trifecta

Religion is such a touchy subject but shit, I've already tackled racism and materialism lately might as well go for the trifecta.

I wrote a 4000 word feature on hip hop in Hong Kong recently for Muse magazine. The feature was returned to me with enough scribbles and marks on it to resemble Jack Torrance's room.

There were many things they asked me to change, such as my central theme on Radio Raheem/Do The Right Thing/NYC ("our readers are local Hong Kong people"), but the biggest part they wanted me to change was the entire section on hip hop pastor Jaeson Ma and, specifically his chat with Edison Chen.

Basically, they thought that paragraph, which talked about how Jaeson reached out to Edison and helped Edison find God and repent, read too much like Christian propaganda.

"I agree, that's why I made sure to quote him directly to show that these are his words, not my words," I said.

"But still, we find it hard to believe that Edison really gave himself to God and repented all his sins."

"I concur. But that's what Jaeson Ma told me and I merely quoted him."

"Well, it just reads too much like we're trying to preach Christianity and we think most locals wouldn't accept all that stuff about Edison anyways."

"Should I scrap the whole Edison/Jaeson Ma thing?"

"No, you should write it but offer analysis and your own perspective"

"Haha, are you sure now? I'm worried I may offend stops to look around 'them'."

Yes. Them.

I have a close friend named Mike, whom I went to high school with, and had many a battles over the years on the basketball courts and the poker tables (by battles I mean serious near-fist-fight battles).

He's absolutely one of the most knowledgeable film and music guy I know. Former banker. Former band member. Former gambler. Current USC film student. Christian for life. More importantly, he's one of maybe eight close friends I have in the world.

But sometimes,  his religious values are a bit overbearing.

Not because I have anything against him and his values, but I always feel that overly religious people are quite intimidating. There's always a sense of skepticism coming from my end because they're so outrageously righteous.

Maybe I'm just cynical. example: I don't like hearing "lines". I'll like it when a girlfriend, a close family member, or a close friend tell me they love me. But when it comes from a stranger or a casual friend, I'm not moved by it. I'm thinking "get outta here" and then I think of the White Stripes song You don't know what love is (you just do as you're told).

So, Mike has taken me to his church several times, and the initial ultra friendliness always scares me a bit. Plus I'm self-conscious because of my fucking last name.

I think religion is needed for some though. A friend and I have always discussed that if not for his religion, Mike would have been a "bad boy"-- a school bully, one of them cats who are self-centered and egotistical and generally carry an air of arrogance. Think 80% of the idiots at Play (especially the owner) and you have an idea.

We say this because Mike has this meanstreak to him. When we play poker and I outplay him (happens all the time, cause you know, I read people like a book), he gets genuinely angry. When he bashes people's music taste (and rightfully so, he IS THE MOST knowledgeable music person I know, by far), he gets downright venomous. He is the supreme music snob. But because of his religion, he tries to hold that attitude back. He'll go off on someone and then immediately throw in a "in my opinion though" as if that changes anything. As I've mentioned before, I once threw a punch at him back in 97. And I can honestly say he absolutely deserved it at the time because he had this meanstreak on the basketball court that led to dirty play.

The meanstreak is just one "vice" he's managed to suppress because of his faith. He's also a hardcore gambler and he tells me he won't drink because he knows if he starts he won't stop.

So in a way, he was born to be this cocky, prick of a dude, only one of those guys who are actually good at everything they're cocky at, so you can't really do nothing about it (like Bradley Cooper in Wedding Crashers I guess). But because he found Christianity, he was able to suppress it. And I absolutely admire him for that.

But for the rest of us? For the Marvin REAL LAKER FAN Lee and me, who are generally mild mannered, the whole religion thing is a bit much for us.

I dunno where I'm going with this.... I guess this goes back to the whole Jaeson Ma/Edison thing. Yes, I did indeed roll my eyes when Jaeson was telling me how EDC "completely gave himself to god and rediscovered himself", but I didn't think twice about putting it on paper because those were his words and I'm a journalist.

But Muse wants me to not take everyone's words as gospel (haha pun intended) and to take a step back and have my own look.

And my look? like, Meryl Streep's opinion of Philip Seymour Hoffman in this year's best-acted movie: DOUBT.

How can I write that without offending someone like Mike though? It's his way of life. But Mike is a good dude (like cooked food) and he'll be okay with me. At least until the next time I check-raise him for the pot. HA!

Yo, We at war

We at war with terrorism, racism, and most of all we at war with ourselves

Okay this is random but i just watched 24 Herb's music video Hu Ge. It's a song about huge cleavage... right?

but all the girls in the video are.... traditional skinny models with no curves. definitely not huge cleavage.

huh? who did the casting for this?

dont get me wrong, those girls are all pretty. but they do not have huge, or even big, cleavage.

how do you make a video and then get the main theme wrong?

i must say, i'm disappointed. i'm not even expecting Scarlett Johansson/Katy Perry style cleavage, but come on!!!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYk9-IS_zGg

the GOAT.