How to create your very own Jandek-style album:

The musical process:
1. Detune every string on your guitar. Strum an open chord.
If any two strings retain any semblence of concord, repeat.
2. Take an audio recorder and turn it on.
3. Press random frets and strum erratically.
4. Scream your thoughts on the first thing that comes to mind--
be it Jesus, drug trips, or days of the week coupled with the names of famous European cities.

The cover art:
You have a choice here.

You can take a poorly-lit picture of:
1. Yourself,
2. Buildings,
or 3. Furniture.

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Bonus Indie Creds:
Send this guy a copy of your record, along with a genuine Jandek record.
Ask him which is which.

Hipster.

I came across the word in On the Road.
It turns out they like that book.
It turns out they like Warp Records, and Radiohead, and Eastern religions, and vegetarianism, and wearing thrift store tees with American Eagle sharpied on, and Vespas, and coffee shops.
I am 91% hipster according to a quiz on Hello Quizzy.
Go figure.

Hear me out, world. Hear me out, world. Hear me out, world. Hear me out, world. Hear me out, world. Hear me out, world. Hear me out, world. Hear me ou

wasted time, messy house, unwashed body in the morning, tasks! all piling on my shoulders,
my life is permeated by a feeling of aimlessness:
hear me out, world. Tell me where to go from here, then
give me a push. Daring dreams, with wings and things--
or if not, at least an eloquence to communicate my uncertainty--

tell me: is this eloquent enough?
Are you listening?

What is 1,900 pages long and reads like Nietzsche?

This man's suicide note.

P.S. Reading a life of Empedocles, I felt how old is this desire to make a god of oneself.

This letter, so far as I am conscious, never attempts this.

On the contrary, I consider myself one of the most common humans.

You may recall those days of twenty years ago when we discussed "Empedocles on Etna" - under the linden trees.

In those days I was one who wished to make a god of myself.

Shit happens

Are you, by any chance, looking to shove atheistic existentialism (hidden under the thin veneer of theism) down the throat of your 4-year-old child--while simultaneously giving them a newfound appreciation for canine fecal matter?
Wow, have I got the perfect movie for you!

That's right, folks! Doggy Poo has it all:
the meaninglessness dog shit that is you, the unchangeable consequences of all your past misdeeds, the inevitability of death (in the form of an ox-drawn carriage) from the moment of birth, the cruel winds of chance sweeping some forward and leaving others behind, the horrible monotony of each and every day, and the finding meaning (in your love for another) before your life is over.

No, really.

Anime and manga I like

I don't know how much I blog about it, but I'm a huge fan of these mediums.

For the record:
My favorite anime is Haibane Renmei and my favorite manga is Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.
I also enjoyed Satoshi Kon's movies, Tatami Galaxy, Boogiepop, FLCL (more for the subdued romance than the action and humor.

Of course, realize that I've watched far less than I should have by now, mainly due to my lack of patience with long series. To keep myself interested, I tend to opt for films under half an hour. Among these, my favorites:
Cat Soup (for which Bo Ningen is doing a sexy live cover at the Branchage), Kakurenbo, Dimension Bomb, She and Her Cat (great mood, mind the sentimental narration), and the second (second (second)) episode of Twilight Q. I'm hesitant to recommend Aquatic Language. Its message is forced and its got clumsy dialogue, but I love the camera. And maybe try Mt. Head; mind the predictability, but super dig the Japanese banjo and opera.

Satoshi Kon's death

Schoolwork prevented me from finding out about the death of anime director Satoshi Kon until this week. This event has been covered by all our dear anchors in the aniblogosphere and I don't care much for redundancy, but I'll mention that I, too, was taken aback by his sudden death and the note he left behind.