Trying this blogging thing again.  Check me out at:

PCP 2.0

-TD

Yeah, I’m done with the blog.  This is post #140, and while I’d love to be at #150 or even higher, the urge to post has left.  Call it “growing older”, but time has been at a premium recently: the holidays coming up, the declawing of both of our cats (little bloody pawprints are fucking sad), not to mention work-related shit and general apathy.  The work behind posting reviews has become tiresome (HTML/CSS coding are a bitch) and I generally dread throwing something together simply to get something online for you all to possibly read.

So, I’m hanging up my hat on Pop Culture Panopticon.  Unlike my previous blog, I probably won’t go all out and scorched earth policy this bitch.  I’ll leave it up, in case I get the urge to write or something down the line.  More than likely not, though.  I’m debating lending my review-writing “skills” to more music/review-oriented blogs, but we’ll see if that happens or not.

On the positive side, since only close friends read this thing anyway, we won’t be losing touch.  You’ll just be forced to actually email or (gasp) CALL to keep up-to-date.  HFB-D’s got some grand plan to get knocked up next year, so you’ve got that to look forward to.  I hope she chooses a nice guy to actually impregnate her.  I don’t know nuthin’ bout’ birthin’ no babies!

To my co-conspirators: Much appreciation for what you gave to the blog.  I know dre222’s still got No Disintegrations for blogging purposes, but the world will be a lonelier place without Trent Steel’s epic drunken sex-filled adventures.  Keep me updated.

To everyone else (all five of you): Thanks for being semi-loyal and humoring my delusions of internet grandeur.  As selfish and egotistical as a blog ultimately is, I really was only trying to spread the word on good bands/movies/games while telling the occasional story, all in the hopes of entertaining you.

-Trevor Danger-

I’m about 20 hours into Fallout 3, so updates will be slim to none.  The game is engrossing as all hell, and the perfect escape when I’m feeling violent (you can kill pretty much anything!).

Speaking of which, I’m going to try and post some cool videos every Friday, so there’s at least SOMETHING to see.  I haven’t figured out if I’m going to keep the site going post-2008, though, so don’t get your hopes up.

Today’s video?  Drunk dudes fighting.  Classic.

Maybe we’re NOT a nation of backwards-ass racist hillbillies after all!

Click the pic to see the hi-res version at Patrick Mosberg’s site.

I’m still going to take a hiatus, as I’m burned out.  Usually happens around wintertime.  Probably Seasonal Affective Disorder or something.  Who knows.  Regardless, if Trent and/or dre222 don’t pick up the slack, this site will be pretty dead for awhile.  I’m hoping to get recharged for year-end Best Of lists, but maybe this will be the end of another of my blogs (RIP H8FUELED).  We’ll see.

Today’s the day (unless you voted early or mailed your vote in).  Once again, America will choose a leader based on a popularity contest between two mediocre candidates.

My kingdom for a third party given matching resources like the Dems/GOP for campaigning.  Hopefully in my lifetime I’ll see this.

For those of you who have somehow lived under a rock or managed to avoid the entire bloody campaign, I present a link that catches you up before you hit the polls:

This Fucking Election

Will your vote ultimately make a difference?  Probably not by itself.

With enough other like-minded voters?  Probably still won’t make a difference thanks to our flawed Electoral College system.

Still, voting lets you bitch for four years if the other guy wins.  Yay democracy!

I’ll return to semi-normal posting once the dust clears.  Promise honest.

Wow.  Just… wow.  This is Trent Steel’s current residence (and he’s tied to these fucking yahoos in location ONLY).  It amazes me, the level of ignorance in this country.

Really, really disappointing.  Another reason why I hate the current state of politics.

Every now and then, Trent emails me about his day-to-day struggles as a single man in a backwards-ass town.  “Correspondence Of Steel” is where I post them for you all to enjoy:

Dude!!!

Went to a Halloween party on Saturday, good times, it was like every girl there was trying to out-tramp one another.

So, I’m dressed as a depressed stock broker; didn’t shave all week, shirt half untucked with a loose tie and a noose around my neck.  Good costume in my opinion, but it was a little too thought-provoking for the crowd so I had to explain it to everyone (despite the copy of the Wall Street Journal CLEARLY sticking out of my back pocket).

Anyway, the night is winding down and I’m standing at the bar (at this point loaded enough not to care but still able to remember stuff) and this girl dressed in a Twister mat walks up to me.

TWISTER GIRL: What are you dressed as?
ME: I’m a depressed stock broker (I proceed to explain)
TG: Oh, that’s cool.  What a neat idea.
ME: Thank you.  [SMALL TALK] Did you have a good time tonight?
TG: Yeah, but my friends cock-blocked me.
ME: … What?
TG: I was trying to get laid but my friends wouldn’t let me leave with [SOME DUDE].  I’m bummed.  Girl’s just trying to get some action!
ME: Hmmm… Well, for what it’s worth, I would totally have sex with you.  You’re cute and I’m all for no commitment sex with strangers.
TG: Oh, um, thanks.  I’ll be home again next weekend…
ME: Well, that’s all well and good but next weekend isn’t going to get either of us laid tonight.  My friends and I are about to head to The Club, would you like to join us?  We could totally have some sex later!
TG: Oh, I can’t.  My friends won’t let me go.
ME: OK, well I’m leaving.  It was nice to meet you.

And then I just walk away, only to awkwardly stand around for 10 minutes while my dumbass friends get their shit in gear.

