Good day to you, sir.
Welcome to another edition of “Answers for questions”. That thing where you ask me stuff and I answer it. Almost nothing is off limits. If you have any questions you’d like me to tackle (be them personal, abstract or opinion based), send them my way. Email them to me at phatfriendblog@gmail.com or leave them in the comment section below. All I ask is that you be a little creative. Were on vol. 140 now so, as you can imagine, a lot has been covered.
This week is an informative one…Let’s go!

Hey can you talk about changing Daylight into Nightlight? Why did you do it? and if you like Nightlight better? (sorta fits aesop’s songs styles more being raw and very gritty)

That was Aesop’s idea. We were putting together the “Daylight” ep and had been discussing the idea of a remix of “Daylight”. This was a long time ago so the memories are little fuzzy but I seem to recall both of us not being into the idea of simply just taking the vocals and putting a new beat under it. Especially considering how the lyrics and the beat meshed so well. So, Aesop was over at my place one day and I played him some beats. One of which was the beat that would eventually become “Nightlight”. He didn’t hear it and immediately tell me what he was gonna do with it but he did jump on it, in terms of wanting to use it. He probably called me (Again, it was a long time ago) and told me what his plan was after that and the rest is history.
I will say this though. Back then, I would sometimes make beats with him in mind. He would rarely end up using those beats cause what he would and wouldn’t like was never that predictable. But, in the case of the beat for “Nightlight”, I made that specifically with him in mind and he took it. So that was one of those rare times when that actually worked out. That was always a personal victory for me.

·What do you think about people who call themselves “Hip-Hop Heads” ?? People who always claim to know the most about Hip-Hop.. Personally, I find them annoying as fuck. What do you think about these people?

I think that’s a product of youth. I was like that when I was younger. I know tons of people who were. It’s definitely something you look back on with a blushing face cause that kind of know-it-all nerdery goes hand in hand youthful self obsession. I can remember being like 19 and talking to other kids about hip hop and immediately just writing them off cause they didn’t know about something or another. Granted, this was before the internet so acquiring knowledge on things actually took time and dedication but still…No one likes a smug asshole. Especially if that person is smug about being into hip hop.
It’s weird to meet these types today cause, I find, they sorta live in a bubble. They’re typically people with pretty closed minds (which is rarer today than it was 20 years ago). They’re the same type of people who will tell you who is and isn’t a sell out and get mad at anyone who raps about guns and drugs , as if it’s impossible to be both good at rapping and rap about those topics. It’s short sighted and boring of them but, hey, I was once like them so I understand.
Basically, being an annoying “hip hop head” is only something you realize is kinda corny after you’ve been through it. It’s like a rite of passage for hip hop nerds. The goal is to graduate from that train of thought into the zen like stasis of not really caring THAT much about anything…or , as it’s known to the rest of the world, adulthood.

Hi Blockhead

You mentioned a little while ago when you were about to do a European tour that we shouldn’t bitch about you not coming to our towns as you only go where you’re invited: how does that work? Do you have a promoter, self promote, wait for invites or a mix of things?

It’s pretty simple. I go where where the offers are. No one is offering me shows in places like London or Amsterdam so I don’t play those places. I’d love to…but ,at the moment, it’s not in the cards. Meanwhile, I’ll get offers to play eastern europe and germany all the time so those might actually work out. I have a booking agent in the US and in Europe and they basically just field offers and feel out where I might find interest from in local promoters. My US booking agent had a little more pull cause I’ve been touring here for years so, getting me a show in a random city for a tour is easier. The money might not be that great but it’s doable. Where as getting a show in europe is way more complicated due to the travel costs.
So, when i say “I only go where I’m invited” I mean that literally. If I haven’t played your city/country/town it’s cause no one from that particular place is offering me money to play there. and, if they are, they’re offering me shitty money that isn’t worth my time/travel expenses. One thing is for certain, I do not pick and choose where I play. So, yeah, if you live in a place I never play but think I could get a decent show, holler at my booking agents!
US:Chris@autonomousmusic.org
Europe: Lothar@Dailyoperation-agency.com

How did your basketball game evolve with age? I mean, I’m 25 and shit ain’t the same as when I was 18. I don’t even want to know how it will be in mid 30s, I might retire by then:) My right knee and left ankle are bothering me constantly. I used to be this speedy guy who would dribble the ball with pretty good handles and get to the rim where I would finish with a variety of floaters (also, have you noticed that floaters make people really mad? they think it is a lucky shot who got in by accident and mercy of god, even though I hit them constantly) but now I just try to avoid quick movements and I just try to box out every time and go for every rebound available (I pretty much ignored it before, because I would spend so much energy on attacking the basket) while playing in the post more on offense and trying to be a spot up shooter from distance. Also what kind of player are you on offense/defense/rebounding and what were you in your prime? Isn’t it great to be asked this kind of question, you feel like a professional athlete while answering it

My game has changed drastically. When I was young, I was an inside player with crazy leaping ability. All i did was rebound and shoot around the basket. I had a short effective bank shot but, otherwise, from 12 feet out I was worthless. When I was in my early 20′s, I tore three ligaments in my right ankle and was on the shelf for about a year (no health insurance means no rehab for the ankle so I just had to wait for it to heal slowly). When I finally came back, I had lost about 8 inches in my vertical leap (I used to be able to dunk but ,post injury, I could barely grab the rim) and some speed/reflexes. So I started changing my game. I worked on my outside game more and got a decent , albeit hot and cold, jump shot and I worked on my post game. I got a couple of decent moves down there but cause I’m only 6 feet tall, I don’t get to use them that often. But, more than anything, I started picking up crafty old man moves and moving away from my former athleticism. English off the back board, various fakes, bankshots. Shit like that.
As I stand now, I’m a capable 2/3. I can shoot decently, I can pass decently and I can rebound decently but I’m not great at any of those things. My handle is pretty lame but I can pull a good crossover out every now and then. Think a wacker lamar odom type. Depending on the game I can be a #1 scoring option or a guy who just sets picks and gets rebounds. One thing is for sure though, I’m a shitty defender. I’m lazy as fuck and almost always gamble and go for the blocked shot instead of actual smart defense. This leads to me getting scored on a lot but I also block a few shows a game so it might seem like I’m actually playing more Defense than I actually am.
In terms of aging with basketball, my only advice as that you need to accept your limitations and work with them. I play with some dudes in their 50′s on occasion and , while they’re old and slow, they can still be effective if they understand their roll and their strengths.

