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Time is flying, and it never returns. It’s been a minute since I have done a DAGO week in review so I thought I would play catch up.
Music: The So Cal Tour was a memory I never want to lose. Some shows were great and some were Bantha fodder. No failures, just experiences and how we reacted to them. Some of the highlights and lowlights…
Highs: Long Beach and the Fam down there (UD, Halfway House, etc), The Airliner, Gunnar and the MX missile, The meeting with Tyler and the Position Music peeps, Cousin Frank, Drunk Motel 6 room practices and Rocking Sean Boy’s “Play It As It Lays” radio show, LIVE!
Lows: Cali Traffic, The crazy Russian guy @ Zen Sushi, Tour junk food eating & Spraying Sun Tan blocker in my eye (on purpose).
On that Note…the rest of the year I’m going to be recording, recording, RECORDING! Numbs, Rotten Musicians, Elektra, Guest spots & my own SOLO jawns. I need to be writing every single day. I need to control my culture.
We have had a few local shows since we got back from the Golden State. We rocked Velour in Provo, the “Music To Clean Your Ears Out To v.5” gig and “The Heart Of The City” festival. The support and love that people have shown us this year has been phenom. We noticed it and you are all excellent.
Work: A tragedy happened in the last couple of weeks to someone I worked with. A friend of mine, Bryan Vance, passed away. His disappearance had been all over the local news. Boating accident, really freaky shit. His body finally surfaced on 9/13 and his funeral was over that weekend. This is one of the seven guys that I work with each and every weekend. He will be missed.
On another note…I got an email yesterday…Part of it read…
“We have just passed a significant milestone in Dedicated with over 1000 trucks now operating in (BLANK) Dedicated!!!”
One Mark, 1000 trucks = MINDFUCK! I think this is a message or a sign that they want me BYE BYE. Maybe I’m just personalizing this but damn…I get my ass handed to me each and every weekend. This just ain't where I’m supposed to be, This just ain't where I’m supposed to be. I should be getting another “head count” to help me by October? We will see if this REALLY happens.
MISC: Elektra is a month into the 1st grade and she seems to have acclimated well to the ALL day schedule. She read me a book last week. It’s SO DOPE watching her learn and experience life. Watching her soul grow.
Kelli and I have had our struggles lately. I dig this chick SO MUCH! Am I someone that can be loved? Destiny is what it is…or is it what we make it to be? It can only be what I want it to be…Hope dies last. I love you BOO!
Stars are always shining,
Peace-DAG!
Current likes: Bioshock, Percee P “Perseverance”, the “Happening’s” book & The Jungle with Jim Rome.
Current Dislikes: The 07 Miami Dolphins (you guys are killing me, 0-3!), Iraq occupation costing all of US (peeps who pay taxes) $8,000 per second, The LONG wait for “LOST” to be back on (at least they are filming now) & Rabid Rats! (regular Bats they cool, they cool!).
http://www.cracked.com/index.php?name=News&sid=2399
Scare the kids, fun for the whole family.
http://maltastar.com/pages/msfullart.asp?an=15214
24 years ago, this man might have saved humanity. AWESOME!
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=paUniverse_sun14_parallel_universes&show_article=1&cat=0
Three Mark Dago’s? Three or more of you? It IS possible!!!
What do you want? If there is something you want to do and you are not doing it, you won’t get another chance. You really do only get one life. What would you be doing if you let all of your fears go. What does it mean to be truly free? It is impressive to me how people can hold onto their faith and love, even though they have seen life’s dark side. Everything is connected to everything else, but not all the connections are spelled out. Some you have to figure out yourself.
"So, they can't get him for murder but they nab him for burglary? That is so weak"
-Al Capone
So, I have been going to the 24 hour fitness for about three weeks now. I'm trying to get into some short of shape. About four months ago I was pushing 164lbs (the heaviest I've EVER been) and really not exercising at all. I felt lethargic. I was Mark "Apathetic". Long story short. K-Dawg hooked me up on her plan and we started rolling through this place 3-4 times a week. I weighed in today and I'm down to 155 and I feel MUCH better. Anyways...another local musician/producer attends the facility I frequent and I generally see him each day I am there. He was very animated today and I had to share our conversation via the Wizeguy Blog. Here goes...
Producer: yelling..."Mark Dago!"
Me: "What's up man, how you been?"
Producer: loudly..."You know, just getting money and bitches"
*other patrons in earshot not wearing Ipods look over at us*
Me: laughing..."Dope, so what have you been up to? Where you playing at?"
Producer: "Harry O's is the only club I need to play at. This party last weekend we had over 700 people there. Lot's of bitches"
*patrons in earshot again look over with more concern*
Me: "Awesome"
Producer: still above normal talking level..."Yeah, living the rock star lifestyle, you know"
Me: "Alright man, I'm going to get back to my thing here"
Producer: "Alright man..."
*walking off he signs off with and yes...again...loudly...*
Producer: We run this shit!
I can't wait until tomorrow. Peace-DAG! 
"Your imagination is stimulated, and you need activities and entertainments that are colorful, out the ordinary, and definitely not mundane."
Today was my birthday. The gift of "me" to the world. K-Dawg made me feel very special today. From the cake to the microbes to just having her around...I am a lucky man. Shouts to the following peeps who called, emailed, shouted, burped, etc: Ava, Shanty, Jana, Fisch, Marissa, Chris, Shaun, Tash, Keri, Grandma Shirley, Lucia, Dad, Diane, Elektra & The CRE truckers.
The future you have tomorrow won't be the future you had yesterday. Peace...DAG!
Modern Magician
Darker Side Of Comic Books
Why Rush The Ending?
What Action Should Be
A Fast Paced Physics Lesson
Thrill Ride Masterpiece
The future is always beginning now. Elektra started 1st grade today and I wept as I dropped her off. I cannot believe my little girl is growing like she is, it's a blessing. She makes me want to start life over. She is SO amazing. I don't know where I would be without her.
I could only imagine what this festival could have been with the likes of Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy, DOOM, EPMD or Mos Def. Still, seeing this much FIRE power in one place is a pretty amazing thing. We missed Jedi Mind Tricks and Immortal Technique. Construction in SLC can be a BIOTCH at times. So, after the security pat down we were beer wrist-banded up…then we headed to the pit. Here are some thoughts on what I witnessed.
Pharoahe Monch: He didn’t seem that impressed with the crowd after several call and response attempts went nowhere. