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I’m a huge Herzog fan, so when I heard he released his debut novel I knew I had to grab it as my next tour read. In typical Herzog fashion, the book is based on true events but with certain facts embellished and reimagined in that signature surreal Herzog way. The book is a retelling of Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda’s story, who was stationed on an island in the Philippines during WWII, and continued to fight an imaginary war 29 years after the war ended because word of its cessation never reached him. The book is a hallucinatory fever dream of Onoda’s struggles during this time, both mental and physical. Similar to his documentaries, the best parts of the book aren’t factual, but when he goes off on his own weird surreal tangential musings. Plus it’s just fun to read it in Herzog's voice.
May 25, 2023
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Sep 30, 2024
An unfettered and hilarious memoir from the OG. Also, worlds hardest title.
Jan 22, 2024
A very enjoyable little fiction book about a man living in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War who’s obsessed with collecting porcelain figurines. It kinda has the same vibe as a Werner Herzog fiction like Fitzcarraldo if you’re into that sort of thing. Anyway I think it’s way underrated. Here’s the first page because I feel like you can often tell if you will like a book by reading its first page.
Jan 19, 2025
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Fingerboarding has come a long way since the early days of DIY keychain fingerboards and Tech Decks. My brother recently introduced me to this new wave of artisanal fingerboard makers that handcraft miniature skateboards using the same materials and standards as actual full-size skateboards. Jack and I brought our fingerboards along on our current Australia tour, and we've been shredding in every city and greenroom to kill time and keep morale high. On previous tours we would bring skateboards and skate around at gas stations and rest stops to help break up the long drives, which would always make Dustin nervous that someone would get hurt and we would have to cancel shows. Needless to say, he couldn’t be happier with our switch to fingerboarding instead.
May 25, 2023
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Bomberman has always been one of my favorite video game series, and the music in those games made a lasting impression on me as a kid. Bomberman Hero for Nintendo 64 in particular has a soundtrack that absolutely slaps and really stands the test of time. The whole game is set to this frenetic drum and bass music, with really catchy melodies that also plays a lot with dissonance and tension. I recently learned that almost every Bomberman soundtrack going back to the original NES version in the 80s was scored by the same composer: Jun Chikuma. The Bomberman Hero OST was way ahead of its time, and honestly wouldn’t sound out of place on a Resident Advisor/Boiler Room mix. It just came out on vinyl for the first time, and my copy hasn’t left my record player since it arrived.
May 25, 2023