
What I watched: We have been watching an old series (aired 2004 to 2012), Hustle, about a good-natured bunch of British grifters. They are Robin Hood-esque, only ripping off the bad guys. It is light fare, with the fun coming in figuring out the con as the show moves along. It also has Robert Vaughn, who always is the epitome of suave and class. I remember him from the Man From Uncle show when I was a child, so there is a nostalgia factor in my appreciation of Hustle. Should you watch it? Sure! Make yourself a martini or a Manhattan cocktail, grab some salted nuts, and sit back and enjoy.
What I read: Oh so happy am I – a new Montague & Strong Detective Agency Novel dropped this week! (Don’t judge.) Yes, they are back in Dark Glass: Montague & Strong Case Files Book 11. How can one resist a grumpy mage with a propensity for blowing things up, an immortal detective with a heart of gold, and a lovable hell hound with a serious sausage addiction?
What I listened to: Bastille – WHAT YOU GONNA DO??? ft. Graham Coxon:
Giants – Dermot Kennedy and Paul Mescal. If you have not given Dermot Kennedy a try, I think you may like him?
Here he is again with Power Over Me:
So, dashing DeadSplinterites, how was your week? Whatcha doing? What did you watch, read, listen to, or do? Please let us know how you are (everybody okay?), and what’s up with you!
Hustle was a great show. It was a precursor to another show I watched, Leverage, that dealt with many of the same ideas — criminals using their talents for good. But of the two, Hustle was the better show overall.
(Scurrying away to add your recommendation to the watch list!)
I remember Leverage and didn’t realize it was copied off of this British show. But, honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised. We haven’t come up with anything on our own in TV or music in 30 years. It’s always much easier to steal than to take a risk and create.
I was just wondering if it was like a British version of Leverage. I used to love that show!
…did you ever watch “White Collar”?
…it’s got an even more ridiculous premise where a con-man/forget/thief type played by Matt Bomer works for the FBI guy that caught him busting criminals for the white collar crime division…but is largely funnier than it deserves to be?
…I remember it being on around the same sort of time as a show called “Burn Notice”…which opted to get the shark jumping over before the pilot & went from there…but it had Bruce Campbell in the supporting cast & seemed like it must have been fun to work on?
Sometimes the ridiculous is all I can bear to watch, these days. Thanks for the suggestion!
Burn Notice had just the right amount of cheese and hot people to be fun. And Bruce Campbell brings the camp.
Cosign on Burn Notice being fun. The cast made it much more interesting than it could have been. Everyone always seemed to be having a good time. I miss it.
Watched: 11/22/63. James Franco is not a good actor, but otherwise the mini series was pretty entertaining to watch. They had to take some liberties compared to the book, as always, but for the most part did a decent adaptation.
Read: Blues All Around Me, which is BB King’s autobiography. That dude led a very interesting life. It’s really sad that his last years were as tragic as they were.
Listened: I’ve found myself listening to a lot more Joe Satriani lately.
Do you own some of those really good headphones that you referenced in Meg’s DOT, and do you use them all the time? I liked the Satriani …
…I have a cast-off set of beyerdynamic headphones…they’re not high-end for that sort of thing (80ohms where you can get a 250ohm set) but I can confirm that some things sound remarkably different if you listen to them in decent headphones
…I think part of it is the fact that you remove more of the ambient sound in your immediate environment that might mask some of the detail but that’s definitely only part of it?
@KeitelBlacksmith likes to listen to punk rock on his computer with the volume turned up to damage. He uses a pair of ear buds now, but it might be time to upgrade? The last pair of cup-style headphones he had leaked the highest and lowest tones and the partial noise drove me up a wall. I am accepting all suggestions.
I am always up for a new set of headphones. Suggestions welcomed.
…we’re gonna need a bigger post
…but for starters…wired/bluetooth/”true wireless”?
…& for preference in-ear or full-on “cans”?
…because it’s easy to go nuts pretty quick but here & there sometimes it’s worth it…while on the flipside I think with a bit of patience getting the fit right (& possibly some “burning in”) you can get some remarkably good sound out of some pretty cheap IEMs from monoprice?
