nathansmart.com

No, of course not.

Unbelievable.

I went to see the Glow in the Dark tour on Friday night and wow. If you thought rappers had egos, Kanye West makes them look like shy 4 year-olds. The stage looked like a desert landscape and it was supposed to be another planet like Mars or something. He had huge moving screens, including a floor screen that had hydraulics on it.

The story is, while on a space trip home to Earth, there is a crash and Kanye is stranded on this planet. His spaceship has a computer named Jane that talks to him giving him encouragement and advice. He talks back and forth to it though out the show and it keeps the story moving between songs.

And speaking of, every song is treated like it’s the last song he’ll ever sing. I’ve never seen such importance being flaunted in a rap song. The intensity Kanye infused into every performance made a song like Gold Digger sound like “I have a dream…” or “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do…”

Highlights:

1) Kanye getting eaten by a (and I don’t use this word much) F*CKING dragon and then spit out.

2) A creepy mannequin, calling itself a shooting star, telling Kanye that he is the biggest star in the universe.

3) Kanye: I can’t do this anymore Jane. I need more in my life. I need a woman. I need P*SSY Jane!
Jane: I can help you with that.
Kanye: How can you help me? You’re just a stupid computer!
[GOLDEN BIKINI WOMAN appears]
Next Song: Jesus Walks

4) Kanye tells Jane that he’s going to give up and then a woman appears and sings the first verse and chorus of Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey (and if it wasn’t clearly a woman’s voice (and body), you would’ve thought they were just playing an MP3 of the song it was so accurately played by the band).

5) Jane telling Kanye that the only way he (and really us) can get home is with the power of his shining star, as all the other stars have just come and gone. He’s the only one left.

6) Kanye addresses the Bonnaroo incident and says he had done 45 shows before then and hadn’t been late once.

All in all, it was very entertaining - but it just made me despise his own image of himself even more than I already had. I just hope that his ego never gets in the way of making good music because he’s done an OK job so far.

This guy just couldn’t get enough of lupe fiasco at the glow in the dark tour.

Not sure what was going on but there was a gaggle of these guys acting drunk

This never happens when we go to my Grandmother-in-law’s!

.Sacha Baron Cohen is going to play Sherlock Holmes, and Will Ferrell will be Watson in a new movie written by Etan Coen (”Idiocracy”) and produced by Judd Apatow

If this isn’t funny, I quit.

*L is for Lord

T-shirts are probably the easiest thing for me to change because I really don’t have anything to change except color scheme (and maybe subject matter).  I’m really starting to like more neon colors and I’m definitely still a sucker for nostalgia just like every other sap (although I’m trying my best not to buy anything just for irony purposes - I’m trying to stick with a specific design style).

See more here: UrbanOutfitters.com

I watched Family Matters every week just like every other dork who stayed in and so this is a fun shirt to remind of those lonely days (isn’t that what nostalgia is for?).  BUT - I got this shirt because of the colors and the font of “Whoa Mamma.”  It’s very blecchtro (MAD Magazine for “retro”) and let’s be honest, this is what my new style is going to be based on.  I am trying to be cool and this is how you do it.  Of course, it’s going to suck in a few years when retro is out and nowtro is back in but screw those future people.  By the way, we are WAY passed 80s - the 90s are back, get used to it!

I just got this in my email and I thought I would forward it on to you guys because, really,  it’s the nice thing to do:

Hi Nathan,

(So and So) here from (So and So, Inc.)—we’re an online marketing company in (So and So, USA) that primarily promotes music.  We’re currently working with the latest Verve Remixed compilation (on Verve records, of course:) and I thought you and your readers might really enjoy this!

Verve Remixed 4 (part of music’s most respected and emulated remix series) is soulful in both repertoire and musical direction — new album enlists a cutting-edge arsenal of production contributors to re-imagine a luminous array of R&B, soul, Latin and jazz standards and rare gems.  The rollout features funk, Afrobeat and transcultural tastemakers as well – the beat world’s most influential accompanists pairing off with some of the most memorable and against-the-grain vocal performances ever.

Here’s a free downloadable mp3 that you can most definitely post on the site.  It’s Diplo’s remix of Marlena Shaw’s recording of “California Soul” — it’s a very cool track:

http://verve.edgeboss.net/download/verve/ververemixed4/california.soul_diplo.remix.mp3

Marlena Shaw was the first female vocalist signed to Blue Note Records — her knack for blending jazz, soul and pop nuggets led to her mastery of covers, including this rippling version of the Ashford & Simpson-penned “California Soul.”

Please let me know if you do end up posting this and if you’d like a copy of the album for review.  Album art and tracklisting are below.
We also have vinyl to giveaway if you’d like to run a contest on your site.

Thanks so much,
Marni

VERVE//REMIXED 4 TRACK LISTING
1. “Cry Me A River” (Truth & Soul Remix) - Dinah Washington
2. “Gimmie Some” (Mike Mangini Remix) - Nina Simone
3. “There Was A Time” (Kenny Dope Remix) - James Brown
4. “California Soul” (Diplo) - Marlena Shaw
5. “Take Care Of Business” (Pilooski Edit) - Nina Simone
6. “Bim Bom” (Psapp Remix) - Astrud Gilberto
7. “Tenderly” (Mocky Remix) - Anita O’ Day
8. “Tea For Two” (Chris Shaw Remix) - Sarah Vaughan
9. “Dilo Como Yo” (Antibalas Remix) - Patato & Totico
10. “Evil Ways” (Karriem Riggins Remix) – Willie Bobo
11. “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” (9th Wonder Remix) – Roy Ayers
12. “I Get A Kick Out Of You” (Cinematic Orchestra) – Ella Fitzgerald

Purchase Verve Remixed 4 on iTunes:
http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fid%253D281284405%2526s%253D143441

More info or artwork: http://sneakattackmedia.com/campaign.php?id=70

If this doesn’t bring some kind of legitimacy to this site, I don’t know what will.*

*It surely won’t be my skinny jeans post.