(JUAN.of.a.KIND)

The Big Q&A: The Roots' Black Thought Talks New Album, Personal Tragedy, and Jimmy Fallon | VIBE

A rare and excellent interview with IMO the greatest MC alive (and I personally told the man exactly that when I shook his hand at a live Roots show I attended nearly 5 years ago), Tariq Trotter aka the incomparable Black Thought of The Roots. Cop undun, out in stores now as it’s getting phenomenal reviews across the critical spectrum. No doubt, the Legendary have done it yet again. 18 years in the game and sitting right on top of it with the most thought provoking album of the year.

#Black Thought #Interview #The Roots #undun

EM Profiles Engineer Producer Bob Power on Tribe Called Quest Low End Theory Album

Excellent interview with a legendary sound engineer that hip hop heads who (like me) religiously read every single word contained in the liner notes (and not digital booklet) that come packaged with their favourite albums should be well familiar with: the one and only Bob Power. 1nce again, happy 20th to The Low End Theory!

#Bob Power #The Low End Theory #Electronic Musician #Interview

An Interview with WWE Star C.M. Punk: GQ Magazine

A terrific interview with the one and only Chick Magnet Punk who, if you haven’t heard already, is at the centre of one of the most intriguing and cleverly worked pro-wrestling angles in the past 10 years. The fantastic article is a great read for both wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike as Punk gives some interesting and candid answers to the questions posed by GQ mag, all while maintaining the mystery surrounding the angle’s resolution (personally, I don’t think he’s leaving).

I’m proud of the fact that I can turn chickenshit to chicken salad.

Let’s hope Punker does just that tonight in the payoff match with the company champion at WWE’s Money In The Bank PPV in Chicago (a very smarky city) where the crowd will be red hot for the hometown anti-hero and crazy hostile for the overexposed Cena (the atmosphere for the main event will be nuts). And to be honest, I have no idea which direction the creative team will take (and that’s a great albeit rare feeling). Also, I just tuned into the PPV now (I found a stream…shhhhhh) and am looking forward to seeing how things unfold.

#CM Punk #GQ #Magazine #Interview

Malcolm McDowell and Leon Vitali Talk A CLOCKWORK ORANGE on the 40th Anniversary

Vitali: It wasn’t always 70 takes. It was sometimes more. Believe me. But sometimes it was less; because on Barry Lyndon, I was doing one take stuff and he was saying, “Great, set up. Great, set up. Great, set up.” So it wasn’t like, it became a mantra that he had to do 40 takes, or 20 takes, or 15 takes, or 100 takes. It wasn’t like, “That’s my principal and I have to do it.” It was just that, by the time he was coming to the [end] of his career, I suppose…the end of his life, he knew that he was in a position to be able to do it.

Q: Was there ever any attempt on the Blu-Ray to put back some of this material?

Vitali: No, no, no, no, no. because, Stanley, once he’d made his decision. I can tell you right now because I spent five days burning all the outtakes from A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Barry Lyndon. We went to a special dump in London. And we took a big truck up to the, you know, confidential disposal area. He didn’t want outtakes in his movies.

WOW. Another example of meticulous Kubrickian dedication. In this case, Stanley ensuring that the sole remnant from the endless reels of footage shot for his legendary films was to be the final product (and that alone). Although you gotta admit, for posterity’s sake that makes a lot of sense (but oh, to have seen some of those permanently deleted scenes would have been beyond sublime). Be sure to check out the entire interview at the above link; that is, if you have the time and are so inclined.

My personal copies of A Clockwork Orange: 40th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray, along with the first ever BD releases of Barry Lyndon(!) and Lolita (1962), all arrived in the mail yesterday and have now been stacked on the bookshelf beside my other Kubricks on Blu. And with Criterion releasing The Killing/Killer’s Kiss in August, a Kubrickian summer is in full effect. This year has been stacked with numerous must-have Hi-Def releases (beginning with Noé’s Enter The Void in late January).

#Stanley Kubrick #A Clockwork Orange #Malcolm McDowell #Leon Vitali #Interview

Pharrell and Shay talk to Rolling Stone about Nothing

The most interesting part in this interview is when P briefly discusses the “Instant Gratification” LP that N*E*R*D recorded (with temporary 4th member Rhea) that got completely scrapped and saw the VA trio start from “Nothing” to take things back to the “Fly Or Die” days (and to a lesser extent, “In Search Of…”). Still, I would like to hear that album (which I now believe was the LP that Pharrell was referring to in past interviews as easily digestible and geared toward the ladies) one day. And word to the Eastbound and Down: Season 2 poster in the background (the long-awaited current season has been gut-busting dynamite and the finale is this Sunday).

“It’s N*E*R*D, you know. It’s 2 black guys and a Filipino kid doing it.”

Right on. But isn’t Pharrell 50% flippers? Skateboard P has never addressed his precise ethnicity in interviews, but the unofficial consensus seems to be that dude is half-black, half-Filipino (I know I’m not the only one that looks at Mr. Williams and thinks “Blasian”). OR perhaps the rumours are totally wrong (if it’s on the internutz, it must be true!). Either way, “Nothing” is banging (however I like MY track sequence the best).

#N*E*R*D #Nothing #Rolling Stone #Interview

Great interview with a wise Mike Tyson at 45 years young. He’s lost weight and is looking fit and healthy again. And I’ll be damned if Mike’s incredible encyclopedic knowledge of boxing doesn’t somehow get him a fight analyst gig with HBO.

“If you’re not humble when you come into this world, humbling will be thrust upon you.”

“I’m pretty much of a pacifist.”

“I learned that everything is out of my hands. I don’t have control of anything…I’m just happy just to be around.”

Words of wisdom from a living legend who’s seen and done it all. I wish Iron Mike all the best and thank him for the great memories (I used to get all of the PPV Tyson fights back in the 90’s and I still have the original broadcasts recorded on numerous semi-organized VHS tapes).

And if you haven’t yet, do check out James Toback’s 2008 Tyson documentary. It’s a great retrospective of Mike’s career in his own honest words. I found Mike’s audio commentary-esque play-by-play of his most (in)famous bouts to be quite fascinating. And now I’m in the mood to go play some Fight Night Round 4. Good night.

#Mike Tyson #Interview

"Bother” is too strong. I’ve been through this now for five seasons of “The Wire” and one of “Generation Kill.” This is my seventh time telling stories this way. And I’ve come to realize that the only commentary I can take seriously are people who react to what’s on screen and how that reflects on the reality they know. That’s the only biofeedback that matters to me.. All the feedback of, “I wish the show would be this, I wish the show would be more of this, I wish this character had less to do, I wish this character had more to do,” that’s of no use. It’s of no use because we’ve already finished production, but on a more philosophical level, it’s of no use. Choices have been made based on the last half hour of film. Every season of ‘The Wire’ built to the last half hour, to the endings. This is my seventh time of having the initial reaction to our storylines be, “I don’t understand where they’re going. Why do they have this? This doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t like this character.” If you go back and watch the first episode of any season of “The Wire,” or the first episode of “Treme” or “Generation Kill,” knowing the ending, the choices will be entirely reasonable as a first chapter of something that is novelistic. If you experience it only as something that’s an episodic entity unto itself, I can’t answer that, because I don’t really think about that. I’m not irate about it, I just can’t take it seriously."

