1115.org

“Best of” lists: Some say so 2001. We say no way.

We want to thank everyone who has shouted us out and bigged us up.

-Matt, Jason, Jamie, and Sam

Matt’s Champion Caliber Selection

Books:

In an Uncertain World by Robert Rubin

After spending 24 years at top investment bank Goldman Sachs, Rubin was tapped by President Bill Clinton to be Secretary of the Treasury. This book uses Rubin’s experiences (the Mexican currency crisis of ‘95, various Asian market crashes, and crafting Clinton’s economic turnaround plan) to demonstrate his method of probabilistic decision making. This method allowed Rubin, Larry Summers and Alan Greenspan to steer the US economy through a minefield of potential problems. Not just for business, the techniques Rubin advocates can be used in many fields.

The Threatening Storm by Kenneth Pollack

Pollack, a former CIA and NSC middle east analyst under Bush Sr. and Clinton wrote this book in the run up to the Iraq war. His insight into the inner workings of Saddam’s regime, his overlapping intelligence services, and his twisted mind made an incredibly persuasive case for war. In the final analysis, his point boils down to this: The world is dependent on mid east oil, Saddam is crazy and will (would have) either develop or buy WMD, and it is in everyone’s interest to be rid of him. The Prez’s playbook? Not by a long shot. Pollack wrote at length about the need for an overwhelming coalition with massive Arab support and a coherent plan for reconstruction. Word has it that Andy Card tried to read this book to the Prez, but it was bedtime and they both fell asleep. While not the most timely read at this point, anyone with a desire to understand what was really going on in Iraq before the war would benefit from this book.

What Liberal Media? by Eric Alterman

If I had a nickel for every time I heard some Republican bitch and moan about “the Liberal Media”, I’d be almost as rich as Munee Cashilini. Alterman, with this book, says enough is enough. He takes shots at many of this country’s most well known journalists and pundits and provides ample evidence of their right wing bias. This book is the perfect antidote to Coulter, Goldberg et al, and Alterman actually backs up his claims with facts. For a daily dose check out Alterman’s blog, Altercation.

1000 Years for Revenge by Peter Lance

If someone had been living under a rock for the last 2 years and read this book, that person would never believe that it was non-fiction. The 600+ pages of 1000 Years for Revenge span the time between the ‘93 bombing of the World Trade Center and the ‘01 attacks that finished the job. Telling the story of an ignored FBI agent, sloppy NYPD detectives, a driven (and prophetic) ex-Green Beret FDNY fireman, a cell of Al-Qaeda terrorists, the FBI’s incompetent management, and the river of missed opportunities, this book is both engrossing and infuriating. What should have been a wake up call to the FBI in the end, according to interviews with Lance, fell on deaf ears at The Bureau.

Television:

HBO’s The Wire

Quite simply the best show on television the last two years in a row. The Wire tells the story of the Baltimore drugs trade from the viewpoint of the dealers, the police and (new in this season) the dockworkers and importers who bring the drugs into the city. At every turn, The Wire rejects everything about all other cops & robbers shows. Each character is three dimensional and the only time stereotyped characters are introduced is when they are at the business-end of a joke. With equal parts humor, grit, desperation, raw violence, racial tension, and corruption, every episode cracks with authenticity. This season introduced a different dynamic to the show, and the new characters and storylines were woven in with precision and attention to detail that is seldom seen in movies, much less television. 12 episode seasons are the reality of HBO programming, and while the wait between seasons is excruciating, it is worth it when a new one starts. Catch the reruns before the next run starts in June.

HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm

As co-creator and writer of Sienfeld, Larry David was always funny. Given the freedom that comes with doing a show on HBO, David has taken the humor of Sienfeld and added adult themes, cursing and a level of self-loathing that makes George Costanza look happy-go-lucky. Most of the action happens because David is fixated on social conventions that other people invariably break. Stories this season included baking brownies with Benedryl to trick a Christian Scientist, a corpse-sniffing dog, lifesaving sponge cakes, an insane rapper named “Krazee-Eyez Killa”, and in one of the funniest season finales ever, a chef with Tourette’s Syndrome. The new season starts on January 4th, grab one of those “vanilla bullshits” from Starbucks and turn off the ringer.

