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Friday Music Cue: Super Sweet Jam with Chaka Khan on The Drums

My beloved Clyde Common named one of 2008's Best Bar Esquire's Best Bars names

I totally concur with Wondrich's assessment of Clyde Common as one of the Best Bars in the country. That it got unaccountably cut from my story on Portland, OR in the June/July OUT bummed me out, but these things happen in late night pre-deadline crunch edits at mags. When that story goes online sometime in the next week I'll be posting my own expanded version here, but for the moment here's what I wrote about CC:

CLYDE COMMON DOMESTIC & FOREIGN COOKING
1014 SW Stark St
503-228-3333
clydecommon.com

A perfect bar and restaurant combo. The space is airy with tall windows and ceilings and the communanal seating at long wooden tables fosters conversations with fellow diners.  Chef Jason Barwikoski’s close relationships with local farmers means unbelievably fresh ingredients that he presents with simplicity and savvy, letting the flavors speak for themselves. As good for lunch as it is for dinner, when the mellow Northwest light casts a calm glow over the dining room.

The bar is on par with any of the serious cocktail bars in the country but with an special emphasis of fresh ingredients and homemade tinctures. With a amazing wine list and one of the best whisky walls around, you could easily spend the rest of your life at the Clyde Common sipping scotch or  original cocktails and grazing on appetizers. A cool crowd of web and marketing people, foodies and artists fill the bar after dark, and plenty of ‘em gay. The later it gets the sexier it gets. Do not miss this one.

Drinking and Driving (Parked Cars)

My piece on the piece on the unbelievably cool (and punishingly-but-worth-it expensive) music player system is up at Esquire.com. To demo the player the PR guys invited me down to the showroom-which happens to be in the Classic Car Club on lower Hudson Street. (Mostly) guys buy into the club and get access to an astonishing array of vintage automobiles for weekend jaunts, dates and just plain old-fashioned joyrides. The garage where they're stored and showcased is also a private club with a bar, Guitar Hero set-up and the mighty, mighty Sooloos. They let me and some friends come down to let us try the thing out, and left us locked in after hours. We rocked out and took full advantage of the well stocked bar and a giant bottle of Maker's Mark, drinking and driving parked cars til late. Sometimes I envy my own life.

Thanks to Mark Tusk for many of these photos

So Long, Sydney Pollack

Technically Pollack's not in this scene from "Husbands and Wives" where his character's estranged wife is reaming him on the phone, but damn, that's good Jangly Davis. I'm gonna give it to him.

Last Look: Room 666 (really), Bridgetown Hilton, Barbados

Friday Music Cue: Children's Story

In honor of his full pardon by Governor Paterson, here's Slick Rick.

John Jay's Real Time BlackBerry Trailer Reviews: Harold & Kumar 2, Electric Boogaloo

I review some trailers for your ass even though it is highly doubtful in will make it to your fucking blog...

Harold and Kumar

I am the only one in the theater - that's scary.

Dale denton - that is good weed, james franco, seth rogeson- good dope "like god's vagina" seth sees murder, bad guys huntiing stoners, in a dumpster, thug life, hijinks galore, my thumb is my cock...Pineapple Express

Changed things forever, no going back, you're just a freak like me, Heath brilliant as Joker, batcycle looks cool, let's put a smile on that face, Darknight oh fuck ya

Maybe its the cold wind, or the strange rumblings beneath the streets, wow, creatures , underworld, tentacles, battles, firegirl, "now you've pissed me off" Hellboy 2 yes yes yes

In a time when a world is searching for happiness, love guru, mike meyers, slapstick, site gags, sorry I didn't catch your gnome name, has to get hockey player back with his wife, jessica alba, justin timberlake, no no no Love Guru

Super Sweet Mix

Chopped cane at a sugar factory in Barbados over the weekend.

Finally got motivated to try out Muxtape, the cool mp3 mixtape sharing site. I could only fit 10 songs on the "tape", but it's a great way to pass 'em around.  Essentialy you just share a player that sort of hijacks your (willing) computer's speakers.I also just figured out that all the names in the color bars on the home page are mixes from others, and often have unsigned artists posting material. And there are mixes from other users in all genres and it's a pretty great place to do some random listening. Great to make discoveries and put sounds with names-I'd heard about the awesomely titled Frightened Rabbit from a music writer this weekend, but just came across a track on this mix.  I'm getting excited about music and mixes again, which is good since I'm spinning with Sam tomorrow night (Tuesday, June 20th) at Trophy Bar. Here's a muxtape I made with some ideas I've been toying with for tomorrow night. 351 Broadway, right by the Marcy stop on the JMZ. I'm planning on doing my set around nine o'clock, and maybe another one after Sam wears 'em out.

Friday Music Cue: King Samo's New Mix

My sort of adopted baby brother Sam has a super sweet new mix that he's selling on his MySpace page. He and I will actually be spinning this Tuesday, May 20th, at my new favorite bar on the South Side of Williamsburg, Trophy Bar. If you are in New York and you like to have fun, I recommend you come. Here's a preview of Sam's mix.

Two Writers

I did an e-mail interview with Holly Johnson for my friend's webzine, Radiate. It was more of a correspondence, really. I was caught up in other things when the whole process started, and it took me by surprise when he first got back to me-and was wicked smart and political and rad and a writer, too. Had to step up my game. I think he still trounced me pretty good, though. Check it out here.