Amoeblog

HURRICANE TINA: THE DESTRUCTION OF CRYSTAL METH

Crystal meth affects all groups equally - devastatingly.

One of the most damaging drugs of our age has to be crystal meth (aka Tina, Crank, Speed, Ice,  etc.) - which doesn't discriminate when it comes to those who get caught up and spun into its dangerously addictive web - attracting, and in turn addicting, members of every age, gender, race, economic background, and sexual orientation it can - if given half the chance.  However of all the groups that fall prey to the drug,  it seems that the urban gay communities are the most resourceful in their fight against meth or at least in disseminating useful  information about the drug's dangers. But others are active too including the infamous, sobering Multnomah County Oregon State campaign that shows the before-and-after pictures of meth abusers. -   the visually powerful project that began when a deputy in the Corrections Division Classification Unit put together mug shots of persons booked into Oregon's Multnomah County Detention Center - not pretty.   Although not one of these meth offenders booked into the North West detention center, Mark E. Smith of the Fall (right), who is an admitted longtime speed freak (inspiration for the Fall's classic "Totally Wired" came from somewhere), could easily qualify as a part of this shocking-but-effective anti-drug campaign. One of meth's side-effects is the awful damage it does to teeth.

The Los Angeles bus-stop poster (above) photographed directly outside Amoeba Music Hollywood about a month ago was sponsored by West Hollywood's weholife.org which is funded by the City of West Hollywood.  According to this organization and other US health groups, longterm and widespread methamphetamine abuse can lead to devastating medical, psychological, and social consequences. Its abuse can include such adverse health effects as memory loss, aggression, psychotic behavior, heart damage, malnutrition, and severe dental problems in addition to, according to one health care organization,  "contribute to increased transmission of infectious diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, and can infuse whole communities with new waves of crime, unemployment, child neglect or abuse, and other social ills." 

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Posted by Billyjam on August 22, 2007 at 07:45am | Post a Comment

TALIB KWELI STAYS TRUE TO HIP-HOP'S ROOTS

Brooklyn emcee's conscious heartfelt rhymes a welcome rarity in rap today
In contrast to so many rappers today who pride themselves on 'going dumb' and acting 'ignant' Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli prides himself on staying smart both in his life (along with Mos Def he owns an independent, non-profit black bookstore in Brooklyn) and through his refreshingly conscious music that harks back to the golden age of hip-hop when saying something positive was as important as a laying down a catchy hook for the radio and dancefloor.  It is no coincidence that "Kweli" in Swahili means "true" since the artist is 100% true to hip-hop as a positive black artform meant to uplift rather than dumb-down the masses.

 Like his longtime collaborators and old Rawkus pals Mos Def and Hi-Tek Talib Kweli has always stayed true to hip-hop's roots but yet has managed to stay current and vital. Personally I think he is one of the few contemporary artists making hip-hop that is worth a damn and when I first got his 2006 single "Listen" (off his new album Ear Drum) it just got stuck both in my head and on my turntable for weeks on end. It is the way hip-hop should be: good track and hook with lyrics that actually say something. Check out the video for Listen below. But later today (Monday August 20th) if you are in the Los Angeles area you can probably see/hear him perform it live if you check out his Hollywood Amoeba Music instore. It starts at 6PM but get there early to jockey a good position.  And if, like me, you will not be in SoCal take advantage of the live streaming of his instore via this website which also is scheduled to start at 6PM Pacific Standard Time.  
Posted by Billyjam on August 20, 2007 at 08:23am | Comments (2)

(In which Job educates you and also lies here and there.)

I’m looking around my apartment (it’s a bachelor, so this doesn’t take much time) at my collections of who’s-its and what’s-its (you want thing-a-ma-bobs? I got plenty) to find something I want to tell you about, in hopes that it will inspire or delight you, as it has me.

