An (Assorted) Interview w/ Kanye West... The Presidential Campaign

The following is an interview I had with Kanye West about his future presidential campaign. It features actual quotes from Kanye himself.

ME: Hi there folks, I'm here today with critically acclaimed rapper and producer Kanye West. Mr. West has recently announced his run for our nation's presidential office in the 2020 election. He announced this at an awards ceremony that nobody should ever have to care about. Mr. West, how do you feel about your decision to run for president?
KW: This pimp is at the top of Mount Olympus! 
ME: Oh! Well that's a lot more positive response than I was expecting. Why is that?
KW: I am the next Nelson Mandela.
ME: That's awfully confident of you, Mr. West.
KW: I'm about to break the rules, but don't tell anybody.
ME: Oh, okay, I won't. Haha! Well, what will be your first campaigning strategy?
KW: The whole nation standing at attention as long as I'm in Polo's smilin'.
ME: What is that supposed to mean?
KW: Racism still alive they just be concealin' it.
ME: I can somewhat see what you mean now...
KW: Face it, Jerome get more time than Brandon!
ME: I assume you have some strong opinions about the growing reports of black men being killed by white cops?
KW: I don't need no RoboCop.
ME: I have no idea what that means. But okay. What are your economic plans as president?
KW: We claim other people kids on our income tax. We take that money. cop work, then push packs to get paid.
ME: That's a unique idea you have! What do you think your opponents are doing?
KW: They prolly all in the Hamptons braggin' 'bout what they made.
ME; You really think they're that evil?
KW: They say I was the abomination of Obama's nation.
ME: Well, I guess a pretty bad way to start the conversation... any plans on increasing employment?
KW: What you rappers could get is a job from me.
ME: Anything else?
KW: Can I at least get a raise on a minimum wage?
ME: Ah, I gotcha. Do you ever feel like our government has the tendency of being tainted?
KW: I know the government administered AIDS.
ME: That's pretty extreme... Mr. West, do you support the idea of "big government"?
KW: No one man should have all that power.
ME: Really? Where do you get your political ideals from?
KW: George Bush got the answers.
ME: What makes former president Bush so appealing to you?
KW: George Bush doesn't care about black people.
ME: But wait-- you're-- umm... nevermind. I think I'll just cut our interview short today--
KW: Imma let you finish!
ME: Okay, well being as brief as possible, answer me: Why should I vote Kanye West for my president in 2020?
KW: Two words: United States.

And there you have it.

This really happened

My Unlikely Summer Soundtrack, 2015

I try too hard to recreate my past. I look back on some glorified time in my life and try to re-live it. The best summers are the ones where you're doing new things and making new memories. I almost made my summer of 2015 unmemorable. I feel like I saved it at the last second. I learned the most important life lessons in August.

So I can't call 2015 the best summer of my life, but it beat the crap out of last summer. Side-by-side with learning new lessons, doing new things and meeting new people... there's discovering new music. My best summers come with summer soundtracks. This particular summer was chalk-full of music I already knew but developed a revivalist love only recently. Living with people I didn't know, I was learning not to take my current friends for granted. Yet the forgotten music from my past was there for me like an old friend.

THE SONGS

"Hearts and Bones" -Paul Simon, 1983

A co-worker introduced me to this song. I thought I was already worshiping Paul Simon's greatest songs. I was wrong. This song, both musically and lyrically, is a prelude to Graceland.

"Take Me Home" -Phil Collins, 1985

I hate Phil Collins. This song is super cheesy. Why do I like it? Perhapsn it's the passionate honesty I hear in Phil's voice when he sings "I've been a prisoner all my life." Maybe it's the interestingly sonic synth progression. Maybe it's just a personal hipster bias I've gained since I found out Phil did all the drumming for Brian Eno's Another Green World. (+great video)

"I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" -Tom Waits, 1973

I've loved Tom Waits for years, and discovered only recently that my little brother bought his debut album Closing Time. The story in this song is way too relate-able for me.

"Holy Shit" -Father John Misty, 2015

Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty, wrote this song on his wedding day: "To make a decision based on something you believe in-- to get out of the morass of ambivalence, to live according to endless contingencies and potential mishaps, potential unhappiness-- is just huge for me."

