De's San Diego Vacation

Because of my extended absence from the blogospehere, I have returned with a Superblog! detailing my summer vacation (as you can see, we haven't had one of those in a while^). Sadly, this isn't your typical Superblog! with multiple authors, as Mi has been abducted by aliens and Ho's blogging career remains in a state of retirement.  

 My view from the plane

It had been far too long since my last vacation and longer still since I had been to California. My parents actually had the awesome idea of going to San Diego for a post-graduation, last family vacation. I saw this as an opportunity to explore some blink-182 past and present, as well as some other more touristy places. For those unaware, blink-182 was formed in Poway, CA, a suburb just outside of San Diego, the hometown of co-frontman Tom DeLonge and luckily enough, where my dad booked our hotel.

Sombrero Mexican Restaurant

Sombrero at 11040 Rancho Carmel Drive, San Diego

One of the spots I had to hit was a Mexican restaurant called Sombrero, made famous by the blink song "Josie". Mark and Tom of blink-182 used to frequent Sombrero between recording sessions and would often receive fan mail there. So, thanks to Yelp and this particular location's proximity to Poway, I determined this was the place. I asked an employee at the counter if they still receive blink fan mail, to which he replied, "Yeah, every once in a while". Nice.

The video below is part 3 of an MTV series called "The Road Home" which shows one of Tom and Mark's visits to Sombrero (sorry, the video will only play on YouTube through the title link). 

My California Burrito

Carne asada, cheese, pico de gallo, fries and yes, it's as good as it looks.

This location has clearly undergone some expansion over the last decade, but the blink-182 tribute in the bathroom (pictured below) cleared any confusion.

Fans' tribute to blink-182 in the bathroom

top half

bottom half

I wish I could say I had written something on the board, but I was sadly without a marker. Damn, I guess I'll have to go back.....

Sea World

Dolphin Encounter

One Shamu

Two Shamu

Mostly, Sea World blew. It wasn't at all as I remembered. Apart from being inanely overpriced, it was super crowded for a week day. Also, the Shamu "One World" propaganda show was really short and melodramatic. I felt like the orcae weren't the focus at all.

Macbeth Flagship Boutique

Macbeth store in Encinitas, CA

Tom DeLonge sat here

They don't call Macbeth a boutique to be fancy. This store is fucking small. I honestly believe they rented out the storage area of the adjacent store to create room for this one. But, since it is Macbeth's only physical store in the U.S., I had to check it out. Macbeth is a footwear, apparel and accessories company founded by Tom and Mark in 2002 (Mark later sold his stake in the company). Only a week before I arrived, the Macbeth Boutique hosted a party with a fan signing by Tom DeLonge and David Kennedy (Angels & Airwaves) as well as live performances by David Kennedy and Night Riots. I asked the one employee at the store about the party and in his words, "It was crazy". What sucks is the original plan was to leave the week before, meaning I would have party anecdotes to share. I know, I'm disappointed in me too. Please don't be mad. Here, look at some pretty pictures:

San Diego Safari Park

Lion and lioness (in truck)

Mission Beach, San Diego

Dem waves

Overall, it was one of the best trips I've had, despite the usual tension that goes along with family vacations. The weather was perfect every day. Also, it was really cool my aunt and cousin were able to drive down from L.A. and stay in the hotel with us for a few days. I hope to return to San Diego soon and on a much more permanent basis. I leave you with these incandescent words of wisdom:

"Everyone else but me surfs, I grew up skateboarding, but I don't even do that anymore. I'll get hurt and die.....but if I die, I'll sell more records. We're thinking of doing that. Actually dying." (Tom DeLonge)


-De

blink-182 EP "Dogs Eating Dogs" - De's Review

"I think people really need to prepare for the return of blink-182." A bold, yet intriguing statement from blink-182 guitarist, vocalist and co-frontman Tom DeLonge.

Mostly, I love this EP. I don't think the members of blink-182 will be recording any more albums apart from each other. Don't get me wrong, Neighborhoods has its hits, but even the hits seem to be missing a certain level of cohesion. After listening to the new EP for the last few months, I've determined that despite "Boxing Day" and "Pretty Little Girl" it is better than Neighborhoods on the whole. I like the idea behind "Boxing Day" and blink definitely needed a new ballad, considering it had been over 9 years since the release of "I Miss You". But some of Tom's lyrics for this song need to be explained to me, because they come off as extremely corny and nonsensical . "Pretty Little Girl" would have been a solid song, but Yelawolf hi-jacked the track and vomited all over it. I'm very in favor of blink occasionally having rap in their songs, but this doesn't mean they can just take a song that's basically a finished product and throw in any rapper. The remaining three songs on the EP; "Disaster", "Dogs Eating Dogs" and "When I Was Young" are all hits in my opinion. They maintain blink's lyrical edge and sophistication and have a great deal more energy than anything on the last record.

Some purist blink fans may shun me for this, but I decided to rewrite "Boxing Day". I'm still doing some work on it and my singing voice is far from healthy, but here is a clip of "Resolution Day".



