Brad Barrish

I'm not sure who wrote this, but they're brilliant. Such a firm grasp of English profanity too!

At what point did a basic understanding of the separation of church and state become a fucking war on religion? And how did we get to the point where you can call an organization set up to defend our civil liberties “Terrorists” on national television and no one fires your ass? Enough. Fuck all of you lying little shitheads who wish the world was out to get you so you could play the poor oppressed victims. Wake up assholes — you’re the cowboys, not the fucking Indians.

Amen.

I'll be travelling back to Kansas at the end of the month. I'm super excited because on December 29, I'll be hosting a show on KJHK from 12-4pm CST. It should be a fun show as I can play whatever I want. You can listen to the show online and send me requests. I've been putting together a long list of things I'm going to play.

Reading through the Washington Post this morning, I stumbled upon an article about how scientists have discovered a genetic mutation that accounts for white skin.

"It's a major finding in a very sensitive area," said Stephen Oppenheimer, an expert in anthropological genetics at Oxford University, who was not involved in the work. "Almost all the differences used to differentiate populations from around the world really are skin deep."

Probably not something they will be teaching in Kansas schools.

One of the things I discussed with various people this year was the change I have noticed in how I consume music. My iPod and iTunes Library have become my stack of CDs. I don't shop very often, which I used to do a lot of. I used to come home from a trip to Virgin (because they have lots of imports), sit down with a stack of CDs, listen to them, rip them and then listen some more on my computer. These days, I download (from iTMS or BitTorrent, if I'm feeling impatient) straight into my iPod, seldomly listening to the album straight through. It sucks, but I have a lot less free time in my life these days. Also, being in a relationship means that what small amounts of time I have, I like to spend with my woman. It doesn't leave a lot of time to hole up in my cave with a stack of CDs. Life goes on though. I miss a few more things than I used to, but that's what sites like Largehearted Boy are for, right?

My taste has pretty much stayed the same. I've been much more open to mainstream stuff I would have turned my nose at two years ago. That's not to say I don't turn my nose up at stuff, but I just might not be quite a snooty about it. Some of my favorite albums of the year were released on major labels (!!!) I've been listening to more hip-hop than I ever have, which is fun. There's a lot of good stuff out there, especially in the underground. I still make monthly mixes almost every month, I program our CEO's iPod, which is cool and people still ask me about the latest albums and I know what they're talking about most of the time.

Music is still my life. I'm fortunate enough to work in it. I still enjoy listening, watching and falling asleep to it. I try and listen to something new every day and keep the classics in my back pocket.

Top 25 Albums of 2005

Band Of Bees - Free The Bees
Beck - Guero
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Boards Of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
Bob Mould - Body Of Song
Brendan Benson - Alternative To Love
Common - Be
Damian Marley - Welcome To Jamrock
Feist - Let It Die
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
Gorillaz - Demon Days
Kanye West - Late Registration
Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
Ladytron - Witching Hour
Living Things - Ahead Of The Lions
Louis XIV - The Best Little Secrets Are Kept
Low - The Great Destroyer
The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
M.I.A. - Arula
My Morning Jacket - Z
Neil Young - Prairie Wind
New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
Paul McCartney - Chaos And Creation In The Backyard
Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
Spoon - Gimme Fiction

7 Diappointments of 2005

Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralize
Coldplay - X & Y
Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
Dandy Warhols - Odditirium or Warlords Of Mars
OK Go - Oh No
Weezer - Make Believe

7 To Watch In 2006

Silversun Pickups
Rock Kills Kid
Matisyahu
Forward, Russia!
Story One
The Organ
KT Tunstall

May you and your loved ones have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

The trip is coming to a close. It’s been amazing. I was reflecting upon the last year, and I feel so fortunate. It has been incredible. Before I had this job I would dream about being able to travel internationally for work. I deserve all of it though!

I had to travel by bus from Manchester Picadilly to another train station because the tracks were being worked on. It wasn’t too bad. The train was awesome. I love traveling by train. I literally just stared out of the window for the entir 3.5 hours it took to get back to London. I had a nice conversation with an older Indian woman who had arrive into Manchester from Newark and was going to see her sick father in…ummm…I forgot the city. She pulled out a photo album and showed me her family. It was very sweet how proud she was of everyone. I had to wake her up when the train got to her stop. She was so tired. I spent most of the journey in silence though. Just watching the green pastures, sheep, cows and river zoom by. I was telling my dad that it was just like that typical picture you have of the English countryside. It was so beautiful.

For the last 30 minutes of the train ride, I sat with a woman called Heidi. She was a travel guide for U.S. trips to London, but her real job was an artist. She did interactive installations and has something going in a gallery. We had nice conversation and then said our good-byes. I love talking to complete strangers, especially while traveling. It’s so interesting to speak to people. Audrey tends to make fun of me and ask what the use is, but I just enjoy people. What can I say?

I arrived back in London, went to my hotel, dropped off my bags and then headed over to a small gallery called Proud to see Nirvana: With The Lights Out. It was a photography exhibit by Charles Peterson and Ian Tilton. Shayna told me about it, which I am so thankful for. In addition to the many Nirvana photos, they also had Jeff Buckley, The Who, Bob Marley, Elvis, John Lennon, etc. The Nirvana photos were incredible. I had seen a lot of them in books, but there’s nothing quite like seeing larger prints on a wall. It actually made me a bit emotional. They were playing the Unplugged concert in the gallery, which didn’t help my emotions. There were just some spooky photos that tugged at the hearrt strings. Nirvana were so talented and the music means a lot to me.

