Friday, July 04, 2025
Tuesday, July 01, 2025
Hi Ren
Ren Gill is a revelation. The Welsh multi-hyphenate artist built his sound on a foundation of old school hip hop, busking-honed guitar, and incisive wordplay. His musical chops are formidable, and the trauma associated with a decade-plus daily struggle with mental illness brought on by undiagnosed Lyme Disease adds an emotional depth to his lyrics.
He records as Ren, and on any given record can go from dazzling stream of consciousness rap to gentle ballad to near-pop sensibility. He's a hard cat to pin down.
So maybe just have a listen. Here's hoping more of the world learns his story (and do catch the NPR interview below he did in 2023 promoting the release of his album, Sick Boi - the daily pain he still suffers makes his music all the more remarkable).
This is an acoustic noodling of 2020's "Diazepam":
"Seven Sins" is the first track from Sick Boi - this one hits hard:
"Hi Ren" was released in 2022:
His cover of the Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" is where he first came to my attention
Might be my favorite of his songs - he wrote "Patience" for the 2017 soundtrack to Unrest, a documentary film about a woman's battle against chronic fatigue syndrome:
"What You Want" is a full on Beastie Boys homage - dig it:
Here's the NPR interview mentioned above:
And finally, a Spotify playlist that captures Ren in all of his guises:
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Chronicles of an Aging Gheorghie, Part Next
Friday, June 27, 2025
The Goatest City in the World
![]() |
"Da fug yoo loogin at, ya bacciagaloupe?" |
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Fashion is... Dumb: NBA Draft Edition
Howdy folks, you might remember me from such filler as "The Ghoogles" and the long-forgotten "Ceai Complet". Well, in honor of tonight's NBA Draft first round coverage (seriously, do we really need the second round on it's own separate night?), I have returned from the dead (DC weather) for a special edition of my personal fav filler, FiD.
I am hoping for one of the more exciting drafts in memory, as the salary cap and all these variety of aprons (not machine washable) might have teams wheeling and dealing, like Boston over the last two days. And questions abound: will Ace Bailey hijack a 737? Will Washington then take him 6? What the hell are the Nets gonna do with FIVE first round picks? Does Kon Knueppel's middle name happen to start with a "K"? If he falls in the draft, who drops the first "Wrath of Kon" skeet? (hint, in my most sing-songy Timberlake voice, IT'S GONNA BE MAAAAY)
But seriously, *extreme Chandler Bing voice* could this man use any more parens?
Samaki Walker, you beautiful beautiful... bust:
Amazingly, this is not actually Drew Gooden, there are three robs standing on top of each other under that tarp of a suit:
LeBron in his French aristocrat phase:
Here's Gradey Dick dressed like Vanilla Ice was a Dick Tracy villain:
For no reason at all, here's Jan Vesely looking sad and depressed, as any Wizards draft pick should be:
And to close us out, our namesake and his draft night fit. See you all in the comments. VIVA LES WIZERABLES