David Simon (from an incredibly extensive interview conducted by Alan Sepinwall of Hit Fix), commenting on the unwarranted criticisms that HBO’s Treme received throughout its first season. Like a cohesive album with a singular vision that’s greater than the sum of its parts (such as the newly released How I Got Over LP by The Roots, which must be listened from start to finish to get the whole point), Treme really required the same type of constant commitment from the dedicated viewer. Being a big fan of The Wire, I never once made the huge mistake that many viewers apparently did of comparing the 2 revolutionary television series to each other, thereby setting up any false expectations. However, I was on board as soon as Treme was announced strictly because of the great faith I have in Simon and his writing/producing staff. And boy, am I glad that I stayed with them for the ENTIRE ride; it was a genius of a slow burn that paid off in super spades. And if you missed out on the first season of Treme or peeped select eps out of sequence then “shame, shame, shame!” But in all seriousness, I’ve learned over the years that the most significant, memorable and world view-changing works of art (be it in film, music or even video games) require just as much from us as we demand from it. The ol’ give and take, or as David describes it later in the same interview:

Or, by the way, if [the audience is] alienated by not knowing something, I lost them on “Generation Kill,” I lost them on “The Wire,” and I’ll lose them on “Treme.” I think there’s a net gain. I think I actually pick up people who are tired of being spoonfed by television and who are willing to experience a new culture in a way that doesn’t give them all the answers right away, that makes them work a bit for the answers, and to acquire them as you would acquire them if you landed on the streets of New Orleans with some innate curiosity. I feel like I pick up more viewers than I lose. But how do I know? I could be wrong, but it’s more interesting for me to do it that way.

It’s also more interesting for the viewers who are willing to put forth the effort and are up to the challenge. Can’t wait for season 2 (which I believe begins shooting principle photography in the fall).

#HBO #Treme #David Simon #Interview

A great interview with one hilarious, brilliant and classy man. Conan on cable with less creative restrictions is definitely going to be something special.

STEVE KROFT: You’ve got this non-disparagement agreement.

CONAN O’BRIEN: Do you have a copy: ‘cause I haven’t read it in awhile. I keep one in—

STEVE KROFT: I have a copy somewhere in my bag.

CONAN O’BRIEN: -I keep one in my wallet. (LAUGHS)

STEVE KROFT: Re— you do?

CONAN O’BRIEN: Anytime people come up to me, “Hey, so what’s the deal with— with Jay Leno?” Hold on a second. (MOCK-READING AGREEMENT) He’s a fine and good man. There we go, put that away.

STEVE KROFT: Can I assume that this interview would take a different tenor if that agreement did not exist?

CONAN O’BRIEN: No, it— I don’t think it would. The biggest thing people come up and say to me in gas stations and restaurants, I have so many people say this to me “Hey partner, you got screwed.” I don’t— and I always tell them, “No, I didn’t. I didn’t get screwed. I’m— I’m fine. It just— it didn’t work out.”

STEVE KROFT: Well, you did get screwed.

CONAN: You think I got screwed?

STEVE KROFT: Well, I think most people think you got screwed. I mean, Jay Leno thinks you got screwed. Jay Leno thinks he got screwed.

CONAN O’BRIEN: (PAUSES) How did he get screwed again? (LAUGHTER) Explain that part to me. I’m sorry. Jay’s got The Tonight Show. I have a beard and an inflatable bat. And I’m touring city to city. Who can (LAUGHTER) say who won and who lost? I’m laughing ‘cause crying would be sad.

Conan’s ‘60 Minutes’ Video And Transcript – Deadline.com

#60 Minutes #Conan O'Brien #Interview #CBS

Pharrell Keynote at MIDEM 2010

If you’ve been following this little page of mine for the past (almost) 3 years, you’ll know very well that Pharrell Williams is one of my idols, both from a musical standpoint, fashion-wise and his overall expression/artistic vision in everything that he’s done (both the successes and failures) has been an inspiration to me for the majority of the past decade. In other words, I’ve always looked up to him as sort of the big brother I’ve never known. And if all of the times I’ve tagged Pharrell or The Neptunes (there’s a bit of overlap there, but still a dope trip down Tumblr memory lane it is) on this tumblelog (I don’t like the term Tumblr blog) wasn’t enough proof, or that his favourite producer of all-time is also one of my favourite/much written-about artists ever (J Dilla) or that the recent public discovery that dude was half-Filipino all didn’t provide enough reason for my admiration, than this inspirational on-stage interview (with CornerStone co-CEO Rob Stone) will drive the point all the way home. In it, Skateboard P casually discusses:

The Neptunes being named producers of the decade by Billboard (all personal bias aside, this decision makes a lot of sense).
His upcoming projects (Despicable Me score with Hans Zimmer).
The return of his grimy, seedy ‘stache (like in the early N*E*R*D skater days!).
The studio recording process (check your head/ego).
Not repeating himself on wax (despite The Neptunes having a distinct sound, which I’ve explored thoroughly in this countdown of mine).
How he takes on an insane amount of entrepreneurial ventures while having a kid last year (“Basically, no social life. But that’s OK.”).
Completely submerging yourself in each individual project (zen-like focus).
Keeping your B.I. (bizness) tight.
Assembling the right team to bring your ideas to fruition.
Giving new artists the necessary visibility (artst.com).
The vast cultural knowledge level of kids these days in comparison to the 80’s.
2nd childhoods (kidult.com).
How simple necessity is what drives inspiration (808 drums over rock guitars = N*E*R*D).
Getting out in the real world to do what you want (travel, explore).
The importance of taking challenges/feedback to your ideas in the right way (don’t take it personal like Gang Starr).
Helping artists connect with their loved ones in Haiti via a Skype-like concert
The importance of literacy and the issue of keeping up with ever-changing technology.
Keeping ahead of the curve and not being a follower.
Strength in numbers to get your name out there for visibility (latch onto the bigger things).
The PC/Mac war (P is a Mac/iPhone owner, so we disagree on that level).

It’s 41+ minutes of good questions with good answers. And I gotta say, the Ralph Lauren international down vest in the red Swiss colourway that P is sporting is dope (I’ve been looking for a new winter vest for a minute now as I’ve been wearing a hand-me-down from my Dad for the past 5 years). Although I prefer the royal blue Italian colourway because red is SO not my colour. Oh hey look, my birthday’s coming up in less than 3 weeks!

#Pharrell #MIDEM #Keynote #2010 #Interview

This radio interview is almost a week old, but in light of the horrible late night-mare becoming almost official today, I figured it’s still worth posting (the file was actually taken down a few times, but now it’s back up in multiple forms, which is good). In it, the delightful Patton Oswalt breaks down this entire talk show kerfuffle from a (disappointed) comedian’s POV. And also, who doesn’t love Patton Oswalt?

“Why do you want this so badly? Because you don’t do anything with it.” - Mr. Oswalt on Leno’s utter lack of creative and social responsibility to The Tonight Show TV audience.

But in the end, the real losers in this are we, the viewers, because we’ll never get to see the G.O.A.T. late night talk show host, Mr. Conan “Cone Bone” O’Brien, take The Tonight Show to the passionately creative heights that he was no doubt on track to take the uninspiring, ailing late night staple before getting the contractual rug pulled out from under him in the most dirtiest of fashions (why would he ever want to work for NBC again after the way things went down?).

In related thoughts, my distant dreams of the kids of today (my nephew included) growing up in a world where a quality late night talk show landscape that includes Conan at 11:35 and The Roots (w/ Fallon) following up at 12:35 existed (much like people my age enjoyed Dave at 11:35 on CBS then switched over to Conan at 12:35 on NBC back when we were teens until now, before calling it a night) are now no more. And to whomever tunes in (even out of curiosity) and thereby helps out the ratings of the resurrected corpse that is The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, you’re all part of the problem and clearly you and I can and will never be friends as already our sensibilities are drastically different (and that’s just with talk shows).

Straight up, I’m REALLY gonna miss the unbeatable 1-2 late night punch of Conan and The Roots that I and many others have been thoroughly enjoying for the past 7 months (it truly was too good to be true). And best believe I will try my best to tune in to The Roots/Fallon’s show at 12:37-12:40 to ensure that I don’t even accidentally give Leno any undeserved overrun ratings, just in time to catch Fallon saying: “Ladies and gentleman, give it up for The Roots!” But with Jay’s luck/power, if The Tonight Show somehow tanks on his watch, I fully expect NBC to remove Fallon’s show from the lineup and give Leno 2 hours a night (because rewarding Jay for his horrible performances seems to be the logical thing to do at 30 Rock).