FX’s The Shield

As rampaging renegade detective Vic Mackey, Michael Chiklis combines over the top thuggery while on the job with a surprising vulnerability when trying to hold his family together. This show has a unique style which always keeps the viewer off balance and one step away from cracking. Mackey’s “Strike Team” is responsible for taking down dangerous criminals (which they do well), but it is often an open question whether it is the cops or the criminals who are more cold-blooded. This season, Mackey’s crew spent their time hunting two brothers from Mexico who were trying to take over LA. The ruthlessness on both sides was intense week after week. The supporting cast gets a lot of exposure and it depends on which episode who is with and who is against Mackey. The new season starts in January on FX.

Comedy Central’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Even better fake news than Faux News. With the war in Iraq, various scandals, and a higher than normal rate of everyday absurdities, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has been in the zone this year. They have raised their game and their level of guests, and can lay claim to being one of the best parody shows ever.

Music:

Boozoo Bajou - The Remixes

Boozoo Bajou’s 2001 album Satta! is one of the great downtempo albums of all time. This year the boys gathered all of the remixes from Satta and combined them with their own remixes of other artists’ tracks. Standouts include the BB remix of Common/feat. M.J. Blige - “Come Close”, the Thievery Corporation mix of “Under My Sensi” and Funky Lowlifes version of “Divers”. Deep atmospherics, tribal drum rhythms and echo-laden samples make this perfect lounging music but it is distinct enough that it doesn’t fade into background music. Fans of Thievery Corporation, Kruder & Dorfmeister, and Jazzanova should check this one out.

A Different Drummer Selection mixed by Richard Dorfmeister

It’s hard to believe that the Different Drummer label is already 10 years old. Since it’s founding in 1992 by DJ Dick of Rockers Hi-Fi, Different Drummer has put out first rate digital dub from the like of Noiseshaper, Overproof Soundsystem, Pre-Fade Listening, and G Corp. This set is expertly mixed by Richard Dorfmeister and features tracks from Original Rockers, Frankie Valley, and International Observer. Rockers Hi-Fi’s Farda P provides some smooth vocal toasting to round things out. Mix of the year.

Rhythm & Sound - The Versions

I wrote about this album the day I picked it up, and I like it even more now than I did then. Simply the perfect combination of Jamaican vibes and minimal techno. That may sound like an odd combination, but it works well. If you like this one, there is a companion album called With the Artists that features the vocal versions of this project. Both are must-haves. Like I said before, if you like reggae at all broaden your horizons a bit and check these albums out.

Stacey Pullen - Live @ Movement

Not an album (pity), but a wicked live set and the highlight of this year’s Movement Festival. Under what’s left of the Detroit skyline, Pullen rocked a flawlessly mixed 3 hour set of banging techno and tech-house that made the whole trip worth it. Even some well-known grumpy bastards were spotted shaking it in the front row. There were some very good sets at Movement, but this one was the best.

Kelis - “Milkshake” and “In Public”

I’m not ready to call Kelis’ Tasty one of the best albums of the year (it was just released last week), but I can say that “Milkshake” and “In Public” are two of my favorite singles of the year. Both are great twisted pop songs courtesy of The Neptunes (who aren’t going away no matter what Brit Brit says).

Guilty Pleasures

Jewel - “Intuition - Jamie Myerson Glitch RMX” 1115.org Exclusive Download
Beyonce (and ummm Jay-Z) - “Crazy Right Now”
Beyonce w/ Sean Paul - “Baby Boy”
50 Cent - “In Da Club”
Chingy - “Right Thurr”
Nelly - “Air Force Ones”
Missy Elliot, Eve, Rah Digga - “Party & Bullshit RMX”
The White Stripes - “Seven Nation Army”
50 Pence - “In Da Pub”
Missy Elliot - “Pass That Dutch”

Not a banner year for movies, but these were cool:

Kill Bill
Lost in Translation
The Italian Job

Best Porn Video:

Creating Republican Wood Since December 2003

Jason’s Best-of Potluck 2003

Music:

Sigur R�s “( )” (PIAS / MCA)
Iceland’s best band (sorry, Bjork) strikes again. Alternately soothing and chilling, the 8 pieces on “( )” make up a majestic soundtrack that almost restores a few of the brain cells that traditional radio kills off. Yes, this isn’t for everyone; this is the kind of music that rewards patience instead of being immediate, and the “lyrics” are used as an instrument (Cocteau Twins style) instead of saying anything specifically. If you’re not scared off by that kind of thing, give it a listen.

