getting out of school and getting out of hand.

big first snowfall in western new york today. listening to this and cap'n jazz, walking in the slush:

http://www.stereogum.com/mp3/the-gum-drop/4w3q%20Mark%20Kozelek%20-%20Celebrated%20Summer.mp3

Love and hate were in the air, like pollen from a flower
Somewhere in April time, they add another hour

I guess I'd better think up a way to spend my time
Just when I'm ready to sit inside, it's summer time
Should I go fishing or get a friend to hang around
It's back to summer, back to basics, hang around

Getting drunk out on the beach, or playing in a band
And getting out of school meant getting out of hand

Was this your celebrated summer? Was that your celebrated summer?

Then the sun disintegrates between a wall of clouds
I summer where I winter at, and no one is allowed there

Do you remember when the first snowfall fell
When summer barely had a snowball's chance in Hell?

Why buy new?

Four speed manual transmission, engine was swapped for a 2.8L. Comes with several boxes of extra parts, and a spare set of wheels with studded snow tires. This car is driveable but the alternator output is weak. Requires a couple minutes to warm up in the morning. Shifter is loose and the gears are a little tricky to find. You have to stand on the clutch to shift gears. This is really a parts car - unless you truly want a project.



This Mercedes has no seatbelts in the back, and the ones in the front are of the airliner lap-best variety. There are safer cars out there for sale. Cars with thick slab like steel pillars cocooning you from the outside world. Cars with 7 airbags. Cars with airbags for your knees. They have fancy GPSs that will tell you where you should go; they have systems that will brake for you, before you even notice that the car in front of you is slowing down.

This Mercedes has none of those things. This Mercedes barely even has brakes. This Mercedes doesn't even have a conventionally operational heating system, or a radio. There are no power windows, locks, or mirrors. This car does not have seven airbags.

And those other cars, Their horns make cute little beeping noises, so considerate to not be rude. They don't have horns that sound with the arrogance and fury of some long dead Mongol warlord. They don't come with apocalyptic snow tires, all spikes and brutal tread. You cannot fix those cars on the side of the road, using a wrench as a hammer. Those cars will never force you to think, never allow you to exercise your own ingenuity. In those cars you can't stand up illegally through the sunroof from the back seat, and watch the moon with the cool night air blowing through you air.

Richard Nixon once said "Human existence is in the struggle." You could buy a car that will try and hide you from all the dangers of the world, but it won't save you; all the alarms, all the air bags, and the low sodium lattes in the world won't save you. Some day you will die. But at least you can die with the wind in your hair.

Alternatively it would make a good parts car.

(via Craigslist via Jalopnik)

Mike Skinner aka The Streets reemerges

Mike Skinner apparently just turned his phone back on after having it off for a year:

http://the-streets.co.uk/2010/10/i-loved-my-phone/

I'm really looking forward to another Streets album.

PODCAST 2 "here's where the story ends..."

FUN DEFICIT (podcast)
presents PODCAST #2
"... here's where the story ends... "

1. Sky Ferriera - "Animal (Miike Snow cover)"
2. Belle and Sebastian - "A Century of Fakers"
3. Fun Deficit - "Believe (smashing pumpkins cover)"
4. Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution - "It's a Wonderful Life"
5. Kings of Convenience - "Love is no big truth"
6. The Sundays - "Here's where the story ends" (live on french radio)
7. Styrofoam - "Couches in Alleys" feat. ben gibbard
8. Fun Deficit - "Love Won't Wait"
9. Blueboy - "So Catch Him"
10. Youth Group - "Forever Young"
11. Fun Deficit - "Van, by yourself"
12. Defiance Ohio - "Road signs always look better looking over your shoulder"
13. Hauschka - "Heimat"
14. Club 8 - "Spring came, rain fell"
15. The Radio Dept. - "A Token of Gratitude"
16. Small Factory - "If you hurt me"
17. That dog. - "Being with you"
18. Fun Deficit - "Karla"


Here's a podcast for you, a mix. I made this to put my songs in a lovely context. This mix is road songs and love songs about not being in love right now.


