Tag Archives: Kage

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Why it’s ok to think your partner is ugly.

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I know I’ll catch a bit of shit for this, but I have a valid reason for it.

You won’t always find your partner attractive and that’s normal and natural. It’s how you engage and act after thinking that, that really matters and here is why.

So, we’re evolutionary prone to stay away from things that hurt us. Disease, being one of the major things. You’re learned from Covid that quarantines sometimes work. We learned this in childhood when our parents had us stay in our bedrooms to prevent other family members from getting sick.

What’s one way our parents or friends noticed. “You don’t look so good” is normally what is said, or something similar to this.

So even though your partner isn’t Family by blood, unless you’re from Kentucky, they’re still a loved one. Especially when you have kids involved.

So it’s more than permissible to find your partner to be unattractive from time to time. Especially when they’re sick. It’s a natural trait of human empathy to want to see the sick in an unflattering light, ironic though it may be.

Think of the novel Lolita. Humbert makes poor Delores put out, even when she’s sick. A human being cares for their partner and puts them first. They’re more than just a vagina or dick.

Thinking your partner to be unattractive actually presents you in a flattering way, instead of narrasstic. however, like above, tactful presentation is key.

Think of the 2008 campaign trail where John McCain got shit on for leaving his first wife with cancer and rightfully so. That’s a rather poor way of going about it. I know it’s easy for me to say, given the whole I’ve been single for years, however being a serial monogamist gives you no more special knowledge than a dude that set out being a CAD.

However, much like your partner and you, this is not about one single individual, rather it’s about the idea behind being selfless in selfishness. Oxymoronically though it may be, there can be far less conceit in selfishness than selflessness.

I’ve pointed out before that a child between two people act as a blood bond, a sacrament and as such, makes your partner equal to family.

However, since you’re not genuinely blood, there isn’t the same need to stay with said partner in today’s day and age. However, you both develop independent needs to protect said child or children. That’s a selfish concept. You give your kids what you can, because it pleases you, the individual to give to them. Like with all things in life, context is key to understanding.

This brings me back to the topic at hand, which is to say that finding your partner unattractive may seem selfish in the sense people try to tie the word to anything negative, however, wouldn’t you be better off acknowledging that feeling instead of being insecure that it makes you seem negative? What’s more selfish in that regard?

I’m against morality as a concept, because I see it as childish. However, I do believe in right from wrong and that we have 4 biological imperatives. The 4th is the most no shit Sherlock thing ever, I almost never include it and leave it to the three major ones. Don’t rape, don’t steal, don’t kill and the 4th is don’t incest.

Finding your partner ugly doesn’t count as one of the major four, so it’s regaled to basic right from wrong. It’s never wrong to think things through. Bad thoughts are not tantamount to bad actions.

It’s good to have a fantasy outside of your partner for instance. Porn is good for giving you an ethical “cheat card” to think of someone that isn’t your partner as an option. cheating would be the worse option.

Thinking your partner unattractive is the same as the above.

Remember, sometimes love requires asymmetrical trains of thought. It’s not criminal to find your wife or girlfriend unattractive from time to time, it is however horrible to dump them for not living up to a bullshit standard you can’t even live up to 24 hours a day.

Stay metal 🤘

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KAGEGIVING: Axis Bold as Love (2025)

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DISC ONE

So disc one is all stereo versions of Jimi’s songs. That’s great if you’re into it. Personally I prefer listening in the original mono versions. How there isn’t anything inherently wrong with these versions either. It’s just one more way to enjoy Jimi Hendrix and to rediscover some great music in different way.

DISC TWO

Classic Jimi Hendrix mode and nothing you need to to review with more depth. The music speaks for itself and that is the shining point of any album.

DISK THREE

Some new and interesting. Experimental guitar track being my favorite and the most interesting, especially given the Hendrix learning I’ve been doing. Sounds like it’s possibly the uni vibe giving this song its unique flavor. The 69 vibe emulates this well.

A whole lot of different takes. Love it!

DISC FOUR

The live versions of past works is where it’s at here and the different styles. Foxy Lady is a heavy as it’s ever been.

CONCLUSION:

Jimi Hendrix is Jimi Hendrix and you can’t really spell it out better than that. Unlike the previous release that was mostly alternate takes, this blend’s reinvention for a modern era with the past, as well as some new goodies to discover. That’s a really fantastic deal for a remake of a 50 year old album.

So is this something to be thankful for? Hell yeah!

