Trumbull Island

And we are back with more best of the year whatsis. The below lists are submitted by people we are proud to call our friends. It is them we call crew. Enjoy!

Rob Buschgans

Rob, who is from scenic Lodi, N.J., runs Digikiller Records and as co-CEO of that and Parkway Steel records, he signs himself. He is holding down an ill job for some freaky TV shows and movies. He may or may not have an IMDb entry. I never see Rob, since he goes spelunking for vinyl in Brownsville every weekend:

TOP 10 of the 00′s a.k.a.The Best Ten Things I Could Think of Just Now For This Decade (in no order)

10. Framtid Under the Ashes LP (Crust War) & live in Osaka, Dec. 2002
Unrelenting, bulldozing all-time classic. The perfect modern day synthesis of their influences. A crushing unstoppable perfect LP. I’m not being hyperbolic. Just listen to “The Total Arse” and hear for yourself. I had the pleasure of seeing them live in Osaka just as the LP came out. A gig for the ages.

9. V/A — Firehouse Revolution LP/CD (Pressure Sounds) compilation — released 2001, heard 2005
A compilation of productions from King Tubby’s studio in the original digital era of the late ’80s. This record was an epiphany for me like no other. Unique, brilliant, advanced, primitive. Strikes every chord. Changed my life, really. The first proper producer retrospective compilation from this era of reggae.

8. Getting The Psychos “neck tat” flyer — Fall 2008
Purchased this monumental work of illustration for a mere $20. I let out a little gasp when I saw it there in front of me for purchase. Now to never leave the wall of any room I live in.

7. Record Digging — The Entire Decade
Giant roaches, guns, mold, filth, piss, rat shit, over flowing toilets, no toilets, no lights, gas fumes, whatever. They’re all a pleasure when you find that sealed copy of Tony Roach’s “Big Bout Yah” on the floor next to a rotting bag of Quikcrete.

6. Digikiller Records — Est. 2005, Launched 2009
Four years in the making, DKR crew is now going hard to give you big real tings in the most proper way. Digital heat, heavy roots. We live the dream, we just want you to enjoy it as much as we do.

5. New York City
Still the G.O.A.T.

4. Discovering Sizzla’s tunes for Exterminator
For a few years I wasn’t interested in Sizzla, Exterminator records: the 90′s, etc. At some point I eased into it, and now I see. Sizzla’s work with Fattis on the Praise Ye Jah and Freedom Cry LPs is some of my most listened-to and regular rotation material now. Great riddims, killer mixing, solid all the way. Check “Praise Ye Jah”, “Greedy Joe”, “Babylon Cowboy”, “What I See.”

3. “The Wire” on HBO
Shout out to Stuart for getting me onto this midway through the first season. Most sensible people I know are already fans, so not much to say other than it’s neck and neck with “Six Feet Under” for the most realistic television series with the most emotional resonance.

2. Muhammad Ali, Milford Graves, Rashied Sinan¹
Spent the better part of the middle of the decade listening to these three giants of drumming. All are seriously unchained. If only all their output was available in 5.1 digital, and I could drop everything except the drum tracks!

1. Releasing Van Sac — Ugly & Alive demo on 7″ on Distort Label
Through pure luck and the magic of the Internet, I was able to track down a Van Sac band member and release this gem of ultra-obscure Swedish hardcore on 7″. Demo tracks from ’86, raw, falling apart and just perfect.

“Fat” Steve Wiltse

Steve is best known as the head honcho for the short-lived (though, admittedly, tenured, as far as zines go) and excellent Town of Hardcore fanzine. A Burlington (Ontario) native, Steve has a squat rack in his house, can benchpress the entire committee, and is rarely seen by anyone. As I get older, Steve gets cooler. Unlike most people I know, he saw Brotherhood:

Top Ten of the Decade

10. Zydrunas Savickas.
Big Z won the “Arnold Classic” Strongman six years in a row, the “Fortissimus” once, the IFSA World Championships twice: he is currently the World’s Strongest Man and he is the current Log Press world record holder. He has firmly solidified himself as the strongest man to work the earth in modern times.

9. Haymaker.
On August 29th, 2002, a hardcore band from Hamilton, Ontario, played only the first couple of notes of one first song and immediately a massive riot broke out at a trashy little place called The Corktown Tavern. After security bolted the fire door closed and cut the power, chairs started to fly, along with fists, fireworks and bodies. Cabinets were overturned, sparking an electrical fire on the floor in front of the stage, which prompted the police being called and necessitating some fast talking to avoid incarceration. There was no more hardcore place to be on this night…

8. “Inside.”
The French (not cool Canadian French but the thin-mustache, smoking types) may turn tail when they hear a car backfire but they sure as shit know how to make a good horror movie. “Inside,” along with “Frontiers” are the pinnacle of well done French horror and gore. “Inside” is also one of the few DVDs where the extra features and “making of…” are actually worth watching.

7. Online Poker.
Chris Moneymaker may not be able to currently beat the players that multi-table $5 Sit-N-Gos, but when he beat Sammy Farha to win the World Series of Poker in 2003 he opened the flood gates for every drunken frat asshole to deposit the $600 maximum on Poker Stars and try to strike it rich. The landscape of online poker has changed dramatically since then but without that tub of goo with the cow lick, I’d have much less money right now. Thanks Chris…

6. Fucked Up.
Media darlings embraced by hipsters and hardcores alike released the perfect 7″ in Generation in 2005. To call this the band’s best work would prove a true disservice to their current material, but Generation is actually a perfect record in every sense of the word. Catchy, melodic, aggressive and memorable, over before you know it and you’re left wanting more. Some say that it’s impossible to collect all of this bands material, I beg to differ.

5. “Arrested Development.”
A TV show that hit home with critics but was too smart for its own audience (well, at least America). Brilliantly written and acted, one of those shows that you can watch repeatedly and always seem to discover something new. Will the movie live up to the standard the show set?

4. Straight Edge.
It somehow became cool to break edge hard and start a boring metal-influenced hardcore band and grow your hair. Straight edge isn’t cool anymore? That just made it cooler…

3. (Robert Maculloch’s) Positive Numbers Festival.
Prior to where every recent summer has boasted some poorly-named fest every couple of weeks, there was really only one game in town. Positive Numbers brought kids from all around the world to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania? Yep. Searing sets by Shark Attack, Cro Mags, Last in Line, No Warning, Mental and plenty more laid waste to most of those in attendance.

2. Fanzines.
Anyone can do a fanzine, and like pizza, even at its worst, it’s still something cool to read. There was a time when you could cut the tension and breakout in an attempt to push the limit and start today. Evidence would suggest that glue sticks and stolen time at Kinkos have been replaced by Blogs and Tweets but I’ve seen a couple of decent zines lately that give me hope. An invaluable pre-Internet medium.

1. My separation.
In a time where hope was lost, I’m currently on top of the world. Never surrender…

Jonah Falco

Jonah, a man of letters and instruments, plays drums in Fucked Up, guitar in Career Suicide, and even sings for Mad Men when he gets the chance. A N.J. hardcore connoisseur of the highest order, he is based in Toronto, and is like Prince, in that he can pick up any instrument and make something with it. Also like Prince, he wears fishnet shirts:

“Here are 10 unlikely yet important things that the last decade has rendered for me. Might not be the marquee or the most important, but to go without would be a mistake:”

“Madame Sata” (2002)
A destructive film about the ultimate polytropic man on the streets of Rio in the early 1930s. This is supposedly based on a real figure who skirted drag performance, racketeering, murder, and extortion whilst surviving in the slums. Cue a pre-incarnated Raybeez working the door at the equivalent of the Pyramid Club in 1930s Rio. I’ve only seen the film once, when it was released at the now defunct Carlton Theatre in the heart of the Hog, but its memory lives on. Bonus point for a period piece to still feel like an intense and severe narrative, and not simply like storytime at a costume party.

“Reflections of Evil” (2002)
The plot of this film is fairly vague. It is most effective, though, as a great filmic expression of the States after 9-11. Without trying necessarily, it captures a really extreme nihilism that became hyper-realistically amplified in a post “terror” USA. I make such a claim as an outsider, of course, and anyone who lived through that time in the U.S. might have something different to say about the nation’s climate. Anyways — Set in Los Angeles in late 2001, the flick loosely follows a severely disturbed man searching for his lost sister in multiple venues through the area. The film’s facets are dizzying, and likely excessive, but it’s as abrasive and disturbing as a film can be without beating you over the head. Stifling, engaging and hilarious. Apparently the director, Damon Packard, couldn’t get anyone to distribute his film, so he mailed almost the entire run of self-produced DVDs to celebrities, filmmakers, and really anyone he’d hoped would be interested. Some were returned immediately, some with scathing reviews and heavy-handed discouragement, while others brought praise of utter genius.

