I miss Livejournal. Facebook status updates are fun and all, but they just don't cut it. I have a Twitter account, but I never tweet and don't even get me started on Tumblr. Seriously, don't get me started, as I don't understand it and it's just a little too 'damn kids get off my lawn' for me.
I miss comments. They will always be superior to the little red Facebook notifications.
I miss posting setlists.
I miss posting fliers.
I miss the holy living hell out of Compulsion, Xanadu and Obscure Curio.
I miss HTML tags.
I miss having an easily accessible repository of any random, inane thought that occurred to me.
I miss all the emo whining I used to do.
(Ok, not really.)
It has to mean something that I miss Livejournal, but have no such feelings of loss regarding Myspace, Tribe or Friendster. I doubt I'll miss Facebook all that much once it's gone either.
I wish people would come back to LJ. It's way more fun here. Well, it used to be at least...
It occurs to me that I used to post setlists and event recaps in here all the time. In the interest of posting more in LJ and just generally being consistent, I am going to post a buttload (they did not actually come from my butt) of setlists from a slew (nor did they come from a slough) of past events as well as a generic recap of the past year or so of those events.
So [generic club] went well/not great/fantastic. We had a decent turnout/a disappointing turnout/an amazing turnout. All of the DJs spun great/depressing/boring/superawesome sets. I am pleased/displeased with my song selections. I had a few/did not have any technical hiccups. I played this one song and it totally packed/killed the dancefloor. Fun was had by all/everyone hates us. You should totally come to our next event! Here's what we played at [generic club];
That about catches me up, I think, save for a spot at Villainy, the setlist of which doesn't exist. But I can assure you, I rocked the fuck out of that crowd. Hell yes. (Okay, probably not.)
Honestly, Dancing Ghosts is pretty much moving from strength to strength nowadays. We seem to have a very loyal following that appreciates what we've tried to do; sort of fill the void left by Dark Sparkle and be one of SF's true, pure old-school goth clubs ie; no EBM/power noise/whatever all the stompy kids are into these days (which isn't to disparage either Death Guild or Strangelove of course, which are both obviously great clubs, but they hew more towards the synthpoppy and industrial sides of things than we do) and I have to say, it's pretty damn nice being a part of a reasonably successful event. I'd had brief tastes of it before with both Compulsion and Shark Attack, but it was never consistent like it seems to be with Dancing Ghosts. Here's hoping it continues this way. We certainly can't afford to get complacent or cocky.
The only thing I find a bit disappointing is that Dancing Ghosts' success hasn't really yielded all that many guest DJ spots for me. I largely blame myself of course. I simply don't go out as much as I used to. I could blame this on living in the East Bay, but the truth is I had all but stopped going out while I lived in SF. Then again, even if I did go out, I am really, really bad at self-promoting. I mean, tragically, epically, astoundingly bad. So it wouldn't really matter if I was at every possible club every night of the week. I'd still be the socially anxious guy standing against the wall, nursing a drink looking all awkward. It's not like I'd be hobnobbing or schmoozing the promoters. I guess I kind of (not so) secretly (and totally unrealistically) hoped that people would see that Dancing Ghosts was doing well and would be all "omg, we HAVE to get those DJs to spin at OUR club!!!" Which is absurd since in all my years of DJing and promoting, I've never known it to work that way.
But dammit, while I love old-school goth and deathrock, I really want to spin electro and indie again! Oh well.
One cool thing is that I'll be DJing Wumpskate in San Jose in November. I'm pretty excited about this since I'll get to bust out some EBM and synthpop, which will be a nice change of pace. I just need to figure out how the hell I'm going to get there and back. I have no clue why the fuck I thought living in the East Bay without a car would be a good idea. *sigh*
Jeez, this entry turned into a total self-pity party. Sorry about that. On a slightly more uplifting note (well, uplifting for me, as I sincerely doubt this news will impact your day at all) I'm SUPER close to switching to laptop DJing, and to that point am considering purchasing this mixer, which is absurdly cheap on Amazon. I can't really afford it, but maybe I can just start claiming DJ income and write it off as a business expense, hehe.
