Deep thought

I always seem to hit a crossroads with this site since my opinion and point of view isn't the muscle I want to flex anymore.. In fact real strength would come from letting go of my commentary and seeing the similarities as opposed to exploiting the differences.. That's the person that left me hungry and unfulfilled.. A false sense of opinion entitlement or even worse a conviction that I somehow have the answers for others to follow.. Its a scary slope for me and one I would rather leave behind. There's no growth or strength there although my ego obviously thinks otherwise.. I now know without a doubt that the stronger my point of view the less I'm alive. Sure that goes against what a lot of people believe at their core, its usually twisted into some type of honor or pride as if we are stuck in our own version of "Braveheart." Our "story" owns us and many cling to it until we die.. We blame our heritage or our geography, our religion or our parents but in the end its all a copout and a filter that blocks out life as it actually is.. Before this is taking the wrong way, Im not saying its bad to have opinions or points of view, thats called being human.. what i am saying is, for me at least, its bad when the opinions or points of view HAVE YOU. Only you can know the difference..
I feel myself evolving and its amazing to be able to acknowledge what doesn't fit anymore without mental noise stifling the growth.

Classic Em.. This is why hes better than you

DJAM + Travis Barker + Coachella = Record Companies scratching their heads

These 2 together are about as genius as it gets.. both are ridiculously talented and are doing shit in a way that feeds kids the way they wanna be fed nowadays... Problem is what they do is almost impossible to sell commercially because of publishing issues...
BUMMER

Lollapalooza Headliners announced.. Senior Citizens ECSTATIC!!

Depeche Mode (uhhh ok maybe on the nostalgia tip)

Tool (one of the best bands ever but....)

The Killers (only band under 40)

Jane’s Addiction (Love them but Im 38)

Beastie Boys (Love them but Im 38 and they REALLY arent aging well)

Undefeated IPhone Cases- first peek

Eminem Relapse Album Cover

MAY 19.

Im breaking a major rule here

I have a long standing rule of never bringing Andy Milonokis into my life in any way.. Something just aint right with him. Is he 12? 57? Is he funny? Annoying? Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?
Anyway this shit is actually funny and sums up my take on Twitter.. I predict that 6 months from now being "private" will be cool again..

Nike.. I love you again... (today)

I feel like Ive been beating up on Nike lately but its only out of love..... today they reminded me of why Im a lifer.. These are SICK. Im 100% in.
Nike Lunar Lite Plus

Eminem Back in the Day (97)

Im down to have the conversation about the best rapper ever but to even have an argument about best lyricist is futile.. Nobody is on the same planet as Marshall.

This is NOT HELPING!!!

First off I stole this picture from Shanepowers.com which is my go to daily site.. Secondly I wholeheartedly apologize for posting a penis on thephuckery but this shit has to stop immediately.. As you know Im a huge yoga supporter and am on a personal mission to change its standing among the people who live outside of the coasts.. Well this shit isnt making that job any easier.. Try explaining to this to my uncles in Philly!! Go ahead I dare you.. Cmon fellas keep your fucking pants on, I dont care if it gets you closer to the "light." Knock it OFF

Spring is here!

Thats it. nothing more. Just appreciating it.

Next on the Nike Obituary: The Blazer

Dear Nike,

Will you please stop running through the classics like that Jamaican dude at the Olympics.. I am a sneaker guy, I am your demo.. Stop shitting on the core of the brand.. Please. There isnt much left to fuck up. Im the guy who wanted a Nike Swoosh on my grave and it might be time to re evaluate.

Fact

I miss my family... been in Detroit too long..

Thought for the day

Are eggrolls just Chinese Hot Pockets?
- Tina Fey

Dear Obama

Dear Obama,
With all the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Fox News stuff going on I wanted to let you know that I have your back. In fact I am 100% ok with you raising my taxes for the betterment of our country.. Lord knows I was one left turn away from laying sod for a living. I have no idea why things worked out for me but I know most people will never get the opportunities that were put in front of me. Life is too short for all the bickering and I appreciate your drive to get what you got elected for done. Sure you will always be up against those who refuse to evolve but the good news is that their numbers are dwindling. Its become more entertainment than movement.. Stay focused.. Im in...

