Posts by analogbadger5

It’s the same old song and dance on these threads every single year—honestly, it gets a bit exhausting. As far as I’m concerned, having The Killers and Franz Ferdinand on the lineup is a massive win. They are two stellar bands, and frankly, if they aren't quite your particular flavor, I don't really see the issue; within their own genre, they’re playing in the big leagues. Of course, everyone has their dream roster—we'd all love a festival headlined by Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, or Radiohead—and the metalheads will inevitably demand their own niche, while the punks... well, they usually find nothing to their liking. But hey, that’s just how it goes; there's supposed to be something for everyone, even if we can't all agree on it.

I’m planning to sit down and watch the film soon. From what I’ve gathered through the reviews—which mostly dismiss it as an unconvincing directorial debut with a rather naive script—there are apparently a few standout moments, specifically those visceral, stomach-churning scenes depicting war crimes. The trailer looked promising enough, though, and you can clearly tell there was a massive budget behind it. As for the controversy, I suppose I can see where the American backlash is coming from, given how they’re portrayed in almost every movie as nothing more than bloodthirsty, soulless monsters. But honestly, this entire uproar over Andrew's film is just darkly amusing to me—it really brings to the surface that unique, endless American talent for spinning elaborate conspiracy theories. It takes a very specific kind of person to dig through their Hollywood intelligence connections just to find out that Andrew's father attended Alojzije Stepinac University in the USA 😬, only to use that little fact as "proof" that the film is a one-sided hit job designed to demonize Americans on the global stage. Americans should be glad they aren't part of this circus; they don't need the bad publicity. And my Canadian friends probably don't realize either that this movie will only serve to reinforce those tired stereotypes about Canada being a place where violence and assault are just everyday occurrences.

The movie does a much better job of following the novel's actual plot than the Hollywood version—and if you haven't read the book, you'll find it way easier to connect the dots watching the Swedish version. I caught a Fincher-esque adaptation in the theater a while back, then saw the Swedish one on ABC last night; the Hollywood version is certainly more spectacular, sure, but it leaves so many things completely murky, whereas the Swedish version doesn't. 😉

James Nguyen14 said:Hey, if you don't mind, could you shoot me a DM with that link you're using to download? I'm definitely gonna check it out as soon as I can... 🙂

I thought Noomi Rapace was absolutely incredible... honestly, she felt so real to me in every single part of the story. I am still a little tripped up on the plot details, though. Like, she set her dad's place on fire, but was her mom in the psych ward because of him or because of what happened...? So then Lisbeth basically went on a revenge mission against him...?
Honestly, I was totally caught off guard... she’s actually gorgeous. 😉

The second and third parts of the Millennium Trilogy deal with all of that and explain exactly why Lisbeth turned out the way she did. If you want, I can walk you through it, but I'd probably just end up spoiling the whole experience for you—whether you're watching the film or reading the book. 🙂

I don't know—maybe I’m just getting old, or maybe the world is just tilting further on its axis every single day—but there’s something about the way we approach things lately that feels... off. It’s like we’re all just going through the motions, waiting for some grand epiphany that never actually arrives. We spend so much time analyzing the subtext of everything—every little interaction, every minor social shift—that we forget how to actually *live* in the moment without dissecting it first. It’s exhausting, really. A constant, low-level hum of existential dread masked by the sheer busyness of modern life. We’re all just spinning our wheels in this massive, complicated machine, hoping someone, somewhere, remembers to grease the gears once in a while. But let's be honest—nobody's coming to save us. We're on our own with this one. analogbadger5 says:
The College of Arts and Sciences Freshman Orientation is officially set for December 4th, 2010. We’ll be taking over the Student Union hall—right over by Venice Beach—within the Stjepan Radić University Dormitory. Doors swing open at 8:00 PM, though the bands aren't slated to hit the stage until about 20:30. As for ticket prices, we're holding off on announcing those until the posters and promotional flyers actually start hitting the streets—just a little bit of suspense, I suppose. Aside from the two stages we have lined up, we'll also have DJ Floor keeping things moving.

Here’s a rundown of the bands:
The main stage.

The Motus band.
Motus Check out Motus at http://www.myspace.com/motusvitaest. Just some more noise from the local indie music scene—nothing groundbreaking, mind you, but worth a listen if you have the time to kill.
Septica http://www.myspace.com/septica
Kawasaki 3p http://www.myspace.com/kawasaki3p
Six Pack Six Pack—you know, that group from back in the day? I was just thinking about them. There’s something about those old MySpace pages that hits you right in the nostalgia, isn't there? It feels like a lifetime ago.
Zadruga Zadruga

The local indie music scene—specifically those tiny, cramped stages where you can practically smell the feedback from the amps—is just... it's something else. There’s a certain grit to it that you just don't find in the big arena tours, though God knows I've spent enough nights in sweaty basements to know when the "vibe" is actually just poor ventilation.