The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker
OK, so this book is not from the last decade, nor is from the one preceding ours. It’s from 1988 — a fine vintage — and has nothing to do with music or movies, in fact it barely has anything to do with any kind of an event at all. But since I read this book (within this decade, which is my loophole) I have unavoidably connected it with Trumbull. Text within texts, within a moment. It’s written lovingly, like the “Ulysses” of minutiae complete with tangental footnotes, with a focus that borders on psychosis. A triumph of the last 20 years and seriously a precursor to the hard focus that’s going on everywhere now; the sub-classification of EVERYTHING. Long live Trumbull.

Kill All Your Darlings by Luc Sante
Contributor to the New Yorker and article-writer extraordinaire. Kill All Your Darlings is a collection of Sante’s work in various publications 1990-2005. Most of these describe New York City in the late ’70s through the late ’80s, amidst musings about music and art, and most interestingly, lots of talk about his journey toward becoming a writer in and out of machine shops, factories, and joe-jobs. New York is an easy place to write about, but without a good context of description you might as well be reading an in-flight magazine. This reads like a sociological tract or even a narrative history as much as it operates as snapshots of important places at an important time. Rears its head against the noise of millions of other witnesses as well.

Big Difference (band)
It’s easy to pick a band that made an impact, but harder to find one that didn’t and likely never will. This is precisely the type of submerged bliss which collectors and freakies seek out of retired musicians, men and women old enough to be their parents. This pothole aggregate of slimy freaks from Sheffield have been the most true to form explosion of British punk that I have ever had the pleasure to endure. Completely unhindered by awareness; totally confident in their arrogate; untouched by style; ignorant as a piece of cow shit; and too abrasive to bring home to mother.

Born Dead Icons – Modern Plague EP
I think it’s fair to say that in 2001 there was not really a better Canadian Punk (capital P) band than Born Dead Icons. I think out of all their work, this is their best offering, and with great sincerity imagine that it can and will stand up tall with any of the greatest Canadian punk 45s. At the time, sure, the first few seeds of Inepsy were starting to sprout in the grey matter of MGHC² and some other bands might have been more popular or became more popular; but so effortlessly as Montreal does, this Concerto des Jeunehommes oozes more class and subtle taste than anyone else could. Crusty, Hardcore, raw punk, N.W.O.B.H.M., and the seamless Wipers cover grinning morbid and calling out, “We off that,” before we can even imagine catching up.

Piotr Uklanksi – “The Nazis” (1998, close enough)
“Why do we love a man in uniform?” asks Polish artist Piotr Uklanski with regards to his artwork “The Nazis,” a display of 122 identically-sized photos of actors in military uniforms, the majority of whom are dressed as Nazis, but also as Italian fascists and WWI German soldiers (whom he considered interchangeable with those members of the Third Reich). Again, a piece that was created in another decade, but one I experienced in this one, all of the images are culled from American and European cinema from the last 50 years. Initial reactions to the display in Poland ran the gamut, and included a violent attack against the piece by a man wielding a massive scabbard. This was a playful, impressive piece of work to take in.

Anna Politkovskaya, R.I.P.
Hers is a heroic and selfless story of humanitarian journalism, exposing the darkest recesses of institutional horror, exploitation, and hopelessness both in her subject matter and in the waves she created. Under constant pressure, she remarkably survived a hell on earth in Chechnya, and even an assassination attempt for her efforts. Her writing and subsequent death because of it stands as a chilling landmark of this decade.

St. John Bread and Wine
Like so many others in this decade I transitioned from vegan to careless and negligent carnivore (yes, Jack Daniels and pizza). Apparently St. John has been around for about 15 years, constantly pioneering a lost age of British cooking in an age where people’s kitchens were diminished at best. “Bread and Wine” is the more affordable of their two London locations. Fergus Henderson, founder, cooks pigs heads, ears, calf brains, lambs tongue, ox heart, bone marrow, blood, and all other sorts of exciting and frightening animal parts (along with parts for people who don’t need to eat out of a Horrorcomic recipe book) at a reasonable price with a gourmand’s touch. Endorsed by that floppy faced blowhard Bourdain (he’s got good taste I guess).

