New Albanian Brewing Co. Draft Truck

My friend and local beer distributor, Ryan Burke, sent me a link to a broken old 1973 beer truck that he found on Craig's List last December. I fell in love, went to bat, begged, pleaded, and finally scored one for the team. Here she is on her maiden voyage...

"It's like an ice cream truck for grown-ups."

Control

Between the ages of 19 and 21 I lived my life to the sounds of Joy Division. It was my my introspective, post-punk, post-rehab, post-sanity(?) soundtrack. As far as Joy Division goes, I was behind the times. I had already lived a full skater/punk life through the likes of Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Social Distortion, Agent Orange, Naked Raygun, etc, etc. Traveling backwards in time to Joy Division was a way of slowing down and reevaluating what I already knew to be a fucked up life. I liked what I heard and the words that Ian Curtis wrote. The first songs I learned to play on my Peavey T-40 Bass were covers of songs from Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album. My musical career was short and sloppy and folded to Goldman's Pawn Shop in exchange for a quick fix, but the music never left my head.


Tonight i watched Control for the first time. It grabbed my emotionally-crippled-from-birth-side-of-life and forced me back to a time that I thought I'd forgotten. I thought this blog might lean towards "the random, wonderful things", but, yeah, no.

If you haven't watched Conrol, do. If you grew up with any kind of punk influence you'll appreciate the film. If you didn't, you need to see it anyway. Me? I don't know what just happened. Ian Curtis is an asshole, New Order sucked, and I feel happy and angry and sad at the same time, again.

The artistic crime of the century

Man on Wire was released in August of 2008. I missed it when it showed at Baxter Ave. Filmworks, but it must have been stunning on the big screen. It was one of those movies that I kept swearing to see in the theater. I even marked the calender when I found out it would be playing in Louisville, but, you know... Anyway, I finally rented it a few weeks ago from Wild and Wolly Video and I still can't get it out of my head. At one point, I thought this guy was just another egotistical, jack-ass, thespian, but goddammit, he did it. He really did it. It's an awesome story and a fantastic production, one of the best documentaries that I've seen. I hope you have an opportunity to watch it. I can't wait to see it again.

Creatives grow better in the South West

Rodenbach Ad Campaign

After working as a promotions and brand development guy, I love artistic, creative ads - especially when it involves my favorite beer being endorsed by mythological and historical martyrs.


I admit that I smile nearly every time I hear one of the stupid Anheuser Busch “Here’s to you, Mr. (insert occupation) guy”, but, seriously... Rodenbach had the courage to take the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, spin it with a smiling, trendy-looking, guy pinned to a tree by arrows, and put a Rodenbach in his hand.


Another nod of the head to Euro fairytales, martyrdom and mythology. The daughter of Herodias was fabled to have asked Herod for the head of John the Baptists on a platter.


The term figurehead, or masthead, originated from the carvings at the prow of ships of the 16th to 19th centuries. In Germany, Belgium, and Holland, it was once believed that spirits/faeries called Klaboutermannikins (water mannikins) dwelt in the figureheads. The spirit guarded the ship from sickness, rocks, storms, and dangerous winds. If the ship sank, the Klaboutermannikin guided the sailors' souls to the Land of the Dead. To sink without a Klaboutermannikin condemned the sailor's soul to haunt the sea forever, so Dutch sailors believed.


and of course, we all know Joan of Ark.

Creative, intelligent, tastefully done advertising. Thank you, Rodenbach, as if your beer wasn't good enough.