Friday Fun

It's been a great week, got a couple rides in, looking like a third tomorrow, and I'd ride over the weekend too but for a camping excursion that's in the works. Nice!

Before we get to the tunes, a few short thoughts.

First, I don’t know what is a sadder statement about American culture… that I texted a friend today, a college graduate I was to ride with “Where U at?” and that we both understood; or that my smart phone, so-called, didn’t autocorrect that the way it constantly autocorrects all the grammatically correct phrases I type in.

Second, it was nice getting in the third ride of the week today, just an hour and ten or so with Seibold and Todd B., who I hadn't seen since 'cross. Took the fixie out, and man, was that painful to try to keep up on the wheel. Painful but good, it's the quickest way to get fit, providing you don't hurt yourself. Spun out if it's even slightly downhill, standing climb if it's even slightly uphill, panting the whole way to keep up with a couple fast guys who were just cruising on geared bikes. *Good*.

TOT 21: The Elusive Seiboldus Hirsuticus Trackstanding Behind a Tree

Third... spring just broke today. It felt damned good, didn't it?

Fourth, you need a really good, stylish wool jersey to ride in next winter, right? Well get yourself over to Stevil Kinevil's place and put an order in for one. No, it's not cheap. Uh huh, it's a Smokey and the Bandit jersey. Yes, it's going to be really well made by Earth, Wind and Rider, who make some beautiful premium merino wool gear. Plus it'll make Farrah Fawcett crazy about you, and if you go camping with Ned Beatty, it'll ensure that Ned's the one the hillbillies take an unnatural shine to. You can't go wrong! Stevil is closing the order in a couple weeks so get your order in now. And as if you needed any extra motivation, he sponsored the *$&% out of the Tacchino last year, so 15% of you are wearing or riding on stuff he *gave* you. Support those who support the sport, right?

Finally, let's have some music. I think we're going to do some mashups this week.

First off is some mountain biking with a great musical mashup of Black Sabbath's War Pigs, and Ludacris' Move, Bitch. Yeah, I know, it's garbage. I don't care. I love it. NSFW and an unlikely couple of songs but it works just fine. It also features some shred-o-matic MTB riding.




That was good. But this one is so old school that there's ivy growing up the sides of it.



Now this next one is nice. Mixing Queen, Weezer and Joan Jett is kind of like having a cupcake that's equal parts cake, frosting, and candied cherries. It's not exactly nutritious - not a lick of fiber in it - but man, it's tasty, and amazingly no one part overshadows the others.



Now this one... well, the songs aren't equal. But it will make old hippies cry. And it's damned good. I don't know why. It just is.



Hey, what's the difference between the Beatles and Metallica? One's an overrated, self-important sellout band fronted by a pompous ass, that plays simplistic music with trite lyrics that millions of T-shirt wearing stoners inexplicably love. And the other one plays heavy metal.

I actually like Metallica a lot. But what if Metallica and Lady Gaga had a love child? Well... this:



Yeah, that adds a new dimension to head banging. I was banging mine on the desk just now. It's compelling in a really disturbing way. Or maybe it was disturbing in a really compelling way. I don't know.

The best mashups work because they put some things together that you'd never imagine working, but somehow they work pretty well. I hate to say it but Lady Gaga and Metallica are like that.

So are Jay Z and Verve.



Wow. It's a bitter sweet smack my bitch up, if ever I saw one.

Sometimes a mashup works fine and makes you smile - like when Run DMC meets the White Stripes. If you're a person of a certain age - about 38 to about 50 - this one has to make you smile.



And sometimes a mashup just works beautifully as a piece of music. This one is complex, and beautiful at the same time. Wow, good call to put them together.



Have fun this weekend. Ride hard. Drink deep. And do whatever other Verb/Adjective combination makes you happy.