West Indian Girl

so one of my best friends is named sascha (yes, another guy with a girl’s name). anyway, sascha periodically sends me some really random and funny links that have something to do with west indian girl in one way or another. it’s kind of like having a personal Mr. Google. ok, below is a list of some those random links. i probably laugh a bit more at these than you will but they are worth sharing nonetheless…i think [fyi a picture of the elusive Mr. Google is in the “miller high life and sundays” entry….see him sitting at the computer instead of drinking?]

1. what’s up with paul yoon’s blog entry about us. classic stuff – he even has What are you afraid of playing on it. Paul, we love you man.

2. this is from (south by southwest) SXSW.com film section. check out the film staff record recommendation of the week towards the bottom of the page. kinda cool.

3. this just falls under the “what the fuck” category. it was from this months Esquire magazine . Looks like Hollywood is the number one song to burn some fat off your fat ass. what is a “skittering” bass line?

4. how about this contest page on TeenMusic.com – scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the contest banner. totally cracked my ass up to see chris carter’s face front and center for all the girls to drool on. gotta love it. gotta laugh at it.

5. this some japenese guy’s site – i’m still not sure what it all means. Mr. google sent me a site to translate it in called babelfish and that spit out this translation. “Summer it passed, it became the way which gradually feels the sign of the fall. The change eye of season, doesn’t especially this season pathos the melody ground which drifts stop wanting to inquire about tune? As for this although being the melody ground, little bit スピリチƒ…アル the band which makes about tune inquire, translating with the rhinoceros, “as for the reason of girl naming west Indian” there is a relationship in drug culture of seventies, it seems. The new member band of loss graduate, sound it is unique.” i wish all reviews were this interesting.

6. how about this mention in a review of another LA based band called the shore in the university of wisconsin-madison’s Badger Herald. Check out the very end of the review where he calls our cd the “late summer’s perfect bum out album.” way to be chris ewing. i’m glad i wasnt the guy in the shore reading this. ouch.

7. what about this polish review. that site babelfish mentioned above sucks ass because it couldnt even translate this one. i’m into the fact that right below us is one of my friends’ band called Gabin. These guys are from rome and also on astralwerks/virgin italy. they recently did a cool chilled out remix of our song hollywood which is pretty dope. i wonder when that version will see the light of day. anyway, based on this polish review i guess they have a new record out and its amazing. max and filippo are totally figo. —F.Ten 2:14 am 10/21

West indian girl rehearses and writes and parties in down town Los Angeles…more or less in the heart of skid row. It’s pretty intense just trying to walk around our block without getting freaked out a bit. The first time you go down there it’s like a movie – like dawn of the dead in a weird way. Some people look like zombies just walking around, some people are high, some people are crazy but most people are just freezing their fucking asses off trying to sleep outside in the cold. The ironic part about this area of town is that it’s called the “toy district” because of all the import and export toy businesses that take up shop there. I also find that funny cos toys are gifts and gifts are what these people all need a bit more of.

How many of you really know what is like to be homeless? I sure as hell don’t and I really can’t begin to imagine – for me the closest thing to being homeless was just not having an apartment to live in when I was 21 but I still had a bunch of friends’ couches to sleep on. Yeah but that crap isn’t really being homeless and it’s nothing like the hard core shit that surrounds the west indian girl studio.

Anyway, my relationship with these dudes that sleep on the corner 2 blocks of our studio started one day when I parked my car outside. At first I never really said much to them but then after a while when u keep seeing the same few faces over and over again u just sort of develop a normal relationship with them. I would give them whatever change I had in exchange for me thinking they would watch my truck and keep it from getting broken into. (my truck is an 89 landcruiser with no alarm – any moron could break into it in about 5 minutes if they really wanted to) On some level I have some sort of a strange business relationship with them. — maybe that’s why one of the few times mark and chris parked their cars down there they got broken into (well mark got his window smashed and chris just got his scraped up) Needless to say after the break-ins my donations to the guys increased hahaha. Now I give them smokes, water, change, the paper, but mostly clothes. I have given them at least half of my entire closet by now. Seriously, I just don’t have any more clothes to give them. Everything ranging from sweaters to suits to shoes to hats to u name it. One time when I was at a Texaco station a few blocks away I saw the craziest looking woman outside. I mean she looked unreal – like she popped out of a grand theft auto video game –she was wearing almost nothing too – all her clothes were hanging off and she had no shoes. Anyway I gave crazy girl a whole outfit and she was stoked.