1. Sky Ferriera - "Animal (Miike Snow cover)" - I love this girl's voice. She's only 17 years old and she sounds like Cat Power.
2. Belle and Sebastian - "A Century of Fakers" - One of my favorite belle and sebastian songs. "If you ever go lardy or go lame, I will drop you straight away."
3. Fun Deficit - "Believe (smashing pumpkins cover)" - I've been listening to a ton of Smashing Pumpkins lately, inexplicably. I just love them and I've always loved this song, so I decided to cover it and it ended up sounding a lot like the Radio Dept.,
4. Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution - "It's a Wonderful Life" I just saw Streetlight Manifesto play live and this is them acoustic. They're so relentlessly positive. I can't listen to it enough.

5. Kings of Convenience - "Love is no big truth" Not really sure if we should listen to Billy Corgan and The Pumpkins for love advice, but I listen and believe in the love advice from Kings of Convenience.
6. The Sundays - "Here's where the story ends" (live on french radio) Brad says this is one of two decent songs they'd play at the department store where he used to work. I love this song and I love the girl's voice. The lyrics are fantastic and the song is just two chords.
7. Styrofoam - "Couches in Alleys" feat. ben gibbard - This song is an open letter to Jack Kerouac. I recently proposed to one of my friends she start a band of all open letters, like this and Leonard Cohen's "famous blue raincoat."

8. Fun Deficit - "Love Won't Wait" - A new song I wrote in one day. Written for my new album, but not written about me. A response song to Radiohead's "True Love Waits."
9. Blueboy - "So Catch Him" - love blueboy. Sarah Records twee from 1995
10. Youth Group - "Forever Young" (alphaville cover) I love the Jay Z song sampling this, but this cover speaks to my indie aesthetic. Classic.
11. Fun Deficit - "Van, by yourself" - a response song to Small Factory's "if you hurt me" - reference to a car, sensitivity, and a sly joke and lack of seriousness at the end.
12. Defiance Ohio - "Road signs always look better looking over your shoulder" - I saw DOH about a month ago and I loved it. I try to pitch them to my friends as the "Arcade Fire of the Gutterpunks" but I'm still the only person I know who likes them. Maybe they're more like a "yelling Weakerthans."
13. Hauschka - "Heimat" - beautiful prepared piano. Jaw-droppingly beautiful.
14. Club 8 - "Spring came, rain fell" - I love her voice so much and when I listen to this I imagine she's only singing to me.
15. The Radio Dept. - "A Token of Gratitude" - I love minimalist love songs. All it needs to say is "Do I love you? Yes I love you. But easy come, easy go..."
16. Small Factory - "If you hurt me" - Simple and emotional, what I like. "If you hurt me I'll be angry and I'll be sad."
17. That dog. - "Being with you" - the radder girl-weezer from the 1990s. I feel like I'm their only fan now.
18. Fun Deficit - "Karla" - With all the songs about love lost, this is the song in which I get the girl.


Further Reading

Braid - "I keep a Diary"

Club 8 - Spring Came, Rain Fell

I just love their bossanova/indie pop vibe and breathy girl vocals. If you are in a band and you want me to like your music, just get a girl to sing about the weather and I will likely love it.




Also ask a poetic question like "Are we still nowhere?"

My Favorite Japanese Cars

I've always loved VWs and other European things, but lately I've been really interested in Japanese cars. Here are the ones I love:


Toyota Celica - first generation. Every time I see one of these I like it more and more. My neighbors a block away have one under a tarp. I passed one every day going to work. They look like Mustangs in 2/3 scale. The headlights look awesome. This car just looks fantastic.



Miata - first generation in British racing green. I've always liked Miatas. Ever since I read Kafka on the Shore I wanted one bad. They're rwd. They're dirt cheap. I'm not crazy about convertibles but I love this small car.


Nissan S-Cargo. A freaky psychedelic reinterpretation of a Citroen 2CV delivery van. It's name means "Small Cargo." Also it means snail in french. This car rules.



Nissan Pao. Another one made at the same time by Nissan at their Pike factory. This looks like a Mini, a Renault R5 and a VW Squareback, but made cheap and awesome. This does retro right. This car looks like it's made out of plastic, but it looks 200% better than any new car sold in the USA*. I wish I could rock one of these now.


Toyota Land Cruiser circa late 1970s. How could you not like the original Toyota Land Cruiser? This vehicle is so boxy and awesome. The rear windows are so fantastic. One time in Costa Rica I got picked up hitchhiking by a Land Cruiser like this full of nuns. I've wanted one ever since (the Land Cruiser).

* - maybe new Porsches still look better.

Vespa flashback, summer of 2005

After I graduated college in 2005, I took a road trip from my parent's house about an hour west of Albany, all the way across Massachusetts, to Rhode Island on my poor-running 125cc Vespa. Here I am mid-trip stopping for lunch in one of those college towns sort of in the Berkshires. I wish I could remember where it was. It might have been Northampton or Amherst. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was. I remember I had directions written on masking tape on my speedometer. I didn't keep track of how many miles, but there's no way it could have been less than 500. I went to a scooter rally in Rhode Island and rode a 50+ mile ride that Saturday. So, the entire trip was most likely more than that. I had a great sandwich for lunch at some organic food co-op type place. I put my camera on timer on a picnic table and took this shot. The shirt says "Geneseo" something or other, one of my many free Geneseo shirts I picked up as a student there. Those Pumas I'm wearing wore out and got thrown out after I used them while washing dishes in a restaurant about 2 years ago. The Vespa and helmet currently sit unused in my garage.

Nissan Pao

Is the Nissan Pao the coolest car ever? I want one bad.

Vespas must go.

1975 Vespa Rally 200 for sale:

This is how it looks now. It's disassembled and ready to be restored, like it needs to be.

This is the same model and color of Sting's Vespa in Quadrophenia.


The engine is in decent shape. It started and idled fantastic when I bought it, but VIOLENTLY leapt out of third gear. So, I dropped the engine and installed a new cruciform. I put it back together and it still jumped out of gear. I lost interest.

It has the original 6V FEMSA electronic ignition. This is the European specifications model, with no premix, higher compression head, bigger headlamp.

A previous owner rode this scooter from Seattle to Sturgis and back. While in Sturgis he had the scooter signed by many motorcycle luminaries like Arlen Ness and Mike Corbin. The article was reportedly in V Twin magazine, but I don't have a copy.

Includes some Rat fink stickers.
Includes new pieces like a brand new correct Euro taillamp.
Cowls are straight!

Clear Oregon Title. I bought this at a yard sale 3 years ago and have not done anything with it except buy new parts and disassemble it. It is in pieces in my garage in NE Portland. This bike needs and deserves a full restoration. I was quoted $1500 on a full paint job.

I have all the rare Rally 200 bits, like the cowls, and the glovebox.

Price is $1600 OR BEST OFFER.

Please no hatemail on my price. They are not popping these out in Pontedera anymore.

Will consider total/partial trade for a Stella, Ruckus, other Vespa, or Lambretta, BMW or VW car. I'm a gearhead and I like those sort of things.


The worst part is some bad rust on the floor. I wish I could weld and repair this, but I can't so I'm letting it go.




I'd prefer not to ship this Vespa, but if you pay me for boxing and shipping, I could ship it anywhere. I have shipped scooters in the past.

Here's a picture of both of my Vespas. I might sell the white P Series too. Email me if interested.


This is what the Vespa looked like the day I bought it.

This will be a great Vespa for the right person. I am sad I can't give it the attention it deserves.

PODCAST

I made a radio show of some songs I like:

Club 8, Royksopp, acoustic and electronic mostly, indie pop. Things I like, in earnest.

Listen here:

http://soundcloud.com/fun-deficit/podcast

Eye for OG PAINT

Today I got the bright idea in my head that my VW is looking a little too drab and dirty. I love my Volkswagen for its "original ganster" hoodride type patina. But, there's no need for it too look completely shabby and neglected. Thus, I marched off to Autozone and picked up a can of Rustoleum Clear coat. I cleaned the bus with just some rags and water, getting all the imperfections and oxidation off. I just painted the passenger door, because here it started to rain and I ran out of daylight. Here's the result. Notice the contrast between the door and the front end that didn't recieve cleaning or paint.



Here's the hoodride looking a little bit more dignified. Note the muddy tires, from a little urban mudbogging I did this past week (driving the VW off road is great!). Click on the picture to see it in bigger detail.

Here's a picture of the VW from a few months ago when I was getting the back tire patched. Notice the blotchyness of the front door.


I'm perpetually unsure of what to do with the front of the bus. I popped out huge dents up there and scraped off lots of bondo. I prefer just looking at the bus from the sides, because the front end does look terrible. One of my friends comments that it looks like it's been through a warzone.

Maybe I'll tackle that sometime soon. In the meantime, enjoy this requisite dreamy TtV shot I took of the VW not so long ago.

ALTERNATIVE ROCK APPROVE!

I'm sure I haven't heard this song for years until today, but it's constantly in my head. I thought it was Mercury Rev or Sebadoh, but it's by a band called The Candy Skins.

Vespa Revival.

It's been a year since I last rode anywhere on my Vespa. For some reason only I understood at the time and I have no idea of now, it was last January and February 2009 when I got into riding the Vespa constantly. I rode it carefully around patches of ice to work and back. Then there was an unfortunate incident involving a very negligent owner of a BMW X3 and a disenchanted breakfast date, and my interest in the Vespa completely faded. I no longer self-identified as a "scooterist," but rather as "just some dude." I looked at it every once in a while, pushing it out of the way in my garage while riding my Lemond and driving the Fun Bus. Gradually, I forgot about the Vespa for a while, using it only to keep my Westfalia mattress off the garage floor. However, recently I've remembered the scooter aficionado I used to be, and I decided I wanted to start riding my Vespa again.

So today, on a break from work, I got started. I knew the Vespa wouldn't start, and I wanted to go through it to make it roadworthy. The first step was draining all the gas from the gas tank. I removed the seat and took out the gas tank, found my spare gas can and checked to see if the flow looked good. It did, and I put the old stale gas in the Volkswagen, which is by far a less picky eater. After that I took the carburetor off and disassembled it. I don't know why anyone ever refers to cleaning out a Dell'orto as "rebuilding it." It has fewer than 20 parts. I took each piece off, sprayed some mystical "carb cleaner" spray can at it for a few seconds, and then put it back together. I went with a 110 main jet, and realized for the first time ever that my idle jet says "60" on it. I don't think I even knew that one existed (it's under the pathetic little filter on top of the float). Then I put that together and put it all back. I put the rear mixture screw at its customary starting position of 1.5 turns out from all the way screwed in, and I put the idle adjuster at its position of all the way in until just before the throttle slide kinda starts to slide open.

Autozone down the street had two NGK B7ES spark plugs, which they sold me for a meager $4.98. Then I got fresh gas and a bit of two stroke oil and the cockroach of a scooter fired up on the third kick. It even idled in a hearty way only a two stroke single cylinder can do, casting a pulsing glow on the rainy driveway. I rode it in a small victory lap down the street and back in to the garage.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Vespa. It's built from pieces of other Vespas to the point where the most original features are scratches, dents, and rust. It's been a steady accessory through girlfriends that have come and gone, through apartments and places that are now only memories. It hasn't really been a trusty companion, as it's broken down all sorts of times, but never as much as you would expect. I have gotten sick of it a whole lot of times, but then put it away. Then I realize the problem was likely something very small, and it will only take a few ounces of effort to fix.

