No Joke

The boys are back in town. Prometheus Brown and Bambu de Pistola of Blue Scholars will be performing live at In4mation Pearlridge to celebrate the release of their new album "Walk Into a Bar". I've seen & heard their name a lot, so I assume they've played here plenny, but I rarely get to see them. In fact, I only seen them once, and that was at TooGruvz to promote the release of their Hawaii-inspired EP, endearingly entitled "OOF!".

Not too many people were there that day, so if you missed it, Edna recorded their set for us. If I don't make it to their show this time, I hope someone records it and lets us know. #iluvmyhuzzbin

Blue Scholars at TooGruvz - "Bananas"



Blue Scholars at TooGruvz - "HI 808"



Blue Scholars at TooGruvz - "Cruz"



And here's a video of HI 808, with some cameos by cuties Aaron Honozooloo, that Mad Sexy Beast Lofa, Lightsleeper Kavet the Catalyst & major iKandy Christina.

Blue Scholars - HI-808

Swoono Croono Shakes His Shaka

Although the song that won him the Grammy for "Best Male Pop Vocal" contains this decade's most trite and hackneyed word (the only thing I'd replace), my huzzbin Bruno Mars has become a super success story for yet another Oahu artist.

"Mars is the first national recording artist with Hawaii ties to win a Grammy for a debut release since Bette Midler won the Grammy for best new artist in 1973."

Having sung over rap, reggae & doo-wop melodies, even impersonating Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, this Puerto Rican/Filipino has managed to master every shade of Black. Recently he's had so many simultaneous radio hits, he's like a boy Rihanna. And with a repertoire as diverse as the islands' multicultural influences, Bruno's just one example of Hawaii's major musical talent, just waiting to brake the surface and surpass expectations.

I love it that in the first line in one of his cash is king collabs, he sings the line "so fuckin' bad." Honest and open, he's crooned about co-dependency; loves to luxuriate in lethargy; suffers from self-delusional schizophrenia; admits to indulging in alcoholistic escapism; and exhibits sexy bits of sundry suicidal symptoms. Hell, he's even plead guilty to cocaine possession! Boy's not only cute, but he's real & relatable too!

The Grammy site better get Bruno's performance and acceptance speech upp soon. I doubt he'll release a sex-tape, so seeing his anticipation build-upp as they announce the nominees, then the ecstatic flood of emotions as his name is called is probbly the closest I'll ever get to watching him orgasm. Hopefully the following Euro-uppload don't get shut down too soon.



PS: A hot chic from Hawaii also won a Grammy this year too. Tia Carrere won for "Best Hawaiin Music Album" (sic). She let her longtime friend/collaborator Daniel Ho make the acceptance speech. Daniel's cute, but sounds skosh muffy. Not my T.

ps: here's another Shaka shot from Bruno's recent local concert, shot by honozooloo.

chasin' waterfalls

Life's outta control. Losing my job, my house, my bf. I tried, but coulddn't write nothing gobsmacking about my friends i tramonti in time to be cool. But we had so much fun that I want y'all to catch the show, so if you got time, check it out:

Shaka Talk - i tramonti part 1 of 3



Shaka Talk - i tramonti part 2 of 3



Shaka Talk - i tramonti part 3 of 3

Bes' Kine

I took a week off of work, thinking I'd volunteer the whole time at the Hawaii International Film Festival. I got a lotta reasons/excuses, but whatever. I wound upp only working one day, so I only earned one free ticket. Which means I spent too much money during my vacation, but it was way worth it.

