As a connoisseur of t-shirts, I have to say that the Petrolcide shirt that Bro Taguchi gave me is pretty high up on my list. The best part is you get to live out the irony as you fill up when you’re wearing it.
There’s nothing more American than “sucking at the teat”–filling up at the the gas station–which is the heart and soul of our economy.

Too bad the price of gas is going down lately. That means my bling-status is dropping. Shit. Taguchi and I have speculated that in five years rappers will not wear diamonds, but instead will hang gas cans around their necks and brag about how much gas they have. That’s because the price of gas will be worth more than a “midget hangin’ from my necklace.”
The only problem with the T shirt is that it does invoke the gas station scene in Zoolander. But maybe that’s not a problem, on second thought–because it’s actually the same idea. Just substitute yourself for Derek Zoolander.
Pick it up at http://www.bant-shirts.com/petrolcide-t-shirt.htm

And no, Bant-shirts.com is not paying us for this. I just dig their style. Furthermore, I’m an oil-addict, too. Damnit.
-Spanky McGee, CEO of Bling-Bling Oil Co.

“The gravy train — make that the sausage, biscuits and gravy train — just kept on rolling in most of America last year, with 31 states showing an increase in obesity.”

Read the CNN article here.
Did someone just talk about biscuits and gravy? Who’s ready to roll to the Hamburg Inn?

We at Soupy Trumpet are proud of those who are gettin’ it done at OCB, Shakey’s, and Sakura. You are all good Americans.

So I was scouring youtube.com going from one video to the next and somehow stumbled upon a Jodeci song.  See Jodeci was pretty much the first concert the Pumpkin ever saw in person.  That day goes down in the top 100 days of early pumpkinhood.  Not only was this video one of their songs, but pretty much my favorite one.  As it turns out this is the Mickey Mouse Club singing it.  As if that isn’t enough it turns out being Justin Timberlake, J.C. Chasez, and Ryan Gosling.  So I am posting it and then a link to a live appearance from 1995 at the Apollo, Jodeci singing that song.

Jodeci’s Live Version

I came across what appears to be as close to an authority on cover songs If you ever wanted to know if your favorite song has been covered or to see if your favorite artists have done covers then for sure go to this site.

secondhandsongs.com

I emphasize that these are ghetto. Big time. But there are moments in which they can come through–when you come home hammered, for example. (Provided you’re coherent enough to operate the microwave without catching the house–or yourself–on fire). The ghetto burrito is not meant to replace or to surpass El Burrito Loco, El Ranchero, or even Taco Bell. The GB is Johnny Standby. Old Faithful.

1. Hormel chili.

2. Taco cheese

3. Azteca tortillas (the big ones that come in a pack of eight). You can’t mess with Azteca.
4. Hot sauce (optional).

Put a few honkin’ spoonfuls of Hormel chili on the ‘ tortilla. Sprinkle the cheese on that shit and nuke that sumbitch for 49 seconds. Rip that thing out of the microwave, fold it, and kill it.
If you add more ingredients to that burrito, you have dispelled its “ghettoness.” Doing so may be good, but I’m talking about the bare minimum ingredients that will keep your ass satisfied when you come home from The Field House in Iowa City. (Especially if you passed up those rockin’ shishkabobs on the way back).
Post your own burrito recipe as a comment.

-El Spanko Guapo

Check out Drummerworld.

It’s pretty much the king of drumming sites on the web, but it has something to offer non-drummers: free MP3s of many of your favorite tracks. I don’t know how the webmaster pulled it off, but he has, apparently. Browse all the different drummers to look for those obscure tracks you’ve always wanted. You can also download tons of videos of crazy-ass drummers showing off their chops. Sweet. Get out your pad and rock the double-paradiddles.
-Spanky McGee

This is the first installment of the “Pumpkin Roundup” your guide to the entertainment world from the head of the pumpkin patch.

Snakes on a Plane - Theatrical Release
I like Sam J as much, if not more than most people. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I have a man-crush on him, but I am still very fond. I remember one of my proudest photoshop moments involved me putting my grill piece on SJ’s body on the Shaft poster. All that being said, I’d have to say that this movie was a bit of a let down for the Pumpkin. The buzz is there, and I am a sucker for hype. The theater on a Friday day usually is filled by me and maybe three other people tops. The Snakes showing had probably about ten, so apparently the hype worked on others. This worked to my benefit because I got to watch an uncomfortable mother-son moment when there was a topless sex scene. The little guy’s little sausage fingers were twittling in the popcorn and shoveling into his pie whole at a speed only seen by the few that luckily witnessed the Pumpkin sneaking a snack in while the teacher was out in the hall back in the jv days. Essentially the movie itself was a showcase of Sam Jackson playing the pop-icon Sam Jackson that Dave Chapelle brought to the world. I truly heard an interview asking him what the movie was about and he basically said it was about some snakes on a plane. He was right.