…it’s a bit horses-for-courses…but where a lot of headphones have, say, bass-heavy profiles the ones aimed at backstage/theatre crews tend to be flat in the sense of faithfully reproducing the signal they get so I know at least a couple of people who swear by those
…not sure that goes for the punk stuff exactly…but…it’s possible I could come up with a suggestion or two if someone doesn’t beat me to it?
Suggest away, all comers welcome! I think, speaking for KB who can correct me if I am wrong, that he prefers minimal-profile in ear headphones. He must wear eye protection and shop gloves and ear protection at work, and now with the pandemic a mask and an extra layer of glove, so he prefers “not heavy” and not “worn” style devices?
…the monoprice in-ear-monitor ones are pretty good & maybe wouldn’t break any hearts/wallets if they fell victim to a shop floor mishap
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=27276
…at least compared to Shure or someone’s equivalent (they do sets around the $100 mark but can go up to nearer $1000)…but you could trash a half-dozen pairs of these for the same price as the ones linked above & they might be more in line with the low-profile thing?
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=9396
…mind you I think the last set of wired headphones I bought were from a Swedish bunch called Jays & were more or less these
https://www.jaysheadphones.com/headphones-1/a-jays-one-plus
…they were pretty good…I’d still be using them if I hadn’t bought a stupid phone with no headphone jack & gone to the true-wireless/dark side?
https://www.anker.com/products/variant/zolo-liberty-%5Bupgraded%5D-truewireless-headphones/Z2001011
…these have pretty decent battery life but I don’t think they sound as good…& they definitely don’t fit so well under what myo would call a toque?
…the cast-off beyerdynamic ones are the DT770 pro model but they’re not much use based on those requirements
…but the wired bluetooth sets don’t need to fit the battery in there so they tend to be slimmer in that department
…I had a pair of Jaybird X-something or others that were pretty good but I don’t know if the X4 (think that’s the current model) gets good reviews
…& I’d need to check with a friend or two before trying to make a suggestion about the backstage-crew ones?
…it’s all a bit YMMV really…hence thinking we’d need a bigger post to get into pros & cons & where the returns diminish?
So, the thing about headphones (or any audio gear, really) is that you can read all the reviews and take in all the recommendations from all over the place. But the final arbiter, in my opinion as an Audio Knower, is: how does it sound to you and does it fit your needs?
Sure, the most reliable method of getting the best sound is to use a wired pair of over-the-ear reference headphones. But not everyone wants to (or has the luxury to) sit in their living room for hours on end listening to music. So, the first thing is what type of headphones are most practical for KB’s use? Sounds like true wireless earbuds are probably the way to go. From there it’s a matter of coming up with a short list of buds to test drive. I try to get no more than three sets. Beyond that, and it’s like trying to smell the difference between raspberry and blackberry in a bath and body works. So, you’ll want to look at price ranges, but not all expensive buds are actually good (COUGH Apple/Beats/Bose). Punk does have a pretty wide frequency range so I would not suggest going with buds that emphasize too much bass. Of course, if these are being used in the shop, then ruggedness is definitely a factor. No use buying a $300 set of Sennheiser TW Momentums if the risk of them getting damaged is high. When it comes to wireless buds, functionality becomes a huge factor. Some have little buttons, while others depend on the user remembering certain gestures for each ear. If KB has big hands, then little buttons are probably not the way to go.
Noise cancellation is the big thing–but it doesn’t work the way people think it does. It washes all the detail out of the music so it’s like trying to listen to something with two bowls of pea soup strapped to your head. So you’ll want to make sure that any set which does have noise cancellation allows for turning it off.
From there it’s a matter of nailing down some brands which might offer what features you’re looking for. I would start with Master & Dynamic, Jabra, JVC (really, they used to make reference headphones back in the day–I still have a pair), Sony and Sennheiser. Order no more than three from Amazon, test drive them for a couple of weeks (I would spend a whole day with each set and rotate them regularly so that I could really get a sense of their sound and functionality as well as how they felt after several hours in my ears), and then send two of them back.