While I was in line for the premiere of Ecila, my friend Jeannie was flyering for a movie her (I think) huzz had helped produce. I'd heard of it before, somehow, but there was little bombast or hoopla. I'm a sucker for anything about dark-haired boys on skateboards. If they're gonna be speaking a little pidgin, I'm already obsessed. Boom, it was the first movie I bought tickets to, and a couple days later when Jeannie texted she had comp tickets for the second showing, I dragged my roommate to the theatre.
One Kine Day is the film directing debut of 808 Skate Shop owner Chuck Mitsui. Forgive me for comparing it to another movie (and I mean it in a good way): I was reminded of Larry Clark's first film KIDS. (and apparently so do the guys at Contrast Magazine). But this wasn't a mainlander's view of local life; nor is Mitsui trying to be mimic any other films or filmmakers. What he achieves perfectly is the pulse and pace of life on the Windward Side, during a very tumultous 24 Hours for it's main characters. Clark's dim, grim urban streets provoke you with gratuitous & sensational scenes; Mitsui's vibrant island paradise seduces you over to it's dark side with finesse & aplomb.

Both films are about the relationship between a young couple facing hardship. However,Telly, the guy in KIDS is promiscuous, and Jennie just lost her virginity to him. In One Kine Day, Ralsto promises to stay with his girlfriend Alea although she's pregnant, and has been before. While Jennie spends the whole movie trying to tell Telly she's HIV positive, Alea tells Ralsto their predicament while they're lying in bed at the start of the movie. There are more contrasting parallels, but I don't wanna give away too much.

I was so into this movie, I don't know where to start, because I'll never stop.
So many things drew me into the story, about a high school girl considering going through with her second pregnancy; while her boyfriend spends a whole day trying to raise enough money for "da kine". Who the fuck writes a teenage abortion story set in Hawaii? And to present it so candidly, without moralizing the situation, or the characters' motives? I think that's really brave, and shows a lot of respect for the characters, as well as the audience, each of us given permission to make our own judgments and conclusions about the situation.

There's even a scene where Ralsto bets all the money he has on his hottie, bad boy friend Nalu's, brother's chicken in a cock-fight. The camera doesn't survey the crowd, or linger too long on anyone at the cock-fight, because you wouldn't do that if you were there in real life. In fact the camera just follows the boys thru the event, as if they're walking through the park. Nothing to notice or ponder on. I've only heard crazy stories about cock-fights, but never been to one. I would totally sneak glances and even gawk if I was there. But these guys aren't tourists, so nothing is surprising to them, and now nor to us, the viewers, who feel like we belong there too. The battle between the birds isn't directly depicted, but cleverly shot, and convincing. No one stops to consider the legality or cruelty of the sport. It's just part of life.

I was also very impressed with how much you learn about each person driving the story. Local life centers heavily around family, and we look into each of these kids' homes, even learning a little about each parent, and what kind of life everyone lives. And even then, we become empathetic to whomever might otherwise be vilified by a sanctimonious lens. Nalu's brother who raises roosters to fight, is very loving toward them, and treats them like pets. Alea's party-hard mom CC, is trying to win her daughter back, but CC obviously looks like she was a young mother herself.

Of course I've heard the usual critiques about local productions. I get real defensive about this, because there's an endless array of crap from outside of Hawaii, but people who live here are automatically skeptical about independent films, moreso than they are toward Hollywood productions, set in the islands. I can understand any critique, and accept it on individual terms. Still I've heard a lot of reasons people give for not supporting local projects, without knowing anything about them.
I'll agree that some of the pidgin was a little too much. However, dialogue is one of the hardest things to write, and reading it naturally ain't easy either. Plus, this cast is pretty young, and mostly non-experiencedl actors who were friends with director Chuck Mitsui. Another complaint came from a friend, after the Q&A of the second screening. Mitsui was describing how the music people listen to, deeply affects and reflects their culture. My friend was bothered that the film implies that everyone listens to Hawaiian music. I argued that, if anyone was going to portray a place heavily influenced by Hawaiian music, perhaps Hawaii would be the first and only choice. The songs complement their scenes, and fit that side of the island. Furthermore, our punk rock friend Josh86 & his band Black Square are mentioned several times in the script, and are the featured band at the evening's house party.

Guess what? You don't gotta take my word for it: One Kine Day won the HIFF Audience Award for a narrative feature. It's already scheduled to play at the 2011 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, and I'm sure more to come. (put Asians - or Christians - as a focal point, and garanz ballbaranz you got a audience . Do something as good as this, you got a broader following.)


