Studio Nintendo.

This is how it all goes down at Studio Nintendo.

-Your Friends!

Interviews

On this most momentous of Mondays, the day of the week where oranges cats talk of how loathsome the day is before bating a loving dog into submission, we here at We're Friends! inc. would like to give unto you two delightful interviews. One of Dashiell interviewing Mr. Shafie and another of James interviewing Mr. Coombs. We hope you enjoy.

Dash interviewing James:

James interviewing Dash:



We hope you learn something about us, and about yourselves.

-Your Friends

6 Docs

All this goddamned podcast/blog seems to talk about is goddamned movies. David Lynch this, John Carpenter that, JEEZ! Well, let's not upset the status quo, in this joint post, we will be telling you lovely people about six of our favorite documentaries. Three will be from Dash, and three will be from James. Now these aren't necessarily our all time favorites (though they might be OOOOOHH), just ones we love a lot, enjoy:

James - Man on Wire

This is the story of one man (Philippe Petit) who in 1974 walked between the Twin Towers in New York City on a high-wire. This movie plays out like a heist or a thriller, with reenactments, riveting interviews and footage from the "crime". This had me on the edge of my seat and it totally deserved the academy award it won.



James - Word Wars

The story of four "professional" Scrabble players doing the circuit of Scrabble tournaments. All four are weird in different ways and all four want to win. This documentary is a bunch of fun and one of those movies that I pick out when I've got a few friends over who want to have a good time. Everyone picks who they want to win the big championship and gets to see all four players at their quirkiest.



James - The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)

I saw this at the IFC Theater in NYC with the co-directors present for Q & A. They are Ellen Kuras (a well-known cinematographer) and Thavisouk Phrasavath. This documentary was filmed for over 23 years, detailing the life and struggle of one Laotian family from the time of the Vietnam war to the (nearly) present. Not only does this movie show the horrors of war, it also presents a story that is embedded in America's history: of immigrants trying to make it in the US.

Dash - Burden of Dreams

The story of Werner Herzog trying to make his film Fitzcarraldo. While making the film of a man moving a ship over a hill, Herzog attempts to actualize the event. In the process, everything goes wrong and actor/crazy-person Klaus Kinski does nothing to help it.

Dash - Instrument

Over eleven years of footage was shot of the band Fugazi. Some amazing concert footage and wonderful moments of fun and sincerity with all members of the band.

Dash - The Comedians of Comedy

Laugh until the very concept of laughing becomes foreign and you start laughing at the ridiculousness of laughing. The film is a great concert taping, but if you want the reeeeeal shit, find the six-part television series. TONS of great footage of what it's like to bring this type of comedy to other parts of North America.

-Your Friends!

Idea Fairy.

Here's what REEEEEEEEEEally happens:



-Your Friends

QOTSA.

HEY GUYS. What is HAPPENING. So we dunno if you know this about us, but we (Dash and James) share a lot of similar interests. Like certain bands for instance. One of which is Queens of the Stone Age. And we decided to show you guys eight songs by them, four chosen by James and four by Dash. Take a listen and dig it.



"Auto Pilot" - R - This song shows that Nick, former bassist, has a great singing voice. It's groovetastic and takes its time. Also that harmonies are aweeeeesssome.

"Make It Wit Chu" - Era Vulgaris - Sexy ass sexiness. Makes you wanna dance with your person until all your clothes are off. So soft and smooth it's like you're getting a massage from the Stay-Puft marshmallow man. Great slow solo near the end. If this video doesn't get you in the mood you don't have any genitals.

"Go With the Flow" - Songs for the Deaf - One of their more famous tracks, but still incredibly killer. Fast, aggressive and one repeating keyboard note that will not stop. Makes you drive over the speed limit. Also the video is one of my favorites of all time.

"River in the Road" - Era Vulgaris - This shows how "serious" QOTSA can be. This song reminds of someone being paranoid and constantly running. The gutars are so trippy coming in and out all over the place. And Homme's singing is brilliant.

-James



"Mexicola" - Queens of the Stone Age - Starts with this super low, awesome bass. This song is the kind of slow, heavy, funky groove that I like most from the band. It makes me think of walking through the desert and tripping balls simply because the sun is so hot.

"In the Fade" - R - Mark Lanegan is the secret weapon of this band. This song has a pop bent that gets warped by his voice and also probably drugs.

"Burn The Witch" - Lullabies To Paralyze - Billy Gibbons!!!!!!!! I love the march quality to this song. Plus the boogie woogie.

"Mistfit Love" - Era Vulgaris - This song starts out kind of like the Michael Jackson song "Beat It" and then gets even more dangerous. It sounds like Josh Homme is using a rusty nail as a guitar pick. Homme often describes the band as "robot rock", this song is a great example of that.

-Dash

Enjoy!

-Your Friends

'Tis.

It's the Monday time when James and I DON'T post a podcast, and instead do a joint blog entry. Spike Lee, take note! Recently, movie studios have decided to try and make more money on shitty holiday movies by releasing them weeks or even months earlier than the real life event the film is about. SO, in an effort to capitalize on that, James and I are going to pitch three movies for the 2010 Halloween, Thanksgiving & "Holiday" season. Enjoy!

Halloween

Dash - The film is called "Spider.Web". This Halloween, find out what happens when the 'net spins you! A group of teenagers and the nine year-old computer genius that they're all babysitting go on a tour of Silicon Valley. Someone would make a joke about tits at this point...one of the dudes...or maybe a lady. Anyways, there are evil spiders living in the internet and every time one of the teenagers goes into someone's office to masturbate to sex blogs they are horrifically killed and consumed by them.

James - The movie is called "Jack O'Zombie". It's a few days after Halloween and a rotting Jack O'Lantern sits on a porch, all droopy-faced, until that night when a meteor hits nearby! A strange fog emanates from it and the hollowed out pumpkin comes to life! Now this ghoulish gourd has a hunger for brains to fill up its own empy head! Be on the look out! This stars 20 CGI clones of Megan Fox with Ron Perlman doing the voice of Jack.

Thanksgiving

Dash - This Thanksgiving, get "Stuff'd!!!!!!!". Dane Cook stars as a high-powered gun store owner who accidentally switches brains with a turkey. Abigail Breslin plays Cook's daughter, who finds the turkey and has to keep it hidden from their cuisine-crazy family...all of whom are played by the ghost of Peter Boyle.

James - Hey everyone, get ready to "Meat the Robinsons"! The Robinsons are a white, upper-class family in suburbia getting ready for Thanksgiving. They're Christian, they love family game night and have a dog named Pooky. Everything's going great until the week before Turkey day, a long lost cousin named Trianna drops in! She's a black, lesbiangayhomosexual, punk with an attitude. Not only that, she's a VEGAN. How can Thanksgiving happen without Turkey?! In the end, both the Robinsons and Trianna learn some valuable lessons. Also Trianna shows the Robinson kids porn. Trianna is played by Mo'Nique and The Robinsons are played by Martin Sheen as the dad, Diane Keaton as the mom, with Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen as the 12 year-old brothers.

Holidays

Dash - Her family wants them to get married on Christmas. His family wants them to get married during Hanukkah. They decide to enlist the help of their one black friend to convert to African-Americanism and get married on the third day of Kwanzaa. There will also be no less than eight talking dogs in this film and everyone must kill themselves immediately after leaving the theater. It's called "Fuck You". 49.7 million dollars projected opening weekend.

James - This holiday season, why don't you come on under the "Mistlenose"?! This movie is about Rhonda, a girl who lost her nose in a tragic Dungeons and Dragons accident and her only Christmas wish is to get a new one! Along on her quest are her friends Sammy and Tammy, twins who absolutely hate each other. They take a cross country road trip and pick up some hitchers who give out sage advice along the way. Rhonda is played by Miley Cyrus, the twins by Tia and Tamara Mowry, provided that they're not dead, and all of the hitchers by Morgan Freeman in different costumes.

The Thing!

And here's the trailer for The Thing!



-Your Friends

Album Review: VultureMoose - Unreal Reality

So, since we don't post a podcast every Monday now, we've decided that the Monday's sans 'cast, will be a joint blog post of some kind by us. 2 weeks ago it was a video showing some behind the scenes on our lives. This week is a review of an album by both of us. The album is called "Unreal Reality" and is by friend and former guest of the We're Friends! Company/Conglomeration/Amateur Rotary club VultureMoose!

How we did this was we both listened to the album independently of one another and wrote something about each song. Dash wrote what could be considered a story in a stream consciousness journey he went on while listening. James started out trying to break down the songs and analyze them tonally and with regards to structure, tempo, etc. But then, like Dash, he just wrote what he felt and saw in his mind. Then they wrote something about the album in general. And here we go!

1. "Good For Your Soul":

Dash - Walking to the sky. The sun is blue. A line of my friends bid me farewell and give a piece of themselves for courage. The vocals become more and more enveloped in the sound…the beauty of this journey is going to be overwhelming.

James - I know this song! VultureMoose has played it live. First images that come to mind: church and Andrew W.K. What do those drums remind me of?! Ghostland Observatory! One of the lyrics are “like a goddess to the sea”, and he definitely sounds like he’s underwater. Neat. This is his sermon, we are the parish.

2. "Kingdomm":

Dash - Immediate rad! Sailing to the horizon on a sea made of pixels and fruit loops. Crazy creatures surface from the depths and give high fives. The ship gains wings. The clouds are pin-up girls blowing kisses. Our vessel is going 5,000 miles an hour. Outer space.

James - Upbeat time! More vocals! Sounds like a continuation of the first track. Love that slight fade that goes into some weirdo keyboard/synth thing at around 1:42. The end bit reminds me of M83. “I could disappear and that’s just fine.” Yes! What’s that sample from?

3. "ForeverVoices":

Dash - There is a battle in the stars. General Mustache and his solar brigade advance. The stars are flickering so brilliantly. Will we win?