Ok thats enough.. Im calling bullshit

I almost fell for this whole slip on converse thing when it started, mostly because I was prime for a new vibe after the whole Nike Air Force One fiasco... After seeing this become a flagship for the Abercrombie and Fitch crowd, its time to call bullshit.. a sure sign of this is Ed Hardy has jumped into the slip on converse game.. that is a reverse magnet.. Run for your lives

Muji USA Online Store Launch

Muji has launched their online store for US.. If you dont know about Muji you are sleeping..

MUJI

Deep

The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley just might be the coolest most insightful, brilliantly written thing I've ever read. It basically chronicles his experience with mescalin and how it changed his perception of reality.. Whats cool for me is you can basically replace meditation for mescalin (funny but true) and he nails it. Ive always been fascinated by consciousness and our extremely limited and narrow view of the entirety of it all and this is a bullseye for me..

Hello Im Glenn Beck and Im still a dick.

heres some of his awesomeness

Weight.

Im not a scale guy but i went for it today in my hotel gym in Detroit and by my calculations Ive lost 8 pounds since that "artist" told me I looked fat! Man Im trying... I cant be the fat guy.. My wife has gotten in the best shape of her life since we got married and I ate a bunch of tacos.. No more.. Im motivated!!

Legalize it!

ok enough already.. we are all adults right? so lets get past the reefer madness and legalize marijuana. I dont need some 80 year old congressmen telling me about the perils of weed while his entire family is mired in alcoholism. Im not an expert in much but I know a little something about pot. And im in the record business which means I have a masters degree. Bottom line is marijuana isnt the devil dragon its made out to be, and for alot of people its their glass of wine at the end of the day. The good news is there is no domestic violence on weed, very little crime, and literally zero crying about something that happened years ago. When I was in Amsterdam I saw the contrast first hand.. On one corner there was the "pot" bar where people sat and had quiet conversations, said hello as I walked in, (in fact some random guy offered me his seat) and had an overall peaceful feeling.. (Not in some hippie woodstock way, in a real way..) On the other side of the spectrum, one block away was the typical alcohol bar.. out front their were 2 "frat boy" types wrestling on the pavement.. One had a bloody lip and the other was screaming about some type of soccer game... Inside was a mess, loud testosterone filled mayhem, it reeked of potential date rape.. strong words but thats what it was.. Point is for those who are convinced pot is a gateway drug or a one way ticket to hell, get over it.. its neither, that is all up to the individual, just like it is for alcohol... For many its a relief from the stresses of life, especially now.. For others its an actual pain reliever.. to argue against its use for medicinal purposes is ludicrous. It works. Its sad i can go to a doctor right now and get a prescription for vicodin, norco, valium and xanax and wind up in rehab but marijuana is bad..
Its time to grow up... Bob Marley had a point

Beneath it all lies the glory, the infinite value and meaningfulness of naked existence, of the given, unconceptualized event. Where there is an obscure knowledge that All is in All and All is Each.

Detroit, What?

Someone forgot to tell Detroit that Spring is here.. apparently the memo was lost.. Im here for a video shoot and apparently its going to be 34 degrees tomorrow night.. 34 degrees!

Ive given Detroit a hard time in the past but with everything going on lately you cant help but root for it.

Attn Fox News Tea Party Anti-Tax Protesters

For those of you getting ready with your "God Hates Obama" posterboards for the big anti tax day tea parties on 15th I have some incredible news!!! Guess what? 99% of your are NOT gonna have your taxes raised.. in fact you will be paying less... Now for the limited few that will be paying more (Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck, etc) you will be paying the same rate you were under the Ronald Reagan administration (your Michael Jordan)...

Now what are you protesting again?

You gotta give the Republican party credit, they sure know how to fool them into believing anything...

My brother Jake is wayyyy cooler than me.

