Happy Holidays to the Damour Family

I am absolutely appalled.  I know Black Friday was almost two weeks ago, but with a free moment in my hands I wanted to take a moment to share in how angered I was to learn about the death of Walmart employee Jdimytai Damour.  His death at the hands of a raging stampede of customers insane for bargains really makes me look at how much we've lost the true meanings of the Holidays.

When I was growing up, I was taught both through family, US History, and even the mass media that Thanksgiving was a day where we all gave thanks for our blessings.  Some Pilgrims survived through the rough times of settling in the new land, and celebrated their thanks to God and even the natives of the land with a meal.  These people were just happy to have food and be alive.

Now I see Thanksgiving has become a day of gluttony.  Many treat the day as just a day to take off work, watch football, and overeat.  Even worse has been the retail industry's yearly destruction of this important holiday with what has been known as "Black Friday".  A day of insane bargains to signal off the Christmas shopping season.

I know the economy isn't the greatest right now, but when I hear of stores now not even closing for Thanksgiving, it appalls me.  Worse are the stories of families eating, then leaving immediately to go shopping.  Maybe it's a time of togetherness, but it also makes me wonder if the US has taken Thanksgiving for granted.  If the meal with family is simply a stop for sustenance between getting trashed on the Wednesday night before and then going shopping on Black Friday.

Then that leads me to Jdimytai Damour.  Thirty-four years old.  Took a job at Walmart over the Holiday Season for whatever reasons he had, and was killed simply for standing in a doorway when a mass of savage customers ransacked the door...for what?  A deal on a HDTV?  A deal on a DVD player?  A deal on a camera or iPod?  Was this man's life really worth that bargain?

What does this really say about us here in America?  We've minisculed a very important national holiday down to just a pig-out before going shopping.  We're going to break through a door of a store that hasn't been opened yet, and knock over and trample an innocent man just to get a deal on merchandise.

So what about Damour's family?  How do any of you think they will look at Christmas?  This holiday too has been made a mess and the real meaning lost, just like Thanksgiving.  We seem to worry more about buying gifts than anything else.  What about the fact that it's Jesus Christ's birthday?  How about even taking a moment to think about what all those people were willing to kill a man for?

I find it funny how many neglect their families all year, but then think buying a discounted item, wrapping it up, and placing it under a tree will make up for it.  I think about Damour's family this Christmas.  I am not sure if he's married, has kids, or whatever...but think about his parents.  Looking at the holiday and knowing their son was killed in a mad rush for STUFF.  For LUXURIES.  How about if he does have kids?  How would his wife then tell their children where their daddy is?  How will they look at the world later in life when they know the truth?

Even when it comes down to it, a man is lying on the floor of a store as you walk in.  Was that sale item really so important that you leave someone lying there in trouble?  If someone were lying in the street bleeding, would you walk by?  Or stop to help?  What if it meant you being late for work?  Or missing an appointment?

Is this what our society has become?  No wonder so many are depressed around the holidays.  We've driven them to become days of overeating, shopping, and getting trashed.  They're not holidays then anymore.  Maybe we should just drop them all?  Work all year and not bother.  Maybe then this insanity will end.

I hope Jdimytai Damour's death was not in vain.  I see some families even before the incident deciding to not spend money on gifts but instead to donate them to the poor.  I see some now deciding that maybe the rush to get gifts is a problem, and maybe showing some real love is a better gift than an item.  I'd like to see our society look at the holidays again as more than just days off...but as those times to be thankful for our lives, our families, our friends.

I'm not thankful for a camera, computer, or DJ gear.  I'm thankful I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge, good health, an amazing woman, wonderful friends, and a loving family who would still go above and beyond if I were in trouble.  I celebrate those holidays for the love I have for all of them, and to be thankful for the blessings I have in my life.

I hope that every person who trampled Jdimytai Damour might think about that.  That they might rethink their lives.

Rest in peace Jdimytai, I hope God is watching over you.  My best to your family as well.

Enough about the Microwavers already!

With the new age of DJ software and digital vinyl systems (DVS) out there, I'm finding it ridiculous how much lately I keep hearing DJs complain to no end about the so-called "microwave DJs" out there.