...of Things I Really Wish People Would Stop Saying Because The Phrase Is Inane, Overused, Patently Absurd and/or (Most Likely) All of the Above (Also Because They Drive Me Fucking Nuts);
- At the end of the day. (Unless you're discussing something taking place literally at the end of the day, like at dusk or early evening, please stop saying this.) - That's how (I, we, they) roll. (Hip-hop lingo misappropriated by white douchebags* has really lost its charm.) - I'm not here to make friends/It's anyone's game/I'm here to win...(This applies mostly to reality show competition contestants, but still...) - If I'm being honest...(Is this to imply that the rest of the time you're lying?) - That being said...(Translation; ignore everything I said before this) - It is what it is. (THEN WHAT THE FUCK IS IT? I think I may hate this one the most.) - I work hard and I play hard. (Oh, shove it up your ass you self-important prick. Although you're probably too full of yourself to do that, so please just fuck off instead.) - I won't bite; unless you want me to/you ask/ HARD!!! (Contrary to popular belief, fifteen year old Austin Powers references are neither funny nor sexy. Gay boys on hookup sites are especially guilty of this one.) - I know, right? (I guess this one isn't that bad, it's just outstayed its welcome. It's the idiomatic equivalent to a Katy Perry song; kinda fun and catchy at first, but sorta like having shards of glass rubbed into your eyes after the five thousandth time) - Any use of the word "bling". (Um, this stopped being cute or funny (if it ever was) in, like, 1998. It's 2010, knock it the fuck off. Also, see above re; white douchebags)
So are there any words/phrases that particularly set you off?
*Definitely a word quickly working its way to my overused-and-thus-totally-fucking-irritating list, but it fits here.
Me: Well my unemployment claim form says to send it on July 4th which is a Sunday. I know! I'll send it in one day early so they get it the following business day and I'll get my money when I need it! Yay! I are smart!
EDD: No! You sent in your claim form too early! You're a dirty liar! No money for you!
Me: But...but...
EDD: No buts! No money for you!
Me: Ok. I don't really like eating or paying rent anyway. Thanks for keeping money rightfully owed to me from my greedy little hands EDD! You're AWESOME!
Sez EDD (pretty much verbatim);
"You NEVER send in your claim form early, under ANY circumstances. If the due date falls on a weekend or holiday you send it in the following Monday or business day. This is a very simple concept, sir."
"What if I have bills due and need the check on a specific day? Sending in the form LATE as you have advised I do would cause those bills to also be late and thus incur late fees. What if that bill were rent?"
"This is not our concern sir. Perhaps you should learn to budget better."
I think I've started and ultimately deleted about 25 separate entries since the last one of any substance. I highly doubt I'll ever get back to the 1-2 entries per day rate I was averaging for a while back in '06 & '07 but I will try to update a bit more often. Way too much has happened in the past 6 months to cover in any substantial manner so I'll just bullet point the main ideas;
*I no longer live in SF. I live in Hayward with Jondy and two cats named Lizzie and Charlie.
*I am unemployed, having been laid off from Falcon, to which I offer a hearty "THANK FUCKING GOD!"
*Will be taking some culinary courses at SF City College this fall. Also some creative writing ones as well. Been toying with the idea of possibly maybe kinda trying my hand at catering in the distant future. We'll see.
*Still DJing (more on that below) though it's harder to promote while living in the east bay. Which is actually fine with me since I've never really loved the promoting aspect of DJing anyway.
*I spend most of my time these days looking for jobs, playing video games (Borderlands, Red Dead Redemption, and Batman: Arkham Asylum mostly) watching TV and playing with cats. But mostly looking for work, which is extremely tedious and so far astoundingly unrewarding.
*Finished Battlestar Galactica, which I loved (save for the last 5 minutes or so. I could smack Ron Moore for that atrocious epilogue) and am up to season 6 in Lost, just waiting for it to come out on DVD. I'm also working my way through Six Feet Under, which I'd always thought was just kinda boring and aimless, but I'm fairly hooked now. Also trying to get into The Wire which is really, really, really difficult. It's just so dense. I frequently have no clue what anyone is talking about with all their police procedural macho gibberish and am just patiently waiting for more Omar, the gay drug dealer, scenes.