The major problem with my particular Vespa is that the fork is still bent. Luckily, I have line on an original replacement fork. Parts have been disconcertingly hard to come by, for some reason. I don't know why. The Italians stamped out tons of Vespas back in the day. It's not like it's a Citroen SM or something. It's supposed to be a common deal. Local scooter torch bearers P Town Scooters told me I would have to order a new fork from SIP in Germany, which would set me back somewhere in the multiple hundreds of dollars range, they guessed. So I called around a week or two ago, inspired by my Volkswagen's increased gluttony for fuel, among other things, and got a line on one from a reputable longstanding scooter shop, many states away. I realized I missed talking shop with scooter people, rattling off that I was looking for a 16mm fork, but I would consider a newer 20mm style one. Hopefully that fork will get here soon and I can get the scooter buttoned up a little bit more.

The great thing about owning old vehicles for a long time is that every year they are more rare. More people are giving up on their old vehicles and going with some sort of more sane alternative. My Vespa was around 25 years old when I got it, and now it's around 30. Every year it's getting older, and a little bit more classic.

How Those Days Just Disappear.

Poster from The Lucksmiths farewell concert, 2009.

Kind of Like Spitting - "Valentine's Day is over." (Billy Bragg Cover)

Kind of Like Spitting covers Billy Bragg on a cassette from 12 years ago:

LINK

My Favorites

According to Last.fm, this is a ranked list of my 100 favorite bands:

1		The Lucksmiths			1,301
2		The Hold Steady			589
3		Defiance, Ohio			578
4		Elliott Smith			551
5		The Promise Ring			533
6		Kings of Convenience			511
7		Turtles In Time			446
8		Explosions in the Sky			435
9		Kind of Like Spitting			400
10		Damien Jurado			356
10		The Magnetic Fields			356
12		The Wrens			329
13		múm			316
14		Club 8			311
15		Jawbreaker			300
16		Braid			289
17		Bob Nanna			287
18		Brand New			279
19		Fun Deficit			272
20		Belle and Sebastian			266
21		The Microphones			265
22		Billy Bragg			263
23		The Mountain Goats			248
24		Low			245
25		Cat Power			240
26		Idlewild			239
26		R.E.M.			239
28		The Field Mice			237
29		Weezer			236
30		Rockets And Blue Lights			231
31		The Weakerthans			229
31		Apples of the Earth			229
33		Pinhead Gunpowder			226
33		Bright Eyes			226
35		Beulah			219
36		Small Factory			213
37		The Get Up Kids			209
37		The Notwist			209
39		Cap'n Jazz			200
40		Ted Leo and The Pharmacists			193
41		Blur			177
42		Nada Surf			176
43		Casiotone for the Painfully Alone			174
44		Fennesz			169
45		Another Sunny Day			162
46		Styrofoam			161
47		Built to Spill			160
48		The Streets			159
49		Phish			157
50		One Reason			153
50		Wu-Tang Clan			153
52		Christie Front Drive			152
53		that dog.			149
54		Streetlight Manifesto			144
55		Townes Van Zandt			143
56		Against Me!			142
57		Yo La Tengo			140
58		The Capstan Shafts			137
58		The American Analog Set			137
60		No Kids			136
61		Ben Lee			128
62		Superchunk			125
62		The Softies			125
64		Reggie and the Full Effect			123
65		The Sea Urchins			122
66		Castawaves			120
67		The Pine			119
68		Ash			118
68		Pavement			118
70		Boys Life			116
71		The Secret Stars			115
71		Kalpana			115
73		Ben Folds			113
74		The Walkmen			109
75		Maritime			103
76		Graham Coxon			100
77		The Smashing Pumpkins			97
77		Silver Jews			97
77		Mirah			97
80		Blueboy			96
81		Death Cab for Cutie			94
81		The Transmissionary Six			94
83		The Orchids			92
83		The Knife			92
85		Novi Split			91
85		Trembling Blue Stars			91
87		The One AM Radio			90
87		Hot Chip			90
89		Jason Anderson			88
89		Oasis			88
91		Jimmy Eat World			87
91		Saturday Looks Good to Me			87
91		Röyksopp			87
94		M83			86
95		This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb			85
96		Unrest			84
97		Superdrag			83
98		Bad Religion			82
99		Rocket Punch			81
100		The Evens			77
100		Jets to Brazil