Yes this is my brother doing a backflip... Hes either batshit crazy or just plain badass.. When everyone else was grabbing snowboards, he stayed old-school and eventually learned to do shit like this... you will see him someday on X-Games... or swooping your girl.. trust me.

Bruno... Enough Said

the Bruno movie Trailer
by truman_show85

I cant even begin to explain how excited I am to see this movie. 2 hours of gay humor? ABSOLUTELY.. I am so in.

In case you missed: Eminem on Detroit for NCAA Finals

Gotta respect the love for his home town... While everyone else was busy getting famous he never left, never got caught up... pretty fucking cool.. on another note, if your wondering if there is meat on this album.. trust me when i say there's a mountain of it.. In fact you'll be blown away.. Shit, getting me excited about hip-hop nowadays isn't easy and this erased the last 5 years of rap soup floating around my brain.. So for now enjoy We Made You and know that some classic shit is comingggggg very soon.

Inside a Glenn Beck 9/12 Tea Party Meeting

As you know Im fascinated by the world Glenn Beck lives in which is a very scary place where all your rights are being taken away by the evil Obama. (Which is interesting because Bush took unprecedented steps in regards to the invasion of our rights.) Here is some of his crew holding a meeting in middle america which in itself isnt an issue at all, thats the beauty of America. But it is important to have a glimpse into a pretty large segment of our voting block who seem to be stuck in some sort of bad conspiracy movie and might be just batshit enough to do something crazy... thats my issue with Glenn Beck. I personally think hes smart enough not to believe everything that comes out his mouth (he used to be a stand up comic) but I'm not sure alot of his followers are. These are people who live in perpetual fear and grab a hold of anyone who taps into that emotion. The main fellow in this clip is convinced the digital convertor box that we are switching to is a brainwashing device.. Sure thats not gonna catch on but hes exactly the type of cat that gets a VIP card to Becks party.. Enjoy

Aldous Huxley is deep and on point

"A child-like man is not a man whose development has been arrested; on the contrary, he is a man who has given himself a chance of continuing to develop long after most adults have muffled themselves in the cocoon of middle-aged habit and convention."

"Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you."

"One of the great attractions of patriotism - it fulfills our worst wishes. In the person of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what's more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous. "

"Your true traveller finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty - his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure. "

If you have any interest at all check out these books: Brave New World, Doors of Perception, Heaven and Hell and The Perennial Philosophy

Simpson's + Kanye = Gayfish

Meet your meat.

Here's the deal, clicking this link will give you some information about something you likely do every day. Eat meat. Now before you roll your eyes, please know that I, in fact, eat a lot of meat. The difference is that i now only eat humanely raised meat and its pretty damn easy. I believe that a significant amount of people would do the same if they knew the truth about factory farming and greed. Bottom line is its completely unnecessary. If you wanna take the leap to at least know what you are eating, watch..if not all good, I'm not a preacher.

Remembering the Beautiful People

I've been in the record business for most of my life and have worked with a lot of artists all over the spectrum that have expressed themselves visually in all kinds of ways. Some groundbreaking, some safe, some just plain cheese at its finest.. I didnt have anything to do with this particular one but it always stood out to me as fucking brilliant. No matter what you think of Manson, (believe me hes crossed the line many times in my eyes since this), this is as good as it gets as far as capturing a moment in time as authentically as it can be. It was dark, disturbing and aritistically beautiful at the same time... It made people uncomfortable which was the point.. His entire persona was meant to do that... The visual fit the artist like a glove..
This is probably my favorite video of all time... Directed by Floria Sigismondi

Am I the only one scratching my head?

This guy has worked consistantly for upwards of 20 years and I'm wondering if anyone else is blanking on why and how that happened... With todays unemployment at an all time high this freakin guy is hosting about 78 TV shows at the moment.. Try and go a week without seeing this guy, i dare you. His agent must be related to Jesus.

Thank You Bill O'Reilly: Mission Accomplished.