The local indie music scene—just one more night of that. The local indie music scene—it’s a strange, beautiful mess, isn't it? You spend half your life chasing a sound that probably shouldn't exist, only to realize the venue is too loud, the gear is broken, and you're mostly just there for the sense of shared, misguided purpose. It’s all quite exhausting, really.
Kvltivator http://www.myspace.com/kvltivator
Paddy’s Allstars... honestly, where do we even begin with that lot? It’s one of those things you look back on and wonder how much of it was actually talent and how much was just the sheer, chaotic energy of being young and having absolutely nothing better to do on a Friday night. They had this specific kind of grit—that unpolished, almost accidental charm that only seems to exist in certain corners of the local indie music scene. You’d go to a show, expecting something halfway decent, and instead, you'd get this raw, unfiltered performance that felt more like a beautiful disaster than a concert. It wasn't perfect, far from it—certainly not by any mainstream standard—but there was something undeniably honest about it. Just one of those eras, I suppose. One of those times when everything felt a little more intense and a little less curated. http://www.myspace.com/paddy39sallstars
The VIS era was just... gone. Gone. http://www.myspace.com/visperideri
Skretničar Skretničar
Skretničar http://www.myspace.com/skretnicar

That was easily the best Freshman Orientation I’ve ever attended—honestly, a rare highlight in an otherwise mediocre year. It’s a genuine shame that Zadruga couldn't make it out, but man, seeing Motus, Six Pack, and Kawasaki 3p perform? That more than made up for it. 🙂

I’ve always had a soft spot for animals—went to veterinary school myself—but frankly, certain animal rights groups just turn my stomach. The hypocrisy in some of these cases is staggering. Take that famous American director (I can't recall his name right now) offering hundreds of thousands of dollars just to unmask some girl from Canada who was dumping puppies into a river. vauuu... Honestly, what a joke. While people were being slaughtered back home—while entire populations were being executed, while genocide was unfolding in Srebrenica, El Paso, and everywhere else—this guy was busy living his best life in the USA, just coasting along. And then suddenly, he spots this horrific crime against puppies and decides to play the grand humanitarian, calling for a public lynching of a little girl who probably hasn't even learned how to wipe her own nose yet. It’s revolting. Now, don't get me wrong, I condemn that kind of treatment of animals, but anyone who grew up in a rural area knows exactly how many unwanted kittens and pups ended up drowned in rivers. The people doing it weren't psychopaths or maniacs; they were just people who didn't see anything wrong with it because that's how they were raised—watching their own fathers cry while stuffing unwanted litters into bags and heading toward the water. They couldn't afford to feed them, they didn't have thousands of dollars for vaccinations, and nobody wanted them because everyone already had their hands full with their own pets. Is it inhumane? Yes. Is it ugly and disgusting? Absolutely. Could I personally bring myself to do it? No. But in the aftermath of the war here, tens of thousands of stray dogs wandered aimlessly through the streets—what do you honestly think happened to them? Adoption... please, don't be naive. You keep a fluffy poodle in a tiny studio apartment in Chicago, buy it fancy little outfits just so you look trendy walking it around downtown, join some fancy non-profit, and suddenly you think you're a saint. In reality, you don't have a clue what an animal actually is or what it means to live alongside one. I know I'm generalizing, but I can't help myself.

Good grief, where do you people even find the energy for these debates? Look, if someone isn't a fan of autographs on the cover art, fine—that's their prerogative. And honestly, props to briskhawk40 for being so persistent about it; he’s been vocal about this since long before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival even kicked off. And no, before you ask, I’m not jealous—I wouldn't want my name scrawled on anything either, being a total purist about things like that—but I'm genuinely happy for him. But claiming that Nick Cave actually ruined the cover by signing it 😂 🤣 ... now that is a fascinating take. At the end of the day, it's all subjective, but I can't help wondering: in sixty or seventy years, when this thing hits an auction house, will collectors value it less because of that signature? Personally, I wouldn't bet on it. 😳

How on earth did you manage to snag one? Did you actually get to watch him sign it right in front of you, or did you just hand off an album to someone else and hope for the best?

briskhawk40 said:

Vamos. 😎

I can't stand you! 😁

Solid sets all around—Prince, Beyoncé, and Rage Against the Machine held down the main stage, followed by Mastodon over at the third, a quick ten-minute burst from Drake, and then back to the main stage where our man Nick Cave basically gave us a masterclass.
Prince kicked things off to a crowd of maybe ten people—sweltering heat, mind you—but they still pulled it off flawlessly. Luke really showed he’s got some serious potential in him. Then Rage Against the Machine came on to tear things up; they don't have Orhan anymore, but the new guy is stepping up, especially with those brass parts on the upcoming album dropping in September. Between the bilingual lyrics, the raw energy, and a crowd that knows every single word... plus having Loša guesting on that song "See, see, see"—it was something else. I skipped Cypress Hill, but the folks who caught them are saying the Bosniacs totally stole the show. As for Mastodon, I don't know—metal isn't really my thing—but they seemed alright. Drake started strong with those first four tracks, but right around then, I decided to wander off to catch Grinderman, who turned out to be absolutely fantastic.

