PART 2:

NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, THESE CLIPS ARE WELL WORTH AN HOUR OF YR TIME.

to see more of Julia’s work, including more amazing self-portraits and writing about fashion culture, check out her blog here.

thank you to Linux Caffe for the awesome background noise.

Kitintale from Yann Gross on Vimeo.

i know, i know. too long between posts. i’m back with a vengeance and blah blah blah. the truth is, i’ve been spending way too much time trying to be this guy.

more soon.
karol doom.

FORMAT: Digital

DIRECTED BY: karol orzechowski

SCREENINGS: coming soon…

For more information about field trip, please see the mini-site.

[pre-march speeches at college and university.]

[information and background. click to enlarge.]

[these camera-guys were there from a couple of the major news stations. when they noticed me taking pictures, they struck some poses, which i said looked nice. "don't worry," i told them, "you'll be on the cover of the star tomorrow." they laughed and said they didn't believe me. then the one on the right piped up and said "yeah, more like the communist star." nice one, buddy.]

[as the dozen-or-so police realize that this protest isn't going to stay put, or stay on the sidewalk, they scramble to figure out what to do. on their bikes, they attempt to box us in at college and elizabeth.]

[just when things seem to be dying down, we find a hole in the armor and spill out and down elizabeth, heading towards yonge and gerrard.]

[protestors spilling everywhere. cops confused as all hell.]

[a cop carved out of wood. another temporary blockade of police bikes. click to enlarge.]

[we arrive at yonge and gerrard to see that the protest is having an effect. there are about 50-75 police, on bikes and in cars, blocking yonge and gerrard going south. to the north, yonge street is empty and people line the streets as the  torch makes it's way down.]

[standoff at yonge and gerrard. click to enlarge.]

[the improvised police "blockade" at yonge and gerrard. click to enlarge.]

[we determine the location of the torch and head north to yonge and college. the police are unable to catch up and retain us, so the intersection turns into a complete clusterfuck and blocks the torch's path. at this point, the torch is up around yonge and wellesley, and has to be "split in two" and diverted. apologies for the lack of focus. most of the time, i'm barely even looking through the viewfinder.]

[it's a weird scene at yonge and college. some people boo us, other people join us, and others just whip out their camera phones and start snapping photos. in a weird way, we've become just another aspect of the olympic spectacle for these people. a strange feeling to say the least. click to enlarge.]

[reinforcements arrive in the form of cars and horses. the spectators there to see the torch seem bewildered by the whole thing. click to enlarge.]

[the mounted police always piss me off most. i think if the horses knew that the work they were being forced to do was so unjust, they would be pissed too. click to enlarge.]

[some people there to see the torch are indeed quite... charming, as jeanette put it. in this bad photo, a man in a cowboy hat gives me the finger and calls me an asshole. off-camera: i return his sentiment.]

[we make our way up towards college and wellesley, even closer to the torch, and the mainstream media is swarming at this point. unfortunately, they aren't terribly interested in talking to the protestors. instead, this reporter asks dozens of spectators what they think of the protest ("it's ridiculous! these bums should go home!"), a nice "balanced" view.]

[somewhere around yonge and maitland, the cops bring in serious reinforcements and start being more serious about pushing people around. the intersection fills with somewhere between 150-200 cops, some of them looking like they just rolled out of bed and still putting on their uniforms. they fall into various formations and split the protest up on either side of yonge street. two minutes after this photo was taken, one of the apparent "leaders" of the squad said quietly to the cop in this photo "that guy over there (referring to one of the aboriginal protestors in a bandana), if something happens, take him out first." i ask loudly "who are you going to take out." the cop who said it says "we're not going to take out anybody" loudly. i ask her to repeat what she said to the other officer. she refuses.]

[at this point, it's impossible to move forward. but some of the protestors that have been split off make their way down to nathan phillips square and drop a banner to disrupt everyone's "good time."]

this blog post is pieced together from my recollection and documentation of the fast-moving events from last night. for a more articulate and complete retelling, check out the official torch block blog.

also, for an eyewitness report from someone who wasn’t actually a protestor, but who provides some good insight, check out nealj’s livejournal entry.

PLEASE NOTE: reposting of photos is welcome, but MUST be credited – “photos by karol orzechowski / decipherimages.com”

I tried to warn them.

When I got an e-mail from Wax Records asking me to think about doing some giveaways for the new Cartel album, I replied very frankly: “i only review vinyl, and i only review stuff i like.”* They sent me four Cartel cds anyway.

I can’t review this record. Literally, I can’t review it, because I just can’t listen to it. I get about :30 into it, and I break out in hives and get a nosebleed. I think I’m physically allergic to it.

The reason I only want to review things I like is because, really, no one needs bad press, and I don’t have time to write about things I don’t like. I’m sure some people will think the Cartel album “rocks” or “rolls” or “doesn’t fuck yr ears with razor blades.” Unfortunately, I am not one of those people.

