Ebae sold me his fixed gear cog so I think tomorrow AM - unless there's some snow on the ground warranting a PDP ride at Patapsco - I'm off to Rosaryville to explore a whole new fixed gear way of breaking my ass. Looking forward to it. Because I'm a dumbass, when you get right down to it.
Now I'm going NSFW with the music choices today. Last chance to turn away kids. And if you're under 18 get out of here, aight? Otherwise I'm telling your parents.
So... Changing subject... it's not often I show ads, but this one is pretty awesome. A couple things about it: 1) Russian tycoon uncouth. I'd swear this is the guy that Putin/Medvedev had sentenced to 50 million years this week; 2) dogs playing poker; 3) Opulence? I has eet. 4) Miniature giraffes! Miniature f***ing giraffes!!!!
Classy. Like Frank Sinatra.
Frank was a great singer but in truth probably wasn't classy, except in the sense that the Hells Angels use the term "class." Or as has been said, "the kind of person who uses the term 'classy,' as a rule, is not." Dude was a heavy drinker, womanizer, sort of uncouth, and hung out with guys who, at best, were basically animals. But he had a glam image so that's why we love him, right? Cake is classy though. For sure. Wife of Rouleur had never really heard of Cake until recently when I had a bunch queued up on Pandora. "Oh, they're interesting," she says. That's a good way to put it. I like interesting music.
Some music is interesting to the point where it doesn't really make sense. For instance, the Butthole Surfers were sort of a metal / thrash band when I was coming up. You might catch them at a show with some post-punk band or another. I can't recall exactly but think they may have played with Black Flag at one point.
Then I hear this song:
Great song, but in the context of the Butthole Surfers doing it, well, interesting.
Of course that's nothing compared to this.
Holy cripes, is nothing sacred to these xtranorml people?
Oh well. As long as I'm sitting here drinking a Dale's and listening to defiled music, might as well go with some Richard Cheese. Whoever put this video mashup together is pretty awesome - it mashes up RC doing Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" with some random Bollywood flick.
Wow, that's horrific. In a terribly wonderful kind of way... And if that doesn't creep you out, then creepy-syrupy-crooner guy Josh Groban called one of his best selling hit albums... you guessed it! Closer! Ick!
Just Ick.
Some mashups we remember because they are sorta epic and unexpected and they work because the stuff that is mashed up is complimentary. There's no irony, no cognitive dissonance.
That was the first of the great rock/rap mashups. It worked because of the musical commonalities, but also because a principle that Sepp articulated holds true: good musicians play good music. This video was also socially significant; it broke down a major wall between "black music" and "white music." It wasn't musicians from one genre co-opting the other's work; it was a collaboration. You watch this, and you realize that it makes the Beastie Boys, Kid Rock, Eminem, In Living Colour, and a bunch of other genre-bender, post-racial acts possible. Great stuff.
Then you have Hayseed Dixie... This mashup works not because the two mashed up forms mesh, but precisely because of the sheer distance of the mashup from the original work.
Damned if I don't just love that. But it's mind bending in how it plays off our expectations.
While we're at it, we've got Rouleur Reader Fave Ace of Spades.
Great song. Set to a scene from Bullit. Funkin' A, you can't top that, right?
Think again.
So that probably just totally unraveled Motorhead's version on you. Wow.
How do I top that and end this post? With Hayseed Dixie destroying Greenday of course.
Don't say you weren't warned.
10 comments:
The extranormal was awesome, but the Bollywood mash-up with RC was outstanding. Almost as good as a miniature Giraffe
How dare you, Sir! Nothing is almost as good as a miniature giraffe. Nothing, I say! Mwaaaah haaa haaa haa.
Pepper is a timeless, if strange classic. Glad it was included this week.
I've got an espresso question for you. I've tried quite a few different types of espresso blends and find that they fall into 1 of 2 categories. I'm curious if you have similar experiences and if so have any idea what imparts the qualities of each.
