun B & Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys) – Oil Money

innocence abroad

halfway through my abroad experience and while I may be short of an epiphany, im not lacking in thoughts. the best writers of 'the lost generation' spent their days writing in the very places I visit in order to create the stories that are now in the water of american education. I read about Fitzgerald and Hemingway traveling together through Europe doing hardly anything but experiencing culture and wonder what it is specifically about this experience that allows them to create The Great Gatsby or In Our Time. Can their exit from America be understood? Are their reasons for fleeing not justified? Prohibition on the rise, materialism gaining ground, and all the while a lack of agreeable culture. Writers as great as William Faulkner shunned by their hometown papers even after a nobel prize. My teacher told the story of I forget who when he was questioned about American Culture. His reply was simply "I think it would be a good idea." Is our generation profoundly lost from its fore bearers like the writers of a century ago? Is the world at our feet not facing more changes than any generation has ever come across in one life time? Malcom Cowly had this to say about The Lost Generation: "In the slogan the noun was more important than the adjective. They might or might not be lost, the future would decide that point; but they had already had the common adventures and formed the common attitude that made is possible to describe them as a generation. The generation belonged to a period of transition from values already fixed to values that had to be created." Does this mean we flee as well? I hope not. Hopefully we can be a generation that finds what has been lost over time. Optimistic as it may sound why not bring the goodness back home? Not to say its not already there- everyday we see artists that inspire through originality yet how often do they fall after fame? Maybe its because the emphasis is all in the wrong place. If youve gotten this far maybe your with me. And to you ill say all is not lost, our best moments as a country have come through competition- realizing our dominance is in question (space race creates tech industry?) This can be applied to culture. So maybe we take a note from here and there, strap it up, and make it happen. Hope this was not too much but either way im glad i passed it off somewhere because it wasnt doing much good where i was keeping it

one thing I do know for sure. whoever wrote up 'the most interesting man in the world' campaign for dos equis had Ernest Hemingway in mind, no doubt. speaking of ads and doing things right I love how Converse has taken some goodness and slyly attached it to their brand. and if you know me you know its probably just because i love cudi "my intentions all summer have simply just been this, maintain, and keep my brain sane, with a little rage."



and also this:
Chiddy Bang- Dream Chaser

Munchen!

BMW Museum

the damn coppers drive bmws in munich; aint no thang

Surfs Up in Munich

what a neat thing hidden in a park in Munich? surfing the tide less than a mile from where Hitler started revolutions and my grandfather flew b2 bombers overhead. europe has so much to offer its overwhelming. id love to have more to say about it but it just all hasnt come together yet so for now its just tidbits that have the juices flowing

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."

summer blues?

1. Summertime Intro
2. Kool & The Gang: Summer Madness (Live Version)
3. Kool & The Gang: Summer Madness
4. Quincy Jones: Summer In The City
5. Ahmad: Back In The Day
6. Ice Cube: It Was A Good Day
7. Roy Ayers f/ Mary J Blige: Everybody Loves The Sunshine
8. Pharcyde: Passin’ Me By (Ffej Remix)
9. Jay-Z f/ Babyface: Sunshine
10. Ramsey Lewis: Sun Goddess
11. A Tribe Called Quest: Find A Way (Ffej String Edit)
12: Bush Babies f/ Mos Def: The Love Song
13. Jodeci: Get On Up
14. The Commodores: High On Sunshine
15. J Dilla f/ Dwele : Think Twice
16. Erick Sermon f/ Marvin Gaye: Music (Mick’s Marvapella Edit)
17. Bernard Wright: Who Do You Love
18. LL Cool J: Loungin’
19. A Tribe Called Quest: Hot Sex
20. Main Source: Live At The BBQ
21. Nuyorican Soul: Nautilus
22. Pharcyde & Sublime: Summertime
23. Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff: Summertime Remix
24. Michael Jackson: I Can’t Help It
25. De La Soul: Breakdawn
26. Musiq: Just Friends
27. Carl Thomas: Summer Rain
28. Faze-O: Riding High
29. Dionne Warwick: Walk On By
30. Skee-Lo: I Wish
31. Black Moon: Who Got The Props
32. Frankie Beverly and Maze: Before I Let Go
33. Nu Shooz: I Can’t Wait
34. Montell Jordan: This Is How We Do It
35: The Roots f/ George Benson: Breezin’
36: Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff: Time To Chill
37. Biggie: Can’t You See
38. James Brown: The Payback
39. En Vogue: My Lovin’
40. Bobby McFerrin: Sunshine Of My Life
41. Fifth Dimension: Let The Sun Shine In
42. Mos Def: Sunshine
43. Nine: Whatcha Want
44. Otis Redding: Sittin’ On The Dock
45. 2Pac: I Get Around (Mick’s String Edit)
46. Zapp: Computer Love (Terry’s Mirage On The Water Mix)
47. Seals And Croft: Summer Breeze
48. Jay-Z: Dear Summer
49. Weldon Irvine: Morning Sunrise

get some

sooner or later

chiddy bang is an up and coming hip hop duo comprised of a white kid making beats and a black dude rapping over it. they are still enrolled in college yet fame has found them and rightfully so. their latest song/video goes beyond the context of their previous verses- looks to deliver a little more of a message. its another great song from them and no doubt more to come but this one noteworthy more so because of the moral.




the world is truly flat. sitting in austria searching the internet just as in the states is one example but a pretty light one. with the internet and everything else every entity just becomes more and more connected- soon enough its all one heartbeat. any problem is everyones problem. oil spills, nigerian inequalty, the deflation of the euro. even if this isnt entirely true yet there is no doubt its the direction we are headed. like momma said 'you cant misbehave anywhere'

Veni Vidi Vici

It may be a little too early to claim a conquering but things are just about right here in Austria. Its hard to think I havent been here a week- feels like years... I get by with a little help from my friends and thanks to Zen Master Wallace I got a nice little journal (veni, vidi, vici) which is nothing but goodness. Its not something I have done before but no matter the time has come. The surrounding mountains raises your chin about two more inches than a look at the rockies if you can believe it- and lemme tell you being at their peak was something special. Cant hear a single city sound, just mountain air whipping through your ear canals. And its easy to look back up there every spare moment and be overwhelmed by natures force standing taller than any thing in sight. Going to Munich tomorrow to watch the Germany Spain game in good company tomorrow, running with bulls saturday. No joke... wish me luck