Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Vinoteca Farfalla - Follow Up

It turns out that Vinoteca Farfalla is not in Silverlake. It's in Los Feliz...so they're used to the bourgeois. No problem.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Vinoteca Farfalla

At a new wine bar called Vinoteca Farfalla with Vic. It's in Silverlake so you know all the neigbors groaned when they heard a wine bar was opening up...so bourgeois. I like it.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Melissa And The Scientologists

By: Ben Tiernan


I have a friend named Melissa, and she’s awesome. Among her many incarnations of awesomeness, she’s the Managing Editor of Television Week which sounds pretty damned fancy to me. MSN, which is a cable network, also thinks Melissa’s awesome. That’s why they choose her to espouse on the topic of Scientologists and the media. Here’s a a video of Melissa doing her thing.

Rogue Poet

By: Ben Tiernan

I thought that I was a fan of William Blake. His “Songs of Innocence and Experience” is quintessential stoner lit, and he’s revered as an engraver turned self-taught genius poet – which appeals to me. His public artistic life had the flash in the pan characteristics of modern celebrity, but his art endured, and that’s cool too.

He was a rogue artist whose work was related to the late 18th century Romantics, but kissing cousins at best. His work was better suited for the French Symbolists who were popular half a century after he died. His personal engravings, and those he produced for his own publications are cerebral, symbolic and way out there – again, totally unique an cool.

Turns out, he’s too far out there for me. I just can’t get into him like I used to. His poetry seems simple and a little crazy, and his engravings give me nightmares.

I grow old…I grow old…, I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

This is what I'm talking about. Scarry right?

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Wage Slave

By: Ben Tiernan

While I was out having a few drinks with a friend, he told me a story about a coworker of his that travels most of the year for his job. This coworker is important to the organization and well paid, but the obligations of his position keep him on the road and away from his family.

One day, his young son asked him, “Dad, what’s it like living at the airport?” His son actually thought his father live at the airport. This makes me wonder, is his son a moron?

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Good Song: Naked

Usually, I reserve something as trite as song sharing for my Myspace profile, because myspace is for desperate losers, but this song is so good...it's awesome.

Dig it...This person is naked. So what?

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

"Tsotsi" Not An Obscure Film

By: Ben Tiernan

Friends and acquaintances have informed me that "Tsotsi" is not an obscure film. I’d never heard of it before I saw it, and I really thought its cultural relevance ended at the inspiration for the game “Which Member Of Tsotsi’s Gang Are You?”

Apparently, it even won an Oscar – I believe it was for Best Movie Based On A Game.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Tin Car Gets 10 Page Views A Day

By: Ben Tiernan

Choke on that, New Yorker. Tin Car gets an average of 10 page views a day from as many as four unique daily visitors. That’s right, that’s four people that won’t be reading encrypted “Shouts And Murmurs,” or fancy “Goings On About Town”. Better not turn around, them’s Tin Car’s footsteps you hear behind you.

To those noble four readers who spend an average of 5 minutes and 50 seconds on the site, you are forward thinking and attractive. You are intelligent, well kept and expeditious. You are creative, moral and misunderstood. Tin Car understands you. Tin Car has your back.

To address Tin Car’s dismal readership, I’ve updated the promotional video with hip new music from “The Lonesome Architects”. Thanks to “The Lonesome Architects” for making beautiful music and for letting me use it, and thanks to David for giving them a call.

Here’s the updated clip. I entered it in a contest for videos under 1 minute to get some exposure. You can go HERE to vote for it. Four more votes can’t hurt.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Ancient Art

By: Ben Tiernan

It’s been a big music week for me: I saw the Black Eyed Peas tear up a charity dinner, I saw the Queens Of The Stone Age and I saw the Rolling Stones. First of all, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen Fergie perform her hip-hop acrobatics to “Pump It” in a ball gown. The Queens of Whatever opened for the Rolling Stones, and I’m happy to say that the QOTSA rocked. What ever it is that I’d heard of theirs before was more manicured than the hodgepodge of sounds lost in distortion that erupting from stage Monday night. It was very cool.

I’d never seen the Rolling Stones live before. I’d caught a performance or two on TV at some major cultural events like the Super Bowl, and Live Aid, and personally I always thought their performances were a little lame. My experience with the Stones was that of ancient rockers cashing out on their once relevant rock anthems of youth and rebellion. Of course, I knew it was important to see the Stones, and I was genuinely excited, but my expectations were low.


It turns out that seeing the Rolling Stones live is like viewing a familiar masterpiece in person. It’s like standing in front of Michael Angelo’s “David” for the first time – you’re reaction is, “That’s awesome.” The analogy of Michael Angelo’s “David” and the Stones is particularly appropriate because their awesomeness is made even more impressive because they are so old.

Those skinny little Brits jumped around the stage like they were 45 years younger, and they sang everything. You don’t realize it, but every song ever recorded before 1989 is a Rolling Stones song. Beyond Satisfaction, and Jumping Jack Flash there is boundless world of songs that you learn at birth, and those are also Rolling Stones songs. I suppose I knew that old farts could rock too, but it was nice to see it proved.

Friday, March 10, 2006

WHICH MEMBER OF TSOTSI’S GANG ARE YOU?

By: Ben Tiernan

I saw a movie called Tsotsi this weekend. It’s a South African movie about a boy living in a shantytown who is a hardened criminal by his mid-teens. When he steals a car and shoots the owner he finds a baby boy in the back seat. It’s a lot like Savannah Smiles in pigeon Afrikaans.

Tsotsi is the leader of a gang of misfit thugs. Some are murderous, and some are happy go lucky, and while I watched the movie I thought that these were good modern archetypes. The thought led me to ask:

WHICH MEMBER OF TSOTSI’S GANG ARE YOU?

Choose which member of Tsotsi’s gang of delinquent man-boys you’re most like.

Tsotsi


Grew up on the streets of Johannesburg's shantytowns, making his home in abandoned drainpipes on the edge of these sprawling ghettos. Having lost his parents to AIDS at the age of nine he has no memory of his early family life. Tsotsi is the leader of a small gang, which is comprised of Die Aap, Boston and Butcher. He appears to have no moral or ethical problem with inflicting violence on anyone who stands in his way, and only tolerates his crew as long as they continue to serve his purpose.


Boston


Is much smarter than his companions. Unlike the other members of Tsotsi's gang, Boston is filled with an immense self-loathing and a hatred of violence. When drunk, Boston cannot control his tongue and constantly talks down to those he thinks are less intelligent than him.


Die Aap


Has been Tsotsi's loyal follower since childhood. He is big, strong and stupid but is happy to do as Tsotsi orders.


Butcher


Is the most bloodthirsty of Tsotsi's gang and thrives on inflicting pain upon others. Butcher has never known a moment of love in his whole life and is probably beyond redemption.


Let me know what member of Tsotsi's gang you're most like.