Finally, when it comes to buds, there is one more very important item: the tips themselves. The reason why such small drivers are able to reproduce very low frequencies is because they actually use the head as a resonance chamber which is a phenomenon known as bone conductance. If the tips don’t give a good seal, or are just made of garbage material, then that hot new set of buds won’t actually sound as good as they could. For that, I only have one recommendation: Comply foam ear tips. https://www.complyfoam.com/
These would be for my pc in a shared room. What Ellie was getting at was when I am at work I have to wear safety gear. During the summer it is a real drag. So when I get home the last thing I want to do is put something bulky or cumbersome on. The buds I am using now are around $20. The issue is Ellie has sensitive hearing so it has been difficult to find a pair that is good for both.
In that case, I definitely recommend getting some Comply Foam tips no matter which buds you get. They have an excellent seal. If money isn’t much of an object, then I can say that the Sennheiser TW Momentums have served me well. Their only real downside is a relatively short battery life compared to other buds, but I’m not taking transcontinental flights, so its not a problem for me.
I feel a holiday gift coming. Thank you @butcherbakertoiletrymaker and @SplinterRIP for sharing your knowledge. While he lacks good headphones, KB does have a cool Thorens turntable from the late 1950’s that came from a recording studio in Cleveland.
That’s very cool. I’m guessing he has lots of vinyl to spin.
Couldn’t get my thank you below to @ your name – so thank you!
Might I suggest getting him into better music?
@myopicprophet
You need to find a…
This is my hobby.
@myopicprophet
I do like the Dermot Kennedy, thanks.
I’m watching Grantchester based on the recs from Saturday Morning Brain Drain. Y’all haven’t steered me wrong so far. I like the friendship between Sidney and Geordie. And it reinforces my preference for cities over small towns. Too many murders in those places.
I’m reading James McBride’s Deacon King Kong. An elderly, drunken church deacon shoots a drug dealer in the projects, in front of witnesses.
I’m listening to sludge metal. You have @LemmyKilmister to thank or blame depending on your opinion of metal.
Grantchester is a good show. I am glad you are enjoying it. You and @LemmyKilmister have not quite moved me to the metal side, mostly because of the frequency of hoarse screamo vocals. I am enamored with The Hu, a Mongolian metal band I learned of here. So I can perhaps be had, with the right bait? (In your metal video, the close ups of the singer dude’s teeth creeped me right out.)
The close ups of the singer dude’s teeth creeped me right out
Lol, they’re no hair band that’s for sure. More of a redneck vibe. One of the things I like about this particular sub genre of metal is the lack of costuming. Even if the music is good I feel silly listening to guys in studded leather and face paint. I do like The Hu, and Lenny did a Wednesday Steel on folk metal, maybe you’d like that.
Listened:
Watched the whole first season of the Righteous Gemstones:
Read: LOL
WAP is some video! Post feminist in it’s ownership of sexuality. And fun with the tounge in cheek expressions. And pretty, people, cats, and mansion.
I vote for this to be a popular opinion!
…sort of like the Hawkeye Initiative but for rap music?
…those aren’t generally my preferred rap tunes but I could see that making sense
Truth. Mrs. Butcher comes from that generation where sex was “dirty” and “good girls” didn’t pursue boys. It screwed her up something awful. Only within the past few years has she been able to shuck off some of the garbage and she seems to be much happier for it. This was the part of feminism that never really took hold in the way it should have 50 years ago.
Mrs. Butcher and I are of an age, I believe? As are you and Keitel B? There is a lot to be said for a younger man, attitude-wise.
Yupper. I’m sure we would all have plenty to talk about 😜
Danny McBride kills me.
He’s a treasure. And I don’t know if you’ve seen the show, but it ends on a hopeful note, which is all I’ll say with regards to spoilers. It’s basically a show about any tucked up family, but extra campy. It’s got a little heart too.
I have, I also really liked Vice Principals. And Eastbound and Down, although I’m embarrassed to admit it. It’s probably the foulest show I’ve ever seen but made me laugh.