They're referring to the new generation of DJs who took a big shortcut in the craft.  These guys either purchased or illegally downloaded software like Traktor or Ableton Live, and then spent even more time downloading loads of MP3s off P2P programs, torrents, and blog sites.  Within months, these rookies somehow manage to slither their way into DJ guest spots and even club residencies, the kinds that took seasoned veterans years to attain.  The main complaint isn't just on all the music they pirate from the internet, but their lack of experience, experimentation, and even how many of them let the software do most of the work, like beatmatching.

I've heard all the complaints lately about how these rookies lack the experience to really read a crowd, how they totally rely on the software to match beats (even though the blends sound terrible), how much music they steal as opposed to buying legally, how many of them are very cocky and disrespectful, and how they play for way less money than a seasoned veteran would charge.

Should we come down on these DJs?  Are they the problem?  I've seen bad DJs since way before anyone came up with DJ software, and I've seen some of these inexperienced cocky rookies manage to slither their way into the booth.  I never blamed the DJ though, because even when I was a year or so into DJing I was trying to get gigs.  I blame the promoters and those who book these DJs.

When I hear DJs bash on other DJs because they're not using actual vinyl on turntables, it astounds me.  It's the same when I see CD DJs bashed.  Who is more "keepin' it real"?  The guy using antiquated gear to its limits?  Or the guy who takes things to new levels and innovates?  I remember when Pioneer came out with a nice effects unit on its mixers, it meant DJs didn't have to echo or flange with two records anymore.  Was that cheating?  How about when the CDJs came out and you could spin CDs the way you do wax?  How many of you know that even the pioneers of house music used not only turntables, but tape players and drum machines in the booth?  Were they cheating?

Let's come down to reality.  When I got into Final Scratch years ago, and then later Deckadance and now Torq, none of those pieces of software would make things easier on me in the technique of mixing.  I still had to match my beats and blend well.  Yes some of them can do some beatmatching, but it only works well on tunes that have a simple beat structure.  Imagine trying to auto-beatmatch with jungle, or breaks, or tribal house.  Won't work as well.

The software basically makes it way easier for DJs to do their thing without having to haul around loads of equipment.  They make it so I can carry way more music on a laptop than 80-100 records in a box.  It makes it easier for me to find a tune I want to play, rather than dig through the crates.  It allows me to only bring that remix or version I want of a tune, not the rest of what came on the record or CD.

Whether you're using Torq, Serato, Traktor, Virtual DJ, PC DJ, Deckadance, or even Ableton, it won't make anyone instantly into a DJ.  It won't tell you what track to play next.  It won't automatically tweak your EQs, tell you where to toss in the next track, or even do tricks that wow the crowd.  It is simply a tool, and it only works as well as the person is skilled in using it.

I know this doesn't come as a comfort when you're a 10-15 year veteran of the decks, and some cocky arrogant kid now is getting the spots you used to get.  Just bear in mind, would you really want that spot?  Walk into the event and really see what's going on.  If that kid is basically a human iPod playing the same music you hear on the radio, then is that really a good gig?  If he's having horrible mixes, but the crowd doesn't care, is that a crowd you really want to play for?

In the game of love and dating, the phrase "don't hate the player, hate the game" has come out many times.  It's the same deal here.  Don't hate the rookie for how he plays.  Hate the guy who decided a $50 a night amateur was more worthwhile than an experienced professional who costs more.  Worse is if you can't bring anyone out to a club, but the rookie has 30 friends who will come out, then you're SOL.  Sucks, but that's the way of the world.

The answer isn't to hate on the rookies, but first to find out if they are playing gigs you really want.  If the answer is no, then you need to stop %*#*@$$% and find a scene where you can play the way you want.  I know I don't want to play Top 40 music at some cookie-cutter glam bottle service club...so why would I complain about a rookie who wants to play that scene?

This is why I never made DJing a career, so I never had to be forced to do things I didn't feel like doing.  If the scene isn't the way you want it, then make your own scene, rather than complain.  Start a night up. Throw raves.  Do internet or college radio.  Make mixes and post them online.  Find the people who want to hear what you like and play to them...or find a way to please the masses and market yourself to better compete.

If a promoter is going to still pass you up for an inexpensive amateur, then it only speaks loudly on how bad the event is and how long this guy will last.  Eventually things change and crowds see how bad these DJs are...and thus move on.  Empty rooms means that kid isn't going to get hired again.

So enough about the Microwave DJs.  It's not their fault someone decided to book them over you.  You can complain to death, but until you yourself work to make change, then your complaints are worthless.

Congratulations President Obama

I'm seated here now on my couch, watching the victory on television.  It is a historic moment.  A moment historic not because an African American has been elected to the highest office in the United States, but more because it's a moment the citizens of the US cast aside the typical apathy on election days.  The day that everyone gave a @$%*...not just a small percentage.

Many know this victory for me personally is a happy moment that I've been waiting for since the 21st century began.  Many know I've never been a fan of President Bush, be it for his fiscal policies, foreign policy, and especially the war in Iraq.  My personal experience in the eight years Bush has been in office has been that of a struggle.  A struggle with the feeling that my own government was working against me.  It's the same story for many colleagues of mine.  Stories of job loss, months to years of unemployment, and government policies that helped more those at the top than everyone…despite that the prosperity never "trickled down" to my income class.

I felt abandoned.  I felt that I was trapped in a country where I didn't make enough money to count.  I even stood ready at some points to give up my citizenship and move to another country in search of that dream of prosperity.

When I first heard the name Barack Obama, it was in the 2004 election.  At the time I watched President Bush brainwash the country in words of fear about terrorism, this young politician ran against the rather radical Alan Keyes.  I liked Obama's charismatic tone, his straightforward "no bullshit" manner of speaking, and his ideas on how government should be run.  I was even more astounded when he was invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention.

Despite that Bush beat John Kerry for the presidency, Obama did beat Keyes to be my Senator from Illinois.  I figured his career would be as a Senator for a good amount of time, then eventually retire or move on to some non-government career.  I remember when the teasings came out about him possibly running for President.  Even then I wasn't a believer.

When he did announce his run for the Democratic nomination, I still wasn't a full believer.  I liked the idea, but I had a feeling America would be still too hardcore about a WASP male as the Commander-In-Chief.  I felt that Hilary Clinton would easily beat him.  I also wondered about his lack of experience, but in many ways, I liked that he had not been in the political machine for so long that he wasn't another corrupted politician like so many of our elected officials are.

As McCain secured the Republican ballot, Hilary and Barack duked it out hard for the Democratic ballot.  It was one moment early on, when the Government was about to hand out a summer break on gasoline taxes, that Obama caught my attention and my respect.  McCain supported it, Clinton supported it…Obama instead did what I had been wishing a politician would do for so many years.  He called them all out on their bullshit.  He pointed out how this tax was just a band aid on a bigger problem.  He pointed out how McCain's and Clinton's support was mostly just a quick means to appease the voters without really working to fix the problem.

So why did I vote for Obama?  Was it to break the WASP male mold?  Was it because he's from Chicago?  Was it because he's a Democrat?  No.  I voted for Obama because he seemed to be the ONLY candidate in so many years that decided to stop bullshitting me and instead speak the truth to me.  To stand there and literally say that he is not going to play the old games, and even proved his words with actions.  He worked to keep the special interests and the lobbyists out of his campaign.  To be able to walk into the Oval Office without any "special favors" that have to be fulfilled.

I voted for Obama because he came up with a real plan for things in the US, and didn't keep it a secret with a "we have a plan" comment in a speech.  He posted it all online for any of us to read and critique.  He especially decided to take economic policy to a level where those who enjoy the benefits from the Government now have to give something back.  The idea that a business can prosper in the US, but get tax breaks and other benefits if they employ and invest more into the US, rather than other countries.  Some might want to say this is very much an "anti-globalization" idea, but one has to bear in mind that globalization only works if all the countries involved help one another, rather than compete.  That's just how I see it and why the US lost so many jobs and opportunities in the Bush regime.

I believe government is supposed to be there for its people.  Not be there to push Democracy in other countries.  I believe the US economy isn't solely the task of the business community, mostly because as we've seen many of this community's interests go beyond the US.  I believe it's the government's job to build opportunity for the people.  Opportunity for business to prosper if they invest in the US, and yet to struggle if they choose not to.  Ford Motors is a prime example of a business that deserves so much from the US because of how much it employs the US compared to other manufacturers.