Do you think white voice applies to white people of all nationalities? Here in Australia, the rap scene is overwhelmingly composed of white males, does this mean it’s a scene composed entirely of terrible white voice and thus terrible rap? Or do you think it’s an American thing?
Until I had a british dude freak out at me about in my comments section I had never thought about it. This is because I don’t listen to rap in languages I don’t understand so to even begin to think about that would mean I’d have to listen to a bunch of that shit. But, to be honest, he had a point. The “white voice” is a very north american thing. It’s whiny, nerdy, off beat and seemingly only exists in the US and Canada. I don’t know why that is…Surely there are white nerds all over the planet. Maybe our language just opens itself up for certain pronunciations. Like that super dorky white midwest twang that only a real peckerwood could have. Whatever it is, it’s a bummer but it’s also a fact of life. Sorry american white rappers. You don’t all have it…but MOST of you do. Much like limitations to your aging basketball game, rappers with “white voice” need to just accept it for what it is and ove forward from there.

Yo Block, with Father’s Day just around the corner, I was wondering what your relationship with your dad was like? (no homo). Did he take you to the park and movies and stuff like that? Did he ever talk to you about sex and drugs? Did he like your rmusic?

My dad was 60 when I was born. I’m the youngest of 7 (5 from a previous marriage). He was also about 75% deaf at the time cause he lost most of his hearing in World war two. When you add his age plus his hearing issues , I’d be lying if I said we were extremely close. We did stuff together but it was limited by both those things and the fact that he was very much an artist. What I mean by that is that he was one of those guys who would just disappear into his studio for the majority of the day. His focus and attention was very much his artwork. Even when he was dying and couldn’t recognize his own children, he was still fucking around with clay and making little sculptures.
That said, when I was younger we did play some sports (tennis and softball) together and he definitely gave me a subscription to playboy when i was 12 (which was a real game changer). We never had a sex or drugs talk but he was one of those dudes who would just drop random wisdom bombs on your out of nowhere that would resonate deeply. I honestly don’t even think he would realize it but he had a knack for timely wisdom. I say “timely” cause , like I mentioned earlier, he was deaf so it’s not like he was involved in a conversation. He’d just blurt out little jewels based entirely on his own perceptions of what was being spoken about in the room.
As for my music, he never really heard it…literally. He died when I was 20 so I was barely making beats at that point and, even if he had lived longer, he woulda been to deaf to hear it anyway. All he could hear was low end bass tones so he’d constantly complain about turning the music down…Which , you can imagine, was annoying to a teenager who enjoyed playing loud rap , hoping the one perk of having a deaf dad would be that the music could blast as loud as I wanted.
All in all, my relationship with my dad was more one of admiration than it was of closeness. He was an incredible and talented guy who lived an insane life. He definitely set the stage for me to think pursuing a career in the arts was not a crazy idea. He was respected and loved by his friends. His family was mostly in awe of him as well. But i think his physical limitations put a ceiling on how close he and I could really ever be. But I’ve long since accepted that it’s really no ones fault so, luckily, I don’t mope around about it. Instead, it’s a lot easier to just look back in great reverence and just be happy I had the time with him I did.

Good morning everyone.
Hope all is well in your world. I woke up today feeling like I may have vertigo so, you know, that’s fun. Also, I just wanted to give a strong shout out to all the people in Atlanta who came out to my show this weekend. It was a lot of fun and the turnout was better than I ever expected. I hope to come back soon for sure.
Anyway, This is where I answer questions you ask. If you got any questions you feel need answering, send them my way. There are no stupid questions. Well, that’s not true. Most questions are pretty stupid but I’m willing to answer them just like i would the intelligent ones. So, if you wanna ask me something, send it to me at phatfriendblog@gmail.com or leave the questions in the comment section below.
Let’s check out this weeks haul.

How would you characterize most of your online fan interactions, and have you ever been the fan in these situations? What does it feel like to be who you are, someone of very limited fame, but to still have people gush over you in the way that many people gush over a person like Kanye? Have you ever actually experienced this gushing? What’s your experience of being a fan and interacting with artists? Aesop Rock has talked lots about these sorts of issues in various not-too-easy-to-find interviews and such, but I’m curious as to how your interactions stack up, given your considerably lower fame, relative visual anonymity (most people who listen to a rapper see him in a video or whatever at some point; producers not so much), and rather different personality/outlook (based, at least, on your “public” persona, in the case that such a thing exists).

My online interactions with fans range from very pleasant to absolutely infuriating. And, to be clear, when I say infuriating, I don’t mean I’m sitting around seething and wishing harm on people. I more mean that some person will write something so stupid it makes me sad for humanity. The majority of the interactions ,however, are totally fine. Even though there are many people out there who seem to make it their life work to be assholes online (I wrote about it just last week HERE) most fans are simply just supportive people who say nice things. I certainly run into a little different angle sometimes cause of how I carry myself online but, over all, it’s not that bad. Some days, though, I’ll get like two or three different people being profoundly stupid and it’ll be a little more depressing than usual.
As for the whole limited fame part, it’s kinda the best. I get to do this, make my living and still keep a good deal of privacy. I don’t have that many fans, but the ones I do have seem to be pretty dedicated and that’s a great thing. I think because of of this low risk/low reward kinda popularity I have , it’s hard to get an ego about this shit. I’m not being gassed up all the time and I’m pretty well rooted in reality. I know that, more often than not, your average person will have no fucking clue who I am and I’d have to reference fatboy slim or Moby to even give them an idea of what kind of music I make. (side note, when describing what kinda music I make the explanation tree goes as follows: Have you heard of RJd2? No. Dj shadow? No. The avalanches? No. Boards of canada? no. Moby? YES! Well, I make music kinda like moby.)
as for my own fanship, I’ve never been that guy. Aside from going up to a few rappers when I was younger and shaking their hand, I’ve always steered clear of that kinda shit. Dunno why…I’m just not a person who gushes over people in general. Any girl i’ve ever dated can attest to that. The few times I’ve interacted with people i was a huge fan of, I’m generally kinda quiet and agreeable. I’m not trying to become their friend or make an impression. If time passed , we got to talking and they seemed cool about it, I might ask a few questions. Actually, I did a show with Gift of Gab this past weekend in Atlanta and that kinda happened. I was a HUGE blackalicious fan and he was a super down to earth guy. So we chatted a bit and I definitely had some fan moments. I hope I didn’t annoy him.

when i wipe my ass, i hunch forward spread my legs and wipe back to front releasing the toilet paper before it reaches my taint. i found that wiping this way gets my butt the cleanest, i dont know if its the angel or the fact that you have more space to work with but most people think im strange. most people reach around there back and wipe front to back(sheep!!!).