"Keeping the Faith" -Billy Joel, 1983

In my 70s-flavored summer, I realized that Billy Joel really wasn't that good. I made harsh judgments about his early career but learned that his most crucial work-- his reborn songwriter album-- was 1983's An Innocent Man. This track is a beautiful, cheeky, oldies-radio ode to youth and rebellion. Jukeboxes, leather jackets, teenage sex, classic cars, no regrets. (+great video)

THE ALBUM

Blood on the Tracks -Bob Dylan, 1975

There's something wrong with me. I learned to worship Bob Dylan from Rolling Stone when I was a teenager. I have since learned that Rolling Stone is the root of all evil. But I still liked my 60s Dylan. 70s Dylan never made any sense to me. I always considered it dry and uninteresting. I never felt inclined to entirely listen to his so-called classic Blood on the Tracks until a couple months ago. Repeatedly listening to it this summer, it's given me feelings I've never had before.

So this 40 year-old album is changing my life. Lots of artists tell stories about their misspent youth, but Dylan was never young. He tells tales of misspent adulthood. Sometimes complex and epic ("Idiot Wind") but at times straightforward and simple ("You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"). Between traveling the world and a longing for ex-lovers, everything somehow sounds sincere. The songs usually make you smile, but have the power to make you cry.

Blood has as many words as a rap album. And line after line, the rhyme schemes just flow like they were meant to be. Musically, nothing else really sounds like it. I guess it's just a 70s folk songwriter at the end of the day, but the recording of the album itself is reserved only for these 10 songs. The acoustic guitar is almost too bright, the percussion sounds on-demand, the organ is pure clarity, the bass lines are playful and Dylan's doesn't sound anything like it did 10 years prior. 

Considering Dylan's career failures from the early 70s, many people consider Blood a comeback album. But this album isn't a return to his old ways. It's a rebirth. It's a redemption, both in his career and in his life. I don't know what took me so long to love this album. It makes me see songwriting in a new light: It's possible to be frustrated with yourself but remain happy. It's part of humility. Whether it's God, an ex-girlfriend or perhaps just your own conscience, you can find your own "Shelter from the Storm."

"Never Go There Alone"

"You'll forget what you meant when you read what said." 
--James Murphy

Last time I was in my hometown, I dug through my old notebooks. I often forget that I used to write tons of poetry in my teenage years. I found a piece that I wrote when I was an 18 year-old working at Redfish Lake. I remember writing it... it was titled "5th of July." Looking it over, I couldn't tell whether it was supposed to be something dark or uplifting. A pair of lines stuck out to me as the centerpiece of the poem:

Romanticizing things to such an extent
Never go there alone

...I remembered writing that second line. I remember it originally being written "Never go there." I added "alone" a couple minutes later. Although I couldn't remember why I wrote any of this. Not until recently.
I was confused about whether this poem was dark or uplifting, because it's actually both. It's a voice of warning as much as it is life advise. Writing this at age 18, I was probably feeling foolish about some crush I had... thus you get a grumpy-teenage-Hamlet-diva depressive line like "Romanticizing things to such an extent? Never go there!" But I added the word "alone" and suddenly it's one of the most prophetically mature things I've ever written.
Over the last 6 years, I have forgotten both this line and its principle: It's dangerous to beautify something without telling anybody.
It could be anything! Wanting to be in a certain relationship, a certain job, a certain position of authority, a certain grade on a test, etc. If there's something you want so badly-- so badly, you've convinced yourself you need it-- you need to tell somebody.
I've learned that living in your own little world with your own idea of success is fun... until you fail. Your glorified imaginary world just shatters. You suddenly become sad and nobody around you knows why. It's basically the most unfair thing in the world, and it's what drives people to self abuse. Yet at the same time, I can't expect everyone to read my mind.
It's okay to "DREAM BIG." It's okay to be ambitious. It's okay to put another person on a pedestal. We're supposed to have dreams. We're supposed to have goals. We're supposed to have role models. But it's important to share these things with other people. People out there with the most ordinary intentions can legitimately go crazy from overdoses of self-consciousness.
ALSO:

• I think it's fair that we share things that we internally debase. To completely hate something or someone is a totally normal human flaw. People who share these feelings often change their hate into charity. People who keep these things inside can become irritable.