I been trying to look upp the director, Chuck Mitsui's email address or contact info. Found an old one, I hope he checks, but he don't post much on his twitter or facebook pages. The movie needs more exposure and promotion, because I think it's an important story, with a unique point of view. I hope he finds some way of reaching out to younger people who would be entertained & even educated by it. Just like KIDS, I believe One Kine Day should be played to adolescent audiences, who will undoubtedly be able to relate to the people portrayed in this movie & their issues. It would definitely spark discussion, and even touch a nerve. I need to shut upp now.



I got some of the photos from missdominy.blogspot.com and more info from FITTED. Chuck Mitsui also started the ASH, the Association of Skateboarders of Hawaii (that's the email I hope to reach him at). He's not my T, so I ain't stalking him, but I just wanna wish him well, and learn more about the film & it's future.


(most of this movie's audience ain't gonna be queer, so they probbly never heard of the indy flick Ethan Mao, which is about an Asian family taken hostage on Thanksgiving, by the middle child & his boyfriend. The older son is pretty/vacant like I like 'em, but the younger one seems kinda wimpy or gay too. The wicked stepmother - played by the same actress as Ralsto's mom - gets all wet when Ethan & his huzzbin tie upp the whole family around the dinner table. It's so sadistically subversive, that it kinda turned me on....maybe because I wish I was her, tied upp with all them chinky twinks.)

Each a monkey

Our friend Eric, from self-described 90's band i tramonti made a video for his HPU class. He was nice enough to not only invite us to be in it, but to let us molest the pretty ones! You know what a yellowphile I can be. But actually Korean's not my favourite colour anymore. I'm totally into Brazilian now. It's the new blast.

My favourite part, is after knowing Eric probbly over 10 years, I got to watch him direct us. He had a basic concept in mind, but listened to everyone & let things evolve. How you say..."making it upp as he went along".

After everything we shot, it's cool to see how he tailored & trimmed & timed it all to go not only with the music, but the lyrics. There's some discarded footage that won't be missed; as well as some other shit that woulda got the video flagged.

Eric knows how to tell a story, while splicing in them performance shots, with random teases of hot chicks dancing thrown into to reach a wider audience. Can't blame him. Sex sells.

Check out "i tramonti" on Shaka Talk in November 2010, Thursday nights at 11:59pm HT on channel 52.



Incidentally, we shot our episode before Eric made this video. OOPS! The band footage we used in the show was all kinda ghetto. One's barely a practice before they even finished a song. No more even lyrics. Small kine shame, but it's cute. Alex loves it, and he's my favourite local rock star, so nothing else matters.

Follow Upp

NO, I'm not stalking him! We're emailing. It's different. But Mauro Loriato, whom I just previously interviewed has been cool enough to answer a further line of questioning, since I thought the ones I asked before weren't too smart. Not that these are genius, but I think they say a bit more:
What has been the scariest thing to happen to you in Hawaii?

When I hurt my head.

Is the fact that the Amazon Jungle is being destroyed a big concern for Brazilians, or do they think about it much at all?

Many people is concern, but "the guys of power" dont show any concern (has too much money involved) .

There are many Transsexuals in Brazil, and a lot of porn comes from there. Do you know many transsexuals? Do you know any porn stars? (female?/male?/trans?)

I dont know...
Do you know any words in pidgin? (local Hawaii slanguage)

Punani, pakalolo (old brazilian brand for kids hahaha)

What are some good Brazilian slang words we should know of?

"xoxota" came for many words for say pussy.

"e nois" is like "is we" you can use for any situation ( but never use in a formal situtation)

"bora" like you guys say 'lets go"

"sang" came from "sangue bom" "good blood" normally use for who a good person or who you like. "What's up sangue? hahah"

Where are your favourite skate spots in Hawaii?

One Hill close to Pali hwy, banzai skatepark and Hawaii kai...( I wish to skate in some of the Hawaiian Ditches)

Obrigado Sangue.
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I find it humourous in the video above, that Mauro skates ramps when he's lazy. Compare that to how he bangs (below) when he's crazy, and you may see what makes me all woozy 'bout this brilliant Brazilian who's become my new huzzy.