Walt Goggins and Danny McBride make quite a team!
@Hannibal
Ha! I worked on the first season of Eastbound and Down – it was the most fun I’ve ever had on a job. It was like hanging out with your friends just goofing around all day.
That’s so cool! I’ll bet it was fun. The show is hilarious, but so filthy, lol.
…I feel like it’s sort of cheating but I’ve been re-reading things here & there that have the ability to take my mind off things…I know I’ve mentioned Douglas Adams & Terry Pratchett here & there but I wondered if we had any fans of Joe R Lansdale about?
…some of his stuff goes down a sort of surreal tack…drive-in theatres beset by alien invasions or whatever…but the Hap & Leonard books (one or two of which they made a pretty good TV show out of) are pretty great…or “Sunset and Sawdust”
…& I ran into a couple of seasons of the Beck novels as sub-titled 90min episodes…which has made me realise I’ve seen quite a bit of “scandi noir” over the years…& that made me remember some french shows
…there’s one the BBC called “Spiral” that was called Engrenages in french, which I think is closer to gears & is certainly a bit wheels-within-wheels…& is at least a bit interesting just to see the different way the French set up the judge/lawyer/client/police thing
…& one called Braquo…which is fun but kind of batshit crazy…it’s about a bunch of policemen & the title is slang for (more or less) violent armed robbery
…& now I feel like I need to stress that I didn’t pack all that into the last few days?
This is a zero stress and guilt zone, you are free to be you. Share whatever you fancy. I am on book four of your prior recommendation of the Richard Kadrey Sandman Slim novels. Really like them.
…glad to hear that one went well…I’m not sure I can claim to have kept “up to date” more recently but I always did read a fair bit & with a few years of not-sleeping-enough to add to the mix I sometimes worry that the stuff I’ve somehow managed to read/watch suggests I must spend ungodly amounts of time not even trying to get anything constructive done?
Yes to Joe R Lansdale, anything and everything!
Not much on the reading part this week.
Watching Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon A Time In the West.”
Henry Fonda is a cold blooded motherfucker in this movie. Totally out of character from the gentle characters he usually plays.
It’s a bit slower than even what I’m used to.
My father loved all things western from books to movies. He loved Louis L’Amour.
…see…there’s another one…I have read entirely too many Louis L’Amour books…even some JT Edson…one or two of the Oliver Strange “Sudden” stories & maybe some Zane Grey
…mostly culled from dusty attic bookshelves as a kid though, rather than particularly recently?
Have you read Larry McMurtry’s Berrybender series? They’re a departure from his usual style, written in a historical manner. But just as good as his other westerns.
…I have not…but will keep an eye out for them now
I have the full version of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid lined up to watch. I’ve never seen it and I’m looking forward to it.
yes. best damn western I’ve ever seen.
to save me time: https://deadsplinter.com/2020/07/07/deadsplinter-up-all-night-the-mercenary/#comment-17830
I have a lot of Hamilton memorised at this point.
Like a true Canadian, all I’ve really been reading is the shit show that is US politics.
I watched the loafs lose a 3-0 lead, AGAIN, the other night only to not watch them overcome a 3-0 deficit last night…as I was a bit distracted for some reason.
(pauses to consider Myo’s next musical…)
*nopes out* prior to recommendation
I find that I rarely have the energy for anything new as of late.
So I’ve been watching old episodes of Top Gear I’ve ‘borrowed’ from my anonymous friends on the internet and have stored on my Plex server.
And it’s not the high-class music you lot tend to post here, but I am super into the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix by Friction. I also just loaded the newest mix by Carl Cox to my phone for the drive to work this morning (the joys of retail). I’m only 15 minutes into the 2-hours and like it thus far.
https://youtu.be/GklYozMFces
https://youtu.be/h9AKlfcsT74
LOL – you are kind man to call some of the DUAN stuff (mine, KB’s) high-class!
What are you talking about?
You are all classy AF. My opinion cannot be swayed on this.
It’s so hard to focus on something new isn’t it? I’ve been cycling through old episodes of New Girl and the Office in the background.