I don't need to ride yours, I got mine right here

[kalpurna]

1. I'll tell you what I love about Lupe Fiasco, besides EVERYTHING: I love the way he talks about women in his lyrics. And not just generic stuff like the feminist lines in "Dumb It Down" (having the sketchy record label character tell him to "pour champagne on a bitch" and "these girls are trying to be queens, Lu, dumb it down") or "I used to hate hip-hop... yup, because the women degraded" in "Hurt Me Soul", or even the way he has a woman's spoken-word poem open both his albums, giving women the first word before he opens his mouth once. It's the way he fleshes out his female characters, makes them real and worthy of respect and interesting. My personal favorite is the girl on "Kick, Push" and "Kick, Push II", because seriously:
   Met his girlfriend she was clapping in the crowd
   Love is what what was happening to him now
   Uh, he said I would marry you
   But I'm engaged to these arials and varials
   And I don't think this board is strong enough to carry two
   She said Bow, I weigh 120 pounds
   Now, let me make one thing clear
   I don't need to ride yours
   I got mine right here
   So she took him to a spot
   He didn't know about
   Something odd in the apartment parking lot
   She said I don't normally take dates in here
   Security came and said, "I'm sorry there's no skating here"
   
   That is a REAL GIRL, oh my God! She is! He underestimates her, and she's just as real as he is! And:
   And see, his girl was a white girl
   But, just 'cause she was white, see her life wasn't light-world
   She, too had the drama thick[...]
   As suicidal feelings would rise, switch over to transitions, helped her conquer it
   Pays for her momma's pills with a sponsership
   A cell phone bill and a Honda kit Uh-huh
   And that's why she skates with him
   Someone to feel her pain and her place to be
   
   Stars in my eyes, Lupe Fiasco, stars in my eyes. And it's not just the one song, it's all of them. Gold Watch! Hip-Hop Saved My Life! God, I love his face.
2. SO on a totally different, but still music-related, note, last night I went to this hilariously tiny and wretched bar in Trenton with quettaser to check out A Love Like Pi, who were thoroughly awesome, kind of electronica-rock and I strongly recommend seeing them if you can. The actual headliner was Postmark Twain, who were adooorable and reminded me of the Hushies and had Christmas lights all over their drums and wrapped up a microphone stand. But I think my favorite part of the night was the third opener, a tiny white kid who goes by the name Team Goldie, and sings/raps along to an iPod of music he recorded himself, playing all the instruments. Babies, I am not lying to you: this dude is GABE SAPORTA REINCARNATED. They are brothers from another mother. He does the Saporta booty-shake! He jumps around off the stage and whips out salsa moves and swings the mic around! He QUITE CLEARLY came here to make us dance tonight! And four seconds after Rachel and I turn to each other and share this simultaneous realization, he, oh yes, COVERS A MIDTOWN SONG. Ugh, AMAZING. His EP is up for free downloading for a couple more days, at his MySpace, and I require that you go check that shit out. Holy God, I approve SO HARD. He's playing in Boston pretty soon, get some buddies together and GO. You will not regret it.
3. And then we came home and Rachel made me watch Release the Bats and told me which parts had vomiting so I could look away. Some observations:
   
   
   • Jesus Christ, Pete Wentz is a loser.
   • NO REALLY HE IS. A LOT.
   • Also, he does a lot of ridiculously homoerotic things. MORE THAN I HAD PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT, EVEN.
   • He has leg tattoos! Not just the X on his left ankle; there's at least two on the back of his right calf, a word, maybe, and something else below it.
   • Relatedly, watching Pete dance backwards in slow-mo is guaranteed lulz for at least fifteen minutes.
   • He totally has a boner right after HeyChris fires a paintball at his ass. Canonical pain kink, or canonical paint kink? WHO CAN SAY?
   Relatedly: I agree with this post. WHY AM I SO DEFENSIVE OVER HIS STUPID ASS? I don't know, but I know that a dude who will carefully position a cream-pie in another dude's ass so that a THIRD dude can eat it is a dude who I want on my team any day. And I really DO think he's loyal and a dork and okay I'll shut up about Pete Wentz but guys, guys, every mean thing you say about him is a DAGGER in my SOUL. HE LAUGHS LIKE A DONKEY. WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE.
4. I bought the MSI live DVD this morning at PREX. Holy Jesus God they're awesome live. I need to see them so baaaaaadly you have no IDEA. Lyn-Z continues to be a major fucking hotass in an amazing band and I honestly don't understand how GWay pulled that. Maybe Brian hid his wolf t-shirts out of kindness? Maybe Frank told him he had to shower or no more blowjobs? Maybe Lyn-Z took pity on him after kicking his ass at Magic: The Gathering, because secretly she's just as much of a dork as he is, even though she is also a badass gorgeous punk goddess? I DON'T KNOW, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO. More couple-y interviews, please!
5. I'm really psyched to meet more Jersey-area fangirls. Can that happen, please? Who lives near Central Jersey? Anyone? Do you know someone cool who does? I'll be at the Cobra shows in NYC and Philly so we can meet then, but I am IMPATIENT. Let's have lunch!
6. My New Year's Resolution is to stop making LJ posts in list form.
7. ETA: COBRA STARSHIP SHUT YOUR FUCKING FACES. YOU TOO, GUY RIPLEY. How did I never realize before that they would make the most amazing reality show participants in the universe? Wow I love them kind of ridiculously.