I’m relaxing for a bit before I head out on my last night. It’s been a great journey. I got a lot of work done. I’m very much looking forward to coming home to Audrey and Patrick. I miss them both so much. Oh, and if you ever travel abroad and need to call home a lot for any reason, I highly recommend Skype. It rules.

Not looking forward to that 12 hour ride home.

I've been in Manchester since Monday. The company sent me to see Demon Days Live. I was explaining to one of the kind women that I can't even explain the excitement I have been feeling for the past several days. This is my job and it's incredible. Just incredible. We'll just leave it at that in the interest of time.

Last night was the third night I saw the show, which has yet to get old in the least. Damon Albarn is a fucking genius. The show was put together with such sincere thought and love for music that if that sort of thing is lost on you, it's probably best you stay home anyway.

The show blew me away the first night. I had some expectations based on a few things that the company's CEO told me, but it was nothing like I expected. The way the band sat at the back, out of focus while the guests and the music were the focus was amazing. Seeing Nenah Cherry, Bootie Brown, De La Soul, Ike Turner, Roots Manuva, Martina Topley Bird and Shaun Ryder all live on stage was incredible. Shaun was one of the big highlights. The crowd was crazy for him. Every guest was exciting, and I don't mean that as some sort of dismissal. All of them were brilliant. I've gotten chills every single night when Bootie Brown comes out with the children's choir for "Dirty Harry." The strings, backing vocalists and of course the band just made for one of the best live music experiences I've had in my life.

Actually, I’m in our London office right now. How cool is that? London office. All kinds of rock n’ roll posters all around. Yesterday was a bit crazy and I’m sure the lack of sleep wasn’t helping at all. By 6pm in London, I was having to concentrate very hard on everything. I could feel that my thinking was slightly impared. I was obsessively trying not to lose anything. From the moment I stepped off the train into Paddington, things weren’t going well. I got a SIM card so I could get my mobile going, then realzied a short time later that I had left my charger in LA. I had to get another phone, so I got one I would use in the states - a nice black RAZR v3. I wasn’t going to be able to get email anyway, so a phone was all I needed. If anyone feels inclined to say hello, you can text me at (44) 07818-413292. You may have to drop the 0, but I’m not sure. The phone thing was a bit of a pain and I keep running out of minutes.

Then I get to the office and realize the iGo power adapter I bought before I left isn’t working right and won’t charge my PowerBook. Luckily, I was a 5 minute walk from the Apple Store, so off I went. I was really feeling teh fact that I hadn’t eaten in several hours. I picked up the world adaptor kit, got back to the office, then relaized, I needed to actually get a new power adapter (that would be the 5th one Audrey and I own). Did I mention things are expensive here? Anyway, so I finally go everything done, waited a while for an associate and then went to my hotel as he talked dirty to some gal he met the night before. I’m not kidding.

We met up at his hotel, St. Martins Lane, which was quite nice and hip. It’s a Philippe Starck hotel. We went to a she-she Indian place for dinner called The Mint Leaf. The food was quite good, but it was fusion more than traditional. Having some food in me felt great, but I was still pretty pooped. My associate had a friend meet us there. Teh guy used to be Danger Mouse’s roommate in college. He’s going with us to Manchester tomorrow for the show. I’ll be staying in Manchester for the rest of the week.

I landed in London a few hours ago and my head is spinning. I did what I was told and slept as best I could for the last half of the flight. Even took some Tylenol PM to help. The flight was one of the more pleasant ones I have taken. Virgin Atlantic rocks. I’m without a hotel at the moment, but trying to get that fixed. Tomorrow I leave for Manchester to spend time with Gorillaz. More soon. My stomach is rumbling.

Currently playing: Starsailor “In The Crossfire” from their new album, On The Inside. I think it’s the first track. It’s on the latest mix. Their last album was shite, but this one is good.

Brother J IMed me this afternoon to let me know Dad had a tough night. Without sharing too many details, he had terrible stomach and bladder problems. Mom had to take him to the ER. Brother J met her there. I’m not sure what time it all went down, but dad sounded exhausted. I was IMing back and forth with Brother J until I couldn’t do it anymore. Not from work.

I just don’t understand why, if his cancer is inoperable, incurable and will never go into remission, he is putting himself through this. I mean, if he can live a shorter time relatively healthy, which he is now, then what’s the fucking point? I’d rather see him happy and able to do the things he loves for a shorter time than have him suffer through chemo. And there are no guarantees even with the chemo. The clinical trial he is a part of now is 12% effective (according to another doctor). This is a reasonable question!

I had a discussion about all of this with him tonight and he’s in agreement. It’s something that he needs to be thinking about. He knows it’s something he can talk to me about as well. The last time I was home a few weeks ago, we sat down and had a 2-hour conversation about death. It was difficult. We both cried, but ultimately it brought us closer. I’m here for him, Mom, Brother J, and Sister B.

He’s off the chemo for now. They have to adjust the dosage. But he has to realize going through chemo is going to be difficult, and not just for him. He doesn’t want to put himself through this, to say nothing of family and friends. I have questions as to whether he will go through it. I don’t blame him and I wouldn’t be angry if he decided to not go through chemo.