*For the first time in a LOOOOOOOOONNNG time, I'm not obsessed with any one group, song or album. I don't know why. Maybe I'm getting old, but my feelings on most new music has been, "okay yeah, I've heard this done a million times and done better." Exceptions of late would be the newest LCD Soundsystem album, which is fucking amazing, the last Goldfrapp album, which isn't as great as Supernature, but is miles better than Seventh Tree, and Sleigh Bells' debut album which is pretty awesome.
*I've really been into post-punk and deathrock lately. I severely underestimated how good a band the Rozz Williams fronted version of Christian Death were. I'd always loved Only Theater Of Pain, but their other studio albums are pretty excellent too. Also loving 45 Grave and UK Decay a whole lot. I guess I've just always been a closet deathrocker. Weird. Speaking of which, former "electroclash" (lol) artist, Mt. Sims is now a full-on goth rock act. And he's really fucking good too. Also been digging Gang of Four and Fad Gadget too.
That's about it! Some big changes, but still the same ol' Ryan.
Finally, I'll be DJing in the following two places in the next couple weeks. If you're reading this, then your presence is required.
So that oft promised entry-of-real-substance is still proving quite elusive. However until that mythical beast materializes I've put together, for your listening enjoyment/torture my very own Best of 2009 compilation. It differs dramatically from the Top 20 Songs I posted on Facebook, mostly because quite a few of those songs were super obvious and/or songs everyone's heard fifty quadrillion times (I'm pretty sure most people are sick of "1901" by now) and also because they were really freaking hard to make work as a compilation. I mean some are still here, but after I came up with that list on Le Livre De Visage, I thought of a few more that were more indicative of what I listened to most throughout 2009.
So...lacking any further unnecessary ado (I maintain a staunch anti-ado stance,) here ya go;
Here's the tracklist as I arranged it, but feel free to arrange them to your liking.
1. Morrissey - Something Is Squeezing My Skull 2. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - A Teenager In Love 3. Phoenix - Lisztomania 4. The Raveonettes - Breaking Into Cars 5. Muse - Undisclosed Desires 6. Lily Allen - The Fear 7. Bat For Lashes - Pearl's Dream 8. jj - Ecstasy 9. Washed Out - Feel It All Around 10. Lady GaGa - So Happy I Could Die 11. Sally Shapiro - Moonlight Dance 12. Zoot Woman - More Than Ever 13. Pet Shop Boys - Pandemonium 14. IAMX - You Can Be Happy 15. Junior Boys - Hazel 16. Tiesto (with Tegan & Sara) - Feel It In My Bones 17. Royksopp (with Robyn) - The Girl & The Robot 18. The Big Pink - At War With The Sun 19. The Sound Of Arrows - Into The Clouds 20. Metric - Stadium Love
It should just fit onto a standard 80 minute CD, should you choose to burn it. If not, well, I guess just leave the Lady GaGa song off since it seems like 50% of the population has arbitrarily chosen to hate her without listening to her music anyway lol.
</center> Why spend inflated prices to get into some crowded bar on New Year's Eve? Why risk life and limb with so many drunk drivers on the road? New Year's DAY is where it's at.
Friday, January 1st, Strangelove celebrates NEW YEAR'S DAY.
In the back room, DJs Tomas Diablo (Strangelove) and Bryan Hawk (Asylum - Sacramento) ring in the new decade with a look back at the best music from the 2000's. That's right - it's all new, all night!
In the front room, DJs Orko (Dancing Ghosts) and Daniel Skellington (Compulsion) revisit the golden age of goth, new wave, and industrial with the best of the 80's and 90's!
Strangelove is every first Friday at the CAT CLUB (Folsom and 8th), with different themes and guests every month. There's lots of room to dance and socialize, and if you keep dancing, we keep the party going until 3AM!
