Lee Siu Lung

Stayed up late last night to watch “How Bruce Lee Changed The World” on the History Channel.

2-hour documentary on Lee’s effect not only on cinema and pop culture, but martial arts, philosophy, health and sport, music and even branding. Truly remarkable given his total oevre consists of a handful of US TV appearances and only four feature films.

I was reminded of how much I admire the man. An excellent documentary, and well worth catching, if you can.

Friday Music

Here we go:

Here’s a new(ish) band from Scotland that made a fairly big splash at SXSW this year. I’ll admit that I was attracted at first by their name, but the music holds up. We Were Promised Jet Packs – “It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning.”

Brand new Mos Def, ably demonstrating why I think he’s one of the best MCs in the business: Mos Def – “Casa Bey.”

Talking with earlier in the week got me thinking about covers. I’m of the opinion that if you’re going to bother doing a cover song, you should make it your own — a new arrangement, saying something different, etc. — otherwise you’re just doing a karaoke version. Here’s an example of what I mean — a cover that I actually like even more than the original Stevie Wonder funk masterpiece: Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Higher Ground.”

For , a brand-new song from the Starlight Mints, the group responsible for the theme song to Demons (the best thing about that show, in fact.) Starlight Mints – “Zoomba.”

Absolute definition of a brain worm. This sucker has been stuck in my head, on repeat. Absolutely nothing redeeming about this — an ode to booty and club dancing. Good enough for me. Flo Rida – “Get Low (feat. T-Pain).”

Green Day’s new album, 21st Century Breakdown comes out today. From what I’ve heard, it’s basically American Idiot, Part Two. Which is fine, I guess. Mostly it just reminds me how much I loved their major label debut, Dookie, back in ’94-’95. It was pop-punk, sure, but erred on the side of punk. Now, it’s all Bloated Rock Star stuff. Still with the occasional gem, though — here’s one that stands out from the new album: Green Day – “Horseshoes & Hand Grenades.”

There you go. Enjoy.