So I’m gonna leave this one to the experts. I am not an expert in pop-punk (?), and I don’t have the knowledge to place this record in its historical context. And hell, even if I could, I’m not sure that I would want to spend an hour of my time trying to do so. I’m busy like that.

So, to be honest and fair to Wax, I’m gonna do some giveaways. I’m doing a double giveaway! I’ve for four (4) copies of the new Cartel album / hi-tech plastic drink coaster  “Cycles.” Whoever can write to me first and tell me why they love or hate Cartel, will get a copy / coaster. Trust me, this is an excellent album / coaster. If you love pop-punk, yr gonna shit yr pants over the slick awesomeness of this album (especially the first :30 of it). If you hate pop-punk, yr gonna love how awesomely this plastic disc works to keep yr coffee table drink-ring free.

write to me at everyoneisdoomed {AT} gmail {DOT} com

p.s. no links in this post. if you really care, you can find the links yrself.

*This was a bit of a dodge. I don’t actually review anything. But I’m starting today.

[photos and interview by karol o.]

When you say “live rap” you might think of bands like The Roots, multi-piece funk / soul bands with emcees that play smooth and ride easy flows. But Themselves (Adam “Doseone” Drucker and Jeffrey “Jel” Logan) are perhaps one of the only live rap bands around these days. They use the original building blocks of rap – samplers and drum machines – but turn them into live instruments that they twist and turn into an unequivocal racket of groove, all right before your eyes and ears. They (ha) are currently on tour in support of their dizzying new album CrownsDown.

EID: What is “CrownsDown”? What does the title of the album mean?

Doseone: Crownsdown is our truism, a term to our language of rap, that encapsulates the arrow and edge of us at this point in time, like “Ready to Die.” Jeff and I gently set our worth down on the table of days before us. Not out of confidence but reverence and earnest.

EID: On the second track on the album, you give people your home address and tell to come and “get their careers over with already.” Has anyone yet come to either of your houses looking for a battle?

Doseone: Not yet, but I can’t wait. I hope I am in underwear with my toothbrush in one hand and a bill in the other while I kill a kid on my stoop.

EID: Why are there no lyrics included in the album?

Doseone: We put them in the digital booklet. It was a tough call, but the ten photos in the book are specifically set and shot to be theoretical 12″covers. So each song gets its own diorama of sorts. I enjoy the maturity and room for interperetation it leaves to the listening person.

EID: How were these new songs written? Did beats come first? Did words come first?

Doseone: A bit of both. Overall, Jeff and I sat with our concept of classic rap albums, and fostered our own astranged version of such a criteria. We then tried to discern what “type” of rap song motiffs still could hold true and reign potent in the 2000s. So we had a bootlegging song, a don’t-mess-with-the-dj song, a defend-rap-from-nogooders song and so on. And for some of these we had a very clear idea of what the production should be. For “Oversleeping,” we made that beat together, and I was like, oh this is the clean-out-the-closet skeleton crush jam, and I wrote the song in a single eve. “Back II Burn” was written as a long poem by Pedestrian and I, and Jeff and I then made a triumphant album begining beat to match and modify the mood of the poem.

EID: What is touring like for you guys? What is the weirdest thing you’ve seen on this tour?

Doseone: It’s pretty great for us right now. We are the fastest of friends, and really just beginning to open up as a two-man rap band. So it’s somehow, all new again a decade later and our people are very happy to have us right now. Things feel flush: we are giving our appreciators a meal that is shaped just like their hunger.

You know, we were in Denny’s, and they were selling a shirt that says “get your grave on.” I shit my pants! It’s like a dose shirt. It may not be the weirdest tale, but when corporations make something adorable and advertised in the language of death, one must shake their head, take note, and see things as new and oddly futuristic.

EID: How is playing support different from headlining?

Doseone: We are co headlining, which I like. Sometimes opening is great, cause crowds can get drunk and long day drowsy on you. And opening tends to be the sweet spot. Truthfully I live for my hour on stage, and will take it anyway I can. Jeff and I don’t need cake and pointy hats, to bring it birthday to the ageing.

EID: What’s the plan when the tour is over?

Doseone: We are finishing a remix record for CrownsDown, and Jeff will be sealing shut his new solo record. I am going to be finishing “unearthing” with Alan Moore and Andy Broder, and then its onto Nevermen with [TV On The Radio's] Tunde [Adebimpe] and mighty Mike Patton. The rest is blood, sweat, bills, and B-movie dreams.

>>>END.<<<

[for more photos from the Toronto show, check out the decipher photo gallery.]

[photos and interview by karol o.]

Ask Tim Fite the same question on two different days, and you’ll probably get two different answers. That doesn’t mean he’s not honest; Though Fite cultivates a fairly elusive and enigmatic persona in the music press, he is also disarmingly frank and unpretentious. After years of creating meticulous and finely crafted sort-of-hip-hop (that still somehow sound homemade), Fite is taking stock of his career to date, and planning his next bold moves.

