Everyone who still reads this!

I ll be posting at my domain name – nishantmehrotra.com from now on.

This blog was  experiment to see if this blogging thing was for me. And it is, I like it a lot. And you should consider it too.

changes that need to happen

America’s psychological fixation on race seems to cloud our ability to move on and accept the relationship for what it is; a father and his children.

Why do we still have penny’s in Canada? I probably have 100 dollars worth of pennies sitting in my piggy bank right now. But will i take it out to count it? Probably not.  I backpacked Australia last year and the best thing about that great country was THEY HAVE NO PENNIES. It is all rounded to 5. So its not 4.99 its 4.95 or simply 5.00 dollars. Also the tax was already included! Don’t have to worry about the tip either at restaurants! This obviously led to some inflated food prices, but whatever saves the hassle of calculating all that rubbish.

Why do we pay for yesterdays news? The Calgary Herald complain how there readership is going down, becoming more expensive for them to continue pressing out valuable (mostly negative) news articles from around the world. WHY NOT MAKE IT FREE! I bet you the circulation would instantly go up by 200,000 people.  Unless the Herald wants to change its target market to citizens to age 50 +, then go ahead continue what your doing. But please don’t increase your prices, cos the cool kids use the internet most of the time.

annoying things

People who live within 1 km of a gym (westside rec ahem) and yet drive to the gym in the summer time for a WORK OUT. Sorry what is the point of going to the gym? TO GET EXERCISE. So why don’t you walk or jog or bike or even roller blade to the gym then??? I understand -20 Celsius, but not when its warm outside.

East Indian. What the hell is a East Indian? Is there a country in the world called East India that I am not aware of? I haven’t heard of the East Indian ocean before either. What the hell is East Indian food?  Where is this famous West India then?  This does my head in.

Just because Christoper Columbus completely screwed up and thought North America was India DOES NOT mean 500 years later we refer to INDIANS as EAST INDIANS and Native Americans and Canadians as INDIANS. I get its all symantics right? WRONG.  You can’t reduce the influence of society that is over 5,000 years old that now numbers 1 billion people,  into calling them the “East” Indians.

Anyone who wears a Ed Hardy T-shirt is a douchebag. Period.

People who phone you and then do not speak a word. WHY DID YOU PHONE ME THEN?  I don’t get pleasure from hearing you breathe.  Every once awhile they are curious  to know what you are up to, if your life is exciting as compared to their boring dull one.   If you say “yeah nothing is going on tonight” they will say ” yeah this city sucks, so boring, blah blah” and begin complaining. WELL MAKE IT HAPPEN THEN.  Thank God for caller ID.

Great Michael Jackson Story…

From Aziz Ansari via NYMag.com:

“This was the week that “Home Alone” had just been released on laserdisc, and so we’d been playing the movie on an endless loop at the store, over and over and over, and we were all sick of it at that point. That’s important because when Michael showed up, he had a guest with him. Macaulay Culkin.

My manager … was on the phone with a friend, and as Michael went to look around and shop, Macaulay stopped, listening to Anthony as he ranted. ” … and if I have to watch that movie again, I’m going to stab my own eyes out. Seriously. That kid … it’s like he’s haunting me. I go home, and all I can hear when I’m trying to go to sleep is him taunting Pesci and Stern, and I wish there was a cut of the film where they caught him. That’s what I’d watch.”

By that point, it was obvious what he was talking about, so Macaulay settled in to wait for Anthony to turn around. Michael noticed what was going on. Finally, Anthony turned around, and there was Macaulay, right behind him, hands on his face just like on the “Home Alone” cover, and as all of us, Michael included, burst into laughter. That moment, watching Michael trying not to laugh as we all waited for Anthony to figure out what was going on, was the least guarded thing I saw from him.”

The Tipping Point

You need to know how and when things tip.

What tipped 500 people to start dancing together with within the span of 2 minutes? Peer pressure right*? Not always the case as Malcolm Gladwell explains in The Tipping Point. He suggests they’re are other forces at work that make us do things on automatic or unconsciously.

One of the bits that really got me was the context behind the six degrees of separation.  Gladwell writes “doesn’t mean that everyone is linked to everyone else in just six steps. It means that a very small number of people are linked to everyone else in a few steps and the rest of us are linked to the world through those special few.” He later alludes to these people as connectors, social glue that spread the message. He uses this awesome example about a boy over hearing a British officer discussing attacking the Americans and how he spread the word that led to a massive militia ready to fight to the surprise of the the Brits! That particular passage blew my mind. Apparently its an historical legend told to every American school child. I live in a place called Canada, so thats my excuse!

He later on mentions the value of the weak tie.  That they’re are people that seek pleasure and value in casual meeting, unlike others who feel they don’t have the energy to maintain meaningful contact with everyone.

He then discusses the maven, who are data banks, which provide the message. Lastly there is the salesman, who is the persuader, when we are unconvinced they convince us and are as critical in word of mouth epidemics as the other two groups.  He later expands from the Law of the Few, and talks about the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context.