To learn even more about Mauro, check his press page, or just send him a yoohoo via mauroloriato@yahoo.com

Last Night a Zine Geek Saved My Life

It sucks living with my boss/bf. I can't vent at home about my day, 'cause it's probbly his fault. So I ran away for a minute ,when he woke upp at 2am. During my trip, I stopped into Kinko's on University or whatever it's called now, to ask about printing costs. The guy working was busy,
but on my way out, I glanced at a stack of photocopied photographs with handwritten scrawling around them in collage...WTF? A zine publisher caught in the act? I got harder than a cop nabbing a graf artist.

If I wasn't stoned I wouldn't have had the balls to yell across the store: "Are you making a magazine?"

His name is Mauro Loriato and I was able to score the following interview (I emailed some "deeper" questions I hope he answers, 'cause I was so stoked to meet another zine geek, I couldn't think of nothing clever). Here goes:
What's your name?

Mauro.

What's the name of your magazine?

It's Crazy Beer BBQ

Cool. You're from Brazil and you've been in Hawaii one year?

Ya almost one year. I spend my time between Hawaii and Brazil.

And skating everywhere?

Ya, I try.
Are you sponsored?

Ya, by Weird Clothing, and Aerial 7 Headphones, Junkie Riders that's mine, and Lo Fi Punk Rock.

I don't understand half that. [he spells everything out for me]. Junkie, like heroin junkie?

Ya, but we don't...

Are you drug free? It's 2010

It doesn't matter, I don't care.
When did you start making this issue?

Oh...

Long time?

2008? [laugh]

That's a zine. How long have you been making Crazy Beer BBQ?

Two years and a half. Almost 3 years.

Where else have you skated around the world?

Brazil, Argentina, Buenos Aires, California, and Hawaii.

Right on. Where's your favourite place to be in the world?

For skate or to live?

Both.

I don't know. I think for live is Hawaii for sure. Good life. But for skate? I don't have too many experience in the world, but California for sure.

So is Brazil a dangerous place like we kinda see on TV?

Ya. Depends the place, the time, the situation. You need to be smart. Know the scene. Otherwise, pfff
So what's the scariest thing that's happened to you while skating around Brazil.

When I skate?

Or doing anything in Brazil. What was the scariest moment?

I don't know because I live there. Many things are scary, but I don't think it's a big deal. Many things you think don't gonna be bad, can be the worst. You can go to grocery shop, just go to grocery shop can be pffff. And you go walk late time drunk, don't have anything. You know?

What's your favourite thing about Hawaii?

I like the climate. Good at-mo-sphere. Everything's easy. I like it.
Do you have any shout-outs to anybody?

What is it?

Just saying your friends' names? You already said your sponsors. Or do you have any advice for the world?

Keep it true. Be real.

Right on! Thanks Mauro.

You're welcome...For what? [we both laugh]
----------
Nice guy. Mellow. Friendly. We hung out for a bit more, as he told me about his spot on Hawaii Extreme Sports TV. He also explained his decision to let Crazy Beer BBQ stay a zine, as opposed to a brand that he would have to keep upp. "This is just one part of your life," he said, and I knew what he meant. But I'm not too shame to admit, zines are a big part of my life. I hope he tells me where to pick upp a copy when he finishes. I'll let y'all know...after I secure mines.

Girl Feist 2010

Some people are so mad at men, they don't even know how to "boy"cott something. In fact, what they did was more like a protest, but these amateur activists apparently can't come correct. I think they believe they're doing the right thing, but unfortunately burning bridges instead of building them. I don't find them to be a very welcoming group, so I couldn't say for sure: but it feels like their attitudes and actions are motivated by money & misterogyny (that's boy for 'misogyny').