Mogwai “Happy Songs For Happy People” (Matador)
and Mogwai, Live at the Fillmore, San Francisco, 9/22/03

For their fourth studio album, Mogwai continues to set the high standard that have made them one of the best groups in instrumental rock. Besides having the shiniest cover in all of popular music, HSFHP runs the gamut from abstract electronica (”Boring Machines Disturbs Sleep”) to epic guitar-heavy pieces (“Ratts of the Capitol”) that wrap the listener in sound. While we’re on the subject of Mogwai, their last concert in SF (at the legendary Fillmore) deserves inclusion on this best-of list as well. After a blinding set of songs from each album, they ended the set with a mind-blowing rendition of “My Father My King”�a twenty minute song whose melody is based on, of all things, a traditional Jewish hymn. Not since I saw My Bloody Valentine in 1991 have I experienced such a catharsis from guitar feedback.

New Order “Retro - Box Set” (London)

Back in 1989, I went to my first-ever concert: New Order with P.I.L. and The Sugarcubes as the supporting acts. And in the 14+ years since that day, I have remained a committed fan of New Order. Besides the obvious hits (“True Faith” “Blue Monday” “Bizarre Love Triangle” “The Perfect Kiss”…the list goes on), New Order’s significance to popular music can’t be denied. Almost every group that tries to fuse dance music with rock owes a debt to them, yet no one has been able to quite capture their sound. As expected of a box set, Retro hits on most of New Order’s high points since they formed out of the ashes of Joy Division back in 1980. Casual New Order fans should pick this up immediately. The hardcore New Order fan should pick this up for the unreleased material, including a disc of live material and a fantastic disc of rare and unreleased tracks.

Coldplay, Live at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, May 30 2003

“This is the biggest venue we’ve ever played”, said Coldplay singer Chris Martin from the stage of the mega-capacity Shoreline Amphitheatre. You wouldn’t have known from the band’s performance, which was energetic and confident. Martin’s interaction with the audience was impressive considering the venue’s size, and the setlist was much more than a rehash of their “A Rush of Blood To The Head” album. In addition to some well-known singles, the band played three non-album tracks…one of which (“Moses”) went on to become one of my favorite singles of the year.

DJ Yoda & Dan Greenpeace “BBC Radio One Essential Mix - June 2003″

You might have to search this one out on the internet, but it’s well worth it�the UK’s Yoda & Greenpeace kick the usual trance garbage out of Radio One’s “Essential Mix” show and come correct with a bubbling stew of turntablist mayhem. Though they are both well known hip-hop djs, what impresses me most about this set is their ability to push the boundaries. On top of a solid hip-hop foundation, they add in bits of breaks, drum & bass, electro and tons of innovative samples. Add top-shelf scratching to the mix and you have a set that simply refuses to be boring.

The B-List…songs and remixes worth mentioning without a long-ass review:

Coldplay “Moses”
Travis “Re-Offender”
Dido “White Flag”
Interpol “NYC”
Jewel - “Intuition - Jamie Myerson Glitch RMX” 1115.org Exclusive Download
Jamie Myerson “Collision Course” and “Four Zero East”
Radiohead “There There” and “Where I End and you Begin”
The beat from 50 Cent “In Da Club”

Television:

My “best of TV” list pretty much mirrors Matt’s selections, so check his post for the review hotness.

The Wire
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Shield
The Daily Show

The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season (DVD Set)
Asd a certified Simpsons fanatic, you can be sure that I bought this the moment it appeared in stores. Season three was one of the strongest seasons in the show’s multi-year run, with so many classic episodes and quotes that it would be impossible to list them all. IF you are used to seeing Simpsons episodes in syndication, you really should check out the DVD set, as it restrores all of the “lost scenes” that are chopped out of every episode during the syndication process.

Movies:

Lost In Translation

Unlike many of today’s movies, who seem to do nothing but pander to a marketing demographic, Lost in Translation shows that a movie can succeed without CGI robots, hip-hop cameos or Eva Mendes (how many movies has she been in this year? Fourteen?). Lost in Translation’s greatest strength, besides the Oscar-worthy performance of Bill Murray, is its sense if intimacy. The characters are well-written and the story has an authenticity that is often missed in today’s films.

