Broken Saints Blog-a-Plenty

“We’re all voyeurs…let them watch.”

Weekend Warrior

glass shields and cotton armor

broadsword for a tongue

too many teeth?

(posted by tobias)

In my daily ramblings I stumbled across something that, given some of the forum debates I’ve been a party to, I simply couldn’t resist: I present to you the Theory of Incompetent Design!…
(make sure to click on to page 2 – the song is quite delightful!… besides being about as far out on the nerd index as it’s possible to go…)

Granted, it’s probably a little too subtle to win over many committed creationists – whatever they’re calling themselves this month – whose armor is, like that of the US administration hawks, generally impervious to fact… but amusing and insightful for the rest of us.

Hmmm, it occurs to me that when very simple logic becomes ironically amusing, it is perhaps evidence of some kind of kink in the old garden hose of perspective…

– tobias

Harold Pinter at the Nobel Academy

Hi folks, tobias tinker here. (!)

To explain… Brooke, being pretty snowed under with DVD deadlines and such, has asked me to share in the blogging duties for a while to keep things fresh around here. He also ‘dared’ me to be brief (those who know me a little know it doesn’t exactly come naturally)…

So, I’m letting an able surrogate stand in for me: Harold Pinter, winner of this year’s Nobel Prize for literature. EVERYONE should read his acceptance speech. It’s hard-hitting and heavy going, but hardly anyone is talking as openly and as passionately about what’s really going on as this, in as visible a forum. Read it in full before you believe the spin that will doubtless be applied in the mainstream press.

And hey – while I’m assigning massive reading assignments – when you’re done that, if you’re not sufficiently disturbed, and/or if you have the slightest doubts about the verity or the gravity of his assertions, read this too: Maureen Farrell’s fact-filled (and fully supported) tour of the history that has led us to this quite terrible place in history. And that’s only part I – when you get to the bottom, click on parts II and III. I know it’s a lot, but in the face of what’s at stake, we owe it to ourselves to get educated and start stripping away the lies.

Sorry my first installment is all doom-and-gloomy, but these are – no matter how you slice it – dark times. And I know I cheated on the brevity bit, but it’s for a good cause: knowledge, awareness, possibly even – dare I say it – hope for change?

-t

JANYSE WANTS SOME MISTLETOE…

If I can plug the goods of strangers, then I can certainly get all cheerleady for our talented friends, right? We get asked to pimp stuff a LOT – and I’m more than happy to help those who’ve bolstered the BS banner – but it’s extra nice when you don’t need to turn on the spin machine and polish a turd 😉

To the right is a current pic of Janyse Jaud, who many of you know as the busy local voiceover actress that SMOKED as Shandala in the DVD version of our series. But did you know that sweet Janyse was also a smoldering holiday songstress? T’is true! She got in touch last night to share news of her sexy Xmas-themed Jazz-Swing CD…and the samples over at her site (entitled “Santa is Mine Ho Ho” and “Home Sweet Home” – both oldschool odes to the troops overseas) deserve to grace your ears.

The psycho-empathic Shanstress I expected – that’s what she was cast to do. The award-winning Ed, Edd, ‘n’ Eddy schtick – the gal’s proven to be a wee bit wacky (just watch the audio featurette). But this? The girl coos! She croons!! She even composes!!! I always rave about our talented pals…but this is just getting silly 😀

Posted By Consumption Lad!!!

There was a 3-hour ‘friends and family’ sale that FS was holding nationally on Sunday night, and it was totally worth dragging my weary ass to. Not only did I get to hang with some of these little guys at the adjacent shop, but we got visual confirmation that the DVD was sold out at yet another location. Sweet.

Oh yeah…and I bought some shit. 😛

Holy-day prezzies were the call of the hour, but “10% below wholesale” is the shopping equivalent of getting me wasted on sambuca and asking if I’m into being ‘a tad exhibitionist’, so I couldn’t help but grab myself a few inspirational goodies, and share news of the loot with you fine voyeuristic folks:

– THE DARK CRYSTAL (Collector’s Edition): The Henson benchmark? I have friends who would say otherwise…but they’re idiots. Beautiful Art and powerful Myth for all who witness. The perfect thing for a gloomy Sunday afternoon with the curtains drawn and the cocoa brewing…and I can’t wait to hear the Skeksis in Surround!

– SOUL CALIBUR II (Gamecube): Oh yeah, you can rest assured I played this ad nauseum when it first came out, but I was too cheap to actually buy my own copy – I’d just ‘borrow’ it from Drew until he’d figure out my angle 🙂 But at only 20 bucks to hang with Kilik and master Cube-exclusive Link all over again? Damn skippy I’m shelling out for that business!

– THE TRAGICALLY HIP (‘Hipeponymous’): And here’s the real reason why I’m making this post. The Hip, as they’re affectionately known, is my country’s greatest band. Not only did they help to define rock for a generation of hosers…they chiselled out what it means to be CANADIAN. A bluesy, folky, twangy, and completely rockin’ ensemble of amazingly talented musicians, with Frontman Gord Downie the prism for poetry of the highest magnitude – waxing physical, political, historical, and metaphysical all at once – his pained and orgasmic vocals set for the heart of the Sun.

I was itching for this ‘best of’ collection to come out, ’cause it ain’t your average cash grab by a long shot. A tall ‘n’ lean gold-etched black hardcover with four plump discs sandwiching a meaty book of original sketches and poetry ain’t bad for 40 bones…but what’s ON those discs is easily worth three figures:

To start, there’s every ‘favorite’ song from the lads imaginable, as rated by billboard listings AND national fan voting (37 tunes on two CDs!). Then there’s a DVD with EVERY weird and uniquely Canuckian music video they’ve ever done(that’s 23, for those who like to keep count), along with a Meeting-People-is-Easy style show doc and some more animated art/poem pieces. And finally, ANOTHER DVD with a freakin’ 24-song balls-out concert at the Air Canada Center in 5.1 with the Hip faithful packed shoulder to shoulder in screaming adulation. Man!!!!

It’s a flippin’ CRIME that The Hip aren’t bigger beyond our borders. They’ve tried, and garnered a loyal and loving cult base in Europe and beyond – but where the Barnakeds are fuzzy pug puppies that widdle themselves for your amusement, and Bryan Adams is the aging golden retriever you love to toss the tennis ball for, the boys from Kingston, ON are more like a pack of howling wolves that remind you how fierce the world beyond our doors really is…

…and how much we miss it that way.

With the Holy-day season orbiting around us – along with the 25th’s inherent ‘gift gravity’ – I’ve been uncermoniously pulled into the inescapable event horizon of the year-end retail experience. And since I assume that most of you are in similar Santafied Stygian swampiness, here are a few AV morsels to keep a reservoir of steam in strides – and stoic smiles on liquored lips – amidst the crushing commutes and weekend warzones.

Spike Jones got paid to do something we all fantasize about.

Shiver me timbers! Davey Jones never looked so Love(craft)ly.

The only worthwhile seasonal news anywhere…I love you, Johnie-boy!

Adventures in Synthetic Biology…the interactive comic you never knew you wanted.

Fresh Flash from the forums…Mortal Kombat VS Street Fighter!!!

Stopped by his lawyers, but somehow surviving…and still frickin’ surreal. Pudding POP!!!

Shot By the tireless Kimmie V

As the fog sets in

You feel embryonic snow

And can smell Winter

Join the fight to end this suffering…

Smallest of ‘Demons’

We shall endure it