Daniel, the chef, quickly learns she has more culinary art skills than she realized as Gordon comes back and asks everyone to make a dish. Claire, one of the owners, broke down in tears to get Gorgon to stay, and the payoff was amazing. The episode was, in and of itself, inspiring and a triumph of the human spirit.
I look forward to heading down there soon and checking them out myself!
So, this one needs little help from me, but I'm still pleased to do so with a double-shot of posters!
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME will be playing in Philadelphia at The Troc on January 31st at 6PM. Not only that, but Canadian Music-Master DEVIN TOWNSEND will be opening the whole affair!
Now, personally, I'm not a big fan of the headliner, Between the Buried and Me. For me, this show is all about Devin Townsend. He is, without a doubt, one of my favorite musicians. He's start came via playing on Steve Vai's "Sex and Religion" album, after which he went on to start his own label and release albums from more styles than you could imagine! From alt-rock to ambient to the heaviest fucking metal ever, and all the way to punk and even progressive rock and metal, Devin's talent lies in being able to mix and match styles and, through it all, perfect them all.
I walked around Center City sweating under a hot leather jacket. It was 57 degrees on a January night. The cries of a man went through my earphones as he sang about life in a way very few people do, complete with a musical score to track the highs and lows.
I could barely keep my head up as I walked, too stuck in my misery to do much.
My grandmother had passed away.
Around 9pm, I put on an album by Devin Townsend named "Infinity". Earlier this day, a Suncoast video store and a Borders Express in the Gallery Mall shut their doors for the final time, as well as Pearl Art Supplies. The Minnesota Vikings lost to the New Orleans Saints, denying Brett Farve yet another chance to go to the Super Bowl. It was a day of countless endings and very few beginnings.
I spent the better part of the weekend miserable. I locked myself inside to make sure I didn't hurt anyone because of the pain I felt knowing my grandma was going to die soon, and I spent Sunday morning in some of the worst pain I've known.
"Infinity" is one of my favorite albums of all time. Its the type of record that goes through nearly everything; life, death, pain, pleasure... and it does it through countless styles, such as jazz, musical, metal, alt-rock... the list goes on.
And my grandma died at 10PM, right as the album came to a close.
The song? "Man"
It is, was, and will be one of my favorite songs.
I loved my Grandma a lot.
She was the one who raised me whenever mom wasn't able to, and we had a lot of great times together, and some not-so-good times. Times were rough because of her Alzheimer's as she grew older, but I still loved her all the same. She raised a beautiful daughter and a handsome son, bringing them during the 60's to Philadelphia from Washington D.C. She was married to a wonderful man who she lost in 1984. Despite growing up during the Great Depression, Segregation, and countless other struggles that I will never be able to even imagine, she has one of the healthiest, brightest, and most encouraging attitudes I've seen in my entire life. She was a pleasure to be around and to know, and always cared about her family.
She managed to only have minor back problems as a health condition until the time she was in her mid-80's when she had a stroke. The stroke, combined with her Alzheimer's made things worse for her. She is survived by her son and her grandson, who both love her very much and will miss her more than you, me, and even God will ever know.
Sadly, this is the end of the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.
I’s official: Conan O’Brien is leaving NBC. The network has confirmed that the host signed his exit papers and will end his seven-month run on The Tonight Show Friday with guests Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell. “In the end, Conan was appreciative of the steps NBC made to take care of his staff and crew, and decided to supplement the severance they were getting out of his own pocket,” Gavin Polone, O’Brien’s manager told TheWrap. “Now he just wants to get back on the air as quickly as possible.” A formal announcement is expected later today.
It is a sad day for Late Night television, as well as comedy in general. Despite the best efforts of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people supporting Conan, his ratings going through the roof thanks to the drama, as well as the fact that he's gotten even funnier with the axe over his head... he is now out of a job.
Best of luck to him and here's hoping he goes to Fox. Until then, we get great bits like this:
You know, sometimes its easy to walk around with a Mohawk, and some days its irritating as hell. If you've ever dared to be different, you know what I mean. It may not be your hair; it may be how you dress, you look, act, whatever. You're out of step with the world around you and you know it, and so does everyone else.
To that extent, today was one of those "teachable moments" you hear so much about. Getting off the train without my headphones on, I lose my little armor to the world of those around me. As I passed by the Jehovah Witnesses that litter (as in spread around) Market East Station, I heard one of them let loose a loud laugh at me. To wit, all I could think of that simple line, "Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself!"
Enter Metallica.
I've had the "black album" for nearly 10 years now, but it wasn't until today that I REALLY listened to this song. Amazing that I haven't considering my past.
--- Now, on that note, I want to take some time to do something I do almost as well as I draw and design: Complain about crap that's pissing me off!
My blog, Angry, Young, and Poor, has become a sort-of defacto newsource for major metal shows in Philly and Larry West Productions has done all we (well, I) can do to help in the effort of supporting metal in Philly. To that end, I am disappointed that a majority of blogs that devote time and effort to posting about shows and concerts RARELY post about metal, and only then to either do it ironically or to make fun of it. Granted, this is not a flat-out truth, nor is it true of every blog out there in Philly. That said, it is still frustrating seeing some annoying hipster band that acts as background music get more press than, say, a national long-standing group that comes around and actually challenges its listeners to think and be active.
To that end, I am going to encourage my local partners in Philly Concert Blogging to step up to the cause of promoting MORE acts in this city!
Now, some may scoff at certain blogs about this idea. To that end, I would like to point out that you simply never know who's really is into metal and willing to come out to a show. Its shocking going out around town and talking to people about concerts who are clean-cut and in suits, and hearing how annoyed they are that they missed seeing Municipal Waste come to town because no one told them!
If you want more metal and punk acts to come to Philly and NOT Allentown or Atlantic City, then you MUST support toe metal scene HERE! THAT'S what its going to take, and THAT'S how we keep getting bigger and better shows!
Support the cause and stay true to your metal and punk roots!
Watching the images coming out of Haiti, the level of devastation
The earthquake destroyed lives, and devastated a weakened nation. It was nothing short of inspiring that, despite all the problems that have plagued this country, that they have gathered together to make sure that everyone stays safe and survives.
This flyer isn't for me. Its or you. Download it, distribute it, and tell everyone you know about it. Tell them to do what they can: Donate money, blood, clothing, food... anything they can. Help the people who need it more than you right now.
Well, today's my birthday, and I am THRILLED to have it! My god, 25 years old. What's that line from that Megadeth song "Of Mice and Men"? "At 25 I was surprised / That I was even half alive / somehow I managed to survive!"
On top of that, I am pleased to basically announce a bunch of things at once!
First off, I am pleased in ways you can't even begin to imagine to announce the new "Black Label" line of products! "Black Label" has, in my life, always stood for quality and brilliance, and the best of the best! Also, I love the Lamb of God song "Black Label" as well. The Black Label emblem has been in the works for over 10 years, and I finally created the one I like the most and works the best. You can read all about the piece on Deviant Art.
Next, I am pleased to announce that the new LARRY WEST PRODUCTION SHOP is now up and running! What is it, exactly? The purpose of the shop is to basically connect all the shops I own to on pipe-line that's easy to navigate and highlight new products and lines that I have available! Zazzle, Cafepress, and Board Pusher are all here! Look for new partners, special offers, and original artwork and prints to come REALLY soon!
Finally, I'm pleased to note that I am now officially old enough to run for either Mayor of City Council in Philadelphia. So corrupt and inefficient politicians beware! Next year could get interesting!
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PS: Also, yes, there hasn't been a ton of news-news or updates lately. That will change. Trust me, I've got plenty to say about the Eagle, Harry Reid, and Health Care!
OK, its not. Actually, it was a really short one, but incredibly fun! On New Years Eve, I found out Technically Philly was having a contest to see what design should be submitted the city to replace the much-despised current logo that was revealed last year. The deadline was 4:15pm the following Sunday. I had an idea in my head for a project concerning American Patriotism and decided to tweek it and use it for this instead.
After a lot of hours of work and tweeking, I finally got something I thought was perfect and sent it off!
With four clicks on a drum, the song begins. As the first verse goes through your head, you know something epic and triumphant is coming. As the song slowly builds up to the chorus, the refrain comes in and the fists start pumping.
The song is "Metal on Metal", and the band is ANVIL.
Anvil took the world stage by storm last year with the documentary about their life and struggle of starting a metal band and never, ever, EVER refusing to cave in and surrender! "ANVIL: The Story of Anvil" has won awards, prizes, and the rightly-deserved fame and recognition they deserve. You can watch the trailer for yourself.
What you see above isn't the official poster, but my art inspired by the story of this band, and my love of their music. Back in 2003, I bought the Metal Blade 20th Anniversary box set and there were two songs on there by a band called "Anvil". The songs always stuck out in my mind and in 2009 when I heard that Anvil was coming to town based on a movie about their lives, I had to go. Since then, the band has always held a place in my heart.
About a week ago I got a copy of "Metal on Metal" and thanks to that AND the fact that they were coming to town, I decided to do a tour poster for them! It was inspired by the feeling I get from them and their music, and the fact that, music aside, they've become something bigger than themselves: A symbol of the triumph of perseverance.
Back in November, AT&T tried to sue Verizon over their "there's a map for that" ad campaign, where they compared their wireless 3G coverage to that of AT&T. AT&T sued because they said the ad was misleading and that people would be confused and think it referred to phone coverage.
As you may have guessed, the judge laughed in AT&T's faces and told them they didn't make a case. AT&T got mad and decided to make their own ads.
Bad idea.
In essence, Luke Wilson comes off as the biggest douche bag possible. He comes off as being the little 10-year-old boy that AT&T is acting like over the fact that Verizon is actually making a good point, and better ads:
Just as petty as the AT&T revenge ads? Yes, but at the very least it was fun and entertaining.
AT&T has made a new ad campaign that makes you want to hate them. They're not making a good point about what Verizon said, and they really aren't making a good case.
AT&T, here's my advice for you: STOP IT! STOP showing these fucking commercials! No one, I repeat, NO ONE thinks your phone service doesn't work in most of the country, just your SLOW AND SPOTTY 3G coverage! Anyone who spends 5 minutes doing a web search on any of your claims can see that a few of them are false and blatant lies. Right now, this is the number one result when you type in "new at&t commercial". Do you know what that means? People are actually listening to me about this, AND AGREEING!
Philadelphia's own Hot Potato Cafe was on Kitchen Nightmares tonight. In May, Gordon came to town to do what eh could to save it. We saw Gordon Ramsey come into a place with three owners who didn't know what they were doing, a chef who wasn't a chef, and a ton of debt. And to top it all off, Gordon Ramsey wound up giving up after the first day. why? No comment from anyone about why they were in the shit.
