Try this at home: The Volcano Part 3 - Revenge of the 12 Gauge Shotgun

So, a couple of weeks ago, I built a volcano out of paper mache' with the intention of trying to destroy it. A couple of nights later, I set it off using diet coke and mentos. After that did nothing, I decided to make a rocket, attach the volcano to it, and see what would happen. After that glorious nothing, I decided to destroy it with a 12 gauge shotgun and an assortment of shells. Will the volcano survive this latest test?

No... Not at all. Watch for the silliness of shooting a shotgun at a volcano. Stay for the heartwarming montage at the end.

Also, more videos added to the youtube channel including the successful and badass launch and loss of the That's What She Said.

It's Lauren's Birthday!

It's our dear leader's birthday today, so naturally we have to celebrate with a song. I've done my youtube research only to find that "Happy Birthday" is still boring (even when done by chipmunks), Fiddy's "In Da Club" has been done to death, and I've just never understood the appeal of the Beatles' "Birthday." These are the ones I liked...

- "Happy Birthday" by the Ting Tings on Yo Gabba Gabba (The embedding for this video is disabled, but I'm trying to make this visually interesting. Just follow it to youtube)

 

- "Happy Birthday" by Sufjan Stevens. (Lauren got me listening to Sufjan Stevens, so this seemed appropriate... but not all that appropriate because I'm 98% sure this song is about Jesus... I mean, Lauren's cool, but I wouldn't say she's Jesus... That dude turned water into wine...)

And an honorable mention from college humor.

Now, That's What I Call the Apocalypse!: Volume 1

There's been a lot of talk lately about the end of the world, and I've seen a couple playlists for The Rapture. But, the songs that I've seen chosen have been predictable and boring. I mean, seriously... It's your last couple minutes on earth, and REM's "It's the End of the World" is the best song you can come up with? Aren't you being a little too literal? (Though I must admit that I'm a big fan of seeing Muse's "Apocalypse Now" getting respect.)

So, I thought about it a bit differently... If last Saturday really was the end of the world, what would be the soundtrack of the day? That is, what songs would capture the feelings and emotions of dealing with the end of the world. Which then led me to an even stranger idea... According to the Kubler-Ross Model, there are five stages of grieving: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. So, using that as the outline, I give you...

The End of the World: The Soundtrack (A Crazy Random Playlist Special Event)

Film Review: THOR (2011)

So, I'm a dork and a total sucker for comic book movies. Truthfully, my most-anticipated movies of the summer are Thor, Captain America and Green Lantern.

What I liked...

Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan!

Now, I'd be a liar if I said that I'm a giant Bob Dylan fan. To be honest, Mr. Dylan is one of those artists that I never bothered picking up (because I suck). But I do appreciate what the man has done for music. So, yes, Mr. Dylan, the times they are a-changing, but your words will remain and will continue to influence generation upon generation. Happy birthday, you crazy, old, magnificent bastard.

It was Jack White who said, "I've got three fathers—my biological dad, God and Bob Dylan." This is my favorite of Jack White's Dylan covers: The White Stripes' "Love Sick"

Adele's "Make You Feel My Love" Yeah, that's also Bob Dylan.

And still the most fun song I've heard this year... Wanda Jackson's cover of "Thunder on the Mountain."

Try This at Home: Soap in a Microwave

So first, I'd like to announce that my pet project, the youtube channel, is up and running. Come visit from time to time to see some original videos (I've been told my "For Birdie" is good for laughs) and prolly some illegally-obtained concert footage.

This video... well, it came about like this:
LAUREN: I put soap in a microwave today.
JACK: ...WHAT DOES THAT DO?!

A few hours and a couple bucks later, I found out.



Favorite part of the video (but you can't really hear it) goes like this:
JACK: So the people using this microwave next... are they gonna get sick? Or will they be okay?
LAUREN: I don't know. (laughs)

So, give it a try at home... Just a warning, your whole house will smell like soap...

Also gotta mention that the incredibly-catchy, impromptu ditty was written, played and sung by my friend Kim. She randomly sent it to me in a text message, and I've had it in my head ever since.

Terrible Song from My Youth - Billie Myers' "Kiss the Rain"

For today's terrible song, we're doing Billie Myers' "Kiss the Rain."

Now, I'm all about new ways to present these... I considered a one act play with her lyrics, but I couldn't out-ridiculous Billie Myers' words. Another thought I had was a video tentatively titled, "Can I be Crazier than Billie Myers?" But unless I actually cut my ear off, I don't think so. Why? Because this bitch crazy! Note that I purposefully omitted the verb because I don't have time to waste on verbs. For shits and giggles, here's how I would describe this song/video if all I had was a 19th century telegraph:

BITCH CRAZY (STOP) GET OUT (STOP) CALL COPS (STOP)

So, what did I hate about this... To start, Billie Myers has the least pleasant voice of any musician I've ever heard.

Album review: Eliza Doolittle

Whether she's singing about growing vegetables instead of a fancy dinner, rollerblading, or explaining her beef with boys in skinny jeans, Eliza Doolittle captures the same playfulness in her music that made Lily Allen so charming. Eliza’s voice is as effortless and natural as they come.

What I like most about Eliza's music is that the musical styles of every song are different but flow so well together. The first two singles "Skinny Genes" & "Pack Up" both deliver a 50s retro-pop sound that could have come straight out of Grease (poodle skirts included). "Go Home" has a heavy Spanish influence on it with plenty of cha-chas. "Missing" has the sound of an old 45 playing on a beach in Hawaii. "A Smokey Room" gives us a taste of Eliza's sultry, Burlesque side, playfully hating on girls and their non-originality these days. To conclude the album, "Police Car" & "Empty Hand" leave us with Eliza's soft and flawless voice putting it all to rest.

If you aren't smiling while listening to this young songstress' carefree, sunny tunes, then something is wrong with you.