Jan
Posted on 19th January 2009
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I bet Martin Luther King, Jr. would be totally freaking out if he knew what was going to happen tomorrow. And I bet somewhere Jesse Jackson is freaking out for real over what is going to happen tomorrow, albeit in kind of a different way. As for me, I’m pretty excited about the whole thing. I was going to head to Washington for the Obama inauguration tomorrow for the festivities but then decided the better seat at this point is probably in front of my television. And then maybe I’ll go to a party of some sort tomorrow night. I wonder if people will be singing that “ding dong the witch is dead” song.
As for this past weekend, I mostly ate stuff, ran around, and occasionally made small stabs at taking over the world. On Friday, I ate at one of my favorite restaurants in town, Dell’ Anima, which always delivers on being awesome and also Italian. Plus, everyone there is super nice so it’s an added bonus to the magical dining experience.
On Saturday, I ate the fuck out of some eggs, pork chops, plantains, rice, and beans at La Taza De Oro at 14th and 8th for lunch. I know eggs and pork chops is kind of pushing it, but that’s just how I’m living, Holmes. No rules.
Saturday night, I went to Bar Matchless in Greenpoint to host a benefit for 826NYC. On the bill that night were a bunch of great writers and also musician Blake Schwarzenbach (formerly of Jawbreaker and Jets to Brazil, now of the Thorns of Life), who is also a writer himself but focused on rocking this evening. I hope I did an okay job hosting the fuck out of that thing. Nobody pelted me with change at any point (a reference to a time when that actually happened to me once), so I’m putting it in the win column.
Yesterday, I met up with some friends for brunch at Half King over there on 10th and 23rd. I’d never been there in daylight before. It was solid. I had the huevos rancheros, not a regular choice for me, and found it delightful.
After brunch, we all headed to the big indoor flea market in Chelsea, where I bought an old German hunting target that featured really nice illustrations of a bear, a rabbit, a deer, and a few other animals that tend to have guns pointed at them. I was told the target was from 1910. Most of the other stuff at the flea market tended to be of the vintage clothes and old jewelry variety, but I was surprised to happen upon some other old German artifacts in the form of Nazi badges, pins, and rings. I guess there is interest in this sort of stuff, but it was kind of creepy to see it up close. I was kind of afraid to touch any of it. Then again, it was all under glass so I would have had to ask anyway. And then someone might have seen me and then next thing you know someone is running around saying, “You know who is really into Nazis? Dave Hill, that’s who.” Oh, I just don’t need the trouble.
Last night, I met up with some other friends and ate at Bombay Talkie, a really good Indian restaurant on 9th Avenue. They have cool paintings of scenes from Bollywood movies all over the place. I would have tried to sneak one out with me but the canvases are pretty huge, so I would have had to have a friend create a diversion. Too complicated. I guess I’ll just have to go back if I want to check them out again. Plus, the food gets the Dave thumbs up, so I totally want to go back anyway.
Okay, that about covers it. Until next time, stay street.
Jan
Posted on 16th January 2009
Do you like the Smiths and/or Morrissey? Do you totally want to meet a special girl or guy? Well, if you answered yes to even one of those questions I just asked, then you should come to this new fun night I am hosting at the Black Rabbit Bar in Greenpoint called “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now: A Night of Smiths Music and Speed Dating.” I know, I know- it sounds almost too good to be true, but no, really, it’s totally happening for the first time on January 29th at 8pm. There will be speed dating and Smiths and Morrissey music from 8pm to around 9:30pm and then there will be Smiths and Morrissey music the rest of the night. There- I just broke it down for you. Holy shit! For more info on this whole thing, go to the official new MySpace page for everything I just talked about.
Jan
Posted on 16th January 2009
Hi there. It’s not the holidays anymore, but I am hoping that won’t stop you from enjoy these Christmas-type spots for the popular Cinemax channel. These videos have appeared on premium cable television- they have got to be good! I hope you enjoy them so much.
Jan
Posted on 14th January 2009
Morrissey – I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
Here’s the new Morrissey video for “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris.” Best use of dogs in a music video I’ve seen in a while.
Jan
Posted on 14th January 2009
From my friend Jeff. Good stuff.