5 outta 5

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Gen X vs Millennial: The Proof is in the pudding

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I may not be that old, however, I’m still old enough to have seen come pretty cool shit in my lifetime. One of which was seeing Gen X in their attempt at fame. Gen Z should take notes,, because your parents generation did it right when it came to fame.

Never has this song probably been more accurate

So I didn’t grow up where the conditions to aspire to being worthless like most people in my age range apparently. I mean, acting sucked and I found that out the hard way because my lesbian gym teacher had to force her play down our throats at school. No one in my age range could play and instrument, so even trying a band was out of the question. Short of porn and what teenage male wouldn’t have thought of it, Hollywood desires were really lame.

Then along came YouTube in my 20s, which gave way to a whole bunch of autistic nobodies that craved social acceptance and well, entertainment hasn’t been right or worthwhile in decades.

However, while I’ve always been the anti-celebrity guy, even in my youth, there was a time when I found myself impressed with relative unknowns making an attempt at being part of the privacy challenged brigade and that was Gen X.

I know most people have confused me for a Gen X’er 99% of my life and never really got why, however, I don’t make the criteria for more than just being an Xenial at best. So we can rule out relatable aspects making me more accepting here. As a general rule, I don’t have to relate to someone or something to appreciate it or them. It can happen from time to time, but not necessarily the a big factor.

So the internet was in its infancy back in the 90s and analog equipment still ruled. This is important to understand, since a vacuous imbecile couldn’t just share an ignorant opinion and get dozens of likes for it. You had to want it and you had to mean it.

I appreciate their hustle, a drive which I could never relate to back then. I still can’t relate to it, because it is a far better work ethic than my own, as I go for low hanging fruit and prefer it. If you ever seen my sex life, you’d be like “oh he ain’t kidding.”

Live footage of me with anything that I think is beneath me /sarcasm

That’s young 20 somethings, at the time, knew how to take what was historically 30k or more in 1970s equipment and in the 1990s turn it into better than a Misfits recording. They still weren’t perfect, but had I been a boomer executive in Hollywood, I would have been flabbergasted at how people so young with no professional experience could exhibit such a high degree of learning. Remember, this is how Insane Clown Posse and Eminem made their way on to the scene.

Even upwards of 2005, right as YouTube started, I found myself hanging out and listening to the Celtic punk sound of possible flogging mollys or drop kick murphies that could become huge. Too bad that’s when Gen X dropped everything and became family men. While there is nothing wrong with that, I’ve been plagued by the idea that had Gen X managed to figure out social media, the landscape of music would be so much better than it became, which is the complete opposite of how I thought on the 90s of how many Stephen kings could exist if there was a better set up or even better bands than the Beatles.

You have some decent millennial YouTubers out there, still though, nothing out there is quite right, as it should be. Maybe it has to do with being so young and everything was new. Going out late at night and getting home late or other things that helped to increase the times in which I would be exposed to this, which is a small part of it. However, I don’t think it’s the sole reason for all of it.

I wish I still had access to those mix tapes some random Gen X band handed out in the parking lot of Ozzfest, promoting a potential promising rookie band.

Now that Gen Z has had some time and are producing some promising things, it’s kinda changing, but not drastically enough. Maybe some of them need to get their parents to break out their old analog gear and teach them how to utilize it. I know I learned a bit from them, that part of the reason I can mix sounds pretty well, taking an Interest in what they were doing. Could give Gen Z an edge over the talking heads of idiot millennials that failed school, but still need to ADHD clip their way to an opinion that offers nothing. it’s not too late to take it back and move away from the idiocracy that entrainment has become. Threads is filled with some of this, so I know it’s true. Just up to Gen Z to figure out how to do it better.

Stay metal 🤘

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Souled Out!

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“You damn right I’m a sell out, I’ve sold out arenas”-Triple H Monday Night Raw from like 20 years ago.

So if you know anything about me, you know I’ve been against unnecessary drug use since I was young. I was mostly straight edge up until 25 when I decided to actually drink. I did, however, have a few drinks with my best friend before then.

However, in today’s day and age, one cannot be overly picky in applying to jobs, which is why I figured I would write about this. I’m selling out and applied to a job at a weed dispensary.

To be fair, this isn’t really my first time around this shit. My father owned a bong shop in Salem Massachusetts in the 1990s. It started in 1995 to be exact and last til about 1998. So I went from 9 to 12 years old by the time it was all said and done. However, it afford me a pretty good childhood at times, so who can really complain?

