The Contrarian

It’s a friggin’ ghost town around here. Are blogs dead? Not this one.

Let’s have some fun with a few videos that were sent to me by credible sources.

Miss Platinum, “Mercedes Benz”

Rudimentary Peni meets HP Lovecraft

Black Roses trailer:

It goes without saying that we’ve got some talented contributors here at The Contrarian. We just received news at HQ that one of our favorite musicians (and regular Contrarian scribe) Neil Cleary is about to make his television soundtrack debut — tomorrow night, no less!

This Monday (Feb. 8th) at 10pm, PBS will broadcast “Blueprint America: Beyond The Motor City,” a documentary about urban infrastructure that features music by Neil. Here’s what he has to say about the flick and its soundtrack:

“[The movie] focuses on the growth, decay and future of Detroit and looks to high-speed rail in Spain and California for inspiration, which gave me the opportunity to have fun with all sorts of Motown, Spanish and futuristic computer-y sounds. It’s the first thing of its kind I’ve done and I actually haven’t even seen a final cut myself, so tune in and see it with me for the first time!”

You don’t have to tell me twice. Here’s a link to the show’s site, which has a trailer and a handful of clips.

It always makes me happy to see our crew making things happen out there in the world. And if you want further confirmation of the talent ’round here, check out Susan Norton’s post from yesterday.

Hello lovelies!

While you may be used to seeing kids around Halloween raising funds for UNICEF, this year for Valentine’s Day, please consider sending your loved ones the fruits of my picture-making labors to support needy children around the world. UNICEF is an organization which has helped countless women and children stricken by poverty, famine, and disaster, and in the wake of the horrific earthquakes in Haiti, they need our help more than ever.

I have created a PDF book called “Epistle: Love Letters to the Visual Environment.” It is a collection of eight pages from my collage book, all along the themes of romance, sweetness, delight, and whole-heartedness. Volume One is called “Doo-Wop,” and is appropriate for anyone who likes jukeboxes.

A PayPal donation can be made here:

http://nortonanalog.blogspot.com/2010/02/valentines-day-fundraiser-for-unicef.html

Please donate $5 or more, and your loved one will receive a link to download this PDF book in their inbox on Valentine’s Day, knowing that your affection for them has been forwarded to children in need. 80% of all proceeds will go directly to UNICEF.

Send me a request at nortonanalog@gmail.com. Include your e-mail address, the recipient’s e-mail address, and, if you wish, a personal greeting of up to 100 characters (leave blank if you wish to remain a secret admirer!).

For more information about UNICEF, visit the link below:

http://www.unicef.org/

We’re getting buried here in DC. it’s weird.

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Remember a while back when I told you about an expedition to recover some rare Scotch whisky that was lost to the Antarctic more than 100 years ago?

They did it!

The hooch was abandoned during polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s failed 1908 bid to reach the South Pole. Beverage company Whyte and Mackay found out about the lost whisky three years ago, and, because the recipe no longer exists, were keen to “rescue” it. If they could somehow manage to dislodge the malt from its icy tomb, they could set about recreating it using the power of science!

Kind of like Jurassic Park but with booze instead of dinosaurs. BBC News:

The alcohol was removed from the ice by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, which had initially believed there to be just two crates.

Al Fastier from the trust said: “To our amazement we found five crates, three labelled as containing whisky and two labelled as containing brandy.

“The unexpected find of the brandy crates, one labeled Chas Mackinlay & Co and the other labelled The Hunter Valley Distillery Limited, Allandale, are a real bonus.”

For single-malt connoisseurs like myself, this is indeed exciting. Of course, it’ll be a while before we’ll be able to taste the liberated whisky — any Scotch worth drinking must be matured for at least ten years. And I’m guessing it’ll probably be longer for this batch.

2027 can’t come fast enough!