Well, that is according to my record collection, as far as this guy is concerned..

Yours in satan lovin’ gayness. (hey I kinda like Ted Nugent) xx aa

PS: Just for fun, here’s Scott Ian of Anthrax fucking up his own song on guitar hero. He’s a hero because he’s humble and bald and rad as fuck .. Whammy!.

Although I try not to crow on about it too much, as I don’t want to force any opinions down anyone’s throats,
I often get asked why I eat the way I eat. (I’m vegan – but hey at least I’m not macro! Those dudes are hardcore)

Allow me to explain.

It really wasn’t much to do with animals, though that does factor in a little more now.
It was always a question of my own health (never better) and resources.
The amount of energy and land required to make equivalent animal protien and plant protien is astonishing.
The meat industry is astonishingly hungry (sorry) for energy and resources when it comes to production.

A recent study at the University of Chicago had some remarkable results.
I quote Kathy Freston from commondreams.org –

“They noted that feeding animals for meat, dairy, and egg production requires growing some ten times as much crops as we’d need if we just ate pasta primavera, faux chicken nuggets, and other plant foods. On top of that, we have to transport the animals to slaughterhouses, slaughter them, refrigerate their carcasses, and distribute their flesh all across the country. Producing a calorie of meat protein means burning more than ten times as much fossil fuels–and spewing more than ten times as much heat-trapping carbon dioxide–as does a calorie of plant protein. The researchers found that, when it’s all added up, the average American does more to reduce global warming emissions by going vegetarian than by switching to a Prius.

According to the UN report, it gets even worse when we include the vast quantities of land needed to give us our steak and pork chops. Animal agriculture takes up an incredible 70% of all agricultural land, and 30% of the total land surface of the planet. As a result, farmed animals are probably the biggest cause of slashing and burning the world’s forests. Today, 70% of former Amazon rainforest is used for pastureland, and feed crops cover much of the remainder. These forests serve as “sinks,” absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, and burning these forests releases all the stored carbon dioxide, quantities that exceed by far the fossil fuel emission of animal agriculture.”

Her full article is quite an interesting read.
The full report is interesting if you have time.
Though for the quick, quick version, our old mates at goveg.org simply say in their take on it:

“By far, the most effective thing that you can do to fight global warming is to go vegetarian.”

Quite simply put I think.
Vegetarian is the new Hybrid car Indeed!
xx aa

Interesting article from brianiacs about what they would teach non-eggheads about science. click to read it. xx aa

Time to start thinking heavily about how your vote will change the way you live in the next forty years.
Click Here..
I guess it’s not much more important than this now is it?’

No point fighting wars over who’s religion is more true if there’s nothing to eat or drink.

xx aa

So the Big Day Out have asked Sydney people nicely to leave their flags at home.
Good on them.
Last year there was rampant jingoistic fuckwittery practiced by some of those wearing Australian flags as superman capes.

(jingoism |ˈji ng gōˌizəm| noun chiefly derogatory extreme patriotism, esp. in the form of aggressive or warlike foreign policy.)

(fuckwit | fäk-,wit | n: a mean, selfish, insensitive, and otherwise uncaring prick) .

They were walking around in mobs of ten to fifteen, demanding that strangers “kiss the flag”. If they refused, they were beaten up.
Fuck that shit.

I love my country.
My flag does not mean that shit.

If Ken West wants to stop that kind of thing happening at his event, so be it. It’s his show and he can do what he wants.
Damn those arseholes for taking the flag I love and turning it into a symbol of jingoism.

Good on the BDO crew for making sure everyone has a safe day.

All the prime ministers and RSL guys and flag society people can say all they like, and that’s fine.
They were not there. They did not see the what I saw.
If they did, they would tell these fuckwits to take the proud flag of our nation off of their backs quick sticks, because they are shaming us all with their stupid, belligerent behaviour.

Enjoy yourself, I wish I was there.
Look after each other, respect each other’s differences and enjoy a great day with your mates.
Wear earplugs and keep an eye out for rampant fuckwittery.

xx aa

So, every now and then, God’s gift to rock ‘n roll, my mate Grant, gives me a CD.
He’ll just shove it in my hands and say – “You need this.”
Past CDs include – The Flaming Lips: Soft Bulletin, JJ Cale: Troubadour, Sly and the Family Stone: There’s a riot goin’ on.
Some pedigree indeed.
I’ve known him for about fourteen years now, and I trust him implicitly.

So anyway, the other day, he gives me Candi Staton, The Best Of Candi Staton.

Holy sweet Jesus and Krishna tandem base jumping from the big Buddah at Leshan Mountain in China.

