Harmony Korine, Part 2

Harmony Korine Interview at SXSW

Multimedia Disorder, Episode 2

1. BOB MARLEY - War
2. CREATURES - But Not Them
3. SWANN DANGER - It's Killing You
4. BAUHAUS - In The Flat Field (live)
5. ZERO BOYS - Civilizations Dying
6. STANDELLS - Dirty Water
7. ZEROS - Good Guys Don't Wear White (live)
8. THE CASTAWAYS - Liar Liar
9. DAVE ATTEL

“Life is like a movie, if you've sat through more than half of it and its sucked every second so far, it probably isn't gonna get great right at the end and make it all worthwhile. No one should blame you for walking out early.” - Doug Stanhope

Multimedia Disorder, Episode 2 (download)

"That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil." – Haile Selassie I

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-Jay Unidos

Multimedia Disorder, Episode 1

1. CODE OF HONOR - Attempted Control
2. THE SEEDS - Pushing Too Hard
3. D.O.A. - 2+2
4. A.D.T. - What Rights (Know Your Rights)
5. D.R.I. - I Don't Need Society
6. CRAMPS - Goo Goo Muck
7. DWARVES - Free Cocaine
8. FANG - The Money Will Roll Right In
9. LOVE - 7 And 7 Is
10. DAMNED - Neat Neat Neat
11. CRAMPS - The Way I Walk
12. FISHBONE - ? (Modern Industry)

R.I.P. Lux Interior

"Well all I want is to just be free
Live my life the way I wanna be
All I want is to just have fun
Live my life like it's just begun
But you're pushin' too hard
Pushin' too hard on me (too hard)"

Multimedia Disorder, Episode 1 (download)

You Are The Sacrifice

It's Friday the 13th, and so as if the vibrations weren't ominous enough, tomorrow is V-Day.  That's right, you sad, lonely motherfuckers.  Valentine's Day is here again, and it has to be the most brutal of all holidays celebrated here in North America.  It's based on one of the more sacred and bloody mayan holidays found on the "Aztec calendar".  History tells us of a two day orgy of sacrifice, where up to 84, 000 lives were sacrificed, according to Ahuitzotl, the great speaker himself.  This took place at the great pyramid of Tenochtitlan on February 14th and 15th, 1487.

At this point the details are fuzzy at best, since many of the ancient paintings and carvings were altered by the catholic church during the lesser known, but equally murderous Central American crusades, which have been all but ignored by Hollywood.  From what we can tell, based on various prison tattoos and illustrations found in publications like Lowrider magazine, the heart would be held up to the sun in a symbolic manner before it was placed on a plate of chocolate (usually 70% cacao or higher) and poblano chiles before it was pierced and skewered by one long stem red rose.  That's right, just one rose, and not a dozen, but there were twelve elders, mostly shamans and astrologers, who would collect the excess blood from the bodies.  That blood was mixed with traditional spices and fruit juices, then consumed luke warm by the shaman, who also ate massive amounts of mescaline, which had nothing to do with this particular ceremony really, but it was all good times.  The shamans chanted and danced for hours to the pulsing drumbeats of their blood bathed psychedelic hallucinations, and at the end of the trip, they would present roses, that only they could see, to those who were pure of mind and body.  Virgins?  Probably. 

So happy Valentine's Day, and good luck bartering your love and sexual intimacy for meaningless objects like stuffed animals and heart shaped boxes of cherry covered chocolates.

For future reference, Mardi Gras involves a lot of bartering of sexual acts for beads, which have no real meaning or value outside of Mardi Gras, but in New Orleans, in February!?  Think about it, and you can even write it off as doing your part to bring one of our greatest cities back to life after the tragedy of hurricane Katrina.

