electronicpaul: berk. sorry for being so unprepared and
unprofessional.. Do you have any time this afternoon?
berkeleyjoe: ummm, maybe?
electronicpaul: i try and be as quick as possible. could you drop me a line?
electronicpaul: i try=I'll try
berkeleyjoe: yah sure
berkeleyjoe: we could do some of it now??
berkeleyjoe: if you can live without my "undivided" attention
electronicpaul: ok cool.
electronicpaul: Lets start at the beggining.
electronicpaul: youre ten years old and youre in your bedroom reading
comics and eating cocoa puffs....
electronicpaul: what happens next?
berkeleyjoe: well, generally if i was eating cereal i was watching television
berkeleyjoe: but that's quibbling
berkeleyjoe: i guess if i was doing the above the next thing that
happens would be I either turn the page or, uh, go outside and ride my
bike?
electronicpaul: cool. very hawaiin.
electronicpaul: speaking of which, you live there yes?
berkeleyjoe: yeah, now i do, but at 10 years old i was in southern california
berkeleyjoe: i guess it's californian as well? to ride your bike i mean
berkeleyjoe: i liked jumping off of curbs
berkeleyjoe: i had a very specific route & course up & down my street
electronicpaul: nice. once i jumped off my garage roof and hit my head
on my chin, and my front tooth went thru my top lip.
electronicpaul: my mom screemed at my older brother for letting me do i
electronicpaul: i=it
electronicpaul: i had a huge lip after, like donald duck
berkeleyjoe: jeez, you jumped your bike off your garage roof?? or you
just jumped your body off it
berkeleyjoe: i liked climbing on top of my garage, but generally
avoided jumping off of it
electronicpaul: my body.
electronicpaul: we were trying to see who could jump the farthest. I
won. I knew when i was flying thru the air that i was gonna win., I
also knew i was f*cked, and was scared, cause i went far.
electronicpaul: so berk
electronicpaul: lets go thru your list of names.
electronicpaul: berk, berkely, joe, kk, keith, what else?
berkeleyjoe: alfred pennyworth, kool keith, berkeley joe
berkeleyjoe: those are the basic 3
berkeleyjoe: i got into using kool keith el otro, too, for clarification's sake
electronicpaul: right
berkeleyjoe: people starting thinking, sometimes, that i was THE kool keith
berkeleyjoe: which i never anticipated
electronicpaul: like me
electronicpaul: remember?
berkeleyjoe: heh, yeah. did you really think that??
electronicpaul: yes, for a hot minute
electronicpaul: like dats
electronicpaul: days
berkeleyjoe: yah, well. i guess i'm generally vague enough that people might
electronicpaul: right
berkeleyjoe: that's why i usually use the el otro now
electronicpaul: right
electronicpaul: whats your real name?
berkeleyjoe: hmmmm. that's like asking eazy-e "what's your real age"
electronicpaul: no it aint.
electronicpaul: ;-)
berkeleyjoe: it's classified, i guess you'd say
electronicpaul: ok.
electronicpaul: why do you prefer anonymity
berkeleyjoe: paranoia? it started out that i was paranoid my work
would find out about my blog
berkeleyjoe: but i guess nowadays i wouldn't be too concerned about it
berkeleyjoe: i've definitely lightened up about it, but i guess it's
tradition now? the fake name stuff
berkeleyjoe: kind of the idea that it shouldn't matter who i really
am? all that should matter is what i'm saying? (if anything)
electronicpaul: right. i used to be paranoid too, but than i got a
handgun, so now i aint worried bout crazies.
berkeleyjoe: haha. well, i don't have a gun. but it's not really
about being afraid.
berkeleyjoe: it was, originally, the idea of mixed up personalities,
and that reinforcing the lack of ego i thought would be important to
my writing
berkeleyjoe: although, oftentimes, the opposite is probably true
berkeleyjoe: like the irony that a blog is so egocentric, but to make
one that blurs the author's identity, separates it, i dunno
electronicpaul: for sure. i agree. as an example, you could use the
busblogs blog, where the ego has completely taken over the blog, so
much so you could prolly just start callin it the Egoblog.
electronicpaul: berk, where did the fascination with Kool Keith come from?
berkeleyjoe: well that's the whole thing, i'm no one to talk, because
there is mos def a degree of ego in my shit as well. its' impossible
to have a glob and not have ego present.
berkeleyjoe: it's inherent in the design, you're calling for attention.
berkeleyjoe: as for tony, he definitely struts his feathers on
occasion, but he's earned it to a degree. he's done a lot for the
"blogosphere", and mos def ultrablognetic would not exist, at least
would not have been born when it was, if not for tony. so i'll leave
that at that.
berkeleyjoe: as for the kool keith thing....
electronicpaul: boring...
electronicpaul: ;-)
berkeleyjoe: in re: kool keith, i dunno if it was even a fascination,
at first at least.
berkeleyjoe: i admired his use of different id's. the way that he
almost avoided major stardom, and still does to a degree, on purpose,
vis a vis, the use of different names.
berkeleyjoe: dr. dooom, black elvis, etc.
berkeleyjoe: the balls to just throw all the standard practice of
building a "brand name" out the window, in the pursuit of a more pure
artform
berkeleyjoe: at least theoretically
electronicpaul: he has like 24 dif personalities, right?
berkeleyjoe: something like that, he's all over, and the wild thing is
some albums, dr. dooom, in particular, don't even say "kool keith" on
them anywhere
berkeleyjoe: i love that.
berkeleyjoe: so that was what i wanted the basis of the blog to be, no
"branding" of my "name" just these random names floating around, all
leading to the same source, the blog
electronicpaul: brand names are boring. I was always attracted to what
KK was doing as hew was so passionate.
electronicpaul: Passion is so attractive in any art
berkeleyjoe: definitely. and the funny thing about keith is sometimes
almost his lack of passion. he definitely comes through half ass on
some of his stuff
berkeleyjoe: but if he's got the right producer kicking his ass, for
example kutmasta kurt on that last disc, you can get definite gold
berkeleyjoe: so i have some of that "don't give a fuck" in my shit for sure too
electronicpaul: If i was gay, id be a Kool Keith groupie.
electronicpaul: Berk, you have a writing style that is very
entertaining. is it unique? or did you meld it together from many dif
sources.
berkeleyjoe: what's unique? yeah, i like to think it is. i like to
think i don't get my style from anywhere else, but of course i do
berkeleyjoe: as for where? shit, i don't know
berkeleyjoe: i just try to come as original as i can
berkeleyjoe: hunter s. thompson is definitely an influence on me
berkeleyjoe: as well as keith, frank miller, I dunno, prolly quite a
few others I'm not even aware of…
berkeleyjoe: but i try to avoid "influence" as much as possible
berkeleyjoe: almost to the point where i catch myself if i'm writing
"like" someone, and erase that shit
electronicpaul: unique is you didnt copy anybody, like so many people
copy tony, by using lowercase letters, double spaces, and periods. i
hate hopw people copy me by using the word "hot" all the time. they
should say 'cold' or som,ething else. something unique.
berkeleyjoe: hahaha. who you, paris hilton?
electronicpaul: who?
berkeleyjoe: copying, at least to a degree, is impossible not to do
electronicpaul: ive never been there.
berkeleyjoe: were all influenced by this big conglomeration that is pop culture
electronicpaul: mtv created me.
berkeleyjoe: it's just a matter of trying to make a unique
interpretation of your view of it? shit, i dunno
berkeleyjoe: sometimes i think i should live in a log cabin int he
woods for a year and THEN write a book
berkeleyjoe: but, shit, what would it be about?
berkeleyjoe: influence is imposoible to avoid
electronicpaul: do you write professionally?
berkeleyjoe: oh no. i'd love to someday. but no. i've never been
paid a dime for anything i've written creatively.
berkeleyjoe: i want to get more into submitting stuff to mags,
literary rags, etc., but i've been excessively sloth in doing so
electronicpaul: i encourage you to do so. try McSweeneys. i think theyd like it.
electronicpaul: nonetheless, you should actively put your shit out there.
electronicpaul: its hot, and someone with money and influence should read it
electronicpaul: how long have you been blogging?
berkeleyjoe: thanks, i'll keep that in mind
berkeleyjoe: hmmm, the blog started in 2002? yeah
berkeleyjoe: i think june of 2002? so since then
electronicpaul: and why?
berkeleyjoe: haha. well, this leads us back to tony
electronicpaul: tony...?
berkeleyjoe: he had some contest?? i guess, he was trying to get links
berkeleyjoe: and he said if you link his blog, he'd link you, or he
was ttrying to get links? i forget
berkeleyjoe: anyway, i started my blog just to give him another link
in his "link quest"
electronicpaul: like zelda
berkeleyjoe: i was inspired by another brand new blog that had done it
berkeleyjoe: the hosemonster blog
electronicpaul: ah yes, the hosemonster...
berkeleyjoe: i checked that out, and started mine the next day
berkeleyjoe: yes, we were contemporaries, started the same time, so we
always kept in touch, links, talking on the im, etc.
berkeleyjoe: his blog is basically defunct now
berkeleyjoe: he went to law school and got married & disapperaed of the net
berkeleyjoe: his archives are filled with very good stuff though,
highly recommended, especially his interviews with toilets
electronicpaul: hmm....i'll have to check that out.
electronicpaul: do you still tlk with him?
berkeleyjoe: nah, i aint' seen him online in prolly over a year
electronicpaul: hmm...
electronicpaul: i hope he didnt get captured by the UN.
electronicpaul: whats up with this>
electronicpaul: http://adognamedclipper.blogspot.com/
berkeleyjoe: ah yes
berkeleyjoe: my "backup" blog
berkeleyjoe: it was created in a fit of pique when the main glob was
fucked up for a while
berkeleyjoe: i needed a place to stash my id overflow
berkeleyjoe: i've used it for various stuff off & on since i started it
berkeleyjoe: mostly la clipper stuff nowadays, or other sports stuff
berkeleyjoe: sometimes i used to just post stuff over there for chunks
of time out of weird job related paranoia
electronicpaul: j.o.b. being what?
berkeleyjoe: eh, nothing overly exciting, i basically work in an
office for the most part
berkeleyjoe: a niche section of the engineering/computer/power industry
berkeleyjoe: pays the bills
electronicpaul: an office? like those guys in "The Office?"
berkeleyjoe: mmm, well, i'm not in a cubicle
berkeleyjoe: i've got my own office. it's a small shop. i'm lucky,
there's no major office politics, big corp hassles, etc.
berkeleyjoe: but every compnay, no matter the size, obviously has it's
share of politics of one kind or another
electronicpaul: rightchur
electronicpaul: kk, youve been blogging for 2+ years now. tell us
about the future.
berkeleyjoe: hmmm, of what? ultrablognetic? or blogging in general?
berkeleyjoe: as for ultra, it'll continue on
berkeleyjoe: i don't think i'll ever officially "retire" it
berkeleyjoe: even if i post once a year, it'll always be nice to have
electronicpaul: where do you get your pics?
berkeleyjoe: oh, from all over
berkeleyjoe: google searches, etc.
berkeleyjoe: i have some comic cover sites i use for those
berkeleyjoe: comics.org? i think
berkeleyjoe: they're great for the comic covers
berkeleyjoe: plus buzznet if i ever have something from "real life" i
want to use
electronicpaul: do you care to tell us how old you are?
berkeleyjoe: guess it couldn't hurt. i'm 32
berkeleyjoe: an old old fart
electronicpaul: wow! youre so old!
electronicpaul: god damn
electronicpaul: wow!
electronicpaul: 32!
electronicpaul: wow.
berkeleyjoe: yup, metamucil, i'm immune to that shit already
electronicpaul: i think that once people hit 60, they should just
throw them over a cliff...
electronicpaul: like lemmings do
berkeleyjoe: hahaha
berkeleyjoe: we'll see how you feel aobut that when you're 60...
berkeleyjoe: it's such a cliche, but truly, age ain't nothin but a #
berkeleyjoe: it's all in the attitude, what you do with your
experiences or lack thereof
electronicpaul: well, and plus you get very conservative views, and
also start to like movies with older people in them and stuff like
that.
berkeleyjoe: nah, that's a load of shit i think
berkeleyjoe: you just get older man
berkeleyjoe: it's how you deal with it
electronicpaul: and conservative.
electronicpaul: anywaysys.
electronicpaul: ;-)
berkeleyjoe: conservative, as in politics... that comes with money
electronicpaul: right
berkeleyjoe: as you get older, you get money, and you wanna preserve that money
electronicpaul: and ignorance
berkeleyjoe: and generally, the conservatives are seen as the party
that helps you do that
berkeleyjoe: BUT to pigeonhole everyone over 40 as a conservative
money grubbing ignoramus is fantastically ignorant in itself
electronicpaul: i heard that in middle america, everybody is
conservative, and they go to church evrtynight, and they only get 3
channels on tv. FOX, the 700 Club, and disney.
electronicpaul: do you have tv in Hawaii?
berkeleyjoe: eh, that's just more generalization
berkeleyjoe: haha. of course ew have tv here
berkeleyjoe: the thing about getting older, it's what you do with it
berkeleyjoe: you either keep your eyes open, or you close em
berkeleyjoe: if you keep em open, shit, as you get older, you'll be
amazed the shit you figure out, the shit that looks so simple now,
that wehn you were 20 you thought was indecipherable
berkeleyjoe: dealing with people, the way some parts of the world
work, etc. etc.
berkeleyjoe: but there area lot of older people that jsut close their
eyes to that shit and watch their money & keep to their shit and say
"fuck the world," yes, there's that too, mos def
electronicpaul: keith, lindsey lohan or hillary duff?
electronicpaul: brb.
electronicpaul: bk
berkeleyjoe: eh, i'm not crazy about either of them. i could make a
comment about lohan's weight loss and how the sad slide repercussion
thereby, but everybody says that shit
berkeleyjoe: as they stand right now, i'd have to say hillary i
guess?? if backed into a corner with a pitchfork
electronicpaul: berk, ima ready to wrap. do you wanna talk bout anything else?
berkeleyjoe: nah, i'm cool. i think we covered quite a few bases there
electronicpaul: yah, we did. im gonna take a bit to edit and format.
if you want to include anthing else, ANYthing, just lemme know in th
enext two hours k?
berkeleyjoe: okey doke, will od
berkeleyjoe: will do
electronicpaul: thanks for doing this with me, much appreciated.
berkeleyjoe: no prob man
berkeleyjoe: i enjoyed it
berkeleyjoe: hopefully i want come off like an arrogant ass