In the mid 90′s some Canadians moved to California and started a pop culture TV show that was syndicated by Fox. I always thought TV in the mid 90′s was pretty tame, but in retrospect that was the era of TV Nation and the Word, and Weird TV is very much in the vein of those shows.

 Although it’s a bit cringe inducing to see some of the intros (and in particular the main host’s combover), some of their reporting on the freaks and eccentrics of middle America is really awesome. I especially like the drive by shooting range they filmed in Burning man.

Obviously there is no need for stand-up comedy to exist anymore, now that Cats are the new standard in funny (thanks internet). As a eulogy to one person and a microphone I’d like to talk about Doug Stanhope.

I’ve been watching his No Refunds show a lot, usually late at night when I need to be reminded that I’m not alone in hating the world. His skit about why cocaine is illegal is funny because it’s true. Well, up until the diatribe about capitalism. And it’s nice to be reminded that there is still something out there other than animated gifs and character comedy. Although, obviously, I love Tim and Eric  –  it’s just everyone doing that now?

You know what TV used to be really good at? Sci-fi. Long running shows like TNG get written off as nerdy too quickly. Really, with its 45 minute episodes and character arcs, it sets the stage for the HBO series that anyone “cool” likes today.

Next to Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica is one of the most amazing television shows that has ever been created.  Action, drama, love, intrigue; there is every element that makes a series irresistible.  Aside from the hooks that make you keep wanting to watch more, the show is such an amazing commentary on how society functions.  It questions the existence of God, human morals, governmental structures and pretty much everything else you can possibly imagine.  Also, the entire thing is set in space!  But even if the nebulas and black holes they almost collide into don’t really do it for you, no matter what your interests are, three episodes in the world around you will disappear and you won’t be able to stop watching.

Everybody thinks the neighbourhood they live in is the best place in the city, and no-one ever stops to think that maybe they like it so much because they’re always there. This type of short sighted generalisation is something I hate in other people.

There is, however, a bar in poble Nou where you should go. On a Sunday.  It’s even worth not getting wasted on the Saturday night to get up and go to just to drink and eat there. It’s called La Pubilla de Taulat, which means something like ‘beauty queen’ and fittingly enough it’s run by the kind of  queen who you know has transgressed so much in his life, that settling down and opening a bar with his boyfriend that serves the best goddamn salted prawns in the world was the only amazing thing left for him to do.

There’s a restaurant next to the Santa Caterina market.  It’s a hole in a wall type of place run by a family (mother, father, two sons and a daughter).  It is a funky Spanish restaurant with the menu written in marker on a piece of paper and taped to the wall. 

The food comes fresh from the market next door and is really amazing for a fairly inexpensive price.  Half of the reason to go to this restaurant though is because of Pablo.  Pablo is one of the sons that works as a waiter there.  Looking like he is tripping on acid half of the time he wanders around the tables aimlessly and stops to tell you a story or make some philosophical statement while he slowly and clumsily picks up a plate. 

One time I was there, he came and told me a story about how he went out with his friends one night and one of his friends was so drunk he ended up going home with someone who he didn’t realize was a transvestite. “The next day” he said, “my friend woke up in shock and called desperately to tell me that his ass looked like the Japanese flag”.  As he was halfway through the last phrase of his story his father came out from the kitchen and started yelling at Pablo (which happens a lot) and when his father turned around Pablo flipped him off behind his back and kept talking.  He is an entertaining character out of a surrealist novel, and he is someone who is worth meeting while you eat delicious food.

Last weekend I went to sidecar to see the Paul Collins band play a show. A friend of mine plays drums for the ex Nerves frontman, and even though it’s revival, they’re still a good band.

Afterwards, I headed towards Psycho, the new Rock and Roll bar that opened in Barcelona a little over three months ago.  Located close to Moog and a few blocks away from Apolo, it is the perfect bar to go after a show.  The space isn’t huge which makes it comfortable and there is an area for DJing and live shows, which they often do. 

The ambiance was comforting, the bartender in The Cramps t-shirt and the 70s bowl cut was extremely amiable and, most importantly (and hard to find in the bars and clubs in this city), they play good music!

There’s a couple of Spanish producers coming out with deep, slow house tracks that use analogue samples instead of boring pre-sets, creating something you could feasibly call future house.

Pional’s the main dude. This years’s We have All Been Waiting for You released on Hivern Discs has been getting love whenever it’s played out, and for good reason. Although the beats start off dangerously close to big beats, there’s enough shit going on here,  from choral vocals, to a dangerous bassline to charm you.

Juanita y Los Feos have been around for six years or so and I’ve always dismissed them as being a bit rockabilly. I mean, I was basically right. After seeing them the other day and hanging out with Violeta I’ve changed my mind.

All of a sudden they have pop songs. Good dancing pop songs delivered with sexy shouty girl vocals. And that’s basically enough for me.

Despacho Oval was recorded in 2008, so it’s a bad example, but they’re about to put a new record out on the exceptional Munster label that will give all of Europe a boner.

Two American punk bands from Portland, Oregon are starting their European tour in Barcelona in November. 

Defect Defect, with ex-members from The Observers and The Clorox Girls, is good melody driven hardcore punk dripping with a spastic and forward vocals style.  Autistic Youth is a group of four young guys who sound like No Hope for the Kids meets The Wipers.  Both groups have released and distributed their LPs in Europe through Taken By Surprise Records in Germany.  If you can’t make it to the show try to find a copy and check them out!

I guess it was only a matter of time before what used to be dismissed as backpacker hip hop got a revival.

What with Das Racist being openly influenced by Slam poetry and other embarassing shit, and old groups like Digable Planets resurfacing in new forms (Shabazz Palaces) I’ve been listening to some of the 90′s hip-hop that has fallen out of favour over the last 10 years. The verdict?  The first Talib Kwali and Hi-Tek records still holds up. Not much else does.