One Love,

Jay Unidos

Billboards and Bus Stops

Is it me or has filmmaking taken a turn for the worse lately?  Admittedly I'm more out of the loop than I used to be in terms of films, especially indies, and filmmakers, but could that explain how films like Wanted end up being what that film is, as opposed to what it could have been?  Vague enough for you?  Digression is imminent.  Seriously though, watch that film and imagine what the original treatment or script must have looked like.  There are some seriously dark, inventive ideas wasted in that commerce driven hack job of a film, and it frustrates me. Remember when filmmakers used to dread the "suits" visiting their sets?  Now it seems they eagerly rewrite scenes, or even entire scripts with them.  Product placement has overstepped it's bounds, and then overstepped whatever integrity the James Bonds series had left, and I know that's not saying much, but let's digress.

I just watched Casino Royal finally (the newest version), and what a pile of shit that was.  007 drives what?  His cell phone is what brand?  Nice _ _ _ _ _ laptop.  I'd originally written a paragraph where I named all the items' brand names I just made reference to.   How insidious is that?  Even I almost, subconsciously, included product placement in this blog.  

Not that any of this is connected, but did you watch the 2009 Grammy Awards?  The Jonas Brothers duetting with Stevie Wonder?  Al Green and Justin Timberlake?  My entire life I've heard older folks talk about the good ol' days, and I was always interested in their take on changes in American culture and society, but I was never entirely convinced that them old days were all that.  How about the degrees of racism, sexism, homphobia, etc.?  Plus, I'm way into technological advances, and can't imagine having to live in a time prior to all the innovation we've experienced over the last twenty years.  That said, you can finally see that there is a clear cut division in terms of people who were born prior to, and grew up prior to, and were socialized prior to the advent of the internet as we've known it for the last two decades.  That's it, period.  You could probably go back and say, for instance, there was the pre-industrial revolution generation and the post industrial revolution generation.  That might be a valid comparison, but when you have an entire generation of persons who can justify, or worse yet equate Stevie Wonder with the Jonas Brothers, then you're fucked.  On some level, you're fucked, whether you actually listen to or give a shit about either the Jonas Brothers or Stevie Wonder.  None of that matters, you're fucked.  It's gone beyond ADD, which is a big copout for my younger peops, and it's gone beyond minor differences like a push lawnmower versus a gas lawn mower.  The 2009 Grammy Awards were truly an eye opener.  Justin Timberlake duetting with  Al Green, while being backed by Boyz To Men was only the tip of the iceberg on a night that featured Lil Wayne duetting with Alan Thicke's kid, and then both of them duetting with various New Orleans' jazz legends in a misguided tribute to the birthplace of Louis Armstrong, and former hometown of the legendary Fats Domino.  Let us not forget the ghost of Huey Long, and the ghost of Huey Newton for that matter.  

1984 really did stand for something after all.

-Jay Unidos

ZERO BOYS are playing two shows at Gilman!

It's true, the ZERO BOYS are playing two west coast dates, both of them at Gilman on February 20th and 21st, 2009! This is it, two shows in Berkeley,CA, and that's all. No San Francisco or Los Angeles this time around. Check out the flyer (above) to see who else is playing, times, and all that. I do have to point out that BLACK FORK is co-headlining the first night!

Lux Interior R.I.P.

Halloween Will Never Be The Same

UGZ Speed Trials 2009

March 20th, 2009 at 7PM

CALIFORNIA LOVE

LAUGHING DOG (NM)
MAGGOT COLONY
ENDLESS DEMISE (L.A.)
STRAINS OF THE APOCALYPSE
BASTARD ASS (L.A.)
I'ABHOR (L.A.)

JUDAS
SEMTEX VEST (L.A.)
CARvsLOS (Floor)


and then...

March 21st, 2009 at 7pm

IN DISGUST
KILL THE CLIENT (TX)
POPULATION REDUCTION
FINAL DRAFT (L.A.)
SFN (WI)
HUMMINGBIRD OF DEATH (ID)
TERRORISM (L.A.)
SIDETRACKED (WA)
BRUCE CAMBELL (L.A.)
THOUSANDSWILLDIE (Floor)
MIGRAINE (Floor)


March 22nd, 2009
"Speed Trials Hangover Show"
+ bands and location TBA

We had a bunch of bands fall through, but we hope to still end up with 10-12 bands a night.

