CD Review: Various Artists (Mixed by the X-ecutioners), Scratchology (Sequence)
The X-ecutioners crew (DJs Roc Raida, Rob Swift and Total Eclipse) successfully mix early influences in this brief turntable history lesson and welcome addition to the Sequence Records Series (which includes entries by Dan The Automator and Tony Touch). Even if you have some of the tracks already (like "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" and Herbie Hancock's "Rockit"), they are given new life alongside rarer tracks by DJ Cash Money & Marvelous Marvin, Davy DMX and Mixmaster Gee & The Turntable Orchestra. There are also several interesting interludes and a healthy dose of Roc Raida's ego ("I'll Kick Ya Ass"). - Iain K. MacLeod

from Mixed Messages | The Coast - Halifax's Weekly (May 29 - June 5, 2003)

TV: The return of Ken Finkelman's series The Newsroom

Post: Trailer Park Boys | Metafilter

Column: A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #67 (May 26)
Forest fires, criminal cops and misrepresentative maps.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Film: "I apologize to the financiers of the film, but I must assure you it was never my intention to make a pretentious film, a self-indulgent film, a useless film, an unengaging film." - Vincent Gallo on his L'Affaire Brown Bunny (Chicago Sun-Times)

Film: "In one of the funniest gags he conjures a monkey that emerges head first from the posterior of a thug who beat him up a couple of days earlier." - Stephen Holden on Bruce Almighty (New York Times).

Column: A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #66 (May 20)
Crustaceans, convicts and the Canadian Navy.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Music: I just downsized Radiohead's Kid A and Amnesiac into one single CD (Kid Amnesiac?). While I do like both albums, I think there is a little experimental, self-indulgant filler on both that can easily be shaved. I actually think it was NME or Q that did this before, but I thought I would give it a crack seeing as the new CD is quickly approaching. The only real pattern is ordered them by feel and then alternated tracks from the two discs. Here is my track listing (subject to change without notice):

01. Like Spinning Plates
02. Morning Bell
03. Knives Out
04. The National Anthem
05. I Might Be Wrong
06. Idioteque
07. Packt Like Sardines in A Crushd Tin Box
08. Everything In It's Right Place
09. Dollars & Cents
10. Motion Picture Soundtrack (edited to 3:16 minutes)
11. Pyramid Song
12. Optimistic
13. You And Whose Army?
14. How To Disappear Completely
15. Morning Bell/Amnesiac

Total time: 67:22

Next up: The Beatle's White Album (inspired by this).

Column: A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #65 (May 13)
Sunday shopping, bonding with billets and cussing in the House of Commons.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Quote: "Eminem was fine with me having the parody on my album but said he was afraid that a Weird Al video might detract from his legacy, that it would somehow make people take him less seriously as an important hip-hop artist." - Weird Al Yankovic (Launch)

B-day: According to the IMDb, I share a birthday with: Enrique Iglesias, Greg Thomey, Don Rickles and Harry S. Truman.

Fred Savage turns 27 in a couple months. I bet Kevin Arnold would have had an interesting blog, what with the wacky misadventues of Paul Pfeiffer and Winnie Cooper.

Here are some celebrities that made it to 27: Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. Since I don't have the same access to mind altering substances of self-distruction and fire arms, chances are I will outlast them (in years...not necessarily culturally).

My Onion Horoscope: The stars don't think it would be fair to give you a new prediction until the one about finding happiness, love, or wealth comes true.

Music: The Madman of Electronica | Slate

Column: A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #64 (May 5)
Anthrax scares, West Nile preparation and our depleting dark sky.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Quote: "Canadian laws and regulations intended to protect Canadian citizens and landed immigrants from government intrusion sometimes limit the depth of investigations." - State Department report on global terrorism (Ottawa Citizen)

Woo-hoo! I guess the great white north is the true home of the free now!

Quote: "Why can't they make little doctors or lawyers?" - the director of the Yollocalli Youth Museum on Homies (NY Times)