The stories I have about the era make Hollywood seem tame by comparison. I mean, one time a radio station went to my dad and a bunch of other local business men to get them to sponsor having Marylin Manson come to Massachusetts before he was banned. So let that sink in. I don’t really know how close this was to ever happening to be fair, but it was 90s and Manson was a young rookie in the industry, so it would have been substantially easier to make happen with a young 20 something than a man who would command more now.

However, that ran into a snag, because of local police corruption. Which is another article entirely.

Now, the USA is on the verge of full legalization, which is nice to see, given that much like my dad, I believe it’s use is a personal choice and up to the sole user. I don’t approve of all drugs, nor would I choose to partake in such myself, for a lot of reasons, but marijaunna is the least offensive on the list of scheduled drugs and I’ve been in favor of it since at least 2004.

Maine has been decriminalized with weed since 1999, so getting used to people smoking, vs in Massachusetts where it more recently has been decriminalized, was something I had to get used to and fast.

Now even Trump is looking at a weed and possibly changing its destination. So maybe in this case, I’m not so much selling out as adapting to the changing landscape.

It’s definitely not the most ideal job for me, truth be known, but I mean, I’ve hung out with the weirdos my whole life and beat the shit out of the popular kids in school, so it’s kinda fitting. Ironically, with the exception of a couple times in my life, historically the popular kids were druggies in my youth. Shit, I recall one time in school, the popular kids claiming they were doing cocaine. Not people I wanted around me, even with his bong shop: said kids also brought vodka to school once. I digress though.

Regardless, I’m sure I could excel at this job. I’ve made dozens of sales over the years and been very good at everything I’ve touched, plus I’m no longer at the age where people will pay me to keep my clothes one, it’s now expected or it “sir, you’re scaring the Walmart guest.” So Onlyfans is out of the question. I guess the only thing left to say is, who wants to buy some weed?

Stay metal 🤘

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Experience Hendrix: The Hendrix Tone

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So it’s no secret that I’m. Jimi Hendrix guy. It’s kinda a family thing. My dad loves Jimi too! it’s almost impossible to not enjoy Jimi, unless you had the unfortunate accident of being born to be a peer of his, like Eric Clapton.

So I posted a video on my facebook about working on this rig and trying to find the right things for it.

So let’s get the most important part out of the way, the guitar. I’m using a Strat Squier, that’s been superficially modified only. This should not drastically alter everything. So my dad grew up around tech, so I’ve read his books and have a good understanding of tech of the time. My hypothesis here is that a modern Squier is on par with a Fender custom of the 60s. That because as tech improves, the old physical cap starts to become the “inferior” tech. So $119 gets you something that’s on par with an old 60s fender. At least for non giging guitarist like myself. I can’t promise this will work on stage.

Jimi Hendrix’s Fender had 5 springs in the back, common for the time. Modern Fender’s have 3. Altering this is irrelevant. I have three. You will have to float the trem by about a half inch.

I also modded the tuners to cheap tuners from chia. The stock ones were decent, but I wanted to emulate the era. So my logic was, cheap tuners, plus whammy=60s era tuning problems. I was fairly accurate on this. It helps to understand Jimi on a deeper level.

I’ve also tested this on a non modded fender affinity and it works.

Cost to far: $119

Next is the amp. Jimi used Marshall’s. Any amp should technically do. I don’t have a bunch of amps to test this out on, but that’s not the point. The point of this whole experiment was to establish competency in guitar, so much like a P.H.D I expect most people to put the rig together and shred it apart, aka “peer review”. Let’s see if it holds up to muster.

Cost so far: $180+$119= $299

Next up is the Vox. Jimi used it and I’m no exception. His was the silver version, but the basic 805 will do.

Next up is the fuzz box. I’ve listened to a plethora of YouTube videos and this was the best sounding one. Berhinger orange fuzz.

Next up is the univibe. Much like the fuzz, this one sounded truest to the tone. It’s the 69’ vibe by Berhinger. It’s sold out everywhere but Europe.

The last peice of the puzzle is the Roger Mayer Octavia. The white one. I don’t have this yet, but it sits on Amazon for a bit over 300. It’s the only one that sounds true to tone. The rest don’t work, but my Marshall GFX has an Octavia setting that works well enough.

$563 dollars for all pedals accounted for.

So for about $862 dollars you can become Jimi Hendrix himself: This rig is really versatile. You can even play every Sabbath song very well. So the Marshall and the guitar pay for itself.

It’s probably the closest to a modern rig of his you’re going to get.

So the set up is as follows

Vox, Fuzz, 69 vibe, Mayer Octavia.

There is a pic online that shows the jimmy rig with a splitter. This is probably accurate and he had it as two individual rigs. I haven’t done this, but I can confirm it’s true, because Jimi didn’t have his univibe unit on all the time. He used it in select songs to accent certain areas. Since the 69 vibe only has true bypass, you’re going to have to separate them so so can essentially turn it off. Its biggest contribution to Jimi was probably making all his music in sound rounded and in stereo. This would probably have been important because most music was recorded in monophonic. If a basic Strat sounded too frail, this worked.

If you can’t afford the whole rig, you can get by with just the fuzz and the Vox. so once you get it set up, there is two important variables in this.

Key of E standard

It’s often said Jimi played in E flat or C. This is untrue. There could be many reasons for this. Such as recording in monophonic made E standard sound like E flat. However, here’s two ways to confirm he was in E.

First his cover of the Trogs Wild Thing is best sounding in E. Second is the riff to Burning the midnight lamp is only correct in E standard.

The melody to the riff is

E ———————————————

B———————————————

On B, 2, 4 open, repeat.

G———————————————

D———————————————

A———————————————

E———————————————

To further prove my point, you can replicate this on the acoustic without fuzz and it sounds the same. I’ll post a tik tok later to prove my point and link later.

EDIT: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT64wdvqy/

The other mistake people make with Jimi is that they buy the fuzz face. From my understanding, Roger Mayer, Jimi’s technical guy, modded the fuzz face so it was basically the casing only.

So back to facts, if you want to be more accurate in Jimi Hendrix.

Turn the gain to 10.

Dime the Strats volume and two tone knobs

Put the Stratocaster style guitar into lead mode. Last single coil only.

Hook up the Vox, then fuzz and set it to 10 on all settings. when you get them, the 69 vibe and the Mayer Octavia.

We will go through the settings in the 69 vibe and Octavia at a later date.

Now you can start playing Jimi Hendrix more accurately.

The next time I write a peice on Jimi this long, we’re going to be looking at techniques to sound more accurate. I’m going to be buying some things to make it more 60s accurate.

Once you try it, I think you realize that my Squier, definitely deserves the new neck plate I bought it.

SOURCES:

https://share.google/Y4xumOxTZpwU7gwRO

https://stringjoy.com/guitars-of-jimi-hendrix/

Scuse me while I kiss the sky a Jimi Biography

https://www.musicradar.com/news/fx-guru-roger-mayer-on-hendrix-anybody-can-buy-a-wah-and-just-make-it-go-wah-wah-wah-but-making-it-talk-is-something-else

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Behringer 69 vibe

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This was going to be a review, but instead it’s going to be a rant. So I bought an item that was €41 plus shipping from the UK. About 18€ extra. Then on top of that, it was supposed to be duty free.

It went up since August 4, 2025 when I got it for $41

So I check my card a few days later after

Not sure why they charged me $83

So they at least told me that they could be a duty so to look it up before I buy. Obviously, government lies and clearly even though there’s not supposed to be a duty based on the HSS code. However, I got hit. DHL basically extorted me to deliver my package. Which is bullshit! However

I finally got me the pedal that has been sold out for months. Normally I would not give in to trendy items. However, this is the only pedal I’ve heard on YouTube that genuinely has the retro sound I’m going for on my Hendrix kick. Maybe a lawyer out there can start a class action lawsuit against customs for this flagrant behavior of lying about bs, but where would government be if they told the truth? All in all, I basically paid full price for a pedal with too much shipping and handling. I will review this in the future.

———————

Review Here:

Already this thing has proven to be worth the hassle that it became. It’s sturdy casing, excellent buttons and does exactly what it is supposed to. Already attached to my rig and my sounds emanating from it are very old school. It’s easy to set up and get going and would probably be even better if I got a pedal for it. The downside to it is that, it’s going to be a pain in the ass if you’re a gig’er and you make different songs using different dials to really direct a sound. So if you fall into that camp, make a playlist of your music that you can keep the controls the same all night. If you’re like me and just love playing the guitar and don’t gig, you’re going to love this little puppy. It’s the right tone and price to play your favor to songs and is filled with ao much versatility in styles, it will be months before you exhaust a quarter of its settings. It’s the perfect thing for me. Not to mention, unlike other products, this one’s dials go to 11. Nice!

Spinal Tap reference is win!

4 out of 5 stars

Stay metal 🤘