I voted for Obama because I like his idea of talking to foreign governments, even those that are considered "possible enemies" rather than believing that we should simply embargo and push influence to force them to "play our way" before talking.  Cuba and Iran are prime examples of so much potential if we just stop the "cowboy" thinking when it comes to foreign policy.  Europe is another great opportunity, especially if one day the US and Europe can form an economic union the way the countries in Europe have done.

It's also no secret that I was against the Iraq war the moment President Bush made mentions of going after Saddam Hussein.  I support our troops and believe they received very poor treatment domestically.  They are working men and women with families, not just robots to send to fight.  I hated seeing them march off to Iraq when Afghanistan was so much more a priority in the war on terrorism.  I hated hearing when they were killed, dismembered, or worse kept from their families, while those families had to struggle to survive on little financial support.  A friend of mine comes to mind especially in this.

I liked that Obama stood as a real "maverick" and voted against the war, despite how many out there wanted to call anti-Iraq War folk "unpatriotic".  We see now that his intelligence in this matter came out correctly, as we still question why we really went into Iraq, since no WMDs or Al Quaida ties have been found.

I see 2009 coming, and feel positive again about my government.  I feel like for once my government is truly going to be working for me.  Face it, we hire them through elections, we pay them with our taxes, if they're not working for us...then they aren't doing their job.

I have the hopes inside me that Obama will keep the special interests out, call out other politicians on the bullshit when it comes up, and does some radical things to build a golden age in the US where the middle class can have a real chance to build prosperity, rather than get $600 checks to go shopping.  I want to see businesses be rewarded for employing Americans, and investing in the country, rather than make record profits by shipping jobs overseas and receiving tax breaks without giving something back.

I want to see a country where we move forward, rather than backward.  Where we build bridges to other lands and cultures, rather than hit them with ultimatums before talking.  I want to see us build transportation that runs on renewable fuels, rather than continuing the old logic of gasoline and oil.  I want to see some of that war money go into our schools, so teachers can make a real living and be rewarded for the hard job they have.  So children will be inspired to grow, rather than feel they're lives are set as hopeless.  I want to see college graduates come out with loads of opportunities to work, rather than wonder when they'll get a break.

I know President Obama can't do it all.  I know that there will be plans he's written that might not get passed...but I also know that to have hope is a far better strength for the US than to fall into the "I have to look out for myself" mentality so rampant here.  To see the United Stated be unified again, to see some endings to the "Red VS Blue" conflict.  Barack Obama has my faith, and my support.  I hope the rest of the country shares in this logic.

Congratulations and God bless you Barack.  Make us proud.

We Fear Our Government

Even though the movie has now been out on video for a while, I recently watched Michael Moore's look at our healthcare system, SiCKO.  Now before anyone here decides to roll their eyes in disgust of the mere mention of Michael Moore, there was one part in the documentary that struck a deep chord with me.  Even more deeper than the issue of healthcare.

In the video, Moore attempts to display how European countries are able to have universal healthcare, and yet the average citizen is able to pay their taxes and live comfortably as well as doctors and medical staff are seemingly making a good income.  In London, Moore interviews a former member of Parliament, Tony Benn.  It was Benn's words on fear between the government and the people that hit deep on way many more issues than just healthcare.

Benn spoke that the big problem with the United States is that the people fear their government, while in countries such as the United Kingdom and France, the government fears the people.

This might sound a big confusing or far fetched, but when you think about the problems facing the United States, much of the reason real change does not occur is simply because of a fear the people have not just of the actual government officials, but also of their own lives and lifestyles, and the chance of losing it by pushing for change and reform.  You look at the country for the longest time, and I'm not just talking about the eight years under George W. Bush, but even all the way back to Nixon.  Democrat or Republican, we have lived in a system where the people are very afraid of the government and of losing "their way of life" that the idea of "making waves" is just something many won't do.