Where is all of this going? well I guess it goes to my friend Ronnie in the pics. He is my main man down there and I always try to hook him up first. Ronnie is just “real” and he always makes me laugh when I talk to him. If we have a party or guests to the studio I know he watches their cars and he knows I will bring him down beer. Im not sure he or any of them are the best guards but I think they have my back as much as can be expected. And I know for a fact Ronnie always makes sure that angela gets to and from her car safely if she happens to be walking alone. That’s cool. Those pictures are great aren’t they, he was so psyched to have those taken. Anyway, remember this, if you ever happen to be parking outside our studio when u come to one of our loft parties just bring something warm for the guys that are gonna be sleeping outside your car in the rain.

Your old blanket can make someone’s life warmer even if it is just for a few hours. At the very least it might make your jaded L.A. heart a bit warmer. (fyi, a few hours later Ronnie told me he gave away the suit I had just given him to his friend who loved it and needed it even more…that’s pretty classic) — F. Ten 5:30 am Oct 20, 2004

last saturday night west indian girl played another party at our loft. it was pretty great considering it was pouring rain out. this was the first official show with our final line up and everything went better than could be expected. rob wasnt sick this time – i thought we played pretty well even though i personally fucked up a few parts. oh well. we played 6 songs – still lost, what r u afraid of, northern sky, monterey, trip, and hollywood. if you are just reading about this show now and you are a friend of mine and are pissed that i didnt invite you well just realize it was a spur of the moment type show and i didnt get a chance to call that many people. my cell phone actually feel in a puddle when i walking tony around the block that night. sucked but it started to work again the next day after it dried out. anyway, we were lucky enough to have a dj, jon thayer spinning. jon is my next door neighbor (literally lives right across the hall from me) and he really knows how to rock the decks. great vibe and flow to his set. he was all over the place but always kept it cool. thayer is now the official house dj. oh yeah, besides it raining out, 9 people got stuck in the elevator in our building. it was kind of a fucked up situation but we were lucky enough (for them that is) to get the door open and get everyone out. i bet they couldnt wait to get a drink, they were stuck in there for like 20 minutes i think…drag. ok here is a low down of the pics that im posting 1- robert james and angela wood in between a song 2 – carter working the rhodes 3,4 – dj jon thayer 5 – my graffiti that the people kept staring at while they were stuck in the elevator 6 – new friend tauvia 7- old friend marcos

—F. Ten 3:15am Oct 19

listen up, going out in hollywood is not really all that great. well, i guess it depends on where you’re from. if you’re not from new york or europe then it might seem pretty exciting but it really isnt that amazing. the trick to los angeles is knowing where to go, knowing who to know, and knowing that you shouldnt go out on the weekends. some of the best bars and clubs are the little ones that you never hear about and staying away from sunset on the fri and sat night increases your chances of doing something cool. anyway, i figured i would post a few pics of the people that end up in my truck. hey, remember this is a journal and all these entries can’t be amazing. since i love to drive and drive almost everywhere i go, plenty of characters end up sitting to my right and in the back. most of these people as it turns out happen to be wasted. the low down on the pics. 1. hiedi – status = wasted 2. chris c. and c. carter – status = not yet wasted/making plans 3. tony – status = happy to have people in the back instead of him 4. taylor, chris c and c. carter – status = wasted/tripping their balls off. 5. angela, tony and chris c – status = hallmark moment 6. yours truly – status = killing time taking notes.