Chloe Howard29 said:It seems everyone here is dissecting how the sound was so thin during the Arcade Fire set—and how it played out at their other show, too. Honestly, now I’m even more anxious about what to expect when they hit Lollapalooza... because last year, during Placebo, the volume was so intense my legs were practically shaking, and there were moments where I could barely catch my breath. And mind you, I was sitting about 30 meters back from the stage, nowhere near the actual speaker stacks. Not that being blasted isn't "good," per se, but if the sound is so loud it drowns out the person standing right next to you, something is fundamentally broken. A massive oversight by the organizers, really. Did anyone else run into audio issues last year?

I was right up front, practically hugging the speakers, and I could have whispered sweet nothings to the girl next to me without raising my voice an inch. It was honestly exhausting. 😢

My "brief" little debrief on day one of the festival. I rolled up quite early, somewhere around 5:30 PM, so getting through the gates was a breeze—everything moved relatively fast. But when I actually saw the beer prices? I nearly had a heart attack. $6.75 Honestly, that watered-down swill they’re serving gave me a stomach ache that hasn't quit since—absolutely horrific. So, my plan for today is to try and sneak in two liters of beer in a five-gallon container; it’s the only way.
At first, I was just wandering aimlessly from stage to stage. There were hardly any crowds, and I genuinely feared this Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival might just collapse under its own weight, but things eventually picked up.
The real fun kicked off when The Rolling Stones took the stage—crazy Cane, just phenomenal rock, and I already burned through a decent chunk of energy jumping around. Cane seemed a bit let down by the small crowd at first, throwing out those charming little jabs like, "What's wrong, Americans? You don't listen to this kind of music? This is rock!" Then, once the crowd finally caught fire during Kreniti, he joked, "Why didn't you say so earlier? We would've played it at the start." 🙏 ... Anyway, an excellent set! After a quick breather, we got to the icing on the cake—the reason I even bothered buying a ticket. Arcade Fire. Incredible performance, high energy, they absolutely met expectations, great crowd interaction, ten out of ten. To those people complaining about them mentioning that legendary old-school basketball dream team—do us all a favor, shut up, and stop posting nonsense. Unlike most musicians, they actually bothered to learn something about their hosts; you could tell the banter wasn't forced. Honestly, even the most die-hard American nationalist and basketball fanatic would probably join in with a nostalgic sigh when that generation is mentioned. Stop being ridiculous. I see everyone talking about encores. An encore wasn't necessary; all this chatter about encores feels manufactured and pushed to the point of bad taste. Anyone who actually follows live shows knows exactly when an artist is going to come back for an encore and when they aren't. I’d bet money that Dubioza Kolektiv will pull an encore tonight to play North American Funk and Domaćica. Why? Because that’s just what they always do. It has nothing to do with a formal "encore." It's just like how Bon Jovi was in Washington, D.C.—everyone saying "thank you, Washington" and acting like it's the end, only for them not to play Livin' on a Prayer, even though everyone knows Bon Jovi hasn't missed playing his biggest hit in twenty years. Or look at yesterday, The Rolling Stones went back on stage five minutes after finishing, even though there wasn't a single chant or demand for an encore, even though everyone expected it... 😂 After Wake Up, I knew there wouldn't be an encore. I wasn't feeling Jamiroquai anyway; after three songs, I just packed up and headed home. All in all, a mediocre grade for day one, but today should be better—much better.
The downsides: terrible sound quality, and the prices for booze and food are daylight robbery!

Betty Gonzalez8 said:I don't know, but I'm guessing no. Volunteering is technically part of AF, not the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, so we basically have the privilege of seeing them rather than the main lineup itself. I assume they won't kick us out before the headliners, but I wouldn't bet on us being able to get back in for day two.

Yeah... what a mess. I’d honestly just call that number from the email and ask, but my spoken English isn't exactly top-tier—definitely not confident enough to navigate a phone call like that! 🤣 And since I've already got my festival pass, I was planning on gifting it to my girlfriend just to make sure we actually have access for the second day... 😢

Betty Gonzalez8 ; Puck ; chocolatecherry ... Volunteers. Hey everyone—does anyone happen to know if the volunteers get free entry for the second day of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival too?

Laura Lee3 said:well, see you 👍

I was wondering—do the volunteers get access for both days, or is it strictly limited to the first day when Arcade Fire is playing???

Beats, Rage Against the Machine, The Roots, Overflow, The Rolling Stones... they’ve pulled some pretty solid names from the local scene—which, honestly, hits my specific niche perfectly—but then they completely missed the mark with the headliners. Maybe I was being a bit too much, holding out for someone like System of a Down or Foo Fighters, but still... I was really banking on one massive, high-octane rock band to anchor the whole thing. If it weren't for Arcade Fire, I probably wouldn't even be looking at a ticket right now, though I'm still weighing it up. There is a part of me that genuinely wants to see them live. It feels a bit calculated, though; as someone pointed out earlier, Dragaš seems to be shaping this entire lineup through his reviews—he writes a piece on AF, they book them, then suddenly he’s reviewing the new Luka Belania album just days after announcing his appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Is there any actual hope left for the Foo Fighters? 😢