Which is awfully presumptuous. I mean, there’s a small chance that you and I don’t have the exact same tastes in everything, right? Maybe you don’t think that “Love & Rockets” is one of the finest works of literature in the history of mankind; perhaps you’d disagree that beholding a Rothko in person can be an emotional experience; mayhap, though this seems ridiculously far-fetched, you might even balk at my pronouncement that both Isaac Albéniz’s operas and “SCTV” are under-appreciated.


My idea of a chick-flick. No. 14, 1960, by Mark Rothko

But I digress. Life is confusing and challenging enough without entertaining the idea that you and I might be different. The best course of action is to assume we’re on the same page, and that the only real difference between us is that you don’t know about some of the stuff I do, and my job is to tell you about these things, so you can rush out and discover them. D’accord?

I’ve been employed by Amoeba Music Hollywood for nigh three years. For the first year, I worked full time in the classical music section. This was a valuable opportunity to further develop both my collection and knowledge of the genre. (For instance, I learned that the piano is actually played with hands, and that Mozart wrote most of his music during his lifetime!)

My tastes in classical music are broad. I’m particularly fond of British music of the Victorian era, modern Scandinavian composers, German lieder, and most Baroque music, especially if it involves woodwinds. I’m not a fan of Mozart, except for his operas which are some of my favorites; I detest Chopin and die a little inside when a customer asks me for advice on which recordings of his music to buy; Russian romantics leave me wanting and Anne Sofie Von Otter’s 1993 recording of songs by Edvard Grieg makes me rock out with my cock out.

Posted by Job O Brother on July 17, 2007 at 12:06pm | Comments (2)

WHAT'S IN DEMAND IN DVD SECTION @ HOLLYWOOD AMOEBA

Amoebite Gabriella Reports from the vast DVD department at Amoeba Hollywood
 Gabriella works in the DVD department of Amoeba Music Hollywood - located in the mezzanine area of the cavernous Sunset Blvd building that stretches one full block. She's been at Amoeba for almost three years now and was recruited by fellow Amoebite Chris Carmena. She works on the registers twice a week and three days in the DVD department's movies, which is her passion, she says.  In total twenty Amoebites (a lot!) work in the extensive Hollywood Amoeba Music DVD section where there is a truly amazing selection of DVDs - in every genre you can think of, found in both new and used, and at damned good prices.

AMOEBLOG: What are three of the most popular DVDs with Amoeba shoppers in the last week or so?

GABRIELLA:  “Cocaine Cowboys”, “An  Inconvenient truth”, and with the recent Paul McCartney in-store performance, we’ve had a lot of Beatles music DVD’s selling out.




AMOEBLOG: Who shops in Amoeba Hollywood's DVD section? And does the fact that the store is right in Hollywood - home of the movies - make a difference?

GABRIELLA: We have the most diverse clientele- from celebrities to tour buses full of Japanese visitors. We attract all types of people because we satisfy every taste!

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Posted by Billyjam on July 10, 2007 at 03:56pm | Post a Comment

A Perfect Day - Patti Smith at Amoeba Hollywood

- It's just a shot away -
I can't believe this happened. I still have goosebumps. Patti Smith, live at Amoeba.


I also can't believe she chose to do some of the very songs that have held me close in safety these past few years: Gimme Shelter. Perfect Day. Helpless. That's
weird and beautiful, scary too ... thank you, Patti Smith.

I thought after meeting Tina Turner, I could just die. Hey, life doesn't get any better
than that! Climax! Then Joan Baez did an instore at Leopold Records in Berkeley, and I got to meet her as well. Of course I thought: now I can die. Zenith! (I am aware that this is not healthy thinking, okay?)

Those were the records that I listened to as a child - these were the women who saved my life. How many chances do you get to look someone in the eye who stormed the world and demanded change, and damn well GOT THE CHANGE? How many chances does a person get to thank them - in person?


Posted by The Bay Area Crew on May 4, 2007 at 07:25pm | Comments (3)
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