— F. Ten 2:56 am 10/15

check out these barry manilow lyrics. “Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl. With yellow feathers in her hair, and a dress cut down to there. She would Merengue and do the Cha-Cha and while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar Across the crowded floor, they worked from 8 ’til 4 They were young and they had each other Who could ask for more”

Ok, so by now everyone must know I have the best dog (boxer) in the world named Tony. Well, Angela also has the best dog (pug) in the world – Lola. I’m not sure if Barry Manilow had a dog but he kinda seems like a cat or bird guy. Tony is a dominant male that has some serious agression issues. No matter what dog he meets (even if they are little pugs) he has to immediately dominate it. This will either lead to him making a friend or him getting into a nasty dog fight real fast. He can’t help it though cos he’s a rescue and some crazy shit must have happened to him in order for him to be conditioned that way. I mean Tony is one strong dude – not many dogs could kick his ass to begin with so I don’t know what he’s trippin about all the time. (Check this site out – Boxer Rescue LA – it’s where I got Tony from)

Anyway, I was somewhat stressed out when Angela told me she was bringing Lola down to the space. I even had a nightmare the evening before in which Tony had ripped Lola apart when they met. I told Angela it might get ugly and for the most part I was right. He was going to get on top of Lola, pin her down and growl at her until she was scared shitless into submission. Well he did just so and it worked but then, after that crazy moment of dog on dog insanity, the unthinkable happened…Tony and Lola fell in love. Lola did play hard to get at first (out of sheer terror) but now it’s like they’re an old married couple. Lola just barks and barks and nags at him while he tries to sleep on the couch. Its good stuff man and it will put a smile on your face. I’m just glad Tony didn’t rip Lola’s head off.

“Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl

And that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show
Now it’s a disco, but not for Lola
Still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair
She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half blind
She lost her youth and she lost her Tony
Now she lost her mind”

Umm, the last line to this song is kind of strange isn’t it. Wow, talk about being a dried up old withered lonely bag of a lady.

— F.Ten 4:44am 10/14

that’s a psycho dog

Since we’re about to start touring i thought it might be a good idea for you guys to get to know the rest of the band. that way you’ll know who’s who when we roll through town. First up for the 10 with Ten is Chris Carter. We conducted this interview in the back of a little bar in hollywood that my friend jeremy owns…it’s called “the room”.

1. describe your role in the band? I play keyboards/ synths and sing a few backups. Right now we got a Fender Rhodes, three old Moogs, a few choice pedals, and it keeps growing. I’m pretty sure all my keyboards are older than I am. I’m also in charge of walking Fran’s dog, doing Rob’s laundry, fixing Mark’s car, and making sure the toilet seat is down in the rehearsal space for Angela.

2. what special qualities do you bring to the band? I don’t know if they are “special qualities” but I come from a classical music background, (I was a classical guitar nerd my whole life), I DJ quite a bit as well. Because I’ve been a guitar player my whole life maybe the best thing I bring to the keyboards is a sense of naivety, or a lack of preconceived notions as to how a keyboard player should play. That and I think I have more chest hair than anyone in the band.

3. what do you like to do in your free time? Dungeons and dragons, rollerblading, going to tanning salons, pole vaulting, you know the usual stuff. Just kiddin, I try to surf every time there’s waves, try to go see shows or check out the night life when we’re not rehearsing, I still DJ every Tuesday I can down in Laguna Beach. Since I met you guys though its been all music. Rehearsals at night, there’s always a piece of gear I have to buy or research during the day, doing shit for the band. I’ve been pretty focused on our band lately, that’s been my life.

4. since you do play well keyboards i have to ask you this question…are you straight? I’d be more worried about bass players if I was you. . .

5. what kind of women do you like? They have to be alive, at least eighteen (sixteen in Europe and Australia), and have hair. . . Seriously, our lives are pretty out of control at the moment, staying up almost every night for rehearsal, going out on those rare nights off. I guess I’m just into girls that lead unconventional lives as well.

6. where is the best place to surf? Wherever there’s waves. I’ve gotten the best waves of my life over in Indonesia, hands down.

7. please tell me that you aren’t really from orange county? You’re right, I just say that too be cool because the OC is “so hot” right now! Just kidding, I really am from orange county, a little town called Laguna Beach, the same Laguna Beach about which MTV just made a reality TV show. And yes, we all drive brand new expensive cars, live in billion dollar houses with fake palm trees, have sex with multiple beautiful blonde teenage school girls who are friends, and rent presidential suites at the nicest hotels so we can get drunk on zima and wine coolers for our senior party! In all seriousness, Laguna Beach is a gem, a old art colony with really down to earth, cool people. I have was lucky to grow up there and got the best friends in the world down there, but if you’re serious about playing in a band I think you gotta be in a city atmosphere.

