25 DESERT ISLAND DISCS

25 albums that you COULD NOT live without if you were stranded on a desert island--assuming there was electricity on this island--and the reasons WHY you couldn't live without them. What are yours?

1.London Calling: The Clash--My all time favorite Clash album. It covers a lot of different musical genres, which I like, and showed, at the time it came out, that they could do other stuff besides punk music.
2.Tusk: Fleetwood Mac--When I was a kid, my Mother used to listen to this constantly. I've grown very fond of the Lyndsey Buckingham stuff. Thanks Mom!
3.The Stone Roses: The Stone Rose--One of my all time favorite Brit-rock albums. Hugely influential.
4.The Beatles: The White Album--I like how this album basically has each Beatle doing their own thing. I especially like John Lennon's contributions.
5. The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds--My Parents used to listen to this too when I was a kid. It's such a sad and sweet album that is still hugely influential today.
6.Big Star: #1 Record--A great hybrid of the best parts of The Beatles, The Byrds, The Kinks and Power Pop. I practically fell out of my chair the first time I heard this, plus I'm a sucker for most Alex Chilton stuff.
7.Big Star: Third/Sisters, Lovers--Their last album, and with only Alex Chilton plus the drummer remaining. A depressing album, which I hated when I first heard it, but it quickly grew on me.
8.A Clockwork Orange: Soundtrack--I love the synthesizer versions of ol' Ludwig Van by Wendy Carlos, plus I like the original music she did for the movie too. It also influenced a lot of 80s synth bands.
9.Husker Du: Zen Arcade--A concept album by Minneapolis' most melodic Hard-core punk band. I especially like the Grant Hart stuff.
10.Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque--When I first bought this album I almost wore out the cd. I love how they were really influenced by Big Star but with a grungy edge also.
11.The Jam: All Mod Cons--Probably my favorite Jam album. It shows how Paul Weller had really grown as a song writer compared to their first two albums.
12.The La's: The La's--The only really good album from this band. A combination of Brit-pop, Beatles-sounding songs.
13.Neil Young: Everybody Knows this is Nowhere--I really loves me some "Cinammon Girl"!
14.Panda Bear: Person Pitch--A weird combination of the Beach Boys and trance-like dirges.
15.The Replacements: Let it Be--Probably my favorite Replacements album. It really shows Paul Westerberg stretching as a song writer.
16.The Shins: Chutes too Narrow-- I really hated this album when I first heard it, but it slowly grew on me.
17.The Smiths: The Queen is Dead--Probably my favorite Smiths album.
18.Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation--favorite song, "Teenage Riot".
19.The Specials: The Specials--I loves me some British Ska and this album is that at its best.
20.The Byrds: Sweetheart of the Rodeo--When the Byrds went country with Gram Parsons in the band. Anything he sings on this album is a highlight.
21.Spirtualized: Songs in A & E--Another really depressing album that I really like!
22.The Velvet Underground: Loaded--The album that launched a million bands. I wonder what the modern equivalent is to this?
23.The Who: Live at Leeds--The best live album EVER!!
24.XTC: Drums and Wires--I'm a sucker for most XTC. This is by far my favorite.
25. Pink Floyd: Wish you were Here--A love letter to Syd Barrett.

ROBOT 11

This is a 2 page story I did a while back in art school when I was a wee monkey. I recently re-lettered it on the computer. Click on the pics for larger versions. Hope you like it!

THE BEST MOVIES OF 2008

I really didn't see that many movies in theaters in 2008, but of the ones I DID see, these are the ones I consider to be the best.

THE DARK KNIGHT

I was blown away with this when I first saw it in an Imax theater for work. I enjoyed Batman Begins, but I thought this was a much better film than the first. Christian Bale was great as Batman, although his "Batman voice" started to get a bit annoying after a while, but the real star of this movie is Heath Ledger. He gives a knockout performance as the Joker. Playing a psychotic and crazy Joker, as opposed to Jack Nicholson's goofy and loony version in Tim Burton's Batman. The whole cast is incredible and the music and direction are great too. Probably the best movie I saw this year.