“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Can Larry David please make a decades worth of unbelievable television EVERY 10 years? Seriously, two for two, and nearly 20 years of unforgettable TV. This show has consistently made me scream and cringe more than any horror movie ever could. This is the absolute apogee of comedy. Sociopathic, outrageous, and believable. Chaplin, Marx Brothers, Stooges, Tati, Toto, who? Grab a Snickers bar, eat it inside someone’s ass, leave the wrapper, write on the wall, and go home.

Best of 2009:
Iron Age — Sleeping Eye
King Tuff LP
Omegas live and recorded
Foreign Bodies demo
Thee Oh Sees — Help
Crow 7″
Midnight 10″ (was that this year?)
Red Mass, live in Montreal
Bad Choice and Urban Blight
Herpes/Mindless Mutant/Counterfeit Garbage Zines

“Fat” Rich Warwick

Rich, known as Fat Rich or British Rich, runs Parts Unknown Records along with one Jason Scheller. Rich is a booster of West Ham and all Philadephia teams. Known to wear a Stone Island, he was last seen manning a booth at the WFMU record fair, and reading up on sabermetrics. A duet of pleasures if there ever was one. He lives in Bed Stuy:

Top Ten 2K9

1.MLB The Show 2009 “Road To The Show” mode
Only in videogame land would a Double-A rookie, batting .393 with 16 doubles, three triples, nine homers, and 49 RBIs halfway through the season be benched. I fucking love this game.

2. Tiger Woods
Dude risked his squeaky clean images, billion dollar sponsorships, and hottie Scando wifey, just to lay some pipe with a Tool Academy reject. Some people might disagree but I think he is MVP for Team Guy, and a certified first ballot Hall of Famer for awesomeness.

3. Ke$ha
I would be lying if I said I didn’t jam out to “Tik Tok” when scanning the radio dial. This song encompasses everything that is bad while at the same time awesome about the U.S. of fuckin’ A.

4. Chase “Fucking” Utley
Am I biased? Sure am, but we are perhaps witnessing the career of the greatest second baseman in the history of baseball. Dude has redefined the position. Even ol’ G.W. Bush (43) said he would be his first choice if he got back into baseball.

5. Agnostic Front on ESPN
OK, so it’s a bit of a stretch, but Don LeGreca mentioned on ESPN’s “The Michael Kay Show” about how he used to jam them on his college radio station.

6. DeSean Jackson
Dude weighs 175 lbs, was told he would never make it in the NFL and with a week left in the season is tied for the single-season record for touchdowns over 50 yards. So what if he looks like Ray J.?

7. West Ham vs. Milwall Carling Cup 2009
Nothing like the meeting of the two biggest rivals in London football (soccer for you fairies) to let the world know that yes, lower-middle-class white men in the U.K. still love to kick the shit out of each other over … well, no one really knows. As a side note, police not only broke up the violence but also confiscated thousands of pounds worth of knock-off Stone Island Mille Miglia jackets, and the fashion police handed out multiple citations for “naff outfits” and “chav attire.”

8. Ron Ron Juice
Stolichnaya vodka, watermelon juice, cherries, cranberry juice, and ice. Combine in a blender and present in a Dixie cup. Proceed to get filthy, hook up, and pound it out. Just remember Rule Number One: don’t fall in love at the Jersey Shore.

9. Hot Dogs
I don’t care what year it is, hot dogs are top 10 every year. Notable mentions this year inclue The Windmill at the Jersey Shore, BARK Hot Dogs in Park Slope in Brooklyn, and three-for-$4.25 Hatfield hot dog, from the truck two blocks from the office, in beautiful Bohemia, N.Y.

10. Volcano Vaporizer
A friend copped one of these this year, and let’s just say it made “He’s Just Not That Into You” and multiple episodes of BONES watchable (WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WATCH EITHER IN A SOBER STATE).

Ben “Bass” Trepanier

Ben plays bass for Lifers de Montreal, Final Word, and maybe a couple other jointies. He may or may not have a food blog, and he may or may not be a foodie. He is a fine sports fan, as his Impact (sub-Major League Soccer) fandom attests. Also a good example of the Quebec-Boston sports connection.Allons les Red Sox! I do not know where he stands on Les Alouettes, but then, I could say that about anybody:

2009
10. Trapped Under Ice — Secrets Of The World
9. Iron Age — The Sleeping Eye (Get your bongs out)
8. Raekwon — Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
7. Maximum Penalty — Life & Times
6. “The Hangover”
5. “Sin Nombre”
4. The Impact taking it all
3. The Verdun Life
2. Mike Cammalleri’s hat trick on Dec. 4th
1. Carey Price’s performance on Nov. 5th