Kill Bill, Volume 1

Before the latest (and long-awaited) movie from Quentin Tarantino hit the theaters, there was much speculation that he had lost his way. With all of the stories about shooting delays, epic kung fu battles, gallons of fake blood and the decision to split the movie in half, the sceptics had a lot to work with. The needn’t have worried. Kill Bill might glorify the violent kung fu films that inspired Tarantino when he was younger, but in his hands it becomes much more than that. One scene directed by Tarantino has more going on than many entire films, and his fusion of multiple genres and references is wildly entertaining.

Finding Nemo

The animators and programmers over at Pixar have long mastered the skill of making children’s movies that also appeal to the adult crowd. Finding Nemo, their most ambitious effort to date, lands squarely on that sweet spot. There is almost nothing in this movie to complain about. The story is funny and inventive, the voice-over acting is brilliantly casted, and the animation is literally jaw-dropping.

Jamie’s Theatre 2K3

“Dad, what’s a muppet?” “Well, it’s a cross
between a mop and a. . .well, I don’t know, but they sure are funny.”

Off-Broadway

I AM MY OWN WIFE - Playwrights Horizon (now playing on Broadway)

There are one-person shows and then there are one-person shows AND there are people who like them and there are people who don’t. I fall somewhere in the middle, often I think my life is a one-person show, but I don’t always enjoy other people’s one-person shows. I feel it’s almost insulting to call WIFE a one-person show because Jefferson Mays plays about 40 completely different characters in such a fine manner you forget he’s the only one up there. We’re not just talking different languages or accents or genders, we’re talking distinctions that seem almost other-worldly in their transformations. A friend of mine who loved the show sent her mother to see it a few nights after I saw it. From the theatre, before the performance began, her mother called her and said “I can’t believe you made me buy a ticket to a one-person show!” My friend calmed her by guaranteeing her it would be the best thing she saw all year. At intermission her mom called her back and thanked her profusely for tricking her into seeing it. It’s that good.

I’m not sure it will work so well on Broadway — the production definitely benefited from the gorgeous and intimate new space at Playwrights Horizons (and the really comfortable seats) and tourists (Broadway’s mainstay) don’t really want to see cross-dressing German antique dealers, do they? Or do they?

OUR LADY OF 121st STREET - Union Square Theatre

People look for different things when they go to the theatre. I, myself, am a pretty easy sell. Let’s just say, I would never make it as a critic, I’m an admirer of theatre, a fan. I’m sure OUR LADY would not stand up to strict script analysis and there are many who saw it who claimed it wasn’t really a play, just a bunch of scenes cobbled together with a flimsy thru-line. I wouldn’t necessarily disagree, however, like I AM MY OWN WIFE, its the characters that mattered here. I cared about these characters and the precarious connections that held them all together.

There was a woman in the show who was scary! I know the actress that played her - I know she’s a nice woman, but every time I’ve seen her since I saw this play, I’ve been just a little afraid. The characters were written that well - the performances were that good. I also liked that most of the people portrayed on stage were non-white and a few had disabilities. OUR LADY looked like the New York I live in, not the Seinfeld/Friends-LA-back-lot that people seem destine to recreate and recreate in their work.

AVENUE Q - Vineyard/New Group collaboration, now playing on Broadway

AVENUE Q has been getting a lot of attention - half Sesame Street, half South Park, this musical with live and stuffed performers is really great. As something I eagerly anticipated for over a year (having seen a teaser at a showcase in 2001), it’s nice to know there are certain things that live up to the hype. While seeing 2 naked Muppets doing the 69 isn’t something I’m dying to EVER see again, I’m glad I saw it, twice. I was impressed how seamlessly the show moved from the Vineyard’s small space (where I sat in the front row) to a large Broadway house where I sat in the balcony - but it’s doing just great. How the hipsters it’s aimed are affording the Broadway ticket price is another story.

Broadway

NEVER GONNA DANCE

There will be plenty of people who will hate this show. I told someone just today that I loved it and she gasped in horror confiding in me that people she knew who worked on it weren’t all that pleased with it. I really thought I’d hate this show. It’s a big, dancy, Broadway musical with a slim plot. But damn, is it FUN! I had a smile from ear to ear the entire time!!! It’s true, the show practically opens with its best number - a full cast piece set in the Grand Central Station main hall (my favorite place in New York), and never quite lives up to that height again, but, man is it FUN! It’s a great example of what I think Broadway should be. Real, issue driven pieces have been relegated to smaller, non-profit theatres, so let’s at least have flashy, showy, BIG musicals on the Broadway stage with beautiful costumes and sets. This little piece blew AIDA out of the water.

MOVIN’ OUT

I don’t pay for theatre. In that way, and in that way only, I am like the critics. I think that’s important to remember when you read reviews. These people don’t pay for the things they see so they may be a little easier on it than you would be. On the other hand, critics see it all and so they are a little more, well, critical, than the rest of us.

MOVIN’ OUT was the only piece of theatre I paid for this year, and I paid a pretty penny. How happy am I to say it was worth it. I resisted this show for a long time. I love Billy Joel (even though my fianc� cringes every time I mention it, but you can’t chose what you’re raised on). I even love modern dance, so I should have been running to a Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp collaboration, but I wasn’t. I’m not sure if I was afraid I’d hate it or love it, but early in its run I decided not to see it. Then, a married couple of playwrights I know who are highly political, very smart and incredibly didactic told me they loved it. I was astonished. MOVIN’ OUT has not a word of dialogue in it and yet these people I truly respect told me it was the best piece of storytelling they had seen all year. So I paid to take my mother to see the show and though it contains one thing I hate more than anything (angry dancing. . .no one, but no one dances when they’re angry, it’s just not realistic) it was a truly wonderful show.

Other notable shows

BIG RIVER at the Roundabout Theatre in conjunction with Deaf West had the single most inspiring moment of theatre I will ever see. I can’t tell you about it, because it would ruin it, but if you ever get a chance to see this collaboration it’s worth it for those 15 seconds alone.

MAN OF LA MANCHA with Brian Stokes Mitchelle and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio had me weeping as did FLESH AND BONE at New York Theatre Workshops - the shows could not have been more different, the result was me in a puddle of tears. I can’t explain it, but if I could, I’d be writing plays not watching them.

Sam’s “Don’t Need No Stinking Religion” Top 10

10 Best Things I Ate in 2003

(NB: At first glance, this list might seem humdrum to most. Until February 13th, 2003, I kept a strict kosher diet, which meant no meat that wasn’t kosher, no shellfish, no mouth-watering meatandcheese combos of any kind. Little did I know I lived such a drab, tasteless existence. Well, I did know, but I finally jumped the lobster claw and found myself awash in a relishing, flavorful new world.)

In the past 9 months, a gestation of sorts has taken place. My virgin buds have overturned the furtive forbidden fruits: I have embraced the swine, grappled with the crustacean and sunk my teeth into firm, fine, unsalted meats. My life has begun anew.

In ascending order:

10) Bouillabaisse: Having dipped my spoon but once into this shell-y stew of sorts, it will be the second dish I try when I finally make it to the steamy streets of the French Quarter of ‘Nawlins. The first, of course, has gotta be Gumbo.

9) Swordfish: In a salad, at Tessaro’s in Pittsburgh, PA. An unexpected, yet triumphant debut, given the locale. Elided all these years because of its pubescent scale sacrifice.

8) Thin Crust Pizza with Prosciutto: I never knew what prosciutto was, much less let it breach the 50-yard restraining-order cheese had on meat.

7) Spaghetti with Meat Sauce: Sure, you can make it within the confines of Kashrut, but wherefore the grated Parmesan?

6) Hot Wings: The hotter the better, tempered with a creamy dipping sauce; the marriage of two tastes once deemed as alien to one another as Mahatma Ghandi and Genghis Khan.

5) Lobster: Ripping the thing apart was absolutely thrilling. An empowering, self-affirming act.

4) The Cheeseburger: Perhaps the most egregious of all verboten dairy-flesh combinations. Therefore, the one that smacks most of rebellion. Best accompanied by thick cut french fries, baptized in the finest condiment earth has to offer��that famous Steel City Stuff: Heinz Ketchup.

3) Peter Luger’s Steak: Comparing kosher steak to unkosher steak is akin to striking a match in a lightning storm.

2) Roast Beef with Cheddar Cheese Sandwich: Such a simple, basic luncheon treat, and yet, for so long it was just one without the other. Much like Simon and Garfunkle, they were mildly comforting at best by themselves. But now, together (again and at last) the delectable duo conquers all.

1) Bacon: In strips and bits, in eggs, on burgers with bleu cheese. The King of Unclean, the Top of Trafe. An heroic food, worthy of any measure of damnation. Huzzah!