Pain?
Hurt?
Passion?

This woman has all of this and more coursing out of her voice, all set to the backdrop of some of the most baddass soul beats and tough-as-fuck horns you’ve ever heard.

She’s sexed up, lonley, heartbroken powerful and vulnerable all at once.
It’s some of the greatest vocals I’ve ever heard.

So – potential Idol vocalists take note.
When Marcia, Mark, Kyle and Dicko say – “You’re soulless” – it’s because they’re comparing you to singers like Candi.
Listen to this woman.
Listen and learn.
Emoting through music is the key to connecting to your audience, and creating loyalty between you and them.

The difference between Candi Staton and someone like Pussy Cat Dolls is like the difference between six slices of grilled cheese on vegemite toast and a three course Italian Meal served by the water in Naples cooked by a seventy year old granny who’s never been out of her village.
Both will fill you up, but one you will remember forever.

I have listened to this album four times in the past 24 hours.
It’s all time.

The best thing about Candi Staton is that she’s still around, still touring, and still slaying them in the aisles.
Behold.
She’s hurting, and bringing it out in every note.

xx aa

Ok so many, many years ago I loved the 12th man records and learned each one by heart word for word. I dreamed that one day, years later I would meet Billy Burmingham to shake his hand and thank him for teaching me how to swear. So one day, years later, I met Billy Burmingham. He and I chat. Years later still, he calls up and asks me to be on his new 12th Man Cd. I dance around in joy and wear my best ‘81 world series shirt for him when he comes over. We do the voice over session in my kitchen and he directs me. The man who taught me how to swear on record is now in my kitchen teaching me how to swear. A few weeks later, the guys at work start calling me “Nathan Bracken”. I turn on the TV tonight and there he is, Nathan Bracken with my name written on the back of his cricket jumper. Pop culture fantasy and reality are all coming crashing together for me in one massive maelstrøm of manifest destinty.

I think I have to lie down now.

xx aa

I’ve had a few friends do this, and in this post about moving to NYC, pretty much everything they talk about happened to them, and mostly in the opposite. Though it’s about New York, the ideas in the post are very relevant to any Australian city.

In this day and age of staying at home until you’re in your late 20’s getting all your meals cooked and your laundry done until you’re married and move in with your spouse, it’s important to realise something.

Move out of your parent’s house.

Now.

Pack your shit, throw away your pokemon posters that you’re holding on to, and move out of home.

Instantly become more employable, sexy, fun, responsible, rootable, accountable and loose by moving out of home.

There’s a reason your parents make you feel like a teenager when they talk to you, it’s because
YOU NEVER GROW UP AND BUST OUT OF THAT MOULD UNTIL YOU MOVE OUT.

Just do it.

Sure, you’ll be poor and have to live with people who bring strangers into your home and nick your imported Bill Laswell Cd’s – but you’ll eat packet pasta and feel like it’s gourmet, sleep on a bumpy futon and think it’s a queen double, have a cold shower because of your minute share house hot water system and think you’re bathing under the warm waterfalls of Hawaii, because you ARE NOW AN INDEPENDENT AND FREE MEMBER OF SOCIETY AN NO LONGER A BABY.

Welcome to the world.

xx aa

I learned a few things today,

One – That only now has the mainstream media caught on to the true genius and filth that is Yumi Stynes. Yumi is an insipirational author, performer, photographer, mother, chef and friend. Yumi has bigger balls than most people I know (including me)..

Two – That on second viewing, Happy Feet is still a fantastic movie. It should win an Oscar for being awesome and making people dance out of the theatre (that happened both times I saw it. What other movie made you dance out of the theatre??).
Mumble is an incredible penguin, but he’s no match for my original two penguin heroes, Pingu, and of course the true minimalist genius that is Pokey the Penguin. 3D penguins are no match for Pokey! I once made my own Pokey the Penguin shirt, I love him so much.

Three – Cornerstone of Skate/Punk culture, THRASHER magazine is putting up it’s Entire first five years of issues as pdf files. What this means is, if you’re into skating, you can educate your sugar and ADHD Med riddled brain on why you skate the way you skate now. It’s because they skated they way they skated then. 1981 magazine typesetting at it’s finest, and the photos are RADICAL. Really. Even if you don’t skate, it’s really fascinating.
Thrasher, first 12 issues. click and enjoy, then put on some Suicidals and get possesed.

xx aa

Sneaky Sound System throw the best party on earth.
Icebergs New Year’s Day is the greatest fun one can have on a dancefloor, ever.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I love it.

xx aa