Shout Out To: Tiger, the New Orleans Saints, Trapped Under Ice live and Lifers Crew/Plus Minus

The Decade:
10. Size ‘Em Up and Montreal Hardcore
9. Ill Blood
8. Brant Bjork @ Club Soda
7. Air Max 1 re-issues
6. Dave Robert’s steal
5. “Old School”
4. 100 Demons & Death Threat @ L’Inco 2000
3. Cro-Mags @ L’Inco 2005
2. The 2004 ALCS
1. Apt. X

Shout Out To: The F.W. crew, supporting the Expos till the end, touring, and Jack Daniels

Dave Foster

Wilkes-Barre native Dave Foster collects late 80s-early-90s Jordans and ’90s Flights. Foster played bass in Cold World, does or did time in Blacklisted, and Gypsy, and somehow roots for both the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. I don’t understand, but then again I grew up on the 12-man game. Anyways, he watches a lot of football:

TOP 10 C’MON MAN OF 2009 IN THE NFL:

1. The Washington Redkins:
Stop embarassing Hog Nation with your front office and coaching moves, your stadium rules (no signs — a rule since removed), your kicker (cut and picked up by Dallas, thank you), your playcalling (fake punt against New York on national TV, looked like something out of “Little Giants,” but much worse). Drop Zorn off at a grade school and hire Shannahan. C’MON MAN to the Deadskins for making the NFC East look worse than it was this year.

2. Al Davis:
Join a retirement home and give up the team. C’MON MAN! You look like Skeletor became human but is hangin on by a vintage Fred Biletnikoff jersey.

3. Brett Favre:
Listen Brett, you are without a doubt a football legend. But playing for the Vikings after being a life-long Packer? Yeah you’ve had a great season and all (even though your dream season is starting to crash and burn), but C’MON MAN. Where will you end up next year, Chicago?

4. Michael Crabtree:
The 49ers and Crabtree came to a contractual agreement on October 8th, five weeks into the NFL season. Without Crabtree, the Niners were 3-1. After his arrival, they went on to lose 4 straight games to fall below .500. Michael Crabtree gets a C’MON MAN award for screwing his coach Mike Singletary, who was one of the illest linebackers ever.

5. Jay Cutler:
You are terrible. You were terrible in Denver and you’re even worse in Chicago. C’MON MAN. Pursue your career in modeling. Much more promising.

6. Commissioner Goodell:
You fined Titans’ geriatric owner Bud Adams $250K for flippin’ off the Buffalo Bills. C’MON MAN, let the old head breathe, he don’t have much left!

7. Philadelphia Eagles:
My beloved team broke my heart this year, letting the soul of the group, Brian Dawkins, sign with the Denver Broncos. Dawkins, one of the best safeties to ever play the game returned home this weekend. Tears flowed. C’MON MAN for letting half-man/half-minotaur Brian Dawkins play in another city.

8. Hot Dogs:
Yeah, Mark Sanchez ate a hot dog on the sidelines of the game. Who fuckin’ cares? C’MON MAN to the press who blew this out of proportion.

9. The Madden Curse strikes again:
This time, in the opening game of the season. Polamalu gets twisted around, and then, all of a sudden is sidelined for a good portion of the year. The defending Super Bowl champs are 8-7, still to get into the playoffs. John Madden retired from sportscasting this year, let’s hope the curse goes down with him. C’MON MAN to EA Sports for fuckin with my friend Alex “Al Bite” Russin.

10. Shawne Merriman:
What the fuck were you thinking when you shacked up with freak mutant Tila Tequila? Was you shocked that she accused you of choking and restraining her? Oh, she was intoxicated? Is her last name TEQUILA ? C’MON MAN!

Kristen “Fisshie”

Kristen is a production assistant living in Long Beach (not the Snoop Dogg one). She is an oil-spill princess from East Egg, is super cool, has a tight house near one of the Islanders, and a Prince Charles spaniel who is a good boy. Fisshie originally became friends with the committee after we called her ass up randomly and blitzed her with questions, during our gestatory stage, when we were but zinemen. Her first list was rejected (real talk) for being too offensive:

Alien Moments

“What is an ‘alien moment?’ An alien moment is the moment a human realizes exactly what that human is doing and why the human is practicing this behavior. Alien moments are usually found in everyday activities that traditionally are not paid much thought, but when really thought about, become kind of bizarre! Alien moments (if properly declared) will transcend your thought pattern from that of everyday human to that of a humanoid. Before I provide a top ten list of ‘alien moments,’ you should know that alien moments are spur of the moment thoughts that must immediately be passed on via text message, or if really good, may warrant a phone call. Alien moments are most easily conjured up while under the influence of marijuana, however, any moment of clarity will be sure to produce one or two alien moments. Alien moments must be explained first in a regular human voice. If the listener agrees that it constitutes an alien moment, you then repeat it in an alien voice. If you’re spreading your newfound discovery via text message, you can just write it as ‘Alien moment: ______.’”

