LEGENDmag

Happy ‘Blow Things Up’ Day: Video of a World Record… 10.5 Million Firecrackers!

Have a Happy Independence Day! And remember to support all your local independent boutiques and businesses!! (video via Ryan)

Adventures in Craigslisting

There is a great documentary called 24 Hours on Craigslist, where the filmmaker interviews a number of normal, every day people about their experiences using Craigslist for furniture, jobs, dates, random sexual encounters, ect. I have personally found almost every apartment I’ve ever had and most of my jobs on Craigslist. I have also been on too many dates to count…some great and some questionable at best. The internet has become the new meat market, as you are all well aware. The stigma of meeting someone online still exists to a degree. It’s as if you only go looking for love online if you’re not good looking or smart or cool enough to meet someone in the real world. The reality is that once you’re out of school, your social circle becomes a little smaller with each passing year. It’s tricky to date people you work with and meeting people at bars is just a recipie for disaster. So, online dating seems to actually be a viable option.

I invite you to join me on a little adventure. I responded to an ad the other day from a nice young man who will be known, for the sake of this piece, as Andy. Andy is tall, good looking (at least in his pictures), adventerous, from the East Coast and is a political script writer. We have exchanged a number of emails and pictures and so far the chemistry seems to be there. We have plans to meet for some wine on Thursday of next week. Will Andy be the one? Will he end up in my “brother” file? The brother file is for guys that have it all together, guys that I have a fantastic time with, but who I just don’t want to have sex with. Ever. Will he be just another one night of drunken passion? Whatever happens next, I’ll be surprised and will be keeping you in the loop. And so my journey into broadcasting my love life online begins. Welcome to it, people.

There Is No Such Thing As New Wave!

There is no such thing as New Wave from luze duze on Vimeo.

Boutique: More than street, more then urban, it’s independent

If you don’t know,  just about a “billion” stores have opened in the last 5 to 10 years that are usually labeled street or urban. On one end of the spectrum you have stores that sale Shawn John, Phat Farm, Apple Bottom (oh wow, my stomach is getting quisy) and on the other end you have stores that open and only sale their own brand ( The Hundreds, Supreme, Alife, Huf).  I have my preferences but I think we can all say that now days it’s difficult to bring the kind of flavor that can’t be denied in a retail location and shopping experence.

Enter Attic. Open since Jan ‘07 I’ve been checking for them for a long time and although I’ve never said anything about them before it’s not because they don’t deserve it. So why now? Well… they just get it. They have made an experience that can’t be matched. Having your own vision helps and not wanting to be like everyone else takes it to that extra level.  But hey don’t listen to me take a look for yourself. (pics below) If you’re in LA make sure you go you won’t be disappointed.

Pride: It’s Not Just About Being Gay… It’s About Being Naked.

For those of you who managed to miss the Gay Pride celebration this weekend, it wasn’t just one of the best parties of the year, or a celebration of the recent strides in the marriage equality movement. It was also some of the best people watching ever. One of the very first performers I saw was a very expressive, half naked woman named “Licious”. She was dressed like a hooker and gyrated on stage to some pre-recorded music. She wasn’t what I would call a “talented” or “trained” dancer, but she was most certainly a pro. Here’s the amazing thing about Licious. She absolutley blew me away. She lifted her “skirt” and revealed all of her bootilicousness to the crowd. This woman was not what most people would consider to be classically pretty. Her ass was a real ass. It was big, it jiggled with cellulite and was covered in stretch marks. There she was, unafraid, unashamed and proud. That was the thing, she really was proud. It wasn’t just that she wasn’t ashamed. She took it to a new level.

Licious was by no means the only naked or barely clothed person at Pride. It’s one of those festivals where for some reason people who one would never consciously choose to see naked are out and about in all of their glory. Leather Alley featured a flogging booth by the Society of Janus. Professional floggers, binders and various other BDSM fetishists displayed their talents and their bodies. Each woman was larger than the last, all of them stripped down to their undies, each one covered in cellulite, bruises, lash marks, stretch marks veins. The only thing missing was a sense of shame about it all. These women had men around them who loved them and thought they were sexy as hell.

It all really made me question my own body issues. We all have them, in one way or another, women more so than men. My ass is by far the part of my body I have the most issue with. I’ve never really talked about it, but here I am, getting real with you and myself about it. Licious made me think that perhaps I should learn to not just accept my body but that I should love it and be proud of it. No one is perfect. We’re all afraid we’re not good enough. The reality is, we are good enough, we are beautiful. My ass is big and it’s not perfect and it doesn’t look great in a bathing suit. But it’s mine and I think it’s time I start learning to love it.

Libertarian Presidential Hopefuls Bob Barr and Wayne Allen Root Want Your Vote in ‘08

As independent thinkers and voters, we need to have a look at ALL the candidates in the Leader-of-the-Free-World contest. The candidates, in the duopoly controlled presidential race, make themselves out to be Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood on an American Idol stage full of William Hungs (not that I know who these people are, of course). But that’s simply not the case! There’s a litany of political parties that are as diverse as the 300 million Americans they want to serve.

One of these, is the Libertarian Party, which is a party that is economically and socially liberal (Want to get an idea of where you stand? See the Political Compass post). Founded in 1971, it’s one of the largest of our nation’s “third parties.” In fact, the Libertarians have more people in office than all the other third parties, combined. Most are local officials, as this party is very grassroots oriented. Though, there is a trend taking hold in higher seats of government. Some hold libertarian ideals, while a member of the duopoly, like Former Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK) and, of course, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX).  They use Big Party money to spread Libertarian grassroots ideas. The more popular these type of Trojan-horse politicians become, the more accepted the Libertarian platform will become.