15 minutes sets or less...to the max!

2008 Speed Trials Video


Add us on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ugzspeedtrials

A Greasy Situation

Live at Gilman, Volume One

LIVE AT 924 GILMAN vol. 1
UGZ & Nunca Mas Presents:
January 24th, 2009

w/
1. CALIFORNIA LOVE
2. CARvsLOS
3. GODSTOMPER
4. IN DISGUST
5. LACK OF INTEREST
6. EXTORTION
7. IRON LUNG

Check out what's coming up at Gilman here http://www.924gilman.org
25th Anniversary DVD is in the works!!! We need any and all video / photo/ flyer / audio submissions!!!

Go the the website or http://www.myspace.com/924gilman25thdvd for more info.

Motorcycle Boy

I finally had the chance to catch a showing of the Wrestler. I know, I know...late to the game, right? Maybe, but I've had such an emotional investment in Mickey Rourke ever since I became obsessed with him and his best known film (to the hardcore believers) The Pope of Greenwich Village back in 1984. A year prior to that he had co-starred in Rumble Fish as the Motorcycle Boy, which would become another of my all time favorites. I've watched both of these films at least 25-30 times probably (maybe more), but the thing was that every new Mickey Rourke film was like an event to me in the eighties, and I didn't miss an opening day showing until Harley Davidson and The Malboro Man in 1991. I finally did watch it a year or so after it's release on pay per view in a hotel room in Tahoe. Yes, while most people were inflating their hotel bills by watching porn, I paid to watch that trainwreck of a film no less than three times. In my defense, I hadn't slept in at least two days. The memory gets a little hazy in regards to that particualr weekend. Hey, it was the nineties homeboy ( a film we won't get into here, but for the record Homeboy was written by Mickey Rourke). Mickey Rourke meant so much more to me than I can write here (in a blog). There are very few actors, artists, or musicians who have had that kind of effect on me in my life.

So, I'll skip ahead to the Wrestler, and while I truly believe that Sin City was a great film, and Mickey Rourke great in it, I can also see why the Wrestler had to be his comeback film. This is a film about loss, and Mickey Rourke was our next "greatest actor of his generation" who was lost to us for over a decade. In the Wrestler, Mickey Rourke's performance achieves a rawness and realism that is seen very rarely in acting, stage or screen. Sean Penn has reached those levels, and there are others, but Mickey Rourke has an otherworldly quality that is all but impossible to describe. It's the same stuff, energy that Marlon Brando had. Mickey Rourke has that, and he's had it in every film he's ever been in.

The Wrestler is a tragic film, dealing with tragic figures leading tragic lives. When I write that it's a film about loss, I don't just mean one character or one type of loss. This film is relentless in exploring that subject, and it's definitely no holds barred. Marisa Tomei's performance should not be overlooked because she's perfect as Cassidy, who is Randy's love interest, to say the least. While this is not a film review, I should note that the film's director Darren Aronofsky does a stellar job of not over directing this film. He knows when to backup and let his actors do their thing, and with the small exception of one Scorcese-esque scene (Randy 'The Ram' Robinson's first walk to the deli counter) he never tries to force the story utilizing the flashiness we've seen in some of his previous films (Requiem for a Dream or The Fountain).

I watched the Wrestler after putting it off for so long because I knew what it would do to me, and I was right. It's taken me days to mentally deal with that performance, and the film as a whole.

Here's a clip from a very underrated film called The Pledge, which was released back in 2001, and directed by Sean Penn. It's one of the last great Jack Nicholson performances on Film, and it features Mickey Rourke in a short, but powerful performance. At the time this film was shot, Mickey Rourke was living in a $500 a month apartment.

-Jay Unidos

Naked Lady Wrestlers and Susan Lucci

Last night was not what we expected it to be. The Saturday night before Halloween and we were on our way to a RIBZY / WHITE TRASH DEBUTANTES show at bar in Crockett, CA.