• Being open about your desires (and fears) is a good way of seeing things as they really are. It makes a clearer dividing line between your romanticized mindset and the rational reality. To quote Thom York (pictured above): "Just cuz you feel it doesn't mean it's there." It sounds scary when he says it, but it's truth. Doubting yourself is unhealthy. Rationalizing yourself, on the other hand, is good for you. 

Long story short, try to express things that occupy your mind the most. I am often very bad at this. I'm really good at expressing what I want and what I think. I rarely share what I need and what I know. REMIND ME TO WORK ON IT!

COMPREHENDING 70's MUSIC

My name is Scott E Hall, I'm 24 years old, and I finally understand 70's music.
This is saying a lot considering I spent the entire 12th and 13th years of my life listening to 104.1 The Hawk: Stockton-Modesto's Classic Rock! I went through a phase where the 70s didn't make any sense at all- not in a critical or enjoyable manner. The 70s have become a close second this summer. Following the modern music scene has been apart of this love for 70s music.
You see, I hate the majority of bands making 80s-throwback music right now. The 80s were OK. The 60s were Prolific. The 70s have been looked at as a crappy decade. What does 70s music have that couldn't be done in the 60s yet paved the way for the 80s? Who do we look at? Led Zeppelin? Pink Floyd? David Bowie? Which albums were the best? Now: I HAVE ANSWERS.
If you don't feel like reading this entire post, here's a simple formula to sum things up:

Steely Dan x Fleetwood Mac = The 70s

I think these 2 bands are truly The Most 70s Bands of the 70s. Not necessarily the best, nor the most popular. But their work within the decade summarizes what could have only be done in the 70s. Pop songs with actual jazz chords, folky electric guitar leads, unique vocal melodies, shiny keyboard solos and a whole lot of cocaine!

Lots of amazing artists won't be mentioned in this post. To clarify some future arguments, there is a LONG list of 70s artists I have nothing against. I started making one, but it went too long. Seriously, ask me about most any 70s artist not mentioned here and I'll have an answer. Everyone from Elton John to Herbie Hancock. Everything from P-Funk to Can. I have developed strong opinions.
Fact is, it's easier for artists to make more cohesive albums as time goes on. It was a true challenge to make a thoughtfully structured, pieced-together "album" back then. (By the way, you should google a Brian Wilson interview where he claims The Beatles' Rubber Soul was the first "album" ever made). A couple months ago, my favorite music critic Anthony Fantano challenged his fans to "try listening to a rap album from before 2010." This is hilarious, because it's true. Most people I talk rap music with doesn't know much about what happened before Kanye West-- nor the many artists he samples. Anyways, it's been a fun summer for me to re-explore the past; not as the classic rock radio lover I used to be, but with an understanding of musical production progress in the 70s.
Instead of my original plan to write 3000 words worth of unreadale stuff, I made a 16-seed bracket of what were probably the best albums of the 70s. If you don't know the artists from any of the albums listed below, I recommend google-ing them.
Here's a list of 70s albums that almost made my extremely nerdy 70s albums bracket tourney:

Super Close to Making the Tourney

The Wall, Who's Next, Low, Unknown Pleasures, Another Green World
Personal Faves
Fear of Music, Tapestry, After the Gold Rush, Aja, My Aim Is True, Loaded
Mandatory Honorable Mention
Marquee Moon, Pink Flag, Singles Going Steady, Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, Tago Mago, Plastic Ono Band, Neu!

And here's my extremely nerdy 70s albums bracket tourney... brought to you by challonge.com, a website made for stuff like this!
The Bracket

I Don't Want The Past Anymore

This is probably the most positive-- if not the most self-confident-- blogpost I've ever written. So bear with me. Here's some cheesy background music...