Tanning (Outdoor)
Definition: A browning or darkening of the skin, as by exposure to the sun
Use (alien voice): “It is summer. I will now comfortably lie beside this body of water. I must lie beneath the glowing yellow ball (sun) so that I may change color and become more attractive to the opposite sex so that we will mate and create more humanoids.”

Dancing
Definition: To move one’s feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment of music.
Use (alien voice): “What is that sound? I must now move my body in a manner to express the joy my brain feels. I can do this slow or fast, sexually suggestive or clap my hands. I cannot do this on command. It is awkward. Will you move your body in tandem with mine? If you’re shy, we can all do it in a line.”

Donating Blood
Definition: To give blood to benefit the health of another human either directly or to be stored in a bank for future sickly humans.
Use (alien voice): “I will now give you my internal liquid since you are becoming frail and your battery might run out. Take this bag of red liquid and insert it into your body. Here, take mine. I do not need it.”

Going to Sleep
Definition: To take the rest afforded by a suspension of voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension, complete or partial, of consciousness; cease being awake.
Use (alien voice): “My battery is low. I am beginning to lose oxygen to my brain and my eyelids are growing heavy. My mouth reacts and opens. I must now shut down for a few hours so that I may recharge my battery and function for my next day.”

Applauding
Definition: To clap the hands as an expression of approval, appreciation, acclamation, etc.
Use (alien voice): “I enjoyed what you said and did upon the platform where you stand. I will now repeatedly smack my limbs together to show you how much I appreciated it. If you are happy, and you know you are happy, do this.”

Crying/Laughing
Definition: Extreme emotions in which one utters inarticulate sounds, esp. of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears or cackles brought on by joy.
Use (alien voice): “What you said made me feel very extreme. I will now begin to release liquid from my eyeballs, my complexion will turn red, and breathing will be more difficult. I will act in this way when I am made sad or very happy.”

Amusement Parks
Definition: a large park equipped with such recreational devices as a merry-go-round, Ferris wheel, roller coaster, etc., and usually having booths for games and refreshments.
Use (alien voice): “I love to strap into a device that will flip and fly me through the air. It brings me much joy and excitement. I will raise my hands in the air. Some will cry. What a thrilling day. I must wait one year to do this again for I have used up all my juice and I have spent many monies for this joyous occasion.”

Hairstyling
Definition: An elegant, fashionable, or luxurious mode of living.
Use (alien voice): “The fibers from my head have grown too long for my liking. I must now reduce the length, change the color, and shear it to show that I am as knowledgeable as other humanoids regarding the latest trends in fiber growth.”

Having a Room
Definition: A portion of space within a building or other structure, separated by walls or partitions from other parts. This is owned or occupied primarily by one or two humans.
Use (alien voice): “I look forward to returning to my chamber on Earth. It holds my belongings and I can practice sleep and other acts of intimacy here. Here are some of my basic necessities to live but not survive as a humanoid. If I show my room, you are being exposed to my most private place. You will feel strange. If I do not have my own room, my human balance is off.”

Singing
Definition: To utter words or sounds in succession with musical modulations of the voice; vocalize melodically.
Use (alien voice): “My brain recognizes this pattern. I will now change my voice to match this pattern and my body will react. There are so many ways to do this. I wish that I were the best at changing my voice and repeating these words. I could be famous and I can earn monetary rewards.”

Erik “Tilburg” Van Hest

A long time ago, Erik formed a controversial zine that spoke of social unrest, conflicts of interests, which in turmoil, brought controversy. Some subscribers took his tenets to heart, and when they started Justice, they recruited him, culminating in their self-titled 2005 LP. Erik never travels without a pair of True Blue sweatpants. I remember a couple of years ago, someone, when leafing through photos of Erik playing with Justice, thought it was me with the guitar, and I was honored:

Top 10 of the Decade:

The Lintfabriek 2002-2007:
My brother Stief (Justice) once philosophized that momentum such as this only happens when all the planets are in the right positions. Fact is that for about five years everything about the hardcore/underground music scene centered around the Lintfabriek, a legendary venue in Kontich, which was just perfect. Incredible music (Dead Stop), inspiring people (Peter Daems) and many, many stage dives. Then of course Spoiler had to move to Alaska, Dead Stop broke up and the po po shut down the venue. End of story.