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

I'm a sucker for most Woody Allen movies, be they comedies or dramas. And his last few films, Match Point, Scoop, have been good too. This movie had me from the beginning, with its funny voice-over narration and Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall playing totally opposite friends on vacation in Barcelona. While there they meet a womanizing Spanish artist, played by Javier Bardem, at an art show and Scarlett's character is quickly attracted to him. That's when the story takes off, with both girls eventually each sleeping with him and his crazy ex-wife, played by Penélope Cruz, showing up later and causing all kinds of turmoil. A funny movie about life and the decisions you make.

IRON MAN

I thought this was more of a Superhero movie than The Dark Knight was. Iron Man was just plain fun and showed everyone else how a Superhero movie should be made. With great direction by Jon Favreau and Robert Downey jr. well cast as Tony Stark. The ending was a bit clichéd, with a huge battle between iron Man and his mentor gone bad, but overall, a great movie!


CLOVERFIELD

Now this is how a giant monster movie should be done! I really liked how it was shot, from the point of view of the characters holding a video camera , with a lot of quick edits and just a few shots of the giant monster. But when you do get to see the monster, it's an original and new take on how a monster should look. Watch this all the way to the end credits too, because there's a hidden message concerning the monster. A great and original take on the giant monster genre.


FUNNY GAMES

I first saw the original version of this, from 1997, when I rented it from Netflix not too long ago. This new version, both directed by Michael Haneke, is basically a shot-for-shot remake of the original. Both pack a punch--with the main characters breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience about what they should do concerning a family they've taken hostage. Extremely disturbing and original. I kept thinking about it days after I had seen it.

SOME NEW ARTWORK

Here's some paintings I've done recently trying to release my inner Jackson Pollack. This time, instead of flinging poo at the canvas, I thought I'd try some paint…I kind of like how they came out. Especially the first one.

WHY I'VE GIVEN UP ON WEEZER

I just finished listening to Weezer's new Red Album--by the way, can they not think of more original titles for their albums, or are they just going through the whole color spectrum? I have to say I'm really disappointed with this and have been with their last few CDs. There are a few good songs--"Pork and Beans", "Dreamin'", but 2 songs do not make an album. Rivers even attempts to write a Rock Opera--"The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived". Which has some of the most God-awful, unintentionally funny lyrics he's ever written. If listeners buy this expecting Weezer circa The Blue Album and Pinkerton, they're going to be sadly dissapointed. Maybe Rivers is happy now with life in general and not in the same state of mind of those earlier classic albums. When he seemed obssessed with girls, stardom, and self-doubt. So in the end, I've given up on you Weezer. See Ya!
Follow the link to their "Islands in the Sun" video directed by Spike Jonze which has an appearance by one of my Monkey friends and some other zoo animals.

IRON MAN!

Went to see Iron Man Friday night, and I must say it was a great movie from start to finish. Robert Downey Jr played a great Tony Stark. A womanizing, big-headed genius at the beginning of the movie, who changes his ways when he sees what happens with the weapons he creates end up in the hands of the wrong people.
Everyone in the cast was fantastic too--Jeff Bridges, Terence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow. Although Gwyneth Paltrow was a bit too damsel-in-distress for my tastes. She's a much better actress for what the part needed from her. Hilarious cameo appearance by Stan Lee as a Hugh Hefner look alike, too.
Great Direction from Jon Favreau with equal parts action, humor and drama and he's even in the movie as one of Tony Stark's bodyguards.
So in the end, a fantastic movie with regrettably not one monkey actor in the cast. Although there is an Iron Man suit later in the movie that's a bit Gorilla-like. Oh, and stay all the way until the last credits roll. There's a surprise appearance by Samuel L. Jackson!??

SOME ARTWORK--ONE DEAD ROCK STAR AND ONE MISERABLE ONE

Here's some pencil sketches I did a while back when I ran out of bananas and was bored with poo flinging. The first is of everyone's favorite acid casualty, Syd Barrett, who I've been told, never met a monkey he didn't like. The second is of Morrissey, who, if he was a monkey, would be the most miserable one I knew, and would probably fling his poo at himself. Enjoy!