Jan
Posted on 14th January 2009
Hi there. My unstoppable rock band Valley Lodge is finishing up a new rock record right now. You can hear our new song “Baby, It’s A Shame” on our MySpace page right now. So, like, go over there or something. I hope you like it a whole bunch. It pretty much has everything.
Jan
Posted on 12th January 2009
Mondays. Do not even get me started on this topic. Things are pretty crazy here at the office. I have twelve new interns starting today and they are all sitting on my bed watching me type this right now. Well, not really, but in an alternate universe the Dave Hill Enterprises winter intern program is in full swing. One can dream. And one does dream, like, a lot.
I had a pretty not-so-crazy weekend this past weekend, rarely straying more than a few hundred yards from my apartment at any given time (give or take a couple undercover missions I dare not speak of). On Friday, I ate some Spanish food at Sevilla, the popular Spanish restaurant down the street from my house. I like Spanish food and I particularly like Spanish restaurants in New York as most of the ones I go to (e.g. Sevilla, El Faro, El Quijote) somehow manage to remain fairly stopped in time in a really great way. While the rest of Manhattan slowly devolves into a wasteland of CVS stores, glass condos, and banks, the local Spanish restaurants make me feel like it’s 1988 or something. And as long as I’m on the topic- here’s to matching maroon blazers.
Last night, I headed to Highline Ballroom to see Dengue Fever and Marshall Crenshaw. I can’t decide whether I like or kinda, sorta hate the Highline Ballroom. Last night, they had tables and chairs all over the floor so people could sit and eat mini-hamburgers and stuff during the show. Don’t get me wrong- I love mini-hamburgers as much as the next guy, but- not unlike boning and swimming- I tend to think that rock-n-roll and snack foods don’t go together. I guess the Highline has to pay the bills somehow.
As for the music last night, Dengue Fever were great and- for the record- they have pretty much nailed it in the beard department. They play ‘60s-style Cambodian pop music (or so I’m told- I don’t know that I’ve ever actually heard the real thing, so I don’t have much to compare it to). They are fun to watch and hear. And the lead singer is a scorcher. Maybe one day we will get married and she can take a break from things to go rock out with the band for a few numbers. I am not yet sure whether I will be having the chicken or the beef.
Marshall Crenshaw and his band were up next. He was well-dressed and great, one of the greatest songwriters of all-time in my expert opinion. I wouldn’t have minded if he broke out a few more of the hits though. I like hits. Come on, Marshall, play the hits! But I like the new stuff too. Also, he shreds on guitar. I think my hair got singed at one point. More please.
In other news, thanks to my friends Mike and Jeff, I have been making some subtle yet groundbreaking changes to my website of late. I hope you enjoy them so much. It’s some pretty futuristic shit.
Okay, off the gym. What- do you think I just wake up like this?
Jan
Posted on 10th January 2009
I wrote and recorded a dumb song about New York today. You can hear it here. I hope you enjoy it on some level. If it is too sucky for your ears, here is some of my more professional rock music to cleanse your earhole. I’m sorry for everything.
Jan
Posted on 8th January 2009
Thursdays- will we ever really understand them? There’s a part of me that likes them because you can practically see the weekend from here. But then pretty much every day is exactly the same for me, weekend or not, so I’m not sure what I am getting all worked up about. I really need to bring it down.
I am in a near-coma today because I stayed up too late reading David Carr’s excellent junkie memoir “Night of the Gun.” Man, that guy really liked drugs. I mean, like, for real. I get all sick just reading it, and I’ve never even done any drugs before (unless you count alcohol and cigarettes, which I guess count). You should totally read it. 
I also read- like tons of other folks I’m sure- Malcom Gladwell’s new book, “Outliers” (here seen with a weirdly different cover than the one I read) which I found really interesting and fun to read. Like his other books, it’s at once intellectual and academic while also easy for a dope like me to understand. And to paraphrase my friend Alessi, it will make you have a good think, especially if you are a 1/4 Canadian hockey player like me (this not-so-good joke will make slight sense to those who read the book).
Hmm, what else. Maybe I better get back to taking over the world. While I do that, you should watch this Kinks video for “Sunny Afternoon.” Dave Davies plays a Flying V on a snowy hillside. Last time I checked, that is pretty much how it’s done:
Jan
Posted on 6th January 2009
I had a little spare time today so I decided to school pussies on how to shred at guitar again. I hope you like it so much.
