I have to face facts. I'm curious about too many things. Way too many things. Still, it doesn't stop me pursuing passionate interests. Take example the intersection of music and lifestyle. Some do not see its connection. I do. Everyday. It's easy to find. Take for example, the True Wine Connoisseurs online TV show, hosted by the Brand Nubian himself, Sadat X, and his producer, Will "Tell" Davis.

They may not have realized it at the time they began TWC, but X and Davis have tapped into a much needed and undercared for interest in wines. Yes, I said WINES. Now, why should this be a surprise to anyone? Wine is thousands of years old, tastes great and is as complex and layered as music. And yet, we don't hear from our hip hop music tastemakers about this.........until now. Here is a recent episode where Sadat X give his nod toward one of the great wine making regions, Washington State:



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The best part of all? TWC takes the mystery and snobbery out of wine criticism. They have singlehandedly shown how wine emperors have no clothes! I just love that 'ish. Quite a few egos in the wine market are going to be deflated by this show. TWC is actually moving wine too! A lot of it. Leveling the playing field is something I wholeheartedly support. Now, if we can just develop restaurant criticism in the same way, I would die a very, very happy fan!

BUZZ For APRIL: Nicki Minaj, Jesse James, Kevin Powell For Congress, Infiniti G 37, The Double Club London (www.TheDoubleClub.co.uk), Rat Press (www.RatPress.com), Seattle Weekly Voracious Tasting event, Freeway/Sonny Bonoho/Grynch record releases, a new online radio show by Neema of Unexpected Arrival (remember him? He's back!),
Whrrrl, GoWalla and Foursquare.

WANKSTER FOR APRIL: SXSW Interactive. it's bad enough how these techies come into Austin a full week prior to music cats to do this thing, sort of like taking control of a dining room by squatting for a few hours until the rest of the family arrives for the real party and time they actually wanted ....but once they do, SXSW Interactive doesn't even try to mesh with the needs and aspirations of music people or programs specific to MUSIC INDUSTRY.

It's as though an entire section of high school decided to go camping outside the cool people's lunchroom. I really, really am not hearing it, and it gets worse every year. Following the Twitter hashtag #SXSW Interactive was a painful few days of viewing something out of Lost- Season 41. Start DOING SOMETHING ABOUT HELPING MUSIC.

HE'S SHOUTING OUT: Chad Johnson from Dusted Valley Winery, www.BlogsIsWatching.com , www.MissCaseyCarter.com , www.206Proof.com , The Parker Hotel Palm Springs, Mary K. LeTourneau-Fuulau, ASW (www.ASmallWorld.net), DJ EFN (Miami), Shabazz Palaces.


"we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations"
President Barack Obama




Gene Dexter, urban co-signer
www.GeneDexter.com

No sooner did I add "limiting the news I read and see to positive messages" to my new year's resolution than the deluge of bad stuff started streaming in. Immediately. Like, within minutes of January 1st. It's actually a concerted effort now to simply shut down or ignore all this stuff designed to continue dragging people down. But life isn't made that way, is it.

I once heard the theory that our world is meant for strife, hardships and challenges with glimpses of happiness in between. If so, 2009 is in alignment. From the horrible aggression and human rights violations being committed by countries we finance and support, world economic woes, 50 billion dollar ponzi schemes, suicides by formerly rich people, to shootings in Seattle nightclubs that are devastating businesses and urban music Industry locally, and everything in between such as bad weather and toxic people, I'm already over it. I'm turning the channel and holding the mute button down.

January 20th is going to be a bittersweet day. A new president facing some of the worst challenges in a new century. But we'll party just a lil' bit, won't we. Hope is alive and well.

Because of the negativity and general nature of things within our "new normal", a couple of very cool things may have been overlooked this month. But I'm here to remind you!

Beginning with the publication of Alexis Wolfe's pictorial tome Emerald City Hip Hop, a collection of MCs, tastemakers, promoters, stories and music within a Northwest timeframe of 2003 - 2008, which happens to be the concurrent years it took to get the project off the ground. As one of the first advisors Alexis reached out to way back when about it, I'm thrilled to say the wait was worth it. Available on Amazon, fans and Industry alike need to add this to the collection. I'm carrying my copy around for the next six month's in an attempt to get everyone's autographs to go with their pages in the book. And everybody is in this one way or another.

Next up, a smattering of cool and misc. things going on in Seattle urban music: www.BlogsisWatching.com , www.DynamicVIPs.com, Zulu Nation 206 and Umoja Festival planning, The War Room as new power broker in the game (in view of what happened at Chop Suey last week), and an emerging nightlife district developing in Bellevue.

