Plans

People say to me: "What do you plan to do when you finish your thesis?" To which I reply: "Get really drunk". Then they say: "No, I mean in the long term." I reply: "Yeah, so do I."

Flying Lotus

It took me a while to get why everyone is so excited about Flying Lotus. But with every man and his dog listing his Los Angeles album in their top 10 for 2008, I decided to check it out. It is, it must be said, the dog's bollocks. His set at Days Like This festival was an absolute highlight, and he was kind enough to let people take photos with him afterwards (sorry dude, I was pretty drunk by that stage). Also of note is his astoundingly good essential mix done for BBC Radio.

Tracklisting:

Alice Coltrane - Galaxy in Turiya
Charlie Hayden+ Egberto Gisomonti / Gonjasufi - Testament
Flying Lotus - Massage Situation *stripped*
Dimlite - Sun Sized Twinkles
Flying Lotus - RobertaFlack Ft. Dolly
Flying Lotus - RobertaFlack (Mike Slott Reflunk)
Ahu - I know all the bitches (Bullion Remix)
Heralds of change - Amuse
Carlos Y Gaby - Happy Summer Solstice
Pudge - Yung Infamous
Dorothy Ashby - Myself when young
Nosaj Thing - Bach
LL - Turf Day
Flying Lotus - Infinitum (Dimlite Remix)
Clark - Springtime Epigram
Burial - Shutta
Blank Blue - Blank Blue (Flying Lotus Remix)
Daedelus - Im String Struck
MHE - Untitled
Daedelus / Madvillain - Experience/Accordion (Flying Lotus Live Remix) 35:16 “Shit”
Hudson Mohawke - Zoo0000oom
Rustie - Black Block Remix
Teebs+JackHigh - idea 1 (Clutch)
MatthewDavid - tallahassee tapes
Martyn / Flying Lotus - Vancouver+Pet Monster Shotglass
Fulgeance - Chico (Dorian Concept Remix)
Joker - Solid State
Rusko - Moanerz
Daddy Kev - Invite8
Ras_G - Star Messenger
Madlib - Unreleased Gem
SAMIYAM - Cheesecake Backslap
Knowledge - Dawn
FlyAMSam - Princess Toadstool
Sa-Ra - Hollywood
Muhsinah / Flying Lotus - With me/ Melt
Flying Lotus - Dissecto
Flying Lotus - Breathe
Mike Slott - Home
Flying Lotus - Sangria Spin Cycles (ambient mix)
Danny Breaks - Cosmic Dust
Flying Lotus - Beginners Falafel - (Free the robots remix)
SAMIYAM - Falafel Cannon
Flying Lotus - Beginners Falafel
Slum Village - Players (Instrumental)
Flying Lotus - Cackle
Flying Lotus - Raise it up
Osborne - definition of a breakdown
Baron Zen - Burn Rubber (Dam-Funk Remix)
Mono/Poly - NeedsDeodorantBitch
Chocolate Star / Nelly Furtado - Stay with me/Promiscuous
Gonjasufi - Suzie Q
Kiing Midas - Lost (Flying Lotus Live Remix)
Rusko / Flying Lotus - Terminal3 /Tea Leaf Dancers Live Remix
Daedelus - Hours Minutes Seconds (Beat Invitational Version)
Kode9+Flying Lotus - Kryon
Zomby - Spliff Dub (Rustie Remix)
Busta Rhymes - What Up
SAMIYAM - Crystal Lake
Weather Report - River People
SAMIYAM - Flintstone Car
Flying Lotus - Backpack Caviar
Radiohead - Reckoner (Flying Lotus Remix)
Bjork - All is full of Love
Broadcast - Winter Now
Portishead - Elysium
Linda Perhacks - Hey now who really cares
Flying Lotus - Infinitum (Exile Remix)
Flying Lotus - Live Set Practice run

Radness.

Australian Test side

Reading Stu's thoughts on the Test side, and Christian Ryan's Cricinfo article about the Australian selectors obsession with selecting an all-rounder got me thinking about the Australian team, and more specifically, who I'd select for the SA tour. So, my thinking is that we don't really have a genuine all-rounder like Jacques Kallis, so six batsmen, a keeper and four bowlers, including a specialist spinner.
The first five batsmen are relatively easy:
Katich
Jaques (Hughes should go on the tour to gain experience though)
Ponting
M. Hussey
Clarke

After a glittering 169 against New Zealand last year, Brad Haddin has definitely established himself as Gilchrist's replacement with the gloves and at number seven.

Mitchell Johnson (ranked number 7 in the ICC all-rounder player rankings, and number 4 in the bowler rankings), and Stuart Clarke (third ranked Test bowler in the world) get the first two bowling spots, which leaves three positions: a number 6 batsman, a spinner and another pace bowler.

Despite the fact that it's tempting to pick someone a little younger, it's hard to ignore the mountains of runs that David Hussey has made in both Australian domestic cricket and County cricket. So while it's tempting to pick someone younger (like Hughes, for example), D. Hussey gets the nod due to the fact that the Ashes series follows South Africa, and an in-form David Hussey would be an invaluable weapon for that series. His ability to contribute useful offspin also counts in his favour. Brad Hodge can count himself as one of the most unlucky batsmen in history, but at 34 he's probably just a bit too old.

Spinner: I had a bit of a look at spinners a few months back. Since that time Krejza has been dropped in favour of Nathan Hauritz. I like the cut of Hauritz's jib. He doesn't take heaps of wickets, but he is very economical, and unlike Krejza, he's able to tie down an end. He gets the nod from me, although I still have no idea what Beau Casson did to get pushed down the list of Australian spinners.

With Brett Lee out until the Ashes, choosing a third fast bowler comes down to Hilfenhaus, Bollinger and Siddle. Basically, Hilfenhaus swings it heaps, Bollinger can swing it and bowls good line and length and Siddle is really fast. My pick is Bollinger over Siddle due to the fact that Siddle seems to be a bit hot and cold. So my team would look like this:

Katich (captain)
Jaques
Ponting
M. Hussey (vice captain)
Clarke
D. Hussey
Haddin
Johnson
Hauritz
Clark
Bollinger

with both Hughes and Siddle at least also on the tour. Making Katich captain would allow Ponting to just score a shit-ton of runs, and stop him from making rubbish tactical decisions. Mike Hussey gets vice captain because Clarke's tendency to refer to himself in the third person pisses me off.

President Goofus vs President Gallant

A link, for your viewing pleasure.

Peats Ridge reveiw

I spent the end of 2008 at Peats Ridge Festival with Stu and Sonja, and was lucky enough to snag a review spot for ITM. Review is now up here.

The Australian Flag

I'd like to propose a simple question that should be asked before anyone is allowed to buy an Australian flag:

The Australian flag is:
a) an excellent piece of material with which to make a cape
b) allowed to touch the ground
c) none of the above you disrespectful fucking douche bag

Failure to answer correctly will result in a swift slap to the back of the head, and permission to buy the flag being denied.

Making people explode

It's been a while since I posted anything. I bought a motorbike. It's rad. However, the reason for this short missive from the 2010 is to share this delectable piece from the Huffington Post. I particularly like:

How screwed are the Republicans right now? Put it this way: the sanest contender in the above list is named "Bush." Yes, Bush: a name that proved to be even less popular this year than the name "Hussein." Yet there he is front and center.

Read it. Read it now - especially you, Foster.