Now, time to tune into another remaining ep of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien (which are now considered limited edition). Every masterful jab by Conan (whether scripted or off-the-cuff, with help from Andy) will make the remaining time on-air far more enjoyable (even on his way out, Conan and the writers are mining comedy gold). Because after all, “what are they gonna do? F*ckin’ fire you?” (c) The great Ricky Gervais on Wednesday night’s ep of The Tonight Show. Let’s all just enjoy these final few weeks together, Conan fans (and yes, he did the string dance again!).

Edit: And here’s hoping that Conan brings back the masturbating bear for the final ep to wreck uncontrollable, lust-filled havoc all over the place.

Edit2: On Late Night, The Roots covered Love T.K.O. by the late Teddy Pendergrass. Nice touch.

#Comedy Death-Ray Radio #Conan O'Brien #Interview #Jay Leno #Patton Oswalt #The Tonight Show #G.O.A.T.

"I watch it and I think: he’s got the tension from Reservoir Dogs, and the humor and style from Pulp Fiction, and the characters of Jackie Brown, and the action of Kill Bill. And the adrenaline and the horror of Death Proof."

Eli Roth describing Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. That’s a ton of subjective hype which remains to be seen (I’m not doubting those statements…in fact, I’m hoping it to be an accurate assessment). But after years of hearing about the very slow development of this near mythical QT film, I will finally get to scope out Basterds tonight (still surprised that Q was able to get the epic project from script to screen in about a year). Quote taken from Eli Roth Talks Inglourious Basterds, Going Method to Play The Bear Jew, Nazi Atrocities, and Quentin Tarantino’s Place in History | /Film. Great inteview with some spoilers contained within.

#Inglourious Basterds #Quentin Tarantino #Eli Roth #Slashfilm #Interview

"When I was much more humble about things, God would reward me incredibly. When I was cocky about things, it would never work out. That’s how my whole life has been."

Skateboard P from an interview with Nylon Guys magazine.

#Interview #N*E*R*D #Nylon #The Neptunes #Pharrell

The famous Bruce Lee interview on The Pierre Berton Show, in its entirety (from 1971).

Included: Master Bruce’s legendary quote about becoming formless like water. And many more golden nuggets of knowledge to last us an enlightened lifetime.

#Bruce Lee #Interview #1971 #Water

Out of the 7 times that I have caught The View in the past decade (I’d watch it more, but I really can’t stand Elisabush, or rather Elisabeth aka the old lady in a young lady’s body, considering I’ve strongly disagreed with EVERY SINGLE THING that she has said…amazingly NOT an exaggeration), it was the ep this past week (which is making the media rounds) where Joy and Elisabeth got into a political debate that was more heated than usual, which I found most interesting.

I just wanna say that Joy is awesome. Not only is she a funny woman who doesn’t take herself so seriously, but she’s also been in one of my favourite Woody Allen films (Manhattan Murder Mystery) which adds to her cool factor in my eyes. Many of her detractors would say that she is a crazy, delusional, old woman who is overly liberal and says outlandish things without thinking (what she said about McCain in the above clip could be grouped in that category…not that I strongly disagree with it or anything…haha). But I feel that she and Whoopi Goldberg are the only two people on The View to ever have any common sense and speak their minds in a sometimes brutally honest but informed fashion. Plus, Joy seems fun and genuinely young at heart and frankly doesn’t give a f*ck.

As for the Larry King interview, I found myself agreeing with almost everything that she said. Plus, anyone who dislikes Fox News and Billy Boy O’Reilly is just fine in my book. Does that make me a left-winged, liberal nut? Sure. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

#Joy Behar #Larry King #Interview