Zinedine Zidane headbutting Marco Materazzi during the World Cup Final in 2006:
Talk about a Trumbull mentality. Zidane, arguably the greatest footballer of his generation, is playing what would be his last game: the World Cup Final with France against Italy. In the 110th minute of the game, 715 million people worldwide witnessed “Zizou” turn to Materazzi and headbutt him to the ground. Zidane is sent off and Italy get to lift the Cup, but what a glorious way to end a career. Apparently Materazzi said something about his sister. As if this moment wasn’t iconic enough, I was watching the game at the Lintfabriek right before a Leeway performance sitting next to Alex Russin, trying to explain to him how legendary this moment was going to be in the history of sports. I don’t think I convinced him then, and I’m sure he doesn’t remember it now. Leeway were great that night. Whatever happened to Eddie?

Fifth-generation iPod:
To all the guys I toured with before 2006: thanks for not laughing when you all had iPods and I was still carrying around a Sony Walkman and a plastic bag with cassette tapes. Despite my ongoing love for the Maxell UR90 audio cassette tape (preferably with at least one or two tracks of Victim in Pain on it), I finally got myself an iPod in 2006. Best purchase of the decade.

Free music for all:
For the first time in history there is now a generation growing up that has never paid for music. I am anxious to see the effects of this revolution on the future of music aesthetically and artistically.

Amy Winehouse – Back to Black LP:
When this album came out I instantly recognized its greatness. It was remarkable how you would hear its tracks on underground soul/funk radio shows as well as in the supermarket as background music. A classic album by one of the most talented and genuine singers of the past 20 years.

Social Unrest in the Netherlands:
In 2002, the outspoken Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was shot dead by an animal rights extremist. Two years later controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was stabbed to death by a radical Muslim. These incidents caused a certain social unrest that, after the extremely dull 90s, felt like a welcome change of the times to me. For just a moment, people stopped being passive, for better or worse.

Skinhead Jan:
Favorite character of the decade. In 2001 I am working as a garbageman when my boss tells me I’m getting a new partner. Minutes later there’s this skinhead with giant sideburns and full tattooed sleeves in my truck asking me if I like soul music. Without awaiting my answer (I love that shit) he pounds a mixtape in my radio. The next four years we were blasting the utmost incredible rare soul and reggae through the giant speakers on the back of our truck. We still DJ together.

Restless Youth – State of Confusion EP:
I saw one of their first shows and their singer managed to get into a fight with the only person in the room (besides me) that was actually watching them. How this flawless EP didn’t get more love outside The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany is a mystery to me. Their LP was good too.

“The Office” (U.K.):
Such a good decision to stop after two seasons. Perfect script, casting and acting makes this the greatest TV series of the decade. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is a good second.

The Who, live @ Ahoy, Rotterdam, in 2007:
Some sketchy Turkish guy sold us tickets for mad cheap outside. We got in just in time to see Townshend open with the riff to “I Can’t Explain,” followed by two hours of hits. Even though it was just Townshend and Daltrey plus a backup band (Zack Starkey on drums), they tore the house down. Impressive.

Top 10 of 2009:

Lee Fields & The Expressions – My World LP:
For years now, the people of New York-based Daptone Records and affiliated labels such as Truth & Soul and Durham have consistently been putting out incredible music. This year they outdid themselves with this Lee Fields album, reminiscent of the very best of Syl Johnson, or Lee Fields.

Cock Sparrer, live @ Melkweg in Amsterdam:
One of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll concerts I have ever seen. Eight-hundred skinheads took off their shirts and beat the shit out of each other while all the straight edge kids watched safely from the balcony.

“Das Weisse Band” (“The White Ribbon“) dir. by Michael Haneke:
A disturbing and sinister story about a small protestant village in pre-WWI Germany. A cinematic masterpiece.

Masshysteri, live @ Cul de Sac, Tilburg:
Scandinavian punk rockers came ripping through my hometown with the most energetic set I’ve seen all year.