8. you recently had surgery on your ear can you describe and can i post pictures of it? I had surfers ear in my right ear, meaning that after years of exposure to cold water and wind the bone in my ear had almost completely grown shut. The surgery took about two hours and they went in with lasers and basically cut it back open. The nurses were super cool, we had a little bit of an “afterparty” in the recovery room where they gave me narcotics through an IV for the pain. I kept asking for more drugs which they reluctantly administered (it seemed like a good idea at the time) until I kind of OD’d and started puking. It was a weird experience. I was so fucked up on whatever painkillers they gave me that while I was throwing up I couldn’t stop laughing. I will email you some photos we took right before the puke/laugh incident. Needless to say, it was a very strange and profound moment in my life.

9. what are you listening to – who are your favorite bands out right now? My favorite groups are Interpol, Ficherspooner, Daft Punk, William Shatner, Air, the faint, flaming lips, Elliot Smith, John Frusciante is my all time guitar hero, I grew up on The Chilli Peppers, Janes Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead. I went through a phase where I only listened to classical/ twentieth century electronic chamber music, and lately I’ve been looking backward to the Pink Floyd / Zeppelin era.

10. describe the last show you went to – did it suck? Not even fucker. Me and you saw AIR, Stereolab, and Sondre Lerche, at the Hollywood Bowl with an orchestra, and it was a great show. We were supposed to DJ the afterparty, but I heard last minute that Sophia Coppola was going to do it instead. I gotta admit I have a big crush on Sophia Coppola. So Sophia, if you’re reading this I’m not pissed about losing the DJ gig to you, but you owe me dinner. Cool? All right, its a date. Before that I saw my roommates band Knife Fight play at the Knitting Factory. Tie up your little sister, those guys are outta control.. . .

Thanx Carter, this has been lovely. you’re a freak — F. Ten 1:20 am

We’ d like to give a shout out to a real cool company called Dakine. These guys recently sent us a bunch of stuff that is going to come in very handy on tour. Dakine make some pretty crazy bags for surfing, skating, snowboarding and skiing. I like the camouflage ones the best. Check out their site Dakine.com – they’ve got a cool music section on their page! — F. Ten 3:03 pm 10/4

Last night i went to see the libertines and radio 4 at the henry fonda music theater. once again i missed the opening act – i really really really wanted to see radio 4 cos they’re our label mates but i was late (as usual). anyway, thanx to dayna from astralwerks for hooking it all up. i met up with rob and angela (who now happens to be our new singer). angela is great – she is so much fun to be around. anyway, she introduced us to burt who runs the joint. burt then vip’ed us all over the place and after a few drinks our favorite french photographer marc goldstein appeared and started snapping pics of us. marc has got to be the hardest working photographer in town. i see this dude everywhere. 2 weeks ago at dj club that i had never been to in korea town he was there working and then last sunday he was taking pictures of the air show. he had the biggest lens on a camera that i have ever seen –you know what they say about a man with a big lens right? anyway goldstein is officially my favorite paparazzo. chris carter wasn’t able to go out cos he is recovering from ear surgery. anyway mark our drummer never made it but oddly enough i did run into him around 2 am at a house party in the hills. rob had called me to tell me about this place but when i got there he was gone and mark was there. weird. we had a smoke and then pete yorn tried to put the moves on my dog tony. in case you were wondering about what i thought of the libertines….well, it was boring as hell but i was probably expecting too much — F. Ten 4:40 pm oct 3

After rehearsal the other night i went out for a night cap with a few girls i know. so i pulled into this parking lot and parked my car next to this slick classic muscle car. i was wondering whose car it was when the owner of it walked up. guess who owned that cool black car…it was Earl who plays drums for Air. We had a smoke and a chat and not only is earl a great drummer, the dude’s got some serious style. — F. Ten