Lets just say I’m now a huge fan of Malcolm. I’ve read an article by him before and also the first chapter of Outliers before giving it as a gift to my brother for Christmas. Looks like I need to borrow that from him now.

Again Gladwell is unstoppable in his search for understanding the human condition. I think all marketers need to read Chapter 2 especially, where he talks about the word of mouth ‘epidemic’.  Creating influence.

* according to Seth Godin, its Guy #3.

My BIG playlist

Konichiwa bitches.

I ‘ve been listening to A LOT of music lately, especially since I got back from the legendary Sasquatch Music Festival! AMAZING. Out of this world. I only like to rub it in cos it was awesome.

That festival, well all music festivals in general to be honest, open me up to new music every single time, without fail. Thats is mostly because I like to check out the new indie bands! what a concept. Despite that it seems every year since my university days I’ve been losing my edge on the latest greatest musical happenings. I would usually know every band that was performing, but this time no idea. So thank God for music festivals as they reaffirm my faith in modern music. Plus it’s nice to see hot girls actually dance to decent tunes, not just to the latest club crap phenom. Kid Cudi day and night does my head in.

The other thing is there is just so much music available out there nowadays. YEAH I said it! So  stop listening to the radio!  I recently  checked out my last.fm account and I listen to about 514 artists apparently.  THAT BLOWS MY MIND!! I could only  go in detail for about 20 of those bands, as I used to buy cds by them… Remember those? Its funny when you buy a cd you actually feel like more connected to them, or at least I did. You would sit down and really appreciate the music more, learn about the band, probably because you invested money in it so better be half decent. I’d only buy it anyways after downloading the tracks. Thats a different topic for another time.  Anyways back to there being so much god damn music out there ….there are bands popping out of every freaking corner of the Earth. There could be skinny kids in a garage right now in Bumhole, America uploading the “next” sound onto their myspace page,  you know a little dash of Neds Atomic Dustbin and Devendra Banhart. Mad fer it.

BTW: Devendras remix of of Get Off Your High Horse Lady by Oasis is unreal, Noel sounds like a sherpa shouting from the Himalayan  mountain tops. EPIC.

Which reminds me, I love the buzz I get when I hear a killer tune for the first time. Nothing beats it, always feels like a sound from another universe. The first time I heard Tomorrow Never Knows by The Beatles, despite the tune being 40 years old, my jaw dropped. Well okay it didn’t literally drop, but I played it 20 times after that in a row.  It was a definite whoa experience. And thats whats it all about, not the soul destroying music they play on the radio. I need to get XFM….

my itunes playlist: Mostly all new tracks, but also a lot from  2008 and 2007.

• The Music – The Spike
• Young Knives – Up All Night
• The Tough Alliance – Something Special
• Franz Ferdinand – Lucid Dreams
• The Fratellis – My Friend John
• Oasis/Devendra Banhart Mix – (Get Off Your) High Horse Lady
• Shearwater – Red Sea, Black Sea
• Last Shadow Puppets – My Mistakes Were Made For You
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Dull Life
• Herman Dune – 1 2 3 Apple Tree
• Okkervil River – Lost Coastlines
• Noah and the Whale – 5 Years Time
• Black Kids – Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)
• The Raconteurs – Many Shade of Black
• Caribou – Melody Day
• Office – If You Don’t Know By Now
• M. Ward – Never Had Nobody Like You (ft. Zooey Deschanel)
• Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head – Me + Yr Daughter
• Dent May & Magnificent Ukulele – Meet Me in the Garden
• Gogol Bordello – Start Wearing Purple
• Arthur & Yu – There are too Many Birds
• Grizzly Bear – On A Neck, On A Spit
• Fleet Foxes – Blue Ridge Mountains
• The Dutchess and the Duke – Reservoir Park
• The Submarines – You, Me & The Bourgeoisie
• Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes
• Beach House – Used to Be
• Bishop Allen – Middle Management
• John Vanderslice – The Parade
• Loch Lomond – Northern, Knees, Trees and Lights
• Blk Jks – Lakeside
• Deadmau5 – Ghosts N Stuff
• Girl Talk – Still Here
• Santigold – Unstoppable
• Silversun Pickups – Growing Old is Getting Old
• Ra Ra Riot – Each Year
• Kings of Leon – Crawl
• Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band – Anchors Dropped
• Devotchka – The Clockwise Witness
• Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer
• Bon Iver – For Emma
• The Airborne Toxic Event – Sometime Around Midnight
• Deerhoof – Offend Maggie
• The Decemberists – O Valencia
• St. Vincent – Now Now
• Passion Pit – I’ve Got Your Number
• Viva Voce – When Planets Collide
• The Dodos – Ashley
• Of Montreal – Heimdalsgate like a Promethean Curse
• Vampire Weekend – M79
• Hockey –  Too Fake
• Doves – Kingdom of Rust

* I could make this into playlist that is downloadable if there is any interest.  woo

my sasquatch ’09 experience

The craziest two minutes of the Sasquatch Music Festival was when this flamboyant dancing dude started a dancing outbreak whilst Santigold was performing. I was filming this guy for a few songs and couldn’t stop to notice others had the urge to join him but were too scared to do it (including me).  However, finally one person started dancing with him but it seemed like he was initially mocking him. Seconds later,  this Johan Hill-look alike started dancing and that was the tipping point. Suddenly 3 others joined and people started running down the hill to join.  It was simply awesome. To make things even more bizarre this dancing guy was reported  on the front page of the Calgary Herald today! He also only works about 1 block away from me! NOW THAT IS NUTS.