Jules Deelder, deejaying live @ Mezz, Breda:
You don’t know this 65-year old poet/jazz-head/heroin-addict from Rotterdam, but believe me when I say he is a Trumbull man through and through. This particular night he performed an epic DJ set of obscure and forgotten jazz gems.

Winne – Winne Zonder Strijd CD:
In the year that I started exploring new grounds in hip hop, it was this rapper from Rotterdam that made the biggest impression.

Rise and Fall – Our Circle is Vicious LP:
Besides this third album by Gent’s Rise and Fall, I didn’t come across a lot of hardcore/heavy music that stuck with me. Need to hear Blacklisted’s latest effort.

Attack on the Dutch Royal Family:
On national Queensday, some guy shaved his head like Travis Bickle, got in his car and tried to kamikaze the Royal Bus. Tragically, he killed seven innocent bystanders and himself.

Thai food joint in Haarlem, The Netherlands:
My man Ries Doms started his own record label and the vinyl factory offered to give us a tour. Afterwards we ate Thai food at some tiny place and it was heavenly. Now if only I could remember the name of the place.

Swiss Alps:
Went hiking in the Swiss Alps this year and it was a near-mystical experience.

King Rick

King Rick is the King of Nasty Posse and lives in Brasil:

Decade:

1. Olympia’s Brazilian Tour (C’mon boy!)
2. Barack inside of White House on January 20th.
3. Clearview on tour with Madball & Agnostic Front (mayhem times with Claudio)
4. Clearview on tour with Hatebreed (destroy everything, baby !)
5. Wrecking the whole “FUSION” club in Argentina on Octuber and November (dogs crew gettin’ wild)
6. Drum n’ Bass Rave with DJ Andy (more than 15 straight hours of pure insanity)
7. Milo times on Friday night (Sao Paulo night life has no frills)
8. Vegas and Clash Club on Tuesday night (It’s all about dancehall and chicks grindin’ hard)
9. Curitiba Trip (yeah Claudio … that girl knocked you out !)
10. Xbox360 SKATE 2 AND UFC!

2000 – 2009

1. NASTY POSSE WORLDWIDE DOMINATION SINCE 2001!
2. TERROR/MENTAL/RIGHTEOUS JAMS/CARRY ON/RZL DZL (these guys created a worldwide movement part 1)
3. Sao Bernardo Skate park re-built after years (Best skatepark in South America)
4. Bridge 9 records (till B9R078, after that I can’t handle!) and Lockin Out Recs (still LAVA) (worldwide crazy movement part 2!)
5. Dana White and the whole UFC (this is the reality!)
6. Michael Jackson’s funeral
7. PARKING LOT SITUATION… WILD TIMES WITH D.SLAUGHTER AND PIZZA AT WALL MART
8. iPod, iPhone, XBOX360, Nintendo Wii, PS2 and 3.
9. Jungle, drum n’ bass and wild music at Nation, Toco and Overnight (Bike 2000 is the LAW).
10. Nike, New Balance and Reebok Shoes (classic only!)

Solomon Gezari

Solomon Gezari is from Chevy Chase, Md. I’ll never understand how that town got its name but it’s a cool place to be from. During our senior year at boarding school, he threw my pet mouse across the room when I put him on him to wake him up from a nap (no beasto). We also watched “Scent of a Woman” and “The Man Who Knew Too Little” more times than I can count, since those were his only DVDs, and all my movies were laser disc. A gifted musician, Solomon regularly performs with his rock act Sigmund Droid in and around NYC. Their new EP, Maximum Grind, is available on iTunes. Solomon has been a technophile since he was young. He can be found between Long Island and Manhattan in his uncle’s helicopter,³ arriving late to work on his robotic bicycle, running through Central Park on his jumpy shoes, or waiting awkwardly next to James Earl Jones for the elevator in his apartment lobby:

Top 10 Killer Robots of 2010:

10. Missile defense multiple kill vehicle hover test
9. Flying penguins at Hannover Messe 2009
8. BigDog Dogs Human
7. Lockheed Martin Sabre Warrior UCAV Concept
6. Guardium UGV
5. Welcoming Steadicopter’s Black Eagle 50 Rotary UAV
4. Israel: Military Robot Snake – 06-10-09
3. Future Weapons – Tiny Bug Sized Robotics for Spying and Killing Now Exists!!
2. Robot Aircraft Carrier Drone on FutureWeapons (Part 1 of 2)
1. Strange Science Future Weapons

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