PixlBit

You're damn right I'll have a sister blog for Independence Day, but here are three things from Canada that I like, since there are a few other blogs about it, and I'm a sheep-person. 

Jim Carey

He might not be the hit he was in the 90s, with movies like The Mask and Ace Ventura that I grew up on, but he was probably the actor that first sparked my interest in comedy at a young age. He's also been a pretty good dramatic lead in things like Eternal Sunshine, which I liked a lot better the second time when I watched it as a drama, as opposed to thinking it was meant to be pure comedy, based on some critic blurbs on the box, and The Number 23, which I forgot to watch on my "golden" 23rd birthday this year. I might not still find his zany 90s humor stylings hilarious, but like I said, he was an influence early on, and in some small way the reason I as an adult have done and plan to keep doing open mics as much as I can.

These Canucks started being recognized at Ozzfest 2007, a crazy experiment at which tickets were free, leading to more "underground" bands like this getting recognition, while sponsors (namely Monster and Jagermeister, who seem to have been the sponsors for every metal concert I've ever attended) and vendors essentially made up the cost of the tour.

I'm glad they got the push, because this album, produced by Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, blasted out of the car I was driving so many times, and never failed to amaze me with how intense and fun it was. It's in a genre called fantasy metal, which doesn't take itself too seriously, and provides awesome over-the-top lyrics about orcs and "goatriders" and such. Their facebook page, full of nerdy memes and references to things like Star Wars, is also pretty hilarious.

Nardwuar has apparently been around for quite some time, but I only recently learned of him this year while looking up ... well, what else, it was earlier this year, of course I was looking up Macklemore stuff.

Anyway, this interview impressed me with the way the guy seems to dig up stuff the interviewees don't even know how he figured out, including a lot of hip hop artists and some punk legends like Jello Biafra and Henry Rollins.

It's a bit awkward when the interviewees think they're "too cool" to talk to this guy with a higher pitched voice, but when there's much deserved mutual respect about what an amazing interviewer he is (and maybe a bit of being creeped out), it's very fun to watch. And according to one of the members of The Roots, I believe it was Quest Love (one of the better interviews), he reps Vancouver BC harder than a lot of rappers rep their city.