A quick review of the music festival in general:

The Gorge in Washington State is breath-taking. It has gotta be the most visually stunning outdoor venue in the world. Yes I know Yanni has once performed in front of the Taj Mahal, but there is an actual amphitheatre built on the edge of this cliff.

My favourite act was the Kings of Leon. They were unreal, blew the place off its feet. From a tiny indie band to rock’n’rol superstars in 6 years. Current favourite tune by them is Crawl off the new album.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs new album Its Blitz! is excellent, though i didn’t think the guitar was turned up enough.  Some new bands I enjoyed were King Khan and the Shrines, he’s got the funk. Hockey (worst name ever) were actually quite decent, reminded me the Rapture. Dent May played at the Yeti Stage – definitely check him out, melodic to the bone. Of Montreal are too cool for school.  I also caught some comedy with Aziz Ansari. HE IS HILARIOUS. He’s on this show called Parks and Recreation on NBC. I should really get pay cut for that shout out. He’s gonna be in the new movie Funny People as well, he’s gonna be big. Plus he’s Indian origin, gotta help a brother out. The last day was filled with Santigold, Gogol Bordello (gypsy punk rock – it was so rock’n’rolly) and then the Fleet Foxes singing there hearts out. Danced to Girl Talk, chilled and blissed out to Explosions in the Sky and then was curious to see what DJ Chromeo was all about. It was madness. I’d do it again, except bring more soap after 4 days of camping without a shower hehe.

Liam Gallagher launches Pretty Green!

My childhood hero, from my favourite band ever, Oasis, is launching his own clothing line! Pretty Green.

I would have never thought this in a millions years. Our Kid, lovingly called by Noel, has always been known for his flare for style. I’ve been following him ever since I watched the D’you Know What I Mean? video back in the summer of 1997! I wanted the jacket, the shades, the shoes. I was totally obsessed, mad fer it 24/7. But I’d never thought he go Sean John on us!

Liam has always been punk rock, I can go to lengths on how much he has pissed off people in the music world and Earth in general, but that is half the appeal. To me he was the voice of the 90’s. To this day I would argue Liams voice alone can make a decent song into a great song, and a great tune like Wonderwall (he sings like a wounded boxer on it), Slide Away (perhaps his best vocal ever) Rockin Chair (this is the greatest b-side ever) and turn into a 10/10 classic.

He doesn’t care about selling records, he doesn’t care if he insulted your favourite band, he just speaks his mind. Its his brutal honesty that appeals to me the most and that in my opinion should always be admired. So I can totally see how this passion for clothes as come about! When he says there isn’t enough quality clothes out there, well I believe him! He has more time (notably more money) to shop around. So about time he make it happen! He has the confidence of 100 men by the way. If there was ever someone who made me less shy and more assertive in life, he would be the reason that inspired it. OKAY, enough man love. You just wanna know what his line be like? Well I have a bit of an idea. These are my favourite Liam G snaps over the years.

 

 

 

 

 

Olli COW!

I am big hockey fan, and because I live in Calgary I am naturally a huge Calgary Flames fan. Today was the trade deadline in the NHL and Flames in my opinion are HUGE winners. Finnish superstar Ollie Jokinen is now our number 1 centreman. He had big years under coach Mike Keenan when playing under him with the Florida Panthers (92 and 89 points). So I expect greatness from him and the Flames. I hope there is chemistry, because on paper Calgary looks dangerous offensively. Just thinking of him centering Cammalleri and Iginla makes me drool. And for good measure, Jordan Leopold is back on Defense! WOO He was big in the 2004 playoff run to the Stanley Cup Finals. On the other note, sad to see Lombardi go, he’s a quality third line checker with spectacular speed. But you gotta give a little quality to get some quality. Here’s some highlights of Olli’s big goals. Can’t wait for Friday against Philly. 

Aussie Open

My main man Rafa Nadal is still in it! Woo!

I’m also a big fan Tsonga, his flight from obsecurity to greatness in 2008 was something else. The guy had nothing but unshakable confidence and you just had to sit and wonder how Djokovic finally beat him in the finals. It wasn’t that hot last year by the sounds of it…. by the way it is WAY more fun and exciting to be there in the stands than to watch it on tv. That probably goes for a lot of sports ( though Nascar would still be boring).

Talking about confidence again, this write up on Verdasco has caught my attention. You can read the entire article here. But the third paragraph is probably the best I’ve read all year so far.

However much belief Tsonga had in his own abilities and his own chances, it was nothing compared to Fernando Verdasco’s. If Tsonga thought he could win the Australian Open, then Verdasco believed he could fly. Or walk on water. Or heal the sick, feed the poor and split the atom.