How does that happen?

It could have been cool you have to admit. What were the other options? Cover band night at Gilman? Sounded interesting, but no. Snake's B-day show at the HazMat? Snake kicks that party up a notch every year, but in the end it's Pyrate Punx, version 2006. That means that along with some cool punx that we really like, you're going to get some rednecks and hippies thrown into the mix. Couldn't we experience similar in Crockett? Plus, you got a bunch of old schoolers and Ginger Coyote, and that is a recipe for something. Did I mention that the NAKED LADY WRESTLERS were also on the bill? No applause!!

The reality.

Showed up a little too early and walked in as the opening band was covering GREEN DAY. Doh! Ordered the cheapest beer on their menu, Coors, which was $3 a bottle and about to turn skunky at any minute. Then there were all the locals dressed like cowboys, periodically performing mock gun fights in the street outside of the bar. Loud (sounded like real rifle shots) local color, not too bad. Not good either. No punks really, except one girl who seemed punky, and since half her ass was hanging out of her plaid skirt, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. That is ballsy in any bar, but surrounded by cowboys and drunken ex-sugar mill workers? Pretty punk in my book, until I spotted another woman with the ass part of her skirt completely cut out, and then Ginger coyote and WTD arrived, and ya know. Everything is relative.

The night took too long. The party wasn't starting, the bar was fleecing their customers, NAKED LADY WRESTLERS didn't do that one song off of "Not So Quiet On The Western Front". UGZ reps had travelled all the way to Crockett (about 20 minutes - dry your tears) and no comped beer or shots? Damn, we were out of our element. There seemed to be another party going on behind the bar, through a door with a biker type dude standing guard. That's where all the ass exhibitionists and band folks kept disappearing to, and normally we would be escorted back there and offered all kind of powders, pills, and magical elixirs, but nah. It's Crockett. Finally WHITE TRASH DEBUTANTES played! Yay!! It was cool, punk, and John Waters-esque!!! Livin' la vida loca. The headache and instant Coors hangover was put on hold for Susan Lucci, Dildos Are A Girls Best Friend, and a RAMONES cover, and whatever else - fuck off. It was almost worth it, but pur escape back to the East Bay was put on hold, RIBZY was headlining. Doh!

666 Goast Roasting Party Review, From Da Pit...

BBQ pit that is. No one really does shows reviews anymore, so here is
my review of Bischoff's 666 Goat Roasting / BBQ / 5 band blowout last
night. Let's see....

The UGZ skeleton crew made it's way to Emeryvile at around 5:30 pm
(PST), feeling fairly confident that the 2:30 start time listed on the
flyer was more of a suggested time than an actual time, and we were
correct. After slipping Mark some bills at the gate to help cover
costs (there were costs, you folks that didn't pay), we walked in to
see that the BBQ grills were in full effect and that people, mostly
Oakland punx were grilling and actually participating in the BBQ,
which is a cool thing about Bischoff's. Man, I thought, we shouldn't
have eaten so much earlier on Telegraph, "burp". Oh well. Shit. Where
was the goat? We looked around and saw what appeared to be a fairly
good sized dog roasting on some specialized dog roasting spit that
Mark must have rented for the occasion...hmmmm....no sign of the goat,
just dog. Still evil.

SKINNED ALIVE was playing as we arrived and having just saw them a
couple of days earlier, we mainly listened to them while DaveEd and
Greg Valencia ragged on some metal band, and - to me - SKINNED ALIVE
sounded better on Tuesday than they had at the HazMat on Saturday
night. After the set the entire band emerged, sweaty (except for
Tony), and they seemed happy with their set too. Then there was this
German chick talking about something, and then I said, "Perfect
timing. We got here just in time for SKINNED ALIVE and we didn't have
to see the hippie band that played first," and everybody laughed, then
looked around to see if the hippie was nearby, then laughed again.
What is the world coming to?

