On metal and coporate America.

So, I may be reliving my high school years by totally digging Wolfmother and High On Fire. Does this mean I'm a metal head? Probably. But both bands are so good. Wolfmother has this whole Black Sabbath jazzy deal going on (with hints of Blue Meanies, for those who know), while High On Fire is just good ole sraight-ahead rock n' roll ala Motorhead. But maybe I'm making that up.

There is something about a good power trio, yes.

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On another note: I've got a new project for Fresno Famous. It goes like this: For one month I buy nothing from coporate chains. No Starbucks. No Barnes and Nobles. No Save Mart or Whole Foods or even Traders Joes. Everything has to be locally owned. And then I write about it. Or maybe blog about it during the process, with an indepth piece at the end, looking at what I learned. And why buying into mom and pops is good (or bad, as the case may be).

I got the idea from, "Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom and Pop,", which I saw on cable this weekend. It's a great look at how coporate America has changed the idea of "community," with an underlying emphasis on America's consumer culture, and how some cities are dealing with it. Very relevent to Fresno, where we love us some big-box chain stores. The bigger and chainier, the better.

Now, I'm not out to inditement big-box chain stores (although FUCK YOU Best Buy). I went to Starbucks this morning. I bought myself a bike pump at REI when I could have gone to Stevens Bicycles. But it will be interesting to see A.) If it's possible to live "off the chain-store" grid and B.) what affects it will have on my buying habits.