You realize your pulling shit debris towards your balls, right? If you’ve ever wondered why girls hate giving you head, look no further than that, Shitty balls.
No, I wipe my ass like a normal person. Front to back, sitting. This is a well worn topic round these parts (which is pretty telling of both me and my readers). I think I even did a poll a while back cause I had heard about people who stand up to wipe their asses and it blew my mind.

·What’s a crazy thing you’ve done or has happened that gave you an adrenaline rush?
Probably answering the previous question about wiping my ass.
Nah, but seriously, I’m not an adrenaline junkie at all. That kinda shit gives me more anxiety than excitement. I’m just a much more passive and reserved person , in that sense.
The most pumped up I’ve ever been was probably after seeing some dudes get shot in a pool hall when I was 15. My friends and I bolted out of there and ran full speed about 5 blocks back to one of our houses. Oh, actually, on second thought, maybe that time I caught that gnarly wave was more exciting than that. I was riding giants , brah. Just kidding. The only thing I surf is youjizz.com. Now THAT’S extreme.

What’s the best way for someone to get into producing as a hobby from 0 knowledge at this point in time. I rap (not giving you a link, because I know that this isn’t the place for that), and am interested in slowly working into doing my own production. Most of the guides available are of shitty EDM artists teaching shitty EDM fans how to make shitty EDM music, as opposed to guides that include considerations for hip-hop/lessons in sampling/just the right amount of theory/etc.

I don’t think there is a best way. It’s one of those things you just kinda go into blindly. I’m sure there are courses you could take but I feel like that’s like taking a stand up comedy tutorial. The best was to learn is to just jump right in. Do a little research. Do you wanna use a sampler or would you prefer just keeping it all on software? What programs work best with what you’re trying to achieve? When i started, there were like 4 viable types of samplers so the choice wasn’t that hard. I played around with an ASR-10 and then bought it. It was that simple. I could have easily gotten a MPC and SP1200 but I didn’t and the rest is history. I feel like, if you have any talent or drive, you should be able to work with what you have. The machines and software are just like instruments. You gotta just learn how to play them.

Do you think people with Alzheimer`s disease commemorate Remembrance Day?

This is something I would find in my “drafts” on twitter. Don’t think it would make the cut which is saying a lot cause have you seen some of the shit I’ve tweeted?

you seem to generally be not easily impressed with music… ive read a few of your columns where you’ve been critical of stuff and whatever, but what instrumental hip hop or newer beat driven artists or albums from the last few years are really impressing you?

I should file this under FAQ. As many of you know, I don’t really listen to much (if any) instrumental music. I just prefer music with vocals on it. There are plenty of great people out there (Bonobo, Hot sugar, AM break ups) who make really dope music but, unless there is a rapper or singer on it, I’m probably not giving it more than a passing listen. I realize this is totally contradictory to what i create myself but that question will be answered in due time. I mean that literally as I have a question in my queue asking me about that specifically.

If you could have a State (of the United States) vanish completely off the face of the earth, never exist.. which would it be and why?

Shit…this might burn some bridges…but there also isn’t a definitive answer. I mean, for the sake of humanity, it would have to be either Texas or florida but, at the same time, both those places have awesome parts so i’d be killing off a lot of good in exchange for ridding the earth of even more evil. I dunno if that’s a fair trade. Also, I do shows in both those places on occasion so there’s that too.
I might take the civil route and just rid the country of some place like north or south dakota. I’ve never even been to those states but I’d imagine i’d just be killing off a bunch of livestock and highway rest stops. Besides, aren’t there like under a million people in those states , even though they’re like 4 times as big as Ohio. I think I could live with that. But, also, my condolences to the 5 fans I have that live in those states.

I don’t know where you live but it’s muggy and rainy in NYC right now. Not exactly weather that motivates you to do anything other than loaf around like a total piece of shit. Luckily for me, I love loafing so it’s a match made in heaven.
Just a heads up, I got some shows this weekend. I’m playing Knoxville (for the first time ever!) on friday at the NV nightclub and then I’m playing ATl the following night at Terminal West at King Plow. If you live in the area, come througgghhhhh. Also, should I bring Merch to these shows? You buyin’? Lemme know.

If you would like to become a part of this wonderful blog process, send me your questions. Ask me anything. Either leave them in the comment section below or email them to me at Phatfriendblog@gmail. Get on that, guy.
Okay, let’s peep this weeks selections…

You may have answered some questions like these before but whatever. Have you always been motivated to make art? I find myself always fluctuating with being completely enamored with the idea and then thinking its not worth my time. Did you ever feel the same way? Like just thinking, what can I possibly do that hasn’t been done better, saying what’s already been said? Or did making art just always feel right to you?

I’d say it’s one of two things. Firstly, I’ve never questioned the concept of making art for a living. Probably cause my dad was an artist so it didn’t seem out of the ordinary. Now that I’m older and have seen more in life, it’s pretty crazy to step back and consider that, thus far, this whole thing has worked out for me. The odds of success are never in your favor when you’re creating music, fine art or writing. Still, I don’t sit around thinking about trying to reinvent the wheel. I mean, shit, I sample for a living. That would be ridiculous of me. I simply try to not be influenced by everything else around me. When I make music, I’m generally the only one who hears it until it’s ready to be heard. Other than sending beats to rappers, I’m not the type to “run thing by” anyone for a second opinion. I just go with my gut and keep the work internal.
Secondly, I do this cause it’s one of the few things on this planet I actually like doing. If your read this blog or follow my twitter, my interests can seemingly be boiled down to TV, Basketball, movies and music. And , I hate to say it, but that’s not far off. I make music cause I love doing it and happened to be lucky to stumble into a career in it. If this shit hadn’t worked out, I have no clue what I’d be doing with my life. So, that thought also motivates me. A much as I love it, it’s also my job. If it’s not inspiration, the will to keep doing this as a job in general and not get a real job is motivation enough.

Yo Block,
As an avid reader of your blog, I know you’re a pretty thick-skinned person. But I’ve just gotta know, are there any words that just irk you? Like I mean the word “moisture” sends shivers down my spine. And, honest to God, “geese” pisses me off. So yeah, any words?

I’m not bothered by words with no context. Sure, when I hear a 45 year old say “swag” or a new yorker say “hella” it annoys me, but there’s not word that I hate just hearing it arbitrarily. Phrases however…
http://phatfriend.com/2010/02/17/douche-bag-things-to-say/

Excessive use of the word “Bro” is really getting on my nerves. It especially turns me off when i hear other girls call each other bro. Are there any hackneyed words or phrases that just make you sick every time you hear it (especially from girls)?

This question is very similar to the one above but I just wanted to say I think “bro” has come full circle twice over now in the sense that people who were using it ironically are now just using it with no irony. I feel like “dude” has done the same thing.
as for annoying things girls say “Amazeballs” is a fucking travesty of a phrase and anyone who speaks in emoticons (like saying “O.M.G.”) should kill themselves.

Hey Block, Ive heard of music being called “over produced”. I have an idea of what they mean, an artist lets their music be overly worked and hense becomes generic, but i could be wrong. What would that mean to you? Also is that something youre conscious of during your process or do you generally know when somethings done and to leave it alone?

To me, “over produced” can mean different things. I can be when an artist just won’t let go and sit with a song or album forever, endlessly tinkering with it. These types tend to overlook the big picture for the minutia. I’ve seen producers literally spend days on mixing a kick drum. It’s insanity.
Another meaning can be something like Kanye’s last album. He’s a great producer. Without question. But , at times, I felt like he was just adding shit on for the sake of adding it on. Like , no Kanye song with Rick Ross needs a 24 bar synth solo breakdown. As ambitious as it is/was, it also just was unnecessary.
The type of over produced you’re speaking of is when you take a rough around the edges group and make everything about them shiny. This generally fucks everything up cause part of their appeal was that they weren’t shiny. I referred to this when I wrote about working with Lana Del ray (before she was Lana Del Ray) and how the beat I had given her had been “shined down to a dull glow”. This is a common occurrence when some hip new low-fi band signs with a major label and the label doesn’t just let them be. Also, this kind of over production always sucks cause it contradicts what made the music god in the first place.

I’m not a fan of your rapperless music(I don’t dislike it, I just don’t really listen to instrumental shit, much like yourself) but am a huge fan of your writing and blog. Is this something you encounter very often?

It works both ways. I’ve met tons of people who never listen to anything I do if it has any sort of vocalist on it. I’d say I’m more familiar with people in your shoes though as, after all, I’m one of you. I don’t listen to any instrumental music and I never really did (outside of a few loose songs here and there). So, I’d be an asshole to be annoyed by that. As for people who love my blog but don’t like my music, I have no idea. I’m always psyched when I meet people at shows who are like “I love you blog!” but I can’t think of a situation where I’d meet someone and they’d be like “Awesome blog! I hate your music though!” outside of the internet.

Have you ever been relieved to smell your own shit smell in a public restroom to cover up the other random shit smell?

Maybe it’s some OCD thing but I hold my nose when I go into a public bathroom. I always have. I don’t even think about it, my sense of smell just shuts down. It’s kinda nice though cause smelling other peoples shit and piss isn’t exactly the jump off. Neither if breathing in the vapors but it’s not like I can actually taste it or anything.
I will say this though, I do feel relieved when I cover up the smell of someones fart wit my own. It’s like winning an arm wrestling match…with your asshole.

Whattup everyone. I was just sitting around imagining what the world of Game of Thrones would be like if they had cell phones. SO much less confusion.
Anyway, this weeks questions are fun. Thanks to all those who submitted them. If you have anything you wanna ask me, send it my way. Either Email it to me (phatfriendblog@gmail.com) or leave them in the comments below. As always, be interesting. This column is only as good as your questions are.
So, let’s do this

You are trying to fall asleep one night, when suddenly the ghosts of Tupac, Michael Jackson, and Elvis appear before you. All three of them are there for the same reason. They each have one last album worth of songs that were never recorded, and their souls will not rest until they can share them with the world.

If you refuse, then these 3 highly intoxicated ghouls will follow you around for the rest of your life like that movie “The Frighteners” starring Michael J. Fox. Which one of these former celebrities will you help?

I’m assuming they come back looking like them and not me cause, really, who’s gonna buy that I’m any of these people. If you had the other way in mind, I call bullshit. Cause, let’s be honest, if i came back with the voice and “moves” of any of these guys looking like me, I’d get thrown in a asylum within hours.
This is pretty easy. I’d choose Tupac and here’s why:
Elvis is old and fat. No one is trying to hear some new elvis shit. He hasn’t been popular in the states since Jimmy Carter was President and anyone who would buy an Elvis record in 2013 is probably too deaf to listen to it anyway.

M.J. is already a faceless ghoul who definitely will always carry the kid toucher stigma with him. Sure, he could put an album out and tour south america and asia for millions of dollars but he’s simply too old and I’m pretty sure he’s made of balsa wood. He would definitely be the biggest money maker but I don’t think it would be fun to be him.

Tupac would be my choice cause, while I don’t give a shit about his music, his fan base is still very much alive. Not only that, but if he came back people would be like “I knew it!” and his career would be bigger than ever. Also, he died young enough that I think he’d enjoy his life. Although, he might give me AIDS with all the consequence free fucking he’d be doing. But I suppose that’s the risk of being reborn Tupac for a year.

i gotta question, do ever get free shit being an artist? whats the best free shit youve ever got?

You know what? Not really. I’m not of that level where people will give me shit cause I’m like a walking advertisement. I simply don’t have that kinda pull. The best shit, by far, I ever got was a Mini MOOG Slim phatty. Nothing else comes close to that. I have friends who have gotten free kicks, back packs , apple gear and shit like that. But, personally, T-shirts and hats I’d never wear are the extent of my bounty. On the bright side, I was given a great hat last time I was in St. Petersburg Russia that I’ve been rocking a lot. I get T-shirts the most and ,while most of the T-shirts I’ve been given are cool, I’m simply too old to be rocking shit with graffiti cartoons on it. However, I do tend to cut the sleeves off those T-shirts and use them as basketball shirts so all is not lost.

Hey Block, Just wanted to know your opinion of the, “Beast Coast” movement that’s lingering around in hip hop nowadays since you’re from New York.

That’s a thing? I feel like I’ve heard that phrase before but it sounds like something a blogger made up in order to fit all the rap coming out of the east coast right now into a nice little basket. So, even though I’m not clear on what it is, I can sorta guess. If it’s what i think it might be, I’m cool with it. I’m always happy when any new rap comes out that decent. Be it east coast or west coast or wherever.

Do the comments on your (public) Facebook page ever make you lose faith in humanity?