We drank some PBR and continued to chat with folks like Loren
Motorhead, Suzie, and Sonny...and Beth, etc. SAHN MARU was already
playing by then, and eventually I made it inside to the front. Sahn
Maru is one of my favorite newer bands, and they were good once again.
Jess was headbanging and sweating so profusely that I had to put my
shades back on. Total crusty, faster, more Scandi sounding version of
what BLOWN TO BITS was doing there at the end of their existence. But,
you already knew that. After Sahn Maru it was a quick trip to the keg
and then back out to the parking lot to kick it a little with WTD
before jamming back inside to watch JESUSFUCKINGCHRIST. JFC are never
a let down, and I watched them do their thang for about 3 or 4 songs
before heading to the pisser. I heard they played a shorter set in
the spirit of keeping the party moving, so that every band would get a
chance to play before some disgruntled neighbor called the police, or
Satan appeared, etc.

While waiting for WTD to set up, old UGZ contributor Jessica showed up
with members of East Bay hip hop group INSPECTOR DOUBLE NEGATIVE,
which was a nice visit at a good point in the party, then it was back
in for some WATCH THEM DIE. Totally went off, and my neck feels like
I have whiplash as I type this. They threw in BLOODBATH and BATHORY
covers, and if they were only as popular in the rest of the Bay Area
as they are at Bischoff's, then it would be less worth mentioning, but
both Sonny (WORD SALAD) and George (HIGH ON FIRE) have really elevated
WTD to a different level. During the set I kept bumping into people
that I knew, which was cool. Folks like Joe Fracas and Yapple, and
Bryan One In The Chamber, Phalyn, Nando...just passing by. This was
at the very front. Oh, and Pete Benumb was at the party too!

Anyway, then there were m-1000s and firecrackers, and people kept
asking, "Hey, where is that goat?"...THEN the police showed up, and we
had to hole up in Bischoff's, drinking beer and doing other stuff to kill an hour or so until they left. Tony S.T.F.U. was physically escorted from the premises by one of the tenants, while singing "Hot
Tub", the Eddie Murphy spoofing James Brown song. Larry Wolfley
finally couldn't take it and made a run for his truck, and everyone
followed his lead, and that was the end. Pretty Much.

666, shit. Off to another party or show or home to watch some evil classics on DVD.

Honk Your Horn, Pump Your Fist, Eat A Torta!

I Just came in from the street in front of my pad (International BLVD) where a huge protest and general chaos were taking place. It was an awesome kind of chaos. Thousands of Latinos and political activists were out in force to show support for immigrants and migrant workers who are currently being targeted by republicans as a way of distracting from the war in Iraq, whitehouse leaks of classified information, etc. You know the routine. It's propaganda 101 as taught in Ivy League institutions to aspiring politicians, lobbyists, and Halliburton CEOs. Need someone to blame for the mistakes of presidents and politicians? Immigrants will do. If you are seriously worried that migrant workers and immigrants from Mexico and Central America are going to compromise your safety and even worse (for Americans) the quality of life you've grown accustomed to, then you have definitely reaped the benefits of our stellar public education system. Good job, and by the way, who is your pick for the next American Idol? This is serious business.

I don't know if taking it to the streets really works anymore in terms of the big political picture, but in terms of community I have to say that this neighborhood has never seemed more alive than today. That goes for the big Cinco De Mayo celebrations, and even the Day Of The Dead festival that I attended in 2005.

Oh, and let's not forget the dozens of police that were out in force today, with their bullhorns, cameras, and paddy wagons. Our car has been broken into and vandalized (along with most of our neighbors' cars) at least three times since we've lived here. Not once have we ever witnessed a single cop patrolling this street or doing anything else in our neighborhood besides hanging out at taco trucks and busting prostitutes. It's good to know that they have their priorities in tact. I wanted so much so confront one of them in some heroic manner, like a young Huey Newton, but I could see that their fingers were already fiddling with the buckles around their nightsticks, while their faces exhibited those nervous smiles that try but fail to distract from the exagerrated clenching of jaws and grinding of teeth. I'd sooner save my money for a trip to Paplona, Spain and the next running of the bulls in July.