I've had a lot of revelatory positive thoughts these past couple of weeks. Which is kinda weird because I get paid to work on bikes, which I actually don't know how to do. I belong to a church that persuades members to help convert others, which I haven't done. I have always lacked the courage to ask out girls who actually know me. I have been playing guitar and writing music for years, but have lacked the chutzpah to take my music to a public level. Not a day goes by that I don't feel like an underachieving, wishy-washy piece of crap.
SO... I've recently been running and hiking habitually. I have more-than-fond memories of hiking in the Sawtooths as an 18 year-old. The hiking experiences from my 2nd experience at Redfish are overridden by the negative memories of that summer. I have since lived in Logan and have tried hiking in Logan canyon in the summers. It's just not the same. You reach a peak and you can see civilization only a few miles away. So have my hiking endeavors for the past 6 years been some attempt to re-live my past?

NO.

My last 2 runs have felt freaking great, My body hasn't felt so free in months! My body feels great and my mind feels confident both during and after the run. I want to hug the world! My last particular run started out incited by pure angst. I had been pissed all day because nothing was going my way. So I began daily run with multiple chips on my shoulder and a desire to punch things. I ran, and I ran fast for miles. I don't know how far I went. I eventually reached a trail with a set of hills. After every hill, I told myself: "After this hill, I'll stop at the top and I'll feel better about myself!" But I was always hungry for more. 

I eventually stopped in the middle of nowhere and realized that I had forgotten what I was so angry about. My body was just riding for the feeling. I stopped and thought for about 20 minutes then ran back. It wasn't a dramatic experience at all. I thought about everything... reasonably.

I DON'T WANT THE PAST ANYMORE.

Look Scott: You're a self-conscious guy. That's OK. But perhaps you can do a better job at living in the moment and practicing anything you've preached. You never preach anything; hence you practice nothing. I know things were rough when you were 19, 20, 21, heck, Halloween last year was terrible. Right now, this summer, you could easily be building your stage management resume. But inside you're living by this beautiful freaking lake in the middle of these beautiful freaking mountains (pictured below). You're obviously here for a reason. 

Are you trying to re-live your teenage glory days? Are you trying to redeem something from the past? Are you trying to start some new life adventure? Because you can't do all 3 at once. Which one are you trying to do?

This time, the answer was obvious. 

I will probably continue to live a life of mistakes and regret. I'll probably never strike the courage to tell people to shut up so I can sleep at night. I'll probably still feel an inner-bitterness towards this one obnoxious guy I see everyday. I'll probably never be able to fix a bike's shock cable. I'll probably continue to suck at friendships and relationships. But for cryin' out loud, I'm tryin'!
I've had this testimony of having fun with what I do, no matter what I do... Now it's time to actually do stuff.

My 33 Favourite Canadian Songs

Before you read this, I hope you understand that I don't know every Canadian artist/group that ever lived. But from the music I do know, I have a profound connection with it.
Here's an unedited list of my favourite Canadian artists who didn't make the songs list:

F***ed Up
Neko Case
The Tragically Hip
And for the youngins, no, I don't feel any connection to Grimes or Drake.

Also, I'm looking for feedback, not criticism. What Canadian stuff am I missing here? LIST:

33 The Piano Drop Tim Hecker
This hardly counts as a "song," but I like this guy so much, I had to squeeze him in.
32 One Hand in My Pocket Alanis Morissette
This song is quoted in the prologue of Neil LaBute's "Reasons to be Pretty."
31 Misguided Angel Cowboy Junkies
Everything about Trinity Sessions is a great idea.
30 Hallelujah Leonard Cohen
This is MY list, not yours. (humph!) I like "Bird on a Wire" and "Tower of Song" better anyway...
29 Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) Arcade Fire
The first word of this song is "and," which is still cool to me.
28 Your Ex-Lover Is Dead Stars
I miss the 2000s.
27 I'll Believe Anything Wolf Parade
Fact: They broke up while I was in Canada.
26 Odessa Caribou
I like Swim better than Our Love. Don't
25 The Jungle Line Joni Mitchell
This is legitimately one of the weirdest songs I've ever heard.
24 Letter from an Occupant The New Pornographers
So I guess Neko Case is technically on the list.
23 Brian Wilson Barenaked Ladies
These guys were my favourite band growing up. I kid thee not.
22 1,2,3,4 Feist
AKA That one happy song that got mass U.S radio airplay for 2 weeks then disappeared.
21 Takin' Care of Business Bachman Turner Overdrive
I met some Canadian LDS people who knew Randy Bachman. I also saw him in concert once. But I'll still never know if he ever actually had a job.
20 Lover's Spit Broken Social Scene
"You know it's time that we grow old and do some shit."
19 River Joni Mitchell
I used to love the Sarah McLachlan version until I realized it had 0 personality.
18 Born to be Wild Steppenwolf
Classic rock forever!
17 Summer of '69 Bryan Adams
When you find out what he means by "69," you look at this in a whole new light...
16 If You Could Read My Mind Gordon Lightfoot
My favorite memory of this song: The Johnny Cash version came on our car radio and my mom tells my dad, "Oh gosh, Wes, it's that awful Gordon Lightfoot song! It's so freaking sad!"
15 American Woman The Guess Who
Classic riff, but really, how bad was America bugging Canada in the 60s?
14 Sleep Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Respectively, not everybody has time to listen to a Godspeed song.
13 Stars and Sons Broken Social Scene
On that note, I wish THIS song was 20 minutes long.
12 Spirit of the Radio Rush
Don't talk crap about Rush.
11 Suzanne Leonard Cohen
One of my directors/professors at the College of Southern Idaho Tony Mannen claimed Leonard Cohen was music for electrocuting yourself in the bathtub. This is evidence.
10 The House That Heaven Built Japandroids
Japandroids have died off on me over the years, but seeing them live was an incredible experience and this song is still a personal favorite.
9 The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down The Band
I used to be convinced this song was a traditional piece. But it's just that good.
8 Cortez the Killer Neil Young
I'll never forget hearing this song for the first time.
7 After the Gold Rush Neil Young
I'll also never hearing THIS song for the first time.
6 Crown of Love Arcade Fire
And here we have my ultimate "break-down-and-cry-then-run-away-in-a-fearful-tantrum" song.
5 Kaputt Destroyer
Don't judge me. This is the 2011 farewell to true indie. A heartbreaking lyrical mystery wrapped in lazy, hazy discotheque. Dan Bejar wrote a song for America. Who knew?
4 All I Want Joni Mitchell
And thus begins the unraveling of Joni Mitchell's soul. According to this song, she doesn't want much... she just has a lot to say about it. That's the beauty of Joni.
3 Ambulance Blues Neil Young
I like Neil Young a lot.
2 Last Year's Man Leonard Cohen
This song has stuck with me for a long time. It's about Jesus, it's about hookers, I'm not always sure what it's all about, but it's about him. It's like conquering your past via accumulating as much self-doubt as possible... then adding a children's choir. The perfect self-reflection song.
1 The Weight The Band
Well, duh.

a simplified listing of my favorite albums of 2015 thus far

ALBUMS I REALLY WANTED TO LIKE BUT DID NOT:
AT.LONG.LOST.A$AP A$AP Rocky
Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit Courtney Barnett
Universal Themes Sun Kil Moon
ALBUMS I REMEMBER ENJOYING WHILE I WAS LISTENING TO THEM AT THE TIME BUT I MAY NOT EVER ACTUALLY LISTEN TO AGAIN:
Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Platform Holly Herndon
ALBUMS I REALLY LIKED AND MIGHT LISTEN TO AGAIN BECAUSE THEY WERE BETTER THAN I THOUGHT THEY'D BE:
B4.DA.$$ Joey Bada$$
Viet Cong Viet Cong
Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee Matana Roberts
Color & Shape Alabama Shakes
If You're Reading This It's Too Late Drake
ALBUMS I LIKED MORE THAN THE ONES I MENTIONED BEFORE BUT LESS THAN THE ONES I WILL MENTION LATER:
Jenny Death Death Grips
In Colour Jamie xx
PRETTY GREAT STUFF:
Carrie & Lowell Sufjan Stevens
The Epic Kamasi Washington
Vulnerica Bjork
I FREAKING LOVE THIS ALBUM:
I Love You, Honeybear Father John Misty
THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME:
To Pimp A Butterfly Kendrick Lamar