Dude. I’ve considered writing a long piece on this cause it’s seriously one of the more frustrating and troublesome things I deal with on a day to day basis (Yes, my life is fairly charmed). When I signed up for twitter, I immediately was subjected to a new level of trolling and basic fuckery at the hands of faceless assholes. Par for the course, as this is the internet. It was not that different than people on Myspace but it was more concentrated. However, when I finally made a facebook music page…HOLY SHIT. Twitter is like a land of evolved and sane people compared to Facebook.
Now, this is partially my fault. I could easily avoid all of this if I just stuck to the Facebook music page norms. Only posting music related updates. Not having opinions on anything and , most of all, NEVER making jokes. But, unfortunately, I refuse to take social networking that seriously. Yes, it’s an important tool for pretty much anyone promoting anything on earth but I simply don’t have it in me to not joke around. It’s my nature and all these different platforms are just begging to be used as such. I remember joining Friendster in like 1998 just so I could fuck with my friends. So, while my public Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheRealBlockhead) may serve a purpose of promotion, it’s also a sounding board of sorts. For my opinions on things but, most of all, for pointless jokes that I tweet.
What I’ve learned from this? People get offended at EVERYTHING. I’ve had 45 comment posts of fury after making a joke about Razor Scooters. I’ve had people lose their minds at me about my making fun of men who wear open toed shoes every where. I’ve had people be deeply offended when I tweeted a joke about some celebrity of questionable talent. I’d say once a month I get a private message from someone telling me that they are no longer fans of y music because of something I wrote on my facebook wall. As if I’ve been posting nazi propaganda or crazy political views.
Another thing I’ve noticed is, when I post a link to a blog post about something, and people disagree with it (which is often and expected), it’s clear they didn’t read it. For instance, I wrote a piece about how I don’t give a shit about pixar movies and the first sentence in it was something like “You are probably gonna disagree with this” and every response was “I disagree with this!”. It’s like “yeah man…THAT’S THE POINT.” So, while a lot of this can be blamed on my spotty writing skill, I do think that people simply like to be outraged…by anything and they’re just waiting to jump the gun on taking up a cause.
I’ve also noticed that the majority of the people on Facebook who flip out at me are typically from one of four places: Australia, The UK , Ohio or California. I have no clue why this is but it’s been fairly uncanny. Even more befuddling is that I know people from all those places who are lovely human beings. They just seem to be hot spots for people either don’t like jokes, don’t get jokes or people who love to get mad over things of little importance.
So, to answer your question, YES. My facebook comments make me sad and I question humanity on a daily basis.. Not cause it’s people disagreeing with me but cause of the way in which they do it. Some people can’t think outside of themselves and apply that to jokes and that’s really depressing. The amount of times I’ve had to follow up a post with “This was a joke” or “It’s not that serious” is pretty sad. So, to all of you out there who follow my twitter/facebook pages, I’ll say it one more time : PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING I WRITE THAT’S NOT A MUSIC RELATED POST IS A ME JOKING AROUND. IT MAY SEEM LIKE I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THIS THING I’M TALKING ABOUT, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU, 98% OF THE TIME, I DO NOT CARE IN THE SLIGHTEST. I’M JUST FUCKING AROUND. EVEN IF IT’S A 1000 WORD WRITE UP ON MY BLOG ABOUT SOMETHING TRIVIAL, I PROMISE, WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND DONE, I REALLY DON’T GIVE A SHIT.
Good? okay…let’s move on.

Have you ever fucked a porn star? I think about it but then again it goes against my morals.

Nope. I think people might assume I have cause I have few porn buddies on twitter but
I’ve never even gotten close. I’ve never even boned a stripper.
The idea of having sex with a porn star is way more exciting and frightening when you’ve never met one. They’re actually pretty normal girls (in some ways). So, like 15 years ago I would probably been scared to death to have sex with one. Partially cause I’d be scared of diseases but also cause I’d be intimidated to have sex with a girl who’s average penis size in take is 10 inches. But nowadays, it’s not as intimidating to me. I mean, I’m wifed up so I obviously would never do that but I’m just saying, doing that doesn’t carry the same stigma as it once did. Sure, porn stars fuck a lot of dudes but I was never one of those guys who would not have sex with a girl cause she’s been with a bunch of dudes. I’ve always felt dudes too hung up on monitoring their sexual partners pasts are kinda pussies. I mean, it’s one thing if she was a needle user but beyond that, who cares? To me, that kinda shit is slut shaming. Not having sex with someone over your own made up morals seems self defeating. If you’re not comfortable with it, that’s fine But don’t do it out of judgement of another person. Cause , really, you’re too good for a porn star? The irony is that most porn actresses probably wouldn’t bone any of us in real life.

Hello everyone!
Time once again for my version of AMA. Ask me anything. Really. Do it.
In fact, my question queue is getting kinda thin so I actually need more questions. Send them my way. Either email them to me at Phatfriendblog@gmail.com or leave them in the comment section below. Either one works. Just a side note, if you do send a question, get creative. I’ve answered questions for years now on here so “what’s your biggest influence?” type question will be ignored. Feel free to get weird and abstract. This column can be both informative and strange…if you let it be.
Anyway, here’s this weeks batch.

Recently (over the past year or so) multiple “microgenres” of music have been popping up; the most popular one being “vaporwave.” It’s essentially slowed down 80s music (occasionally chopped up with some added reverb), but fans of it claim it’s some kind of social commentary on our consumerist culture or some bullshit like that as a way of justifying its simple (and imo lazy) production. I’m a fan of sampling and sample-based music in general, but I think this is just a genre full of talentless people shitting out incredibly easy to “produce” tracks in order make a quick buck by selling them on limited edition cassettes. As someone that produces sample-based music, what are your thoughts on this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU8HrO7XuiE&feature=youtu.be

It would appear you’ve made you mind up on this one, huh?
This is my first time hearing of this “genre” so it’s popularity is kinda suspect for me. Sure, it may be cool in some circles but I’m pretty sure people aren’t making money off it. Do I think it’s lazy? Well, if this song you posted is an example and it’s all just one thing looped for 7 minutes with minimal additions, then yes. it’s lazy as fuck. But what separates that from any old classic MF Doom beat? I love those tracks and the vid you posted could literally be an out take from “operation doomsday”. So, I don’t think it’s that big a deal. This genre isn’t enough of a real genre to really deserve an opinion either way.
It’s funny though cause this genre seems like the spin-off of that weird 80′s film score music renaissance that got popular when the movie “Drive” came out. This is like the boring version of that.

I hear NYC is pretty famous for it’s police corruption. Do you consider this to be true? Have you got any good examples of how New York’s finest abuse their power?

I’d say police corruption is pretty big in most major cities. NYC is no different. Outside of your basics racism and arresting people to fill quotas, I can’t say I’ve personally seen anything like that happen. That certainly doesn’t mean it’s not there though. I’m not exactly on the cutting edge of crime in the city. I spend most of my days in front of a computer listening to obscure Romanian psych rock samples. Come and get me, coppers!