My favorite song off of the EP is the title track "Dogs Eating Dogs". It has a little bit of Angels & Airwaves, a little bit of "Feeling This" and a little bit more of "Lycanthrope". I've heard many complaints about how blink's new music just sounds like a remix of their old hits. What I don't think people understand is blink has a very specific style, almost a formula for their songs and it gets more and more difficult to create something new without it having some qualities of another song or sounding too different and outside of their stylistic comfort zone.

First of all, this song is sad. Not so sad that it's off-putting, but very sad nonetheless. Throughout the song, Mark seems to be experiencing the past in the present while Tom sings a chorus filled with cloudy, all-encompassing declarations. I will try my best to interpret these lyrics and hopefully someone will notice some things I've overlooked or offer different interpretations.

Dogs Eating Dogs

Verse 1:

I've got a feeling, I've got a feeling
     (I love how this song starts; the line above is like a double pickup to the start of the verse and it's the change of pace that is representative of this album.)
These broken nights and bitter ends
     (See. Sad)
We will always starve and devour
     (I like songs that begin to explain the title early; a clear reference to "Dogs Eating Dogs".)
Our closest friends, my beautiful friends
Paranoia, my paranoia
     (Mark is probably talking about blink's hiatus or perhaps just before, when Tom's side project "Box Car Racer" created distance between him and Mark. Tom said in a personal interview for the AVA documentary film "Start the Machine" that Box Car Racer was not anything against Mark or Travis, but he also said things were never the same between Mark and him since its creation. This very well could be reading way too much into Mark's "paranoia", but I think he's reliving the bitterness of the past or is perhaps worried it will happen again.)
Can't let it go, it never lets me go
What am I feeling, why am I feeling?
     (Mark is trying to move on by ignoring his feelings, but he may have reached a point where he no longer feels he is in control.)
Forecast into the freezing cold
     (This is perhaps the best evidence for determining whether Mark is just reliving the past or is concerned about the future as well. He could have said "Cast into the freezing cold" and remained ambiguous, but he chose to go with "forecast", which I believe means these feelings of his are a foreshadowing or even a prediction. Being cast out into the cold has a connotation of loneliness, even isolation.)

Prechorus:
Dogs eating dogs, dogs eating dogs, dogs eating dogs
Dogs eating dogs, dogs eating dogs, dogs eating dogs
     (Dogs eating dogs is a classic metaphor of the cannibalization of mankind and the selfishness of his nature.)

Chorus:
I'm the last and the first in a very sad set of eyes
     (I'm usually pretty good at figuring out Tom's lyrics, which a fan of any of his music know is difficult at times, but these lyrics took some imagination to understand. Perhaps the easiest line to cipher is the first. It is quite common for Tom to use biblical references in his songs and he does again here. "I'm the last and the first" is a paraphrasing of Revelation 22:13, which reads, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last". Mi will likely rebut this, but Tom DeLonge does not believe he is Jesus. He is just aware of how beautifully the Bible is written and likes to use it in his songs.)
To the bone, to the knees, to the factory line
I am numb to the shot, I have a crippling fear of heights
'Cause the fall sounds a lot like a symphony of cries
     (The chorus was probably the most difficult portion for me to interpret, because it's almost pure symbolism. I believe Tom is saying he used to, even numb to personal attack, but he's still afraid of the fall. The "symphony of cries" could be referring all the artists who have succumb to the attacks of the music business and have fallen out of relevancy as a result.)

Verse 2:
Your only hope is burning down the chapel
All getting washed out with the tide
     (These first two lines are about to be explained by the end of this verse.)
We need to find some middle ground
It's always sex or suicide
     (This is about finding balance in life and probably is alluding to those with celebrity status. Mark is saying we shouldn't only live for the highs (sex) and abandon all hope (suicide) when we don't get what we want. But according to the first two lines, the subject of this verse is not listening to him. I'm choosing to take the chapel as a sign of hope and a foundation of the past, which the subject of the verse has burned down and left for ruin, because he or she has chosen a path of despair.)


I think as far as a complete idea, this song is about how our relationships can tear us apart and the crazy thoughts that will go though our heads when we think we're going to lose everything. A bolder and more specific interpretation is this song is a metaphor for how the music business can take over a band and destroy it from the inside out.

-De

The One Where Mi Interviews De

Hey everyone, De here. Awhile ago, Mi was kind enough to submit himself to my interview questions and did so with grace and candidness. So if you've ever asked yourself, "What is a De?", this is your answer.




1) Where are you from? How does this shape who you are?


I lived in Kenosha as an infant, but I was born in Rockford, because of a car accident. I don't believe where I was born or raised has been especially significant in shaping the person I've become, but I think the car accident has. The day I was born, my father and my pregnant mother were in a car accident and as one might expect, there was immediate concern after the accident for my mother and myself. After the doctor's examined my mother, they discovered I was in distress since before the accident and needed to be delivered promptly via C-section. The doctor's told my mother after my birth, had it not been for the accident, my distress could have gone undiscovered and resulted in my death.

