NYC CMJ DAY 3

Better days. CMJ Day 3 meant my NYC tour, which of course includes Washington Square Park - from my suburban London, 15-year-old Larry Clark Kids obsession - and the start of my NYC food hunt, starting with the best hotdog... or more like the best Korean BBQ hotdog pilled high with kimchee, bulgogi (BBQ Korean shortribs) and sesame seeds at New York HotDog & Coffee down Bleecker Street.





Next stop Chinatown to satisfy a mass craving for NYC's Shanghai Soup Dumplings... New Yeah! is supp. to be one of the spots, so I dined solo with the steamy buns. $4.50 for 8. Totally absurd girls lunch conversation from the table next to me was gratis. A crazed girlfriend telling her mate that she loved going through her bf's emails and phone and shut every one of his platonic girl friends out of his life. And that she had a penchant for throwing stuff at him. Psycho. And she was butterz. Homeboy better sort his shit out.









Awesome old Chinese dudes in the park playing chess and mahjong. No sign of the RZA.



Brooklyn Bridge.


Ground Zero Memorial by Jeff Koons - Balloon Flower (Red).


And finally some intimate CMJ Music Festival action seeing The xx at the boujie Tribeca Grand hotel. Living it up lke Ja Rule. The crowds were heaving, it was pissing it down, but Tribeca Grand whiskey sodas and The xx were great. Big ups to my traveling man Guru and my CMJ partner in crime, Seb Diamond from Montreal / Many Brain / Turbocrunk crizzz.

NYC CMJ DAY 2

Fail. Made it to half a party. Stepped into the Manimal Recs showcase at the Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn, one beer, too tired, home to sleep. Will be back...

NYC CMJ DAY 1

No photos, my camera needs a break. But first day of CMJ and I'm pretty impressed with the Wednesday 12hr marathon that we did...

Start - Za Za & Warpaint @ Terrorbird party
2. M for Montreal party
3. James Pants @ Miserable Beast / Stones Throw party
4. Warpaint @ Fader party
5. IAMSOUND party
6. Max Fish
7. Betty Black @ Bowery Electric
Finish - Just Blaze @ 105 Rivington

Thursday?

LAST DAY IN LA

And we're out. Last day in LA, better make it a good one. After a lunch meeting at Umami Burger with producer Susan Applegate and director Syd Garon (who did the seminal Q-Bert mind freak Wave Twisters) - watch out for our N.A.S.A video with Lorna Lavelle and Calma! - it was a quick drop into Wacko books (picked up a nice Bukowski illustrated by Robert Crumb zine - I am in LA after all) before Erin rolled by and we chiiilled down at Santa Monica Pier.


LuckyMe.


Jokes.









It was then onto the suitably incredible last dinner of Los Angeles at the legendary Boat House in Alhambra. A Cajun boiled seafood spot where it's no plate, no cutlery, just long table and pounds and pounds of sparkling fresh seafood, steamed in the bag with the house hot sauce, garlic and butter. Boiling Crab? Whatever. It's crustacean carnage, and as Devin put it... an experience. Started with a dozen beautifully plump oysters, onto the mains of bags of clams, shrimp and crawfish with sweet potato fries and a pitcher of Bud Light. What else could be so American? Monday Margaritas at the fabled Cha Cha Lounge? And we're blissed-out. Thank you to the whole LA family.







Crustacean carnage.




Jim Jamz. Watch out for this dude on IMDB.




Pirates fo life.


LA - NYC. The in-house club on Virgin America.

ALBACORE & THE DO-OVER

In dizzying haste caused by the pleasure of eating one of the most mind melting pieces of sushi ever, there are no pictures. I even went back and ordered another plate. A simple Albacore Nigri (topped with some fresh crushed ginger) at Yoshi in West Hollywood. It was perfect. I won't even bother explaining. Other Yoshi delights included the half shell oysters with flying fish roe and the dragon roll (a California roll of crab and shrimp tempura layered with spicy tuna). Earlier in the evening Benji B was in town to play the Do-Over party, an awesome Sunday day extravaganza - a party only rolling in the summer, started a few years ago by Jamie Stones Throw and his partner Chris. It was rammed and sangria-fueled fun times. Sundays in LA.

THROWING DOWN HAMMERS

Frisbee Golf is a real. Only in California is there a game called Frisbee Golf / Disk Golf. It's like golf except you have to throw a frisbee down the course to get it into a hole / basket. It's for stoney bros. There are tees, pars, a putter frisbee and a driver frisbee, strokes like the hammer. Check out the PDGA. YouTube this. What better way to spend a sunny Saturday with a cool box on wheels full of ice cold Tecate beers, blunts and funny CA peoples wandering around a park / forest trying to score holes? Nada ting.


The crack commando team of sportsmen.



At the tee.




Finding the hole.



The driver stuck in the trees.





Tools.


Exhausted after a strenuous day of perfecting hammers we go see Rainbow Arabia and Nosaj Thing play USC, with Teebs and Ras G and Daddy Kev. Late night chicken fried steak and biscuits and gravy to finish the set. MMmm.