The Secret FLIPPER Show Last Night.

We were tipped about this secret basement show by a local record label owner and semi-well known scenester about town. The address of the venue (basement) was slipped to us is a dark parking lot (okay it was behind an already occupied bush in Aquatic Park), and then we were off to the show! The rain had stopped and we found our way to the hood, near where the Tidal Wave metal fests take place every year, and then it was just a matter of finding parking and the right house. Both of which were easy to do....TOO EASY. When we got to the house (and you could tell that it was thee spot) there was a sign on the door that read: Flipper canceled. Sorry, we tried to calll everyone.

Shit. It would have been perfect. Perfect weather, perfect location, and oh shit...were we duped? Maybe, but the joke is on anyone who left too soon because while we stared in disbelief at the handwritten sign, Sly Stone pulled up on a three wheel Harley. Yes, Sly fucking Stone! He has platinum hair that's spiked up everywhere - I guess the mohawk grew out or something - and it turns out he is a huge Flipper fan. He told us a story about picking up that old Posh Boy compilation that had Negative Trend on it, and then about how he'd bought every Flipper record, but never got a chance to see them with their original line-up. Will Shatter R.I.P. It was cool. As if that wasn't mind blowing enough, Sly then pulled out this cool little keyboard and played us a couple of new songs that he has written. Powerful, life altering shit. The powers that be will never let him release it. They'd sooner give Fidel Castro his own talk show on MTV. Oh well, that about does it for this secret Flipper show report. It turns out that no one hooked us or our staff photographer up with passes for tonight's show at the Fillmore (I blame Depace), so even though we missed Flipper this time around, a half hour spent with a forty and a sober Sly Stone in San Francisco on a rainy night in April still counts for something.

-Jay Unidos

Trying Is Different From Succeeding, So Stop!

When did so many people that I know begin to think that they are the smart ones? It seems that I catch someone trying to be clever or deceptive on an almost daily basis. Playing both sides of the fence effectively is an artform, remember? The oblivious nature of the post seventies generation has crept into the psyche of of our own lumpen majority and it's causing me to yearn for isolation now more than ever before. If not true isolation, then the isolation of being the new person in a big city that I've never lived in before.

Do Damage

Internet Politics

You are a Social Liberal (76% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (16% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Back To Oakland, again

It's been a while since I posted anything here, and the truth is that I find it hard to come up with something interesting on a daily basis. I'm my own worse critic, and while I have a few drafts saved, I have yet to publish them for fear of boring anyone who might read them. Oh, okay, I don't think anyone will be bored as much as they might get offended by my honesty, and maybe a little turned off by my inability to just let things be.

"It's water under the bridge Jay"

Fuck all that. I don't believe that I dwell on the petty, and I think it's a copout when others suggest this. I'm a hater of fakes, phonies, and frauds. We live in a culture that allows itself to be easily fooled depending on how much money and influence a person, persons, company, organization has at their disposal. Ladder climbers who will throw friends and loyalty out of the nearest window at the first chance they get. What are these ladders built out of? Be careful,or don't.

I like the idea of having money and all the things it can do for my family, my friends, my community, and myself! I hope that one day I will have enough money to help, but most of us don't get that chance. Let's face it. At that point it would be nice to be surrounded by genuine, loyal friends who enjoy good food, music, films, and all that other stuff that people have been burned at the stake for. It would be nice to know that you can have all of that, and not have to stretch and contort in an unnatural manner as you attempt to pull yet another knife from your back.

I know all of the tools, and I have the skill to use them, I enjoy using them, but to witness them being wielded in such a haphazard manner should worry us all.

Back to Oakland, and I feel so much like this ripped off, underachieving, broke ass, grey city that I live in, but just a little further east.