Hey Blockhead, how do you pick the names for your songs? Is it totally
random, just whatever you’re feeling the day the song gets finished or
is it some super deep and meaningful shit people like me just can’t
understand….It seems like in general artists who don’t have vocals
seem to have some pretty weird song titles. Why is that? I mean grape
nuts and chalk sauce? Which one of you jerks drank my arnold palmer?
Kinda has me wondering…

It depends. More often that not, it’s one of two things. An Inside joke with myself or just the feeling the beat gave me. With the inside joke titles, it’s often just me going down a rabbit hole until I land on something that has a nice ring to it. Like, with “Which one of you jerks stole my Arnold palmer”, That started from a place of “this sounds like a song for the summer” then turned to “I’m seeing people sitting on a porch having beverages on a warm day in July” to “I’d like an Arnold Palmer (a half lemonade/half Ice tea) in that situation” to “What if someone stole my Arnold palmer?” to “Which one of you jerks stole my Arnold palmer?”.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvL2CrdpUjw
“Grape nuts and Chalk sauce” came from me thinking the beat sounded middle eastern. That reminded me of falafel. I think falafel sucks. They taste like grape nuts and chalk sauce. Boom…a title is born.

But, more often than not, the title is based on the feeling. “Raining clouds” felt like a before, during and after of a major storm. “Expiration date” was based on the inevitable course of a relationship coming to a close. Stuff like that. I pretty much just try to either lead the listener to where I’m coming from or confuse them with inside joke nonsense. So, my advice would be to never look to deep into the song titles. It might not be worth it.

Question, when do you think you’ll call it quits with playing ball?
I think about this all the time. As my main source of exercise and one of my favorite things to do, I wonder when the ship will sail. I play ball with a few guys well into their 40′s and early 50′s so there is a little hope. When i used to go to the park, there would be some dudes in their 60′s there. I suppose the biggest challenge is just not getting badly hurt. Recovery time is a motherfucker the older you get. Even now, in my mid 30′s, I’m constantly a little injured. My ankles, my back, my groin. Something is always off. I’d imagine that just gets worse and worse. SO, to answer the question, I’m hoping I can be one of those 60 year olds that’s still functional enough to play with other 60 year olds. That’s my goal.

So after going to Coachella and seeing Aesop perform, my boyfriend and I who both read your Facebook/Blog were wondering how you would fare at such an event? I don’t know if you’ve performed there before, but is it the epitome of everything you hate in the world? i.e. hot, sweaty, drugged up, bare-foot, pretentious hipster indie kids who don’t know half the music they’re rolling balls to? Would you be in and out of there after your set, or would you stick around to people watch/drink/enjoy the show?

I’ve played my fair share of festivals but never anything remotely as huge as Coachella. But, the point is, I’ve seen that world on some level. My whole M.O. with festivals is typically to get in, do my show and get out. Not cause I hate everything about the festivals but cause I don’t wanna get stranded in nature. Typically, i stay at a hotel near the festival site but lots of these things are in the middle of nowhere so it’s real easy to be forgotten and left to your own devices. Speaking of devices, phones pretty much never work at these things either so that’s another issue.
There have been a few that I’ve hung out at a little afterwards. It really just depends on the accommodations. but, I’m also not really a drug guy and booze is hard to find sometimes at these events so there is rarely much for me to do at them.
But the people? I don’t have that much of an issue. Sure, many of the festival folk are not the typical type of people I hang with but they’re usually pretty nice and friendly. I’ve never had an issue with them and , really, they’re no different from people at my shows in a lot of ways. Just with way more hula hoops, glowsticks and less shoes.
For more on my festival life, here are some pieces I’ve written in the past about them. Some of these are pretty old and you can kinda see how my viewpoint evolves as I go…so don’t be put off by any harshness in the earlier entries. Of, if you’re more like me, enjoy the harshness. Either or.
http://phatfriend.com/2010/01/17/hippies/
http://phatfriend.com/2010/07/08/the-worst-show-that-never-happened-aka-fuck-quaint/

http://phatfriend.com/2010/10/25/festivals-again/

http://phatfriend.com/2012/07/19/camp-bisco-a-photo-essay/

A)Have you ever successfully worked a sample from music in a genre not typically sampled in hiphop (emo, indie rock, avant garde stuff, etc) into one of your tracks?

B)Which track off Interludes After Midnight took the longest to finish?

A) Sure. all the time. I actually go out of my way to find that kind of stuff. The problem with some of it (in particular emo and indie rock) is that I don’t like sampling current music (anything made before the early 80′s is usually my cut off). Partially cause it just doesn’t feel right (Part of sampling is taking something old and making it new. The way things were recorded in those older eras has a lot to do with what makes the sample good) but also cause I’m more likely to get caught sampling some newer shit. I’ve sampled tons of weird avant-garde music over the years as well as any genre you can think of. I’ve tried it all at some point.

b)I’d say the toughest track on “Interludes After Midnight” was “Beyond Reach”.

Mostly cause i was working around vocals and the original song was in a strange key. At least one that I must not typically work with cause finding parts to match with it was way harder than it typically is. Also, the breakdown in the middle went through many different incarnations until I felt I got it right where I wanted it to be. I typically work with lots of fluidity and rarely go back and questions choices but , with this song, I went back a bunch of times cause it felt off.

What’s up everyone, I took a travel day off monday cause I was doing shows out west so your normally scheduled “answers for questions” got pushed to today (clearly, this is very important news to all of you). Thanks to all the people who came out in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco this past weekend. I had a great time. Shout out to Quantic as well. He killed it.
Anyway, I’m back now for a few weeks so it’s business as usual. Which means a whole lotta loafing. I can’t wait. I may also start working on a new album but the thought terrifies me so we’ll see what happens with that.
Oh, of course, if you have anything you’d like to ask me, send it my way. Either leave it in the comments below of email it to me at phatfriendblog@gmail.com. There are no dumb questions. Well, that’s not true at all. Most of these questions are dumb. Just try and be less dumb , if possible.
So, without further ado, let’s get into this weeks questions.

Obviously you were there for 9/11, but do you ever think about a major catastrophe hitting New York (be it natural disaster/some man-made catastrophe) where an insanely large amount of people would need to leave the area? I’m talking a mass-evacuation over a short period of time where the potential for massive delays/pure chaos over many days could ensue. I know you’re a “don’t worry about things you can’t control” kind of situation, but I’m just curious if it’s something you’ve considered.