They're an offshoot of Girlfest, which in a few months will be the subject of a plethora of puff pieces in Honolulu's papers. It was founded on the credo "to prevent men's violence against women". They've since erased the sexism from their slogan, but is it just semantics? Having been on the receiving end on this woman's antics, because I guess I piss her off, I wonder if I should start a Boy Fest?...OOH! I love it! By evening, we could have a Man Feast! (There'll be a Cherry Bustin' Cabaret... we'll burn jockstraps... hold guys-only events and stage elections without female votes ~ very Founding Fathers minus the Meddling Mothers! Thanks Girl Fest for the inspiration!)

My story keeps evolving as these she-nanigans unfold, so I'll give the basic rundown: some friends of mine Downetowne had planned to do a Pimps-n-Hos party called "Hookers Bring Your Pimps". While the term 'pimp' could be expanded to include anyone who acts as an agent for a prostitute (brothel owner, person who tells someone where to solicit sex workers, etc), I'm referring to the connotative "abusive male who forces a woman to have sex with people for money, and then takes her money". I believe that's the most widely understood definition of 'pimp', and to welcome such men to a party thrown for "Women Who Love Women", seems a little paradoxical. As a self-employed sex worker, had I known about the party before they changed the name, I probbly would have expressed it)

But a maxi-moronical group beat me to it, shamelessly flaunting their trademark lack of tact or class, with a complete refusal to engage in civil conversation, by staging a bullshit "boycott" of the party on Facebook. What was more confounding was how - without evident provocation -they even went so far as suggesting a full-on boycott of the venue too! While I can't stand how cowardly and obnoxious this tacky tactic was,I can't deny that these arrogant actions did draw attention to the 'pimp issue'. Even Ruby & company realized the insensitivity of their party name & promptly changed it.

It seems our theme for August’s party has caused quite the controversial discussion amongst some of our peers. First of all we’d like to thank you for all of your support and kind words at this time. We appreciate it all and of course you!

Second, while we do understand the views of those who oppose the chosen theme, we certainly don’t agree with how they have chosen to express their concerns. We would hope that an organization that defines itself as ‘raising awareness through education’ would do just that… make us aware of our insensitivity through direct discussion instead of attacking through a Facebook protest. It’s unfortunate the organization felt the need to raise conflict within the lesbian community in order to raise awareness for their cause. We do not condone these actions. We are not afraid to admit our mistakes and still hope that organizations with a common purpose can learn from each other.

We are honored to represent the LGBT community and are humbled by this experience. We sincerely apologize to those we have offended. We have since changed the theme to this party. We look forward to continuing our mission to provide a hip and social environment where lesbians can come together in a safe and non-discriminate manner.

Sincerely,
DowneTowne Events, LLC
Ruby Hong

Hmmm.... Lesbians on an island? You know if I ate pussy, I'm sure I could think of a few other ways to communicate my concerns, rather than an aggressive public attack via social media. How about a open-minded discussion via that same resource? Why not pick upp a phone, reach out and touch somebody? That wouldn't be dramatic enough, and you might not get the credit for the name change.

I can understand why this group has abandoned ration & reason. Showing respect to anyone involved in prostitution, could jeopardize their funding, so I can't fault these opportunists for also being capitalists. And since they're extremists, criticism only feeds their egos. Pissing people off is it's own reward when it helps you get your way, with the added bonus of publicity. Negative or not, any press is good press. Since they silence all opposition, and cloak themselves with victims, they can convince fools to part with their money.

But, we don't feel that this has been misguided and if some people in the club-scene consider us "grumpy grumps" well, we'll take that criticism if it means standing up for our clients (survivors of sex-trafficking) because events like these do not help their morale at all.

Our paths don't cross in "the club-scene", so I'll refrain from calling them "conniving cunts". But how does it help their clients' morale to be represented by someone who (on their behalf) single-handedly alienates entire communities, then hides behind their clients to justify such self-righteous misbehaviour? A "Non-Executive Director" with a 9-paragraph bio, who's best described by a single finger? But don't mind me. I'm just speaking from experience.

Someone once said something that contradicts me. Whoever left the comment at the end of that last link: I like your name!