Holy Crap, Portishead is back

Back in the day I worked my way through college as a DJ. Not some radio dude but an actual DJ on the wheels of steel. I spun some hip-hop and some house/trance music. I had a gig in a club for awhile and then started doing mobile, mostly at a variety of parties, some legit, some not (guess which ones I preferred). All of it was fun, but the best part was spinning the music and morphing my own sound while watching the crowd have a good time. One thing I really got into was the downtempo or trip-hop scene that came out of Bristol, UK. I used to love mixing up some Tribe called Quest (what ever happened to Phife?) or De la Soul with some Massive Attack or Tricky but my all time fav was Portishead.

Well, in a fit of procrastination, I was surfing the interwebs and discovered that Portishead will be releasing their next studio set, called Third, on April 28, 2008. Not quite as exciting as a new Radiohead album, but its close (and its been 10 years!!). Can’t wait, I’m gettin my preorder on now at iTunes.

Get the Real Stuff (another fashion post)

The other night Mrs Juniorprof and I watched Illicit: the Dark Trade on our favorite channel, PBS. One of the major themes of the show was how fake handbags are tied into the organized crime business in ways that many of us could never imagine. Ever been to China Town in NYC to get a cheap LV pursue. Don’t do it, your money is going to support all kinds of terrible things, but you probably figured that would be the case. Either way, no one around here would dream of doing such a thing!

So, aside from the dark side of this business, it got me thinking… what is the major difference between rip-offs and the real thing. Well, this is obvious, quality. Are they worth the money? Maybe yes, maybe no, depends on what you expect by buying some pieces from a top designer. An Armani or Canali suit, for instance, can feel so good on that you want to wear it all the time. Then again, one a thousand bucks cheaper can look and feel just as nice. A good deal of the business that the big houses get is from the fashion victim. I know, I’m a recovering fashionista. In this case, that D&G outfit sure might look fab but its not any better quality than what you’d find anywhere else, its just the design and the name. But heck, buy if you like, I sure as shit did!

So what’s the point? One thing I have consistently noticed is that some designers make shoes that put all the rest to shame. Case in point, Prada. I’ve got a couple pair of Prada shoes that I paid way too much for. But you know what, I’ve had them for years (one for almost ten), they still look two days old and when I wear ’em I’m sure there are little elves in there massaging my feet. So, yes, I’m a recovering fashion victim and I still fall prey to my old addiction from time to time but one thing I’ll never get over is a real pair of Prada shoes. Worth the money everytime!

Yes, PP, I know I’m ruining my blog.