James - Oh shit. What is THIS?! Crazy drum sounds, even crazier vocals! Love the repeating loop in the background. This is a mixture of melody and dissonance. People are marching to this song wearing neon capes, holding staffs made of candy.

4. "Zoned":

Dash - A black hole made of love stops the carnage. Through it, everyone who was fighting watches as time disintegrates. General Mustache hugs everyone. Space Rainbow.

James - Simple, slow song. I dig the percussion that isn’t that main drum beat. I enjoy how he cuts out everything but one or two elements during this song.

5. "Discovery":

Dash - Ohhhhhhhh shit! Bar hopping? No. Fucking planet hopping. There are so many parties. This ship can only get to so many. Watching so many different beings as they celebrate in their own way. Traveling between planets, watching space turn into dizzying colors.

James - Space! That’s what this song is! Happy, but the lyrics are slightly melancholy. Maybe. I was gonna say this reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it’s more Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Fun journeys through space with friends. Some sad times, some great times. Like this one a lot.

6. "Skippie":

Dash - What's in that cave? Let's go down. Down. Down. Down. Space bats! They're purple and emit light-up gas! The center of this planet is full of women! The women hand each of my crew a flower that shows them their earliest dream. Each person gets a smooch then it's time to to go.

James - IT’S TIME TO FUCKING DANCE. Everyone clap and spin! And be totally happy and thoughtful. Think about who you love. Dance to this song with the ones you loves!

7. "Into the Valley":

Dash - The ship has broken down. And in half. We are trying to reconnect, but there's a time tornado.

James - WEEEEEEEEEE. Yeah yeah yeah! This song totally energizes me. Can’t not move to it. It also seems to be saying, “I could be industrial, but I’m not gonna.” That’s something I’d love to hear, a harsh, angry, industrial VultureMoose album. Oh man, love the weird vocals. This needs to be in a chase scene. A guy running from men in suits.

8. "How I Began":

Dash - A celebration for the fallen. There is still so much to see, and they wouldn't have wanted us to stop for very long. We continue with only half a ship. Singing a tale of our comrades exploits as we approach a new solar system.

James - Running up stairs. No no! Running up a downward moving escalator that matches your speed. But never ever giving up. The earnest-ness in the act is almost cartoonish. A very, “Hey, we can do it!” song.

9. "Everything Under the Sun":

Dash - Morning on Robot Moon. They're friendly, but cautious. All we want is fuel. All they want is stories. Buildings made of math equations. We help them understand sadness and they weep with joy.

James - Oh man, love love LOVE this song. This is a robot screaming in frustration. An automaton who refuses to be automatic any longer. Multitudes of other robots look on to the one walking away from his work. And they watch it rip itself apart in a protest of servitude.

10. "Wishing Well":

Dash - Robot Moon turns into a giant carrier. They allow us to take command. We set a course for home. The stars are jiggling to the beat of this song. This song is how the robots express gratitude.

James - Puppy dance party! And a big ol’ bear is the DJ! This song is fucking grooooooove-tastic. Clap your paws and wag your tails!

11. "C Song":

Dash - Coming back always seems much quicker than leaving, in a way that feels like it invalidates the journey. It isn't until you realize the memories will be with you until you die that anything even seemed worthwhile.

James - We’re on a ship headed to new places! And everyone’s the captain! Also the ship’s alive! Oh wow, love how it gets slightly somber for a few seconds at 1:00 and again at 1:52. Giant mountains loom in the distance, but we’ll break through. Right? Night falls and we’re right in front of the mountains. We decide to go around, rather than through. We’re slightly scared and in awe. The mountains are eons older than us. And the mountains smile at us!

12. "Cruiser":

Dash - The time tornado brought the rest crew back home before us! It's name is Wes. Sitting back home, watching the sun dip. Dreaming of everything. What are we gonna do tomorrow?

James - Water space. Aquatic galaxy. There seems to be an urgent message in this song.

Unreal Reality sum up:

Dash -I hope Jeff never stops making music. There is so much joy and beauty to what he creates. I wish a could write a coherent, analytical review of the musicianship or whatever of this album, but I'm too stoked out. The track by track thing I did is everything I need to say. I was taken on a journey of awesome wonders.

James - Totally fun and joyful. Jeff knows how to make your heart sing and your booty shake. In terms of criticism, there were times when I could tell that drum beats would come in before I heard them and they did. The songs seem slightly formulaic in that they start out with one or two sounds and then build from there and then the sounds go away one after another. Also, the percussive beats in some of the songs were very similar. As a whole, this album totally flows and the songs work really well together. What's interesting about what I didn't love about this album is that those aspects aren't flaws. They're just things I don't love that I bet tons of other people enjoy. Also, Jeff writes great lyrics. Kudos friend!

This album isn't available yet, but when it is we will be sure to tell all of you.

-Your Friends

PS, Isn't neat that both of us had similar images in our heads for the songs? We both felt the theme of space throughout the album, and with "Discovery", we both mention having fun in space. And with "Everything Under the Sun", we both thought of robots! That's crazy!

We're Friends! (a video)

-We're Friends!