Brilliant... pls watch

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Baracknophobia - Obey
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Eminem "We Made You" video

Eminem - New Music - More Music Videos

HERE WE GOOOOOO

Asher Roth is gonna blow

Sure hes no Eminem but hes in his own lane speaking the authentic language of his audience.. and he makes me wanna do a beer bong.. trust me, hes gonna blow up..

He can be the Pepsi to Eminems Coke..

Yoga

Im on a mission to give yoga a image makeover.. Sure in LA guys doing yoga gets a free ride but try having a discussion with middle america or even worse your family back in "philly" about how you've mastered downward facing dog. There's a 98% chance the response would include the word "vagina." Yoga it seems has the masculine equivalent of quilting to much of America and thats a problem.. Why is it a problem? well for me its kinda changed my life.. not on some type of grand scale like my wife or child have but in a "finding peace" way.. Unfortunately thats where you lose people.. Finding peace sounds like a huge pain in the ass to a lot of people and its damn sure uncomfortable to talk about over a beer.. You'd be much better off talking about how much you can bench. Ive been there too. Ive spent a decent amount of my life downing protein shakes, in fact I was in the 1500 lb club in high school which is astonishing considering I was either high or drunk EVERY SINGLE SECOND of my life back then... I had zero interest in peace in those days.. Back to the point, yoga needs a new PR guy and I'm up for the job... Until I get the call I'll just be happy that i live in LA where I can ride my "mountain" bike to class...

House of Pain x Adidas

Wanna know something funny? back in the day I almost got a House of Pain tattoo!! WORD. can u even fucking imagine... the good news is I never did it, the bad news i proceeded to get a different tattoo that was actually wacker that Ive spent years regretting and trying to get lasered off which hurts like a motherfucker..
Back to House of Pain.. they were my shit and from the motherland. They made being Irish cool and I ate it up. Adidas just released these and if I still got excited over sneakers I would have these on my wall.. Now Ill just appreciate the idea and reminisce...

Meet Rep. John Shimkus

This "brilliant" man is a member of the U.S. Subcommittee on Energy and Envoirment which means he is heavily involved on climate change matters that could drastically affect our lives or more importantly to myself, my daughters life. This hearing below was put together to discuss the fact that the latest data shows the polar ice caps could be gone in 30 years.. (means we die of flooding).. Now Im no expert in this stuff and I don't fall on the side of panic. I do however, in the interest of my daughter want some intelligent dialogue to take place so we can have a plan... This is where it gets scary.. Below is where the "intelligent dialogue" is talking place. Pls watch as Rep Shimkus gives us his take on the situation...



ok.. in my "world" this guy would be immediately removed from this discussion, removed from any and all subcommittees and put in a home for further examination.. To bring the equivalent of Jack and the Beanstalk into a discussion as serious as this is something people should worry about.. this is who dictates the steps we take moving forward. A bigger problem is that 60% of this country apparently feels the same way if you believe poll numbers which is why people like this get elected... Now before this comes across as something it shouldnt I must say that I believe in God.. just not the jealous one who sends people to a fiery lake and certainly not the one that believes (per the above Bible reference) that "every inclination of our hearts are EVIL from childhood on." The God I believe in is more apt to separate him/herself from the man made book that has caused so much divisiveness and ignorance and see it clearly for what it is: mans interpretation of him with an emphasis on fear and control written by people who werent alive in Jesus's time who used many themes (virgin birth, cruxifiction, ascension to heaven after death, etc) that have been around in various cultures for hundreds of years. I know this whole thing is an explosive issue and Im down for whatever makes people feel alive but when it gets airtime with people responsible for policy on a national level its just plain scary... this is not the time for ideological quicksand.. simple intelligence will due just fine..

Walk in Kanye's shoes..