1. Starbucks and Breuggers have a lighter, less intense but sweeter taste and more rich crema.
2. Illy, Lavazzava(sp?) from Italian store, Peets, and Cafe Pronto have a much stronger, and sometimes almost bitter taste when mixed with the same grind and proportions as the above. The crema tends to be not as think or noticeable as the previous. It seems that these espressos have better character when slightly diluted in a larger cup.
I anticipate the comments about Starbucks and Breuggers being mass marketed crap coffee but there is clearly some difference between them and the highly rated coffees. Is there an Italian style vs. French style or some sort of other difference?
You got me. Even slight variations in grind, amount of grounds used, age of the bean (pre- and post-grinding), pre-warming of the portafilter, distribution of grounds in the basket (clumping), pressure on the tamper and brew time have a huge effect on how coffee tastes. I will admit to being skeptical that you can get a really good cup from pre-ground stuff. I use Illy and other Italian brands on my office machine and they are *ok* but not optimal. If you're using pre-ground stuff, yeah, most of it will lack body and crema because the oils evaporate within a couple days. FWIW, I don't like the Starbucks much - the beans taste overcooked. I can get an okay shot out of it if I grind it myself, but not great.
When I lived in Europe I found the espresso generally got stronger and richer the closer I got to the Mediterranean, including the Eastern side of it. The Croatians had the most amazing espresso, it was sooooo rich... The beans were probably cooked less, ground more, and brewed faster (which produces more body and less bitterness).
Which reminds me, time to fire up the office coffee maker and have a shot or two. Good timing.
For better crema, my tip would be to make sure your tamp is even (14 grams) and to stick to ristretto, about 3/4ths of a shot from a double shot (14 grams) worth of beans. That usually does the trick, if the beans (and their roast) are capable of crema and rich texture & flavor. .
Jim!!! You Coffeegeek!!!
Crema production can be affected by a lot fo different things...blend composition, age of roast, brew pressure...
Generally, blends with Robusta...yes, there is high quality robusta...will produce more crema and have higher caffeine content.
The older a coffee is from roast date, the less crema will be produced...I roast my own and pitch coffee older than 2 weeks from roast.
If you brew at improper...generally low pressure...you will get less crema...high pressure...you will get low flow, less espresso and less crema. Pressure is determined by grind, tamp and machine pressurestat setting. Too coarse will result in low pressure. Too fine will generally result in low flow, but not necessarily high pressure...this is where the pressurestat comes in...it regulates the max pressure at the puck and so if pressurestat setting is exceeded flow is diverted from the puck resulting in lower flow.
Proper pressure can be set by putting a guage in line with the grouphead...if there isn't already one there...and using a blind filter in the portafilter. Proper tamp takes practice, but once you have the tamp down, you have to tweak grind based on the coffee you use...some espresso blends definitely require a coarser grind than others.
For the best shots, use fresh and properly roasted (read this as non-burnt). As I said I roast my own...
Always pull doubles (not singles or triples), but pull them short...as Jim said ristretto...but I would say a ristretto is not 3/4 of a shot for a double...a proper double is ~2 oz...a ristretto is 1.5 oz. Cut the shot before the shot turns blond is my recomendation.
Wow, I had written something that detailed but made it simpler. Well put Ebae. I generally make my ristretto around 1 ounce in a 2 ounce demitassse. My basic rule for best flavor & crema is when the color of the coffe flow starts to lighten up, time to stop.
Yep. Religious differences.
"Oh well. As long as I'm sitting here drinking a Dale's..."
We've never met, but I knew I liked you. Just wish we could get Dale's in Utah. It's from Colorado. You could walk to Utah with it. But no, neither Oskar Blues nor New Belgium distribute in Utah. Oh well, at least we can get Black Butte Porter and other Deschutes beers (by paying through the nose for it--$11.10/six pack), which I guess only 13 other states can claim.
Oh, and I want a mini giraffe. Bad.
Wow, the Dixie Hayseeds! Like a hootenanny on acid!
@ Ski Bike Junkie...you send me Deschutes and I'll sned you Dale's....
Fun fact - the lead singer of the Butthole Surfers is the son of a local kid's show host. Sort of a North Texas Captain Kangaroo.
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