A couple Sundays ago I was at a favorite watering hole in Soho by the name of Puck Fair. It has an extremely long bar, a delightful selection of ales on tap, and some rather tasty bartenders from time to time. On this particular afternoon there was an feeling of celebration in the air—the sun was shining, a few mates were visiting from Hartford, and it was literally my birthday. After a few lovely pints of Smithwicks we decided it was time to up the ante, so I ordered the only thing I know how to when “going nuclear” at a bar: ladyboys. For the uninitiated, a “ladyboy” consists of a pint of lager, a small Baileys Irish Cream, and a gin and tonic consumed in equal measures until they’re all gone. Exhibit A: on the left, my son.

There are a couple basic problems that arise when ordering ladyboys: 1) No one knows what they are, but I always try asking for one with no explanation just in case. 2) Sometimes—and this was certainly the case on Sunday at 2PM—bartenders are wary about serving one person three drinks at the same time. (Apparently it is “illegal”?) Anyway, we ran into both of these problems, but managed to overcome them through textbook communication and compromise.

If you’re interested in moving beyond the standard Jaeger bombs, car bombs, and boilermakers, try calling for a ladyboy during your next session, and watch this classic Alan Partridge clip to understand the genesis of a truly disgusting drink:

These days, it’s rare for a music video to capture the zeitgeist of a moment in time, unless we’re talking about superficial cultural markers like, “Oh yeah, I remember when throwback were popular!” Hip-hop videos are great incubators of passing trends in fashion and cars, but all too often the visuals blur forgettably into a homogeneous stream of bottles, booties, and clubs I would never want to go to (I’m playing devil’s advocate a bit, but tune into 106 & Park on any given day and it’s hard to deny).

Within this landscape, you’ve got to pay attention when an artist does something out of the norm. Something topical. And what’s been the one story on everyone’s mind these past few months: the bloody RECESSION. The U.S. housing crisis and credit crunch has had global implications, and things aren’t much better over on the other side of the pond. Let’s take a look at how to two very different artists—Young Jeezy and The Streets—approached this topic in video. Along the way, we can draw some bold generalizations about Americans and British people, and also find an excuse to post an Eddie Izzard clip. Cash back!

This is how you set it off on a dreary Friday morning…

Dude is a bamma. “Al B. Sure” never to dress like that ever in my life!

When it comes to gear and sneakers, I have always been spoiled by having a brother with good taste and a reasonably generous spirit. During my formative years he kept me fitted on the hand-me-down front, and now that his status in the game is rising (he handles the features for this fine website, after all), I have been seeing a bit more schwag filtering into the coffers.

Anyway, Nick knows what I like so I rarely need to do much research when it comes to making purchases. And so it was with this background of trust that I pleaded “no contest” when he recently insisted that we drive to East Hartford, CT, to visit Cabela’s, “the world’s foremost outfitters.” I had no idea what to expect, and the only way I can do the experience justice is with a little photo essay. Welcome to CABELA’S…

The entrance is majestic, effectively capturing the frenzied spirit of an animal about to be massacred. If these walls could speak, they’d be yelling, “TOO BIG TO FAIL!!”

One of the less talked about consequences of the move toward digital music is the potential death of the album cover. Sure, visuals will probably always play a role in the sale (or at least promotion) of music, but is the current conception of cover art + liner notes on the verge of distinction? Who knows. In my estimation, the more important question is this: What’s going to happen to the mixtape cover?

The mixtape cover is the ugly stepchild of the Album Cover, but it suits hip-hop right down to the bone. Topical references and “sampling” from pop culture? These trappings of hip-hop music find their visual manifestation in bizarre references to TV and Hollywood films, from Seinfeld to Nightmare on Elm St. “Aggressive content” and flashiness? Photoshopped images of money, booty, and hard liquor are worth 1,000 verses. Ultimately, mixtapes are pressed and released to the streets so fast that they do not even attempt to have shelf life—they can be as current as this week and they don’t need to get past the Wal-Mart censors to move copies. That, in a nutshell, is why they are often so incredible.

What I’ve compiled here are some of my favorites, leaning mostly toward current releases. But hit up MixtapeTorrent.com and you’ll see this list is far from complete. Let me know your favorites in the comments—I can’t get enough of this shit…

Jadakiss, The Predator

Jada oeuvre offers many good examples of a common mixtape cover strategy (e.g., movie references that basically have nothing to do with anything), and here he combines it with the slightly less common video game reference. Film allusions range from the topical (Young Dro’s I Am Legend tape) to the classic (Young Jeezy The Mixtape Monster), while video game shououts are generally either silly (The Supa Mario tape) or completely awesome (Curren$y’s Techmo Super Bowl). But how can you compete with Predator meets Gears of War? Maybe ‘Kiss is angling for a spot in an AVP sequel.

The funny thing about blogs is that you’re supposed to introduce yourself to a bunch of a faceless strangers with nothing else to go off about their personalities besides the fact that, presumably, they like the website that your blog is on. So, um…I guess you like “streetwear”?!

Nah, we don’t need to do all that. The proof, my new friends, shall be in the pudding—I’ve started enough blogs and introduced myself enough different times to know that whatever I say is, or will probably turn out to be, mostly false. So let me just say one thing: I do actually plan to write about music videos and ales of the British Isles (sometimes together?!), and I’m honored to be part of such a dope blog roll. To tell you the truth I’m somewhat intimidated. Am I as good at rapping like Curren$y? Absolutely not. Can I rip up the street as hard as Nigel Sylvester on a BMX? Not even close, though once he did kindly attempt to teach me to bunny hop (still working on it…). But, as we all know, sometimes it’s the X factor you’ve got to watch out for. If nothing else, the film Rudy taught us that much.

So let me anticipate your question: “Who the fuck is this dude and why is he wearing Yung Joc’s chain?” Watch this space, inquisitive minds, and thou shalt be rewarded.

All jokes aside, I’m amped to join the Highsnobiety family and hope you all enjoy this blog.

Let’s get it cracking…