I don't remember if I experienced some sort of instant revelation after hearing this story for the first time. Honestly, I doubt it, but I've thought about it repeatedly. I have really big dreams for myself, dreams I don't think I'll ever give up on and this story of my birth has incited a tendency I have to look for the big picture in the details. While this may give me a good deal of perspective, I sometimes miss what's right in front of me.

2) Earning a bachelor's degree at Carthage is comparable to what?

It's comparable to doing what's expected of me. I really hope my degree benefits me at some point, but after a great deal of retrospection, I wish I had realized I wanted to produce, sing and write music before I invested thousands upon thousands on a private school. I sense a follow-up question.


3) What is your major and what do you plan on using it for?

I chose Business Management as my focus, with a minor in music, because many music majors and friends of music majors warned me of the lack of opportunity with a music degree. I hope to use what I've learned to make this website a successful business, where the ideas are free and the merch is good enough to be paid for.

4) What's the most fun you've had singing a song?


The best I can do is tell you the most fun I've had singing lately. I got this instrumental from a YouTube user for the Blink-182 song "Feeling This". I challenge anyone to not get pumped while listening to that song. So my original plan was to do a straight cover for this song, but then I thought, "Why not see if one of the rappers I work with is "Feeling This"?" You see what I did there. It makes sense, since Blink-182 is famous for their combination of pop-punk riffs and Travis Barker's hip-hop beats. So I asked the one and Young Beezy to give it a listen. And he, like so many before him, got hooked on this song. So I started recording the chorus and bridge the other day and Beezy is currently writing some killer rhymes. Next question.

5) Butter side up or butter side down? Would you consider yourself to be an optimist or pessimist?


It's the whole toe-may-toe/toe-mah-toe disaster all over again. No one says toe-mah-toe and I don't believe anyone spreads butter on the bottom of a piece of toast. It's unnatural, and like with Conan O'Brien's hairstyle, it must reject gravity and you look like an asshole. Anyway, getting back to where the analogy was going, I am a pessimist for the present and an optimist for the future.

6) What do you look for in a girl?

When it comes to her personality and other such attributes, I'm really choosy, as I think everyone should be.  I like smart girls who don't completely know how smart they are. I also appreciate a girl who balances an open mind with a willingness to stand up for her beliefs. As far as appearance, I'm not really a dimensions kind of guy, although I'll size it up if it's there ;). But seriously, a pretty face is what gets me.

7) What's the one thing in this world that just blows your mind?

So many things blow my mind, which is not to say I'm easily impressed. But since the cruelty of this interview forces me to choose only one; I'm blown away by lyrics that describe or even elucidate your feelings about something at a certain time, almost as if the words are your own. It doesn't need to be an ornamental arrangement of words, just honesty to the core. Alright, short story time. Gather 'round. One afternoon, I was taking a break during an entire afternoon of choir practice. Carthage students know how killer these can be. I remember listening to Blink-182's "Asthenia" and Tom sang the lines: "This place is bored of rehearsal and sick of the boundaries. I miss you so much." I couldn't wait to get out of rehearsal that day and this song made me realize what was bothering me so much. I have this friend, one of my best at the time, and she hadn't been around in awhile. What I've gathered to be the original meaning of the song is actually not worlds apart from my personal application of the words. "Asthenia" was one of the last songs written by Blink for their self-titled record. This verse in particular was written to describe how much Tom and the rest of the band wanted to finish recording and see their families.

8) Would you rather have a vacation igloo, tiki hut, or (pest-free) jungle tree house?


I can't consider anything to do with an igloo a vacation. With the tiki hut and jungle tree house remaining (neither which is ideal, due to their level of flammability), I will choose the jungle tree house, as it is the only option guaranteed to be pest-free.

9) Are you more introverted or extroverted?


Introverted. No, extroverted. Indecisive.......final answer. I suppose I can't say extroverted, being it would be a complete misjudgment of my behavior. I'm not sure I can say introverted either. I've heard introverts find social situations mentally and emotionally draining while extroverts are energized by such situations. I definitely lean toward the latter, so I'm going to say "undercover extrovert".

10) Sell yourself in 10 words or less. Be arrogant. I'll allow it.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, right on

-DeMi

Happy Birthday to Mi!

I haven't flown solo on this blog business in awhile. But in honor of Mi's 20th, it just seemed right. First, let me say to Mi (never gonna get old, L), dude you are the best and it's never the same here without you. Happy Birthday to you. Also, nation, I ask that you forgive any obscure nicewetpants jokes.

Just a little about what I've been up to; a week ago I went to a blink concert and it damn sure lived up to my personal hype. Everything about the show was big, like how Travis Barker is all the time, big. The lasers, as promised, were big. The guitar riffs were big. And the lights, goddamn were they big; taking pictures was a complete waste of time. Video turned out better, since the audio was surprisingly good. So here is Carousel by blink-182 live in Milwaukee Amphitheater. Points of interest; crazy bastard child in front me and Tom Delonge pleasuring himself at the end, anally. What a weird way to achieve a slant rhyme. Speaking of the Delonge, he sounds more and more like he should with every show. Try not to enjoy this too much:



No problem nation. You're welcome.

-De