As real estate is a joke right now, I'm seriously following up on four artist possibilities plus the ones I already have. Stay tuned for that. You know I can't sit still even in a downturn! Challenging times breed creativity, let's see what can happen.

BUZZ FOR JANUARY: Marcel Wanders, Moooi, Mondrian Hotel Miami, Aitutaki (Cook Islands), 1OAK Club (NY), Gold Vish, Slingbox, Isaia suits (www.Isaia.it), Marc Davis (NASCAR), St. Paneras Station (London), the return of Valextra luggage, the all new Rolls Royce EX101 Coupe, South Beauty (NY).


WANKSTER FOR JANUARY: B.A.R.T. Authority, East Bay/Oakland, California. There is absolutely no way you're going to tell anyone how one of your cops can't grip a gun knowing it's not a taser just by holding it. R.I.P. Oscar Grant. And may his family seek justice for this heinous crime at the hands of people who really didn't give a rat's ass until they realized how camera phones work.

SENATE SHOUTS FOR SALE: DJ Scene, Bobbito Garcia, DeeDee Cocheta, Big Ced, Kevin Cooper, Nasty Nes, and Mystic.



"Rather than thinking 'Oh My God', You'll find yourself thinking, 'Ah, there it goes' ".
Richard Carlson, PH.D.



Gene Dexter, Urban Polygamist
Crazy Pinoy Promotions

Lots and lots of people know I sometimes side with unpopular, contrary, edgy views. Thirteen years ago I took many bets how O.J. was going to be found Not Guilty. All I said to everyone as we shook hands was, "watch". Why was I so convinced of that? Evidence. Or lack of it. The deal breaker for me was the all-white carpet in that man's house and how prosecutors couldn't explain how Juice could kill two people, drive home, run through the yard and pool area, through the back door and up the staircase, get ready for a flight and jump into a limo..............................
 with NO TRACE BLOOD WORK OR RESIDUE IN THE HOUSE, which coincidentally enough, police didn't have access to the way Marc Furman did with the Bronco. Unless of course, everything went into a trash bag outside and Simpson got buck nekked before entering the house. All this within something like 8 minutes, less time than it took for me to type this paragraph!

I believe a little differently today. First, that book, If I Did It, was nothing more than Simpson's cry for redemption. Then there's what happened in Vegas.

If ever you were thinking about committing a crime, Texas and Nevada should not be on your short list for capers. These states have frontier / old skool rules and they don't take kindly to anyone cashing in on their ninth lives in the desert. As Paul Mooney would say.....O.J., O.J., O.J., What Were You Thinking? It's just a sad conclusion to a very unfortunate L.A. story.

We'll see if Juice' sentencing will be like an Academy Award: It's For His Body Of Work, Not Really This Film!

For about two weeks the U.S. held a television vigil, hoping Kim Kardashian would reveal some talent. The dancing thing hasn't worked out. We're going to have to find something for this poor girl before everyone realizes Ms. Kim could very well be no different than any other hottie with a big butt hanging in the clubs looking for a pro ball player, or two.

Let's see, hmmm, what else. Oh yeah....in Seattle news I'm waiting on a promo pak for a new MC named Decurrian. He has an interesting sound and a unique story to share. More on this later....

BUZZ FOR OCTOBER: Kelis sextape? Busta Rhymes and his Arab Money kids, VHI HipHop Honors, modern and tragic versions of financiers jumping out of windows, www.Z-Home.org , Moonsoon East opening (Bellevue, Wa), Wild Ginger opening (Bellevue, Wa), Gordon Ramsay, O.J.'s sentencing, SafeWay, 2009, Super-wealthy going underground.

WANKSTER OF OCTOBER: There are too many to choose from, wouldn't you agree? It could be Dino Rossi for even trying to run for office again in Washington State, or the ten companies that have brought down the entire U.S. economic system we invented, or it might be O.J. for his stupidity, or post Hurricane Ike news coverage of people who just didn't aceept truth three days before nature spoke, or simply your neighbor for not recycling those Starbucks lids, which still have not been improved for better environmental co-existence. Decisions, decisions....


HE'S BACK WITH A SHOUTOUT: Sarah Palin, who has recently read my old columns and learned out to do a shoutout! Good for you, girl! Now we got to get you into Jesus Camp, uh, I mean, VP camp!



Gene Dexter, Urban Spa Director
Crazy Pinoy Promotions