Good times, dude, good times.

The guy’s been gone for too damn long.  Thank god he’s here to put this political bullshit in its place.

The action starts at 45 seconds in, but if you hadn’t heard Palin’s “um, uh” responses to Katie Couric’s “hard-hitting” questions at the beginning… watch the whole thing and cringe:

Only two weeks or so to go, and I’m already overwhelmed by these political attack ads.  It’s only going to get worse, so I thought I’d post proof of how fucking ridiculous they really are.  God bless Mr. Show:

I’ll probably be taking a little break until after this shit dies down.  The outcome will decide my level of spite for the next four years, so vote wisely!

-TD

Narrows – Narrows [EP]

LABEL: Deathwish, Inc.

WEBSITE: Deathwish Estore

TRY IF YOU LIKE: Botch, metalcore, These Arms Are Snakes

[LISTEN]

Dave Verellen from metalcore legends Botch is actually screaming again?  The dude from These Arms Are Snakes is rocking with him?  Where the hell do I sign up?  Knowing the members, the album is pretty much what you’d expect: well-played metalcore with a few experimentations to keep from sounding stale, all led by Verellen’s unmistakable vocals.  While “The Touch Test” meanders a bit, the EP as a whole clocks in under 10:00 and provides a glimpse at the genius to come.  If you’ve been missing Botch as much as I have, Narrows is more than capable of filling that void.

RATING:

Gojira – The Way Of All Flesh

LABEL: Prosthetic Records

WEBSITE: www.gojira-music.com

TRY IF YOU LIKE: Opeth, hippie metal, France

[LISTEN]

Gojira continue to do what they do best with their latest: play killer fucking death/prog-metal laced with heavy-handed social commentary.  2005’s From Mars To Sirius tackled mankind’s careless ecological destruction and this album makes the logical progression to our relationship with death.  Everything about this album slays: the epic breakdowns on “Esoteric Surgery”; the amazing start/stop rhythm of “Toxic Garbage Island” being two particular highlights.  My only complaint?  The weird tech/industrial vibe of “A Sight To Behold” really takes the listener out of the record, though not enough to derail this unstoppable death metal ride.

RATING:

Burst – Lazarus Bird

LABEL: Relapse Records

WEBSITE: www.burst.nu

TRY IF YOU LIKE: Opeth, prog-metal, horrible English vocals

[LISTEN]

Burst is a hard band to figure out: they started their careers as screamo with hints of metalcore.  Then came 2003’s Prey On Life and a slight diversion into ISIS-lite post-metal.  Origo, their “breakthrough album”, was more of the same, with a tendency to rely heavily on atmospherics.  So, what does Burst decide to do with their latest release?  Become a fucking prog-metal band, complete with time-signature changes and track times stretching to the 10-minute mark.  The result?  A scattershot record with hints of genius that suffers from lack of focus.  An interesting ride, but nothing life-changing in the end.

RATING:

Intronaut – Prehistoricisms

LABEL: Century Media Distribution

WEBSITE: INTROBLOG

TRY IF YOU LIKE: King Crimson, talented musicianship, prog-metal

[LISTEN]

While Burst seem to be treading new ground simply to cast off the critical shackles of their past releases, Intronaut have continued to build upon their small foundation (2 EPs and 1 full-length to their name) and evolve into the prog-metal juggernaut heard on Prehistoricisms.  It’s absolutely refreshing to hear an album spotlight the individual talents of each band member, with bassist Joe Lester and drummer Danny Walker shining the brightest.  While the last 13-minute track is excessive and unnecessary, Prehistoricisms is yet another 2008 release with Album Of The Year potential and another solid release for such a young band.

RATING:

The Foot Fist Way

[BUY IT]

While I have 100 words per review, I only need to two to fully sum up The Foot Fist Way: fucking hilarious.  While Danny McBride is gaining fame for his small roles in Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder, this low-budget indie truly showcases his comedy skills.  The plot, concerning an unsuccessful Tae Kwon Do instructor and his failing marriage, is simply a stage for McBride’s hysterical brand of low-key improv.  If you dig Will Ferrell and/or Napoleon Dynamite (before it became a “Vote For Pedro” marketing whore), you’ll find the film highly quotable and worth repeated viewings.

RATING:

Chuck Klosterman – Downtown Owl: A Novel

[BUY IT]

I’m a huge Chuck Klosterman fan; have been for years.  I even bought his CKIV, his collection of previously printed essays and rants even though I’d read the majority of them.  Downtown Owl marks his first completed fiction novel, and it reads exactly like his nonfiction: pop culture-heavy, with deep thoughts about superficial ideas.  Loosely following three narrators (a female schoolteacher, a senior football quarterback, and a retired man) living in a podunk Nebraska town during the mid-1980s, the book tends to drift and lull between chapters but still remain entertaining.  I’m only halfway through, so we’ll see how it turns out.

RATING:

The Orange Box

[BUY IT]

My lil’ bro is still crashing at La Casa Danger, so I’ve been playing his XBOX 360 for my next-gen gaming fix.  After beating Bioshock (creepy, well-written survival horror with a rushed shitty ending), I’m now playing The Orange Box (which collects Half-Life 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 for under $30).  Portal is addictive and incredibly original, albeit too short; Half-Life is graphically stunning but repetitive; unfortunately, I don’t have XBOX Live so I can’t play Team Fortress (and have no idea why it’s not available for offline multiplayer).  Still, one hell of a value.

RATING: