DPM Decks

I got an e-mail from the good folks over at Maharishi informing me that they have just released their new Spring/Summer '06 collection, which includes some really nice Limited Ed. Disruptive Pattern Material skateboard decks and trucks. I haven't been on a skateboard since I broke my wrist attempting a one-footed smith grind on a four-foot quarterpipe at my local skatepark about three years ago. If I had one of these boards I probably wouldn't ride it anyway because I like the patterns on them too much to ruin it with boardslides, tailslides, etc. But at the price of only £60.00 each, it wouldn't be too big of a deal to ride one of these beauties. If only they were unlimited in number. DPMHI doesn't specify the number of boards produced, but with them you know they will be limited, difficult to come by and will probably sell out pretty quickly. My favorite is the Futura Splinter deck [pictured, left], featuring Futura's famous U.N.K.L.E. Pointman character. The decks come in eight different flavors and there are three different truck styles based on Maharishi's DPM patters. Try not to hurt yourself.

New Moooooooooooog!!!

I know everyone else has probably already well-documented this tremendous event, but Moog, mine and everyone else's favorite analog synthesizer producer, has just announced the release of the new Limited Ed. Little Phatty!!! Could there be a better name for a new Moog synthesizer? I don't think so. Just check this beauty out [pictured, right]! The Little Phatty features a 100% all analog signal path, sound engine from Bob Moog himself, and a low price (if you consider nearly $1500 a low price (it is for a Moog)). In terms of tech specs, the Little Phatty features a 37-note keyboard, 100 user editable presets, 2 ultra-stable oscillators, 1 Low Pass Filter (Patented Moog Ladder Filter), 4-Stage Analog Envelope Generators, and RAC™ (Real Analog Control), a proprietary technology enabling the performer to directly interface with the analog circuitry via the knobs on the control panel, without any digital processing. What extraneous information! Moog will initially release a special, Limited Ed. run of 1,200 individually numbered Bob Moog Tribute Edition synths. The limited run, Tribute Edition of the Little Phatty has special Moog wood side panels, a Bob Moog signature plate across the front and rear, comes with a CD-ROM featuring highlights of the Bob Moog Memorial Celebration Service and a special Bob Moog poster. Me wanty!

A Mixed Bag Of Nuts

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have... New York City! Every time I go to the city I have a different experience. Some exciting and adventurous, like when I went up to see Radiohead at Madison Square Gardens. Some depressing and horrible, like when I went up with a broken wrist to try to get a job at a modeling agency and it was cold and rained so bad it was coming up from the ground the whole time, and the job turned out to be a scam. This past weekend's adventure was a little of both. The good consisted of an amazing meal at Peter Luger's Steakhouse beginning with before-dinner drinks at cousin Scott's apartment, an enormous portion of beef and bacon, and after-dinner drinks at 6's and 8's, which happens to be very close to the Alife Rivington Club, another positive experience in the city this weekend. Segue into: the Alife Rivington Club is located in a fairly non-descript building on Rivington Street and Suffolk, near Delancey. There is no storefront, just a clean marble facade and a small brass plaque to distinguish the store from the surrounding buildings. You have to ring a bell and be buzzed into the store. Then you are judged by the staff and deemed worthy to examine the fine, high quality sneaker gear inside. I got a t-shirt, because that was all I could afford. I would have taken pictures, but my camera was in my mother's car in the Manhattan impound lot. Yep, that was the bad part of the trip. I drove up with my mother, which was alright, but I would have preferred if Anne had been able to ride up with me. I parked my mother's car in what appeared to me to be a legitimate parking spot, but apparently the New York Shitty Department of Transportation did not agree. So I had to deal with my mother's freak-out, paying $185 to get the car out, and missing a day of work due to the fact that the Manhattan impound lot is the only impound lot in New York City that is closed on Sundays. Other than that it was quite an enjoyable trip. Lots of driving, but a lot of fun and good food as well. Like my mother always says, "I love noshing on nuts!"

It's A Million Dollar Weekend!

Limited Ed. is making the midnight run to NYC this weekend for cousin Scott's groomsman party at Peter Luger's Steakhouse in Brooklyn. I will try to hit all of the hotspots before I get my hot beef injection. Kidrobot, the Bathing Ape store, the Alife Rivington Club, Nort, the Adicolor exhibit, etc. It should be an exciting whirlwind of danger and adventure! Just like Limited Ed.'s performance in Johnny Goodwater's Million Dollar Weekend Variety Show featuring Uncle Billy and the Happytime Hayride Players. Quite disturbing. Just a little something for y'all to view until my return.

Lots O'Stuff

Along with being the name of my new discount package store and my favorite Scotsman Irishman, Lots O'Stuff describes what I will be delivering to all of y'all in this very pertinent post. So let's get to it. Firstly, My Plastic Heart is having a big Spring Cleaning sale featuring savings of up to 50% off of selected merchandise. How they selected the merchandise that will be on sale, only the Shadow knows! The sale ends tomorrow, March 22^nd, so get online and order some stuff quickly before it all runs out.

Secondly, Kidrobot just announced the production of a new product, the Shuttlemax! The Shuttlemax appears to be a space shuttle created by Bill McMullen to resemble Nike's Air Max sneakers, which just celebrated their 20^th anniversary. The Shuttlemax also comes with a Shuttlemax Commander Dunny figure. Bill McMullen will be at Kidrobot NY on Thursday, March 30^th from 6-8pm to sign Shuttlemaxes. The yellow Shuttlemax, limited to only 100, will only be available at the signing.

Thirdly (and turdly, hehehe), in the literacy department (something I know very little about), Daily Candy had a very interesting post about a new book by Colson Whitehead titled Apex Hides the Hurt. I haven't had a chance to read this novel, since I just learned about it today, but it appears to deal with something I am quite familiar with: the ultra-prestigious niche of marketing known as product naming. According to Daily Candy:

The new novel by Colson Whitehead tells of just such a guy [a product namer], whose big successes include the product referenced in the book’s title: a multicultural bandage made to match any skin tone.

As the book opens, our nameless hero is lured to the small town of Winthrop, settled after the Civil War by freed slaves and built up by a barbed-wire magnate and his descendants. When the city council hits an impasse over what to rename the town, it calls upon the expertise of the young consultant, who’s quickly drawn into Winthrop’s political agendas, personal ambitions, shadiest secrets, and oldest rivalries.

Like a Bret Easton Ellis crossed with Italo Calvino, it’s part fable, part satire, hilariously thought-provoking, and seriously funny. If you’re looking for spring’s must-read literary fiction, trust us.

Sounds like an intriguing read. I'll have to go down to my local library and see if I can't score a copy. And maybe some of those skin-colored bandages as well (I have many wounds, most of them emotional (do bandages cover those?)).

Use The Force, Luke

This kind of relates to my last post about nightmares. Last night I dreamt that I was up in NYC for my brother's feature film debut and all of my friends and family were hanging out at the after-party, which was in an enormous NYC loft, and there were a bunch of random celebrities in the crowd, such as Mel Gibson and Danny Glover circa Lethal Weapon, and everyone was getting their pictures taken with the celebrities. George Lucas was there, but he had shaved his beard into a goatee that looked just like my father's, and he and my dad were taking pictures together looking like twins (except that Lucas had hair whereas my dad is bald). Everyone was messing with George Lucas and he was getting really mad. People were pulling on his face and mouth, it was very weird. Then today, upon checking my usual list of websites for new Limited Ed. stuff, I noticed on I4U.com that the BBC Online had an article about Herr Lucas' plans to produce a 100 episode TV series about the first 20 years of young Luke Skywalker's life. Coincidence? I think not! I think all of those many years of living under power lines have finally paid off by giving me the ability to see the future in my dreams. And the future looks really weird. According to the BBC:

[Lucas] told BBC Radio 1 the writing team would soon be meeting to start on the project, which would begin filming in 2008 and be ready the same year.

"Hopefully if we can make it work and everybody's excited and watches it we will keep on going," said [producer Rick] McCallum.

The series will be set between episodes three and four of the film saga.

It would cover the 20 years in the life of Luke Skywalker growing up that remains a mystery to most film-goers.

McCallum said there would be "a whole bunch of new characters" and the series would be "much more dramatic and darker".

I guess we can only wait and see if this will come to fruition. Until then, I will keep looking to my dreams for more information about the future. Maybe telekinesis will be the next byproduct of those wonderful power lines.

I Enjoy Nightmares

Not the kind that I have in my sleep, where I have to go back to high school because they discovered that I hadn't finished one of my classes and I have to take an exam that I haven't studied for and I'm in my boxers and everyone is pointing and laughing at me. No, I mean the kind on wax. Specifically, Nightmares on Wax's new album, In a Space Outta Sound, currently available for presale on Warp Records, which will be released on March 20^th. The CD or 2 x 12" record release comes with free custom 'cigarette' rolling papers. I have always been a fan of Nightmares on Wax for their trip-hoppy soundscapes and booty-thumping bass. According to the Warp website:

A contemporary and varied album of many textures, and also a personal journey. On 'In A Space Outta Sound' the Nightmares seal of quality is evident; Infectious but simple rhythms, Quincy Jones-esque synth lines, the blues, and the fusion of relaxed dub and Balearic melodies, as well as Burru drumming on 'African Pirates' and a touch of Eastern harpsichord melody on 'Damn'. Of course, the other factor in George’s formula is the touch of glowing warmth that infects his music. As the Times newspaper once said, “George Evelyn is one of those people who can bottle sunshine”.

Nightmares on Wax will be going on tour with Iration Steppas Soundsystem soon. There will be Dubplates and guest vocalists galore, so check them out if they come to your town.

Also, if you live in North Carolina, be sure to check out Signal, the Southeast Electronic Music Festival, Friday April 7^th and Saturday April 8^th, 2006 at various venues around Chapel Hill, featuring quite a few of my friends.

I apologize for not posting anything for the last couple of days, posting nothing but sneakers recently, and for my blog being down on Tuesday. I have been very busy.

Chili Today... Hot Tamale!

I got an e-mail from Converse® letting me know that they have a new series of 11 pairs of South-of-the-Border-inspired, Limited Ed., individually hand-painted Chucks available online. These colorful and exotic Chucks were hand-painted in a small village in Mexico, not at South of the Border in Dillon, South Carolina, like I originally suspected. I'm sure they would be just as colorful but a lot cheaper if they were created at South of the Border. According to the Converse® website:

15 artists create original, hand-painted designs on their Converse canvas. The bright colors and motifs draw heavily on wildlife themes and are based on design from traditional jicara bowls.

Each pair is an original work of art. Previously available exclusively in Converse boutiques around the world, only 11 pairs are now being offered for sale online - and only to members of our Chuck Fan Club. The price for these exclusive shoes is $300 each.

You better hurry and sign-up for the Converse® Chuck Fan Club if you would like a pair of these since there are only 11 pairs available. This is a philanthropic effort to preserve the indigenous artistic traditions of rural Mexican villages. Converse will randomly select respondents for this offer on March 20, 2006 and make contact via phone and email. Respondents will have up to three days to complete the purchase process. If the order is not completed, Converse will randomly select another respondent until the purchase is completed. Each pair is only available in one size because these are individual works of art.

Greatest... Shoes... Ever!

I just had to wipe the jizz off of my pants after seeing these. Words have escaped me. All I can say is, me wanty! Enjoy!Wirelessly share your music between your feet. What could be better. Annoy everyone within a five block radius. Awesome! Why weren't these out before my birthday?

[via Engadget]

Random Sampling

Here are a couple of items I figured I should share while I have a little down-time. Oops, there's the phone. Alright, I'm back. My life has gotten so busy lately, pulling double shifts working on the Prime Building website and answering phones at the Plum Spring Clinic. And now it looks like my website business is about to really start picking up. And then you have the variety show for The People's Channel that Mac is putting together. Busy, busy, busy, but not too busy to let y'all know about some haps on the taps.

First up, the Beastie Boys' docu-whatever, "Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!" will be shown as a sneak preview on 150 screens nationwide on March 23^rd. The sneak preview will also feature the premiere of "A Day In The Life Of Nathanial Hörnblowér" a special half-hour addition to the film that will not be shown with the March 31^st general release. You can click here to find out if it will be playing near you. Personally, I would have to drive to either Garner or Asheboro to see it, so I will probably miss out on Herr Hörnblowér's majesty. I guess I'll just have to wait for the DVD and hope it is a special feature or Easter egg. If anyone out there can sneak a camcorder into the event and record and send it to me, I would appreciate it. I might even send you something from my personal stash of collectibles in return.

And lastly, since I am almost out of time, there is a new (I think) Limited Ed. sneaker and clothing store on the interwebthingy called Sold Out! Apparently in association with Colette and La MJC, this new site specializes in Limited Ed. and small run sneaker ranges. The site features a quantity meter, letting you know how many pairs of each sneaker are left in stock. The shoes may be pricy, but they are the kind of thing you aren't likely to find anywhere else. They also feature t-shirts and other clothing as well as Limited Ed. toys, collector's items, and a section for Sold Out Goodies that will be coming soon (just like me!).

Happy Birthday To Me!

Just like the Cracker song says! I received my birthday present from my brother Seth, sister Leia, and cousins Stacie and Scott today and boy am I excited! That's the reason for all of the exclamation points! I was expecting something special when I heard that all four of them went in together on my present, and I was not disappointed.

My blog is all about Limited Ed. stuff, but I mainly focus on urban vinyl figures and sneakers because I'm from the streets, yo, and that's what the kids on the streets are all about. I mentioned these in a previous post, but I figured I should go into more detail now that I have a pair of my own. So, without further delay: Mi Familia came together to get me a pair of Limited Ed. Kidrobot Dunny 001 Chocorange sneakers [pictured, right].

Combining my two passions, toys and kicks, these dope sneakers are really something to behold. The Chocorange version, designed by Bill McMullen and limited to only 500 pairs, are my personal favorite because they are my favorite color scheme and because I love chocolate and oranges. When I got the package and noticed that it had a big sticker on it saying, "Inspected by U.S. Customs Officials," I was a little afraid of what might be inside. Maybe a dead spider-monkey stuffed full of cocaine. Luckily, I didn't have to worry, and Kallie the Kat quickly took over the outer box as her new napping place.

When I opened the inner shoe-box, the distinctive smell of fresh vinyl nearly overwhelmed me. I debated for several minutes over whether or not I should even take the shoes out of the box, and after that, whether or not I should put them on. I decided that it wouldn't be right to leave my birthday present sitting in its box, so I put on my favorite orange shirt, my best pair of brown cords and rocked them to work with the Dunny kicks. The sneakers are very comfortable, like a new pair of Nike Dunks, and the construction is top-notch, even if they were put together in China (what isn't these days). There were a couple of little burrs on the rubber soles and a stray thread here and there, but nothing a sharp pair of scissors couldn't remove. Very nice for Kidrobot's first attempt at their own sneakers. Thank you very, very much for my birthday present Seth, Leia, Stacie, and Scott!

We Have A Weiner!!!

Like the South of the Border® sign says, "You're always a weiner with Pedro!" That is not the case with Limited Ed., however. There is only one weiner at Limited Ed.'s! And, after several days of tabulating the millions of entries, we have one! And the weiner is... Hiroki Nishiyama!!! Congratulations Hiroki, you correctly stated that Limited Ed. is deathly afraid of clowns. Like Seth so succinctly put it, "you're scared of clowns because you were molested by a gay clown in NY's FAO Schwartz in 1995, while tripping on acid. I know that the clown did all kinds of horrible and humiliating things to you including but not limited to wearing your asshole as a hat. Also, I was that clown. So I share the fear, but my fear is different. I'm afraid of getting my clown cock so tangled up in asshair that I have to remove it with peanut butter. Also a dog ate half my face while I was asleep. Viva la France!" That pretty much sums it up. So, Hiroki, send me your mailing address and I will ship you your prize. Then make sure to check your mailbox on an hourly basis for a tube of goodies from Assault! Design.

Well, today is my 32^nd birthday and boy am I excited. With my lifestyle I never expected to live this long. I have always been an adventurer and risk taker, and I figured I would have died in some sort of fiery Zeppelin explosion by now. I mean, I have already broken my back falling off of a motorcycle going seventy miles an hour. I have broken both of my wrists: one snowboarding, the other skateboarding. I have been in several car accidents, including a head-on collision and an accident in which the car I was in spun and rolled several times before winding up upside-down in the woods, suspended above a deep ravine by a single tree branch. I guess you could say that I'm lucky, but would these things happen to a lucky person in the first place? Really I'm just lucky to be alive. Anyway, I thank my lucky stars to be here to celebrate this milestone in my life. Almost half-way to retirement!

Now onto the good stuff. I got an e-mail from My Plastic Heart today letting me know about some new product that they have in stock. Anne got me the Twilight Mad*L x My Plastic Heart for my birthday. I put it on my nightstand to so I could look at it while lying in bed, but Kallie the Kat kept knocking it down when she would leap into the window sill, so I had to move it to my dresser. Back on subject; MPH has got the new series of Ci-Boys in stock: the Sh*t Fighter Ci-Boys! These cute little marshmellow-man-shaped vinyl figures are based on characters from the Street Fighter series of video games, one of my all-time favorites. I always liked playing Chun-Li [De-Li Ci-Boy figure pictured, left], not just for her amazingly bouyant bussoms but also for her machine-gun, rapid-fire kicks. I remember the first Street Fighter game that just had Ken and Ryu and you had to punch the buttoms for punch and kick. The harder you punched the button, the harder the character punched or kicked. You would see kids in the arcade jumping up in the air to get more momentum when they came down with their punch. Unfortunately, this led to the destruction of several arcade machines.

Next up, MPH has got the new Blow-Up Doll figures from the new designer toy company Jamungo. These aren't the kind of blow-up dolls most of you are thinking about; the kind you usually see at bachelor parties or at the foot of my bed before I met Anne. These Blow-Up Dolls feature bomb-shaped heads that give them their unique name. They stand 3 3/4" tall and features designs by Ferg, Trevor Van Meter and Kozik. Each figure comes with matching matchsticks. My favorites are the Ghost [pictured, right] and Newk versions. I like these best because I prefer clear and glow-in-the-dark toys when I can get them. Back on the video game tip, these figures remind me of characters from the Mario Bros. games with their explosive heads.

And finally, MPH has teamed-up with Shawn Smith, owner and creator of Shawnimals, to create Pocket Pork [pictured, left]: the plush version of Chinese pot stickers. When I hear the words pocket pork I think of something completely different than plush pot stickers, but then I have been known to sleep with blow-up dolls. Each Pocket Pork take-out box is signed and numbered, and comes packed with three Pocket Porks, a button and a sticker. There are 100 total boxes available, and five different Porks in the series: Standard Sticker, Veggie Sticker, Spicy Sticker, Stealth Sticker and an undisclosed uber-rare chase variety. These are the perfect thing to keep in your pocket when you find yourself confronted by a gay clown while tripping on acid at FAO Schwartz in New York City. I'm not sure why, but trust me, it works.

Pleasure Sleeker

Alright, I have gotten a couple of correct responses to the contest and the tube of goodies is on its way from Assault! Design, so get your answers in soon because there is only one more day left until the contest deadline. Now on to the Limited Ed.

I got an e-mail from Tokyo Flash letting me know that they have a new Limited Ed. Pimp watch available, called the Pleasure Seeker. It has been a while since there has been a new release from Pimp, and I can see why. They took their time in order to get this one perfect. According to Tokyo Flash, "Once the button is pressed, the watch will light up 3 times a minute for 12 minutes. We call it 'Pleasure Seeker' mode. This indicates that you are seeking pleasure." The Pleasure Seeker is smaller and easier to read than previous Pimp models and features a 3D dot-matrix style display featuring 80 LED's. It is available in three colors: red, blue or green. It even comes in IP Plated Real Pink Gold for the ladies, but is only available with red LED's. It only features a time mode, no date or anything else, but for only $109.²⁸ it is still a damn cool watch for the price.

Now everybody go enter the contest!