In SiCKO, Moore showed how in France, when the people see something that's wrong, like a tax hike or bad legislation, the people will get up and march.  We're not just talking about radicals, college students, or even bohemians…but the mass majority.  Can you imagine if the people of Cook County were to all get up and walk out of their workplaces to protest Todd Stroger's tax hikes?  Can you imagine downtown Chicago filled with people, but their offices empty, because they want change from Mayor Daley?

Can you imagine people across the country marching and protesting decisions being made in Washington DC?  I'm talking on a larger scale than ever thought of?

How fast do you think the politicians would immediately change their tunes?  How much do you all think the government would become more an employee of the people rather than their rulers?

It's happened before…the 1960s.  Despite whatever opinions many a conservative might have, those movements of hippies and college students set up a massive fear within the US Government.  They literally felt at some points that there would be a coup and overthrow of the government.

So why doesn't this happen now?  Tony Benn said it perfectly.  He spoke of how many Americans have mortgages, student loans, and other debt.  I imagine if people were to walk out of their work to protest the Iraq war, gas prices, or tax hikes, they might come back to their offices to find they don't have jobs now.  Now comes the problem of trying to pay the mortgage, student loans, or even credit card when you have no income.  Worse if things became like the 1950s and some were blacklisted.  This is why we don't see the protests of the 1960s happen anymore to the level that they did back then.  Everyone has something to lose, everyone has their hands in the pot, and thus everyone fears the system to the degree of ending up homeless, blacklisted from working, and oppressed by debtors and even the government.

HOWEVER, I still am a firm believer that the more you voice yourself to the government, the more change can happen.  Why did Stroger get away with everything he's done?  Because while many will scream on the local news or on message boards, not many are sending petitions or really joining in the groups that protested outside the County office.  They didn't make the statement when it really counted.  Same deal with the elections.  November 4 is creeping up and I still see many who say how our votes don't count or other reasons they don't bother going.  I say it over and over; this is why the government gets away with as much as it does.   Apathy is the prime tool many in power can use to do as it pleases.  I'm not speaking we work to overthrow the government or change up the system to a new country, but I am saying that the more we play the apathy or fear, the more things seem to get worse.

You look at Europe and how governments fear their people.  Many of those countries may not be living in perfect utopias, but there are some vast improvements over our own system.  Vote, speak up, sign a petition when you believe in it, and stop thinking that you don't count because you're not wealthy or in power.

This country was built on unity, and whether it is an outside invader or our own government, unity is what gives Joe and Jane Average power.

The Art of Jason Fisher

Ever since I started working in an ad agency, I've become way more attuned to the vast amount of creative talent all around me.  Every time I walk through the halls and pass offices or cubicles I realize now how that graphic artist also paints on the side, or that copywriter is in a band.  It's rather amazing actually how many DJs, musicians, and artists there are in this company I work at.

One of these talented individuals is Jason Fisher.  I originally met him on my first day at this company, both of us working in this tight aisle of an area for freelancers and new hires waiting for office/cubicle space.  At first impression he just seemed like a young kid fresh out of college and working as a graphic designer.  It wasn't known to me til years later just how much creative talent he had as a painter.

"Righty"

I recently checked out his gallery opening on West Belmont here in Chicago, and my first impression was that his art seemed very simply, a cartoonish homage to the Grand Theft Auto covers in some ways.  Very colorful, material, and 1980s in my book.  One would think his paintings are simply amateur on first impression, but when you see the actual inspiration and ideology behind them, all ideas of amateur are washed away and there is some real genius behind his work.  His Artist Statement very much speaks on this.


Orson

Jason works with me in an ad agency, and thus all day every day he is surrounded with photography and imagery normally geared to have a company logo slapped on top of it with possibly a slogan or offer.  Jason strips all that marketing garble away and paints the basic pose, lust, and emotion found in the imagery used in these ads.  You see it in every piece he's done.  Sometimes you'll think that's an image you saw on a jeans ad or an ad for hair products; other times you just get a feeling of a different time, era, and sense of style.  That 1980s reference I felt especially in his piece "Orson".


Sofia

Some of the works, like Sofia up above, do give you that deep emotional reaction that Jason speaks of.  You feel the sense of despair and sadness in her face and feel an emotional connection even, yet the shades of those ad-type photos comes out with the flow of her hair.

To see more of Jason Fisher's work and possibly purchase, you can visit his blog.