It would be impossible for that to not cross my mind here and here. Especially with all the crap that NYC has been through over the last 10 or so years. So, while the thought has crossed my mind and the idea of leaving here for good might one day become a reality, I’d be a dip shit to be sitting around worrying about it. The deepest I’ve delved into that line of thought is thinking where I’d move if Manhattan was washed off the map. My first choice would be San francisco (I got family and friends there) and if not there, I’d try to maybe go to Montreal or Toronto. I like both those cities a lot. Outside of that, I’m more just expecting to be one of the many bodies what gets washed away when that tidal wave eventually does come and devour the city.

Has your laptop/sequencer ever failed during a live set? What did/would you do if that situation were to occur? Did Pearl Jam the band, or pearl jam the slang for jerk off juice originate first?

Two very different questions…
1)Yup. I had my shit die on me a couple of times. In both cases, I just had to restart it and it worked okay. Still, that dead air when performing live is never awesome. Turns out crowds aren’t into it.
Worse than that though is when my computer totally shit the bed when I went to europe. I was mid way through a tour in eastern europe and I couldn’t even turn it on. I ended up doing “Dj sets” which means I played my own songs in their entirety with a touch of terrible mixing but I had no other choice. I was lucky to even be able to do that. I’m hoping I get to go back to those places (Moscow and St. Petersburg) to do real shows at some point cause those people definitely saw some bullshit.
2)The slang came first. They’re named after it. Come on, bro. You’re better than that question.

I’m from the D.C. area and from what I’ve gathered, your girl has family in Bethesda. I live in Silver Spring and I’m around the Bethesda/NW D.C./Silver Spring pretty much 100% of the time. I’m curious as to what your general thought are about that specific area of Maryland/D.C. suburbs.

Hmm…it’s just some typical suburban shit to me. Bethesda is a very nice place. I can say that. Very Clean. Surprisingly good food. Nice people. It’s tough to call cause I haven’t been around enough suburbs in my life time to really be able to tell them apart. I mean, sure, Bethesda is definitely cleaner and nicer than , say, some spots i’ve been to in long island where dudes have filthy couches on their lawns but it’s all under the same umbrella to me. Houses with lawns, lined up for miles and everyone in cars. The nuances of different suburbs is definitely lost on me. It’s like comparing women’s purses.

the year is 2013 and there are a lot of musicians making music with electronic devices…your asr-10 dies or whatever and there are no parts to fix it, irreplaceable, no more left on the planet…so you think, i still want to make music, i don’t know completely what piece of equipment to get, but i’m only going to get one piece, it’s can’t be an asr-10, because no more exist, so, you’re going to have to get a new piece of equipment, just one, where you can make music similar to what you make now, though it might be a little different, because you are getting a new piece of equipment, it could be something you know how to use or something you’ve never used before and have to learn…… what do you get??? do you continue making music or do something else???

Well, that’s easy. I’d just use Abelton entirely. I already have shifted over to it more than my sampler in recent years so the process would be pretty simple. All I’d need to get was a midi controller and I’d be good to go. I bet you were expecting a way more complicated answer, huh? Ha! Sorry dude! I’m already livin’ in 2013, bout that lyfe and shit.

Hey Block, I grew up going in an out of the city on Metro North for as long as I can remember. Ever since I left the area people seem to often ask me if New Yorkers are as bad as their reputation, especially when they go there for their first visit, and ask me for “advice.” I’ve resorted to tell them New Yorkers are just hardcore beleivers in equally reciprocating attitude. If you’re nice, they will be nice back. You push them, they push you back, etc.

You have any sage advice you would give to anyone going to NYC for the first time? As a New Yorker for life I’m interested in your take on this.

The whole misconception of NYer’s being these relentless rude assholes is crazy. I’ve found that, in general, we’re actually pretty friendly and helpful. I think the misconception comes from people not understanding that, in NY, you just kinda handle your own business. Everyone has their own deal and we’re all just going from point A to point B. So, that means if we bump shoulders sometimes, it’s nothing personal. however, 9 out of 10 times , you ask someone on the street a non-ridiculous question, they will answer it. Sure, there are exceptions and a fair amount of crazy people roaming the streets but those are just the chances you gotta take when you go to any city.
I think the main advice I’d give people visiting NYC is don’t get caught up in things you’ve heard. The fact of the matter is , at this point, NYC is pretty safe (at least anywhere tourists would be) and , beyond that, it’s a city full of people who are either not from here or just visiting. So, you should fit right in. Just whatever you do, avoid the puerto ricans. They will knife you and take your children. Just kidding. They don’t want your stupid kids.

So, you get to create a super group of which you are a part of. Five members. You as a producer who produces half the songs, and another producer who does the other half. And then two emcees and a DJ.

2) You can pick anyone, alive or dead.

God I hate these types of questions. It’s like dungeons and dragons for rap nerds.
But, I will abide…
1) Aesop rock and Billy Woods are the rappers, Kid Koala is the DJ and the other producer would be Hot Sugar. That would be a bugged out fucking group

2)Kool g rap circa 1991 and Willie D circa 1990 would be the rappers, I’d keep Kid Koala as the dj for this group and my co-producer would be Diamond D circa 1991.

Hey Blockhead, what do you think of 808? It’s everywhere now. Sometimes it’s used really well, but I hate the sounds and often it just sucks (In my opinion).

You hate the 808 drum? I hope you’re confusing the entire 808 kit with the one sound it’s known for (the deep bass kick drum) cause then I might kinda understand. Lots of those sounds are dated but, the kick drum 808? I use that all the time. It’s my favorite low-end bass kick available. Perfect for layering under other kicks or break beats.
Also, it’s nothing new…it’s been around since the 80′s. Some people who use may make shitty music but don’t blame that on the drum sound. That’s like hating on an MPC cause some asshole makes trance hop house music on it.

What’s crackin’ people. I had a great weekend doing shows for the people of NYC, Philly and RIchmond. Thanks to all those of you who came out (especially those of you who read this blog and told me so at the shows. I love that.). I got Shows in Portland, Seattle and SF next weekend. More info HERE.
Anyway, two weeks in a row…STILL NOT SICK. Trying to set a record up in here.
So, as you probably know, this is that thing where I answer questions sent into me by my readers. I can always use more. If you have an itch that needs scratching in the form of a question, send it my way. Either leave it int he comment section below or email it to me at phatfriendblog@gmail.com
Yay!

What do you think is behind the “white rap voice”? Do you think it’s just guys who don’t speak with any sort of street in their voices who all of a sudden find rap and decide to try it? Obviously the essence of it is over-pronunciation of all syllables and a general higher voice/whine, but why do you think this happens so much and with such consistency?