I caught up with Tim Fite after his third and final Halloween Bash, after the dust had settled on some legal matters and as Fite prepared to launch his brand new website. The site showcases Fite’s full spectrum of creativity, including lots of (FREE!) music, and a wealth of visual art.

EID: I don’t know if you remember me. On Halloween night I was one of the Canadians that you gave a bag of fireworks to.

TF: Yeah, I totally remember. Those fireworks were precious. I heard you got in trouble.

EID: On our way home we ended up lighting a bunch of them off at a truckstop. A guy who worked at the truckstop McDonald’s told us to put them in the garbage and leave. About twenty miles down the road, five state troopers stormed onto the bus I was on and… Well, to make a long story short, I was charged with 5th degree Arson (with intent to damage property) for torching a garbage can. I guess some of the spent fireworks were still hot.

TF: Oh my god. That’s fucked up. I’m so sorry, man.

EID: I just want you to know that I didn’t snitch, so you’re safe.

TF: {laughs} I’m glad. We don’t like snitches. But either way, that sucks. I didn’t think you could get in that much trouble. If I did I wouldn’t have given them to you.

EID: I remember you handing them to me and saying “I want you to get arrested in New York.” And we had a good laugh about that. {laughs}

TF: Will you have a record in Canada?

EID: I’m currently arranging to pay restitution so the charges get dropped. I won’t have a record. My friends who were involved in the fireworks display have offered to split the fine with me.

TF: Thank goodness, man. I’d offer to chip in too. I have friends who have gotten into that sort of thing. You know, you do something foolish, and you end up being treated like a terrorist forever.

EID: I’m not too worried about it. And it was a good story. Dealing with the State Troopers was a trip.

TF: I think there are no human beings more awkward than policeman. They serve the function of every fucked up, socially awkward activity known to man. You know, they’re simultaneously brutal and non-communicative. {laughs}

EID: One of them told me that if I went for the door, he was going to shoot me.

TF: Aw, Christ.

EID: Have you ever been arrested?

TF: Never officially.

EID: What does that mean?

TF: I’ve been… Like when the police harass you and put you in the car and make you feel terrible but you really didn’t do anything wrong so they haven’t really arrested you.

EID: What was your last experience with a police officer?

TF: We hit an old lady’s car at Bonaroo. We backed into it and she took my license and registration and insurance card and ran into her house and held it hostage until the police came. The police sat us down and were mean and fucked up to us because we were in Tennessee. We didn’t even bump the lady’s car. There was nothing wrong with it. But they went along with her and claimed it was going to cost a thousand dollars to fix.

EID: Have you ever been in trouble on Halloween?

TF: Yeah. Not with the police, but pretty much every single physical fight I’ve ever been in has happened on or around Halloween. You know, it’s a mischief night. People are out acting bad. Kids are all around and you have to defend your honor in order to win the game.

EID: This year marked the third and maybe final installment of your Halloween trilogy of albums. Why Halloween? Why not Christmas or Mother’s Day?

TF: Because I like dressing up scary and being scary. It gives you a lot more room to pretend. I guess you could pretend in the same way on Mother’s Day but that might be creepy. Like, really creepy.

EID: It seems like the Halloween thing is one part of a larger enigma of Tim Fite. It’s hard to find a lot of information about you.

TF: It’s all true. And none of it’s true. Just like any good story.

EID: How do you decide when to tell the truth and when to make stuff up?

TF: I don’t know if I really even know the difference. {laughs} Maybe I tell the truth when I don’t want anyone to have a good time. {laughs}

EID: What’s the most personal question you’ve ever been asked?

TF: “Do you love me?” And the answer is invariably “yes.”

EID: Is there anything you won’t write about?

TF: I don’t know. I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn’t write about. Maybe if I was sad because my dick fell off or something. I might not write about that.

EID: You don’t just write, and make music. Visual art is a huge part of the show. The Halloween bash in Brooklyn was decked out in art of your own creation. You could just as easily just get up there and play. It would still be entertaining.

TF: But it wouldn’t be as much fun for me. The art stuff I do to entertain myself. The music helps to entertain the people.

EID: Will you ever make Halloween music again?

TF: I think I’m done. I think I’m good to go. I need a Halloween off where I can go get into some fist fights.

EID: What’s happening on 11/11?

TF: I’m relaunching my website, I’ve redesigned it. There will be a bunch of stuff available that hasn’t been available for free. I’m gonna be a lot more vigilant about updating it. There’ll be 40-or-so drawings that you can suck into your computer. The Water Island record for free, which no one has been able to get their hands on real easily, and a new animated thing I’m working on called Dog and Pony Show.

EID: You give away a lot of music, but you’ve been doing this for a while. It doesn’t seem part of this trend of bands just giving away their music. Why did you start doing that?

TF: There’s a difference between what I do and devaluing music by the current trend of giving it away. I think that current trend tends to devalue music because it’s not truly free. People turn around and figure out a way to sell it later. I give shit away because it’s free and kind and that gives the value back to it for me. I get value out of sharing it in that way. The shit that I sell, I don’t make any money off of anyway. {laughs}

>>>END<<<