Drink Special: the Broken Resolution
details...
STRANGELOVE Friday, January 1st: NEW YEAR'S DAY In the Back Room: The Best of the 2000's with DJs TOMAS DIABLO (Strangelove) and BRYAN HAWK (Asylum - Sacramento)
In the Front Room: The Best of the 80's and 90's with DJs DANIEL SKELLINGTON (Compulsion) and ORKO (Dancing Ghosts)
at THE CAT CLUB (Folsom and 8th) 21+. 9PM-3AM . $6. Free before 10 www.strangelovesf.com
Really-real, honest-to-god substantial, non-DJ-related update coming soon, I swear.
This Friday I've been added to the lineup of DJs for Strangelove for a multitude of reasons that would probably be completely uninteresting to anyone not involved in the club. Well, except for the possibility that Tomas' wife will give go into labor, which is pretty exciting. But the other reasons are boring, mostly involving hand injuries and a Devo concert.
Also, it's a Nine Inch Nails tribute which is fucking AWESOME since I'm a total Trent fanboy. It's really because of Pretty Hate Machine that I got into industrial at all (NIN->Pigface->Ministry, RevCo & WaxTrax->Skinny Puppy and so on...) so needless to say I'm very, very excited. I have so much stuff to play (I know I always say that, but this time it's even truer than before!) I think I might bust out "Maybe Just Once" and "Purest Feeling" for laughs. And it's definitely going to be "Twist" over "Ringfinger." Expect to hear "Eraser (Polite)" and "Closer (Further Away)" too, since I've always wanted to hear them in a club. YAYAYAYAYAY I can't wait! Here's the flier;
Then, a week later dj_domg and I will be putting on a special one-off event called Howl. Daniel and I work really well DJing together, so the music is guaranteed to kick ass. In the words of Daniel, the theme for the event is "a night for geeks, cubs, twinks, ftms, bears, and everyone else." I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Here's the flier for that;
And last, but nowhere near the least, on Saturday, November 28th, Dancing Ghosts will be paying tribute to goth/punk legend and icon Siouxsie Sioux. I, admittedly, came to Siouxsie late. I'd always liked her hits of course, but never really delved too much into her back catalogue. Over the past five or so years, I've come to realize just how much I missed out. She has so, so many incredible songs between her with the Banshees, The Creatures and solo. Thankfully, Alex, Margo and Sage have been fans for ages so any of the gaps in my knowledge will be readily filled in by them. It's going to be a great night. Yes, I'm aware that Gossip is doing a Siouxsie tribute the week before (sigh) but we'd had ours planned ahead for months. And for all of Gossip's strengths (it is definitely one of the most consistently fun clubs in SF,) they don't really do tributes the same way that Dancing Ghosts does. Whereas the majority of music we play will be Siouxsie or Siouxsie-related all night, with Gossip, you'll probably get between 1-3 Siouxsie songs an hour tops. Granted, the rest of the music that they play will be great, it just won't be as Siouxsie-centric an event as ours, I suspect. Plus, we think Siouxsie is enough of an icon to stand up to two tributes in a month. Anyway, here's the flier;
The new Annie album Don't Stop is 100% better than her debut. I'm really enjoying it. The new Assemblage 23 is remarkably okay. I'd say if you like his other stuff, you'll hear this one and think "yep, that sure is A23" and forget about it. The new Editors album is...odd. I'm not sure synthpop is the right sound for them, but I certainly don't hate it. RevCo's (the industrial Menudo!) most recent album is surprisingly not horrible. I may even play "Touchscreen" at Strangelove. She Wants Revenge are now a Morris Day & The Time tribute band, judging from the sound of their recent EP. Mesh's latest is very...Mesh-y (but I haven't given it a thorough listen) and half of the new Weezer isn't embarrassingly awful which is a marked improvement over their last three albums. Finally, the new album from Rotersand is actually kind of good, which shocks me since I'd always considered them to be a relentlessly boring sub-Covenant generic EBM band.
Also, for those that may be interested, here's what we played at the Zoth Ommog night;
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