I have a bit of a love/hate thing with Kanye. On the music side whether or not you like it you have to give him credit for being authentically him and going up against the status quo of a genre that was close to death. He bought back creativity, flipped the fashion game and opened the door so Hip Hop can officially go thru puberty.. On the personality side this guys is completely consumed by his ego and the arrogance borders on ridiculousness.. In other words hes kind of a dick. But even on that end Im confused because I like rock stars to be rock stars.. Axle was a dick back in the day and I wouldnt want it any other way.. its selfishly entertaining at least.. Anyway Nike broke their golden rule of "athletes only" on the commerce end.. Yes theyve done sneakers with artists before but those were promo, these are an actual release. I saw a "tent" line around the block yesterday at Undefeated so I suppose hes on to something.. and Nike needs it.. the cool factor has a little dust on it after pimping out the Air Force One to a state of unwearable.. (unless you find Ed Hardy fashionable)
My opinion of them is the same as my opinion of him.. You gotta give him credit for pushing the limits but its obvious his ego created this bad boys... Ima pass but I cant be mad..

Art: Hush/Veiled Beauty Expo

FIFTY24SF Gallery
248 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94117

Just add water

"The grass is always greener where you water it."

I just had lunch with one of my oldest friends and he dropped this gem on me compliments of his lady... Marinate on it, its actually brilliant.. So much better than the "imaginary other side." (Thanks Darren and Kristy)

The Year of Living Biblically

Im reading a book about a guy who decided to live one year following the literal translation of the Bible.. truly hilarious except for the fact that in 2005 a poll showed that 55% of Americans see the Bible as literal truth.. For those people I have some fun facts they may not know:

Eating Shrimp is punishable by death

Mixed fiber clothing is off limits and punishable.. in fact its mentioned more than Gods take on homosexuality

One must break a cows neck at the scene of an unsolved murder.. (no joke)

Rape is commonplace in the Old Testament.. its the "Baseball" of the old days..

Slavery is also fine.. no issues there unless of course you covet your neighbors slave

A child that disobeys his parents should be taken to the middle of town and stoned..

anyway you get the point... and this is what the President swears on on Inauguration Day! I wonder if people even know any of these things, the Bible is chock full of this type of stuff and yet we never hear about it.. only that the Bible is the truth..

I recommend the book, its pretty funny and A.J. Jacobs is a great writer.

Picture above is his beard which he let grow (another rule) throughout the year

Bad News.. (from shanepowers.com) = hysterical

"what sign are you?!"

One of them "Kiss of Death" dealbreaker questions If a mama asks me that on a first hang.
Sure it's fun to head to Book Soup and peer into the pre-ordained roadmap to your relationship death, based on which moon is in it's 4th retrovibe mercury override.
But if your comin right outta the chute with this fuckin madness then you are a weirdo, and I don't want my life and the way I live it decided by which quadrant of moondust is relevant to my Capricorn rising.
I'd rather have our relationship decided on how we treat each other, not because you just pulled a "triceratops love fate gone wrong" card.

Love, Shane

shanepowers.com

Colbert on Glenn Beck= CLASSIC

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Pure Bred Jackass

Fox News is really at the top of their game.. Their latest superstar Glenn Beck might be the most ridiculously annoying host I've ever seen. I try my best to be listen to those with different views and/or perspectives but this guy really tests my whole vibe.. Giving a platform to someone who preaches such hate and fear is irresponsible. Unfortunately there's way too many people who aren't able to see this for what it is.. entertainment.

Phat

So I was in Vegas a few weeks ago and ran into an artist I haven't seen in awhile who jokingly referenced the fact that my belly is looking about 5 months pregnant.. Actually come to think of it, my fucking Wii Fit told me I was overweight when I signed up 2 months ago to play a damn videogame.. Typically these things roll off of me but for some reason my brain immediately kicked in with about 90 minutes of "shit your fat... you've let yourself go.... i thought you were "healthy" guy".. you get the point.. I weighed myself before a massage i had later that day and saw numbers I've never seen before.. I didn't weight this much as a 22 year old bloated alcoholic!! What happened!?. I remember when I couldn't gain a pound if I did nothing for a week but smoke pot and eat cheesecake.. (I actually tried that)

anyway... Im done.. Fun time is over. Since that day I've been on a mission.. not a diet (those are horseshit) but changing the way i do things.. lots more yoga, bikeriding, dog walking, etc and chilling on the white flour, french fries and sugar... I'm focused!! I cant become one of those guys after marriage who slowly work themselves up 6 jean sizes.. Not gonna happen... thanks to the artist that created the spark!