As former a Republican Congressman from Georgia, Bob Barr also fits in that category.  During his eight years in Congress, Barr championed Libertarian views and state’s rights.  But not all of his views were parallel to his current party.  In 1998, he became a member of the Speaker’s Task Force for a Drug-Free America.  Alongside then-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), he was going to win the war on drugs by 2002, stating, “There is no legitimate use whatsoever for marijuana. This is not medicine. This is bogus witchcraft. It has no place in medicine, no place in pain relief”

Ten years later, he’s changed his tune, retracting and apologizing for previous statements and views by saying, “There might be legitimate medical uses of marijuana and we ought not have this knee-jerk reaction against it, and people ought to be allowed to explore” and ” Regarding the drug war, I’ve been there, done that, and know firsthand our current strategy is not working. Continuing to have the federal government run roughshod over the states, even if the citizens of a state decide they wish to legalize medicinal marijuana, for example, is wrong” (Hmmmm…)

Here are the Libertarian Nominees for President of the United States…

Come back to LEGENDmag Blog, for posts on other Third party candidates.

LEGENDmag Twitter Updates for 2008-07-01

• Independent is as indie does! How will you spend your days? #

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Wonder Women of Comic Con!

Playing dress up has never been documented this well. We’re loving it. If you could only see the spreads in this book fool of real life people, dressed us as their favorite fictional characters. Everyone from Jean Grae to LeeLu from the 5th Element you gotta love it. Thank Amos Books, Ruth Wiggans and Russel Waterman for documenting 4 full days of comic-con to bring you this celebration of women who come to pay homage to their favorite hero’s and villains.

Naive New Beaters Take the HP Commercials to a fantastic new level with ‘Live Good’

Watch it for the video effects, but be careful because the tune gets stuck in your noggin’ mighty easy! (via Daily Motion)

Go Gonzo this Independence Day with Hunter S. Thompson

As the father of Gonzo journalism, Thompson immersed himself in the stories he reported. Whether the subject was national politics, as in the case of George McGovern and Richard Nixon, or the nation’s subcultures, like the Hell’s Angels and the Summer of Love, Thompson was so involved in the actions of his stories that he became a central figure in them.

An outspoken advocate of anarchism, he became famous for his support for psychedelics. Case in point, was his (almost successful) run for Pitkin County Sheriff with one of his platforms stating “All Deputies Shall Take Mescaline.” It’s ironic that his most famous work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, is themed on the failure of the 1960’s counterculture, that popularized psychedelics.

Watch this documentary from director Alex Gibney (Academy Award nominee and winner for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and Taxi to the Dark Side, watch these too!) and narrator Johnny Depp (who moved into Hunter’s Colorado basement to ’study’ Thompson’s persona before assuming his role in the ‘98 film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) and get a glimpse into the life of one of the great INDIEpendents of the 20th century!

I Think My Inner DJ Heart Needs a Pacemaker!?

Loving the YouTube video on the fancy new DJ Pacemaker… its definately on my review wishlist!! Wonder if the cartoon characters come bundled or if you have to buy them as extras!?

(via DJ Strong)

Music Review: We Are Wolves “Total Magique”

We are Wolves melds the hard synth sounds of electronica, with shag haired guitar riffs of indi rock. Definitely a signature sound for this generation of fixed gear bike riders, Red Bull girls, and 80’s babies, who get down to this type of sound. This album does not lack in content of working in the rock spectrum, and is fairly well composed with its use of drum machines and other electronic music gear. Its been said that this generation of rockers is taking alot of influence from their 80’s rock counter parts, which you can hear from how We Are Wolves. Even though this album my have some sence of nostalgia from the 80’s punk, glam, and electronica scene, it doesn’t mean these guys are regurgitated rejects from 20 years ago, they combine sounds coming up with a signature sound of their own.

Musically: A faux hawk like Christian Rolnaldo, Sleater Kinny on Speed and Daft Punk

Favorite Song: Vamos A La Playa- nice use of an old school drum machine with slightly heavy guitars and drums.

Last Words: What’s a Magique?

Absolutely Unreal… Hyper-Realistic Sculptor: Ron Mueck

Click through to see the full gallery of work…

(via Daring Fireball)

next legend: Esperanza Spalding

A breath of fresh air that breezed through me last night. If you’ve been yerning for something more, something real, some fresh, this is it! I will NEVER be the same again.
(Thanks Ant)

Music Review: Apakalips “The other side”

Hailing from the Bay Area of Northern California, which is more know for its car side showing, the hyphy moverment, and Mac Dre. The Other Side is an album that definitely shows another side of Bay Area rap music, following in the footsteps of true school rap music. Lyrically speaking he raps on a conscience level but not so much he sounds like a head wrap reject. Speaking on topics from the love of hip hop culture to socio-political awareness. The production is diverse with an array of different styles within the hip hop realm, steady to keep one listening on a long drive.

Musically: If you know your drum machines, you’ll be able to pick out sp1200’s and mpc’s. The lyrical flow walks in the path of a laid back cali style.

Last words: Proof that rappin’ isn’t dead.

Favorite Songs: CA (Westcoastin”)