We got two volvo wagons in our driveway, so I figured I'd throw this one up. The video is shot in Ballard - a pretty white, middle class neighborhood in Seattle that Grynch and myself live in. Dude is actually a pretty-well established rapper in the Seattle, especially for a dude who looks 14 years old. He's made a name for himself by completely embracing the fact that he's a really average white guy who raps and doesn't bullshit on his verses. Thankfully, Grynch lacks that malady that seems to plague a vast majority of underground rappers, causing them to rap about richer rappers, why hip hop is dead, and why they should get a record deal instead of actually fucking saying anything. Whether or not you like the song, think it's corny or funny or dope, (and I can't even make up my mind myself) take a minute to respect the fact that this man honestly earnestly loves his fucking Volvo. There's no irony involved in this shit. Whether you like or not, it's real, and that's why you have a lot of people in the Seattle hip-hop community who are from completely different (i.e. ethnically diverse, poor, South-end) backgrounds than Grynch showing him respect. Plus the video looks good for a low-budget affair.
Showing posts with label seattle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seattle. Show all posts
4.27.2010
9.11.2009
A Social Experiment
Part of a person's particular charm are the quirks they possess - the strange-ass culinary combinations they like to eat, the little catchphrases they use that no one else does, things they enjoy or wear that you'd never expect.
But what if a person was composed entirely of said quirks?
This summer, I lost a good man. My dear friend Johnny Buccola spent the summer in Montana working at a fly-fishing lodge. He is this man, an amalgamation of quirks. His presence being sorely missed back home, we needed some way to keep his influence in our lives. So, a friend and I started a blog solely devoted to Mr. Buccola. The blog became really an analysis of him as an individual, an exercise in stating what our friend was really about, and a sensation among his friends and acquaintances. Will it be interesting to folks who do not know him? We've heard reports and rumors that it can be.
If you're at all curious, investigate
http://stuffjohnnybuccolalikes.blogspot.com/
But what if a person was composed entirely of said quirks?
This summer, I lost a good man. My dear friend Johnny Buccola spent the summer in Montana working at a fly-fishing lodge. He is this man, an amalgamation of quirks. His presence being sorely missed back home, we needed some way to keep his influence in our lives. So, a friend and I started a blog solely devoted to Mr. Buccola. The blog became really an analysis of him as an individual, an exercise in stating what our friend was really about, and a sensation among his friends and acquaintances. Will it be interesting to folks who do not know him? We've heard reports and rumors that it can be.If you're at all curious, investigate
http://stuffjohnnybuccolalikes.blogspot.com/
8.13.2009
Humpday
Google the term "bromantic comedy." You'll find scores of writers using this phrase. So we're going to go ahead and assume that you agree that the comedic subgenre that Judd Apatow made incredibly popular is in fact a real trend. If you're still skeptical, go see Superbad, Pineapple Express, or, what some folks are calling bromantic comedy's "greatest height": I Love You, Man. Fools must not have seen Humpday.
Humpday is still playing in Seattle, where your boy here is from and where the film was shot (for dirt cheap) by local director Lynn Shelton. And yes, she is a woman. Is it playing in your town? Fuck if I know. But you ought to check, because the film was picked up (read: bought) by distributor Magnolia Pictures and is/was playing at major cities round the US. And if it isn't playing where you're at, stay vigilant for the DVD release.
For me, the main appeal of Humpday is that it achieves, and bests, what these in vogue bromantic comedies do - show, in a funny yet earnest way, the love that exists between bros. Whether or not the Judd Apatow comedies have helped bring about or are merely a reflection of this shift in mainstream masculine culture in the US, I would certainly argue that heterosexual man-love is increasingly acceptable to show and discuss publicly. Humpday takes this a step further, however, by directly addressing the homoerotic aspects of male relationships from the get-go.
The premise is that two old (straight) friends dare each other into making a gay porn together. Such a film would be, in their estimation, a work of art, but more important to the characters is asserting their masculinity by not pussing out of this big gay dare. Each guy tries to talk the other out of the dare, one has to tell his wife, a game of basketball descends into a wrestling match - it's all hilarious and believable. The film form aids this believability - the dialogue is almost entirely improvised, and the film is shot in a very raw cinema verite/documentary style. The characters, the situation, and the locations (houses of Shelton's friends) feel real. Real real.
The film is remarkable for the fact that it takes its premise and never lets it descend into a farce. It remains a believable and hilarious character study the whole way through, as our two protagonists attempt to pull off this porn in a desperate attempt to stave off growing old and stale. It's much more mature and just as funny as any of the Hollywood bromances. It makes you wonder: could you bone a straight friend? Is your aversion innate or culturally constructed? And if you did, would that even be art, or just a ludicrous dare?
Humpday is still playing in Seattle, where your boy here is from and where the film was shot (for dirt cheap) by local director Lynn Shelton. And yes, she is a woman. Is it playing in your town? Fuck if I know. But you ought to check, because the film was picked up (read: bought) by distributor Magnolia Pictures and is/was playing at major cities round the US. And if it isn't playing where you're at, stay vigilant for the DVD release.
For me, the main appeal of Humpday is that it achieves, and bests, what these in vogue bromantic comedies do - show, in a funny yet earnest way, the love that exists between bros. Whether or not the Judd Apatow comedies have helped bring about or are merely a reflection of this shift in mainstream masculine culture in the US, I would certainly argue that heterosexual man-love is increasingly acceptable to show and discuss publicly. Humpday takes this a step further, however, by directly addressing the homoerotic aspects of male relationships from the get-go.
The premise is that two old (straight) friends dare each other into making a gay porn together. Such a film would be, in their estimation, a work of art, but more important to the characters is asserting their masculinity by not pussing out of this big gay dare. Each guy tries to talk the other out of the dare, one has to tell his wife, a game of basketball descends into a wrestling match - it's all hilarious and believable. The film form aids this believability - the dialogue is almost entirely improvised, and the film is shot in a very raw cinema verite/documentary style. The characters, the situation, and the locations (houses of Shelton's friends) feel real. Real real.
The film is remarkable for the fact that it takes its premise and never lets it descend into a farce. It remains a believable and hilarious character study the whole way through, as our two protagonists attempt to pull off this porn in a desperate attempt to stave off growing old and stale. It's much more mature and just as funny as any of the Hollywood bromances. It makes you wonder: could you bone a straight friend? Is your aversion innate or culturally constructed? And if you did, would that even be art, or just a ludicrous dare?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