Pro Ignorance

Seems like those on the Pro Life side of things think Pro Choice somehow means Pro Abortion. I was gonna post this interview I found of someone high up in the Pro Life movement where she kept speaking as if the other side just cant wait to get abortions.. (computer issues) like it was a hobby or something.. Most people know this couldnt be further from the truth.. In fact, Im 100% Pro Choice but dont think I would be able to go through with it if the situation presented itself.. What I do know is that decision isnt one the government should make. Those guys dont get much right and i definitely dont want them near my personal life. Its all ultimately tied up in religion and to me separation of church and state is at the top of any civilized society. This whole drawing a line in the sand thing is unfortunately dividing this country on so many issues. I suppose its like this all over the world depending on whos in power. Hopefully at some point people begin to understand perspective.. and that goes for Pro Choice proponents as well.. The argument here gets silly tho because as the law is now allows everyone to "walk" their beliefs without treading on anothers feet.

SkullNBones Undefeated Interview

Interview wise this is a disaster but I love these guys and its kinda funny..

This isnt "YOU"

Still at the top of my list of life lessons is the life changing realization that "I" am not my brain.. Articulating how powerful that is for me is impossible. That shift in perception has uprooted everything I thought I knew and allowed me to be free. For most of my life my brain has been like a bad neighborhood, robbing me of the beauty of life.. Reminding me of what i dont have or relentlessly judging others as if I sit on top of lifes mountain.. Sure the human brain is what separates us from all other species on the planet and it is capable of miraculous things.. but it pales in comparison to what lies behind the brain.. Most of lifes greatest gifts: love, joy, creativity and inner peace only use the brain to label them. Its an incredible computer keeping an enormous database of every experience and reaction of your life.. and if you are only tied to it you are stuck with that one perception of life. Someone who has grown up in poverty surely has a different database to pull from than one who is choosing between a Mercedes or BMW for their sweet 16 birthday bash. Those who have had relationships with people from other races, religion or sexual preferences clearly have a difference than those raised in the Klu Klux Klan. The difference comes when one rises above the data to see it for what it is.. data.. a simple perception based on input and one reaction to it. Things get scary when people are surrounded by people with similiar data which reinforces ones pereception of brain as reality. Truth is the brain separates us by hundreds of different categories.. Democrat/Republican, Catholic/Buddhist, Gay/Straight, White/Black, Good/Evil.. the list goes on and on.. It pays Rush Limbaughs salary.. Each of these categories come with a box that one must stay in or risk being booted.. The sad part is most people live their entire lives here, stuck on either side of a number or divisive lines missing the fact that underneath the brains data we are all the same.. and thats really what matters..

Up Your Sock Game..

No, socks arent all the same.. having a good shoe game is a no brainer.. but socks? thats a power move.
Undefeated socks.. none better.

Get em UNDFTD.COM

Tweet This!!

So it wasnt from lack of effort.. in fact i gave it a decent whirl.. I figured worst case I would have a better understanding of the latest on-line craze of the moment.. Along the way I realized how ridiculous I felt each time I "tweeted".. That word alone makes me extremely uncomfortable.. Sure I definitely see the marketing angle for anyone in politics or entertainment.. and i cant deny the voice it gives to those with something pertinent to say.. But the buck stops there.. when your average joe is letting his 2000 followers that he is currently enjoying a cup of coffee or walking the dog I wonder what is driving them.. Are we so against being in the moment that we've resorted to broadcasting its details? "I'm now stopping to smell the roses" .. When in reality its more like "I'm stopping to type that Im smelling the roses so my followers can see how deep and connected I am when in actuality I'm scared to death of the lack of self dialogue that comes with actually being in the moment." Like everything theres a huge grey area here and Im sure there's plenty of emotionally stable people reporting that they are currently taking a piss but for me I feel like a jackass..