I think the “White voice” is deeper than that. I think that, while it’s a mixture of the things you listed (Over pronunciation and lack of street authenticity) what REALLY makes a white voice white is the whininess. A successful rap voice usually requires presence, command and something about it that sounds cool (the kids call it swagger). Think of dudes like Big Daddy Kane or Rakim. Chuck D. Even a dude with a lisp can sound cool if his voice happens to hit those buttons in your brain. Also, part of rappers sounding good is effortlessness. Whenever I hear someone trying really hard, it’s obvious. A lot of white dudes don’t have any of those qualities and , on top of that, sound like they’re struggling just to stay on beat. The same could be said about someone like Kweli. His voice is fairly weak and his flow has never sounded natural to me. So, if you’re feeling like I’m picking on just white guys, rest easy cracker. It does go both ways. But let’s not fool ourselves, it’s called “white voice” for a reason.
I think a large portion of white guys are just predisposed to having voices that don’t sound good in the context of rapping. We may be better suited for singing over quietly strummed guitars. Take a dude like John Darnielle from the Mountain goats. He’s got a serious white voice but he finds a way to use it in music so it sounds cool.
But, really, when it’s all said and done, it’s all genetics and DNA. Whites be white, yo.

This is kinda off topic but it’s tour related. So you are going to play a festival called “Lightning in a Bottle” in Temecula California in July. That’s the closest you have come to San Diego (about 30 min) that you have come in a long time. This is definitely one of those hippie rave type festivals that you mention you get billed on from time to time. Don’t get me wrong. I definitely don’t blame you for playing when and where you can and for having an eclectic fan base. I would be down to wade through the sea of tie die & glow sticks to see your live show in a minute but, this being a pretty large festival, even a day pass is almost $200. Now, I dig your music and have been a fan for a while but that’s pretty steep especially considering I can almost guarantee that your performance would be the only thing I would be in to.(Except maybe scoring some shrooms or some Molly! Hehe)Seriously though I can’t think of anyone I’d pay $200 to see except like a Doom/Aesop/Wu-Tang/Billy Woods/90′s ATCQ fantasy line up thing. Has anyone ever mentioned this to you before? OR do some harcore Blockhead fans( that aren’t of the Patchouli wearing-fuzzy pant-rocking variety) really shell out over a hundo to come see the god? I imagine playing these types of shows are good for you. Getting paid, getting exposed to new fans, and the rest but do you ever resent it? Do you wish you could be maybe opening up on a tour with a rapper you know? I just ask mostly because youve said that these shows really aren’t your thing as far as a scene goes. Or does it not matter and a show is a show?

I can’t say I spend much time thinking about it. As far as festivals go, I’ve gotten to the point where I just suck it up and do them and end up having a good time. The thing is, while that’s not my scene, the people are generally very nice and the promoters are accommodating (except this one TIME.
While i’m sure there is a decent proportion of my fan base that is in the same boat as you, there are also others who love to go to festivals and relate my music much less to rap than someone who’s been listening to me since the early 2000′s. What I’m saying is, I do have a decent sized burner/electronic festival type following. While this surprises me as I think of my music as very much rooted in hip hop, I’m not about to be a dick about it and try and pick and choose fans. Everyone is welcome.
As for the hip hop festival idea, I don’t think it would work. My set , at the end of the day, plays better to people who are trying to dance or bug out. Hip hop crowds that stand and stare, while occasionally pumping a fist are not who I wanna play for. That may be more my personal scene (though, going to rap shows in 2013 is a fucking nightmare for me) but my fan base is something totally different, in general.

Did you ever bump into Eyedea or meet him? He’s an incredibly dope freestyler and I know he’s done some sessions/tracks with Aesop, Illogic, and that whole crew. Ever been present for a Rhymesayers freestyle?

I chilled with Eyedea around 2000. He and slug came to NYC for the Rock steady rap festival and we hung out and recorded some songs together. This is one of them:

The original version of “Bent Life” featured slug and Eyedea is another we did

Here’s a pic of him at my old crib kicking a rhyme to my inflatable doll/beer cozy

I think after that weekend, I saw him maybe once or twice again but he was a really good dude and one of the craziest freestylers I’ve ever witnessed. RIP

I know you’ve talked about not wanting to grow older and dying while you’re still young (young in the relative sense that you’re not some mentally/physically deteriorating mess with all sorts of old people problems). What do you think is the sweet spot age-wise for death? Don’t you think that you’re always going to have that self-preservation where in the moment, you won’t want to die?

I think it depends on a lot of factors. Do i have a family that needs me? Am I bored? Do i have plans for the future? In my mind, how long I’d want to live is directly related to how functional I am. If I’m ever at the point where I can’t wipe my own ass ever again, put me in a wheelchair and roll my ass off a bridge. Once that’s gone, so if your soul. But, seeing as that could happen tomorrow or in 50 years, I really can’t call it. I basically only want to live if I’m relatively physically functional. I don’t need to be doing wind sprints when I’m 70 but I’d like to be able to walk up some stairs if I need to. I’d like to not be the age that, if I trip, I might paralyze myself.
I often thought that I’d rather live a full life that ends the age of 40 than live a lame life to the ago of 80 but, as I’m nearing in on 40, I dunno if I agree with that anymore. I think a happy medium works for me. I have no interest in being an old, decrepit burden on anyone. So, if I live till 60 in generally good health and die mid-orgasm or something, I’m fine with that. Much better that than dying of starvation, half cocked off a toilet seat with a half wiped asshole cause my back gave out and I live alone.

do you say pop or soda? i think saying soda is weird, like calling kids children or cars automobiles. i hear some people in the south call all soda pop “coke” which seems ignorant as fuck. anyway pop or soda?

Pop is some midwest shit. I hear someone call soda “Pop” and , much like the words “hella” or “wicked”, I basically know where they’re from. Me and everyone I’ve ever met on the east coast call it “soda”.
The funny thing about your reasoning about why it’s weird to you that people would call it “soda” is that you’re saying that the full name of it is supposed to be “Soda pop”. Perhaps that might have been the case in the era of “Happy days” but who on this planet has called anything a “soda pop” in the last 30 years? It’s “soda” because that’s what it is…literally. Carbonation and flavored water. While “Pop” has a nice ring to it, it also sounds like something only a child should say. us grown folks though? Soda, bro. All day, every day.

Oh, side note…I wanna give a special shout out to a kid that came to my show in Richmond. He was the first through the door and walked right up to me and asked me to sign something for him. I agreed and he pulled out this:

(That’s what it looked like after I signed it)
But, yeah…Wow. In case you’re confused, that’s a pic of my that I posted on my instagram (@blockheadnyc) a few months ago for a #throwbackthursday. I was 15 in that pic…Killing it. This dude wins the grand prize for life. Props to you , guy. That made my night.