Verdict: [rate 2]

Madden 2007 - Xbox360
This little bundle of joy in my opinion is like astronaut food. Meaning, you eat it because you have absolutely nothing else. I love football, I love video games, and I use to love Madden football games. EA sports secured excusive rights to make NFL football games not too long ago and what that means is essentially they have no competition in NFL based football games. This can also be reworded as “they have no immediate need to make a quality product or improvements.” The game itself is pretty fun, there are considerable features that make the game seemingly deep. My favorite part is the integration with the online services like a ticker with real scores and online gaming. That’s pretty much where it ends on the positives. The fatigue meter is all goofy, the animations are herky-jerky, the graphics are pretty much unacceptable at this stage, you can cheat easily to get achievements and gamer points by simulating games and not saving them, everybody wants to play as the Falcons (worst offense to me), and many numerous oddities and omissions that are too numerous to list. I am not trying to imply that this game is bad by any means, but the lack of improvement from year to year and the seemingly overall mediocre content just leaves me fluffed at best.

Verdict: [rate 3]

“Idlewild” by Outkast - CD Release
I will say that my general routine with new cd’s is spend a few seconds with each track initially and then come back later to the ones that stuck out. This cd did very little to grab my attention in that process. Then today I decided to take a drive to grab a fountain Mountain Dew at Taco Bell to get away from the computer screen. This was the perfect opportunity to give the cd another go. I turned a short run into an hour long drive through the country. The “two dope boys in a cadillac” are back. This album features the older rap style and the newer exploritory sound that was prominent on their separate double disc release. In all honesty, when they are flowing, there are few better at rap delivery. The album art is pretty awesome as well, the cover features a lenticular image that when you move it, it appears to move

Verdict: [rate 4]

“Kelis Was Here” by Kelis - CD Release
This album features some top-notch production and a wide variety of song styles. The single “Bossy” featuring Too Short is a fine example of her sassy style over a very catchy beat, similar to “Milkshake” from awhile back. She combines singing and rapping and gets good results. In contrast to the album above, the artwork for this album is very uninspiring. As a matter of fact it makes the album look cheap in my opinion and does not do her or the music any justice.

Verdict: [rate 3.5]

Prison Break (Season 2, Episode 1, “Manhunt”) - Television Show
The first season of this show gave me an addiction. It did start to get a little wild and sometimes unbelievable, but I was able to overlook that much and enjoy it as enterainment rather than reality tv. The second season picked up exactly where the first left off and had a couple major plot advancements. I won’t ruin any of those, but I will say that I do look forward to following this season. If you liked the first then this one will be fine with you. (My rating on this one is put into the context of continuing from last season and setting up this season.)

Verdict: [rate 4]

Afro Ninja is one of the reasons YouTube has dominated the internet.  This may be the funniest 15 seconds of entertainment on earth. This viral video deserves multiple views, commentary, analysis, and love. The subtleties outweigh the actual comedic moment.  He gets an “A” for effort for trying to get up after the crash and rock his nunchaks as they tell him to “stay down”.  The wink he gives to the camera as he is about to take off is my favorite part.

Check out “The Little Story of Lars.”

-Spankus Maximus

E2c Sound Isolating Earphones

I’ve been using Shure’s E2c ear monitors for around 7 months now, and so I’m in a good position to discuss the good and the bad.

The first thing to say is that the sound quality is awesome. If you’re going to get an iPod, you might as well be a full-grown audiophile and stop toying around with iPod’s junior ear buds. You can get a better bass sound out of the sound isolation technology.

Now, I can’t claim any expertise on the science here, but these are also good for musicians. Drummers can play along to their iPods, for example, while at the same time getting volume reduction on the sound from their drums. It’s obvious that more and more musicians are using this type of in-ear monitor for live performances, so perhaps that fact alone can serve as a testament to their goodness.

You don’t need to have your music as loud, since the sound isolation cuts down on background noise. I’ve seen many news articles on the medical community’s concerns about hearing loss as result of people turning up their music too much and for too long–because of background noise. I think Shure gives you a way to hear your music clearly without heading towards hearing loss.
There is a danger with the E2c that has recently popped up. The plastic sleeves that customize your fit can get stuck in your ear. I suspect this happens because the sleeves get old and loose (like yo momma) from wear and tear over time, and they lose their grip on the plastic post that secures them. I don’t know how many people end up in the emergency room to get those sleeves removed, but I’m betting it’s happened. A pair of tweezers could probably get the sleeve out of your ear with no problem. Just be careful, yo. Maybe replace the sleeve as soon as it gets testy.
My first set of E2cs broke, so I sent in them in with a form, and I got new ones very quickly–at no charge except the original cost of sending them in. So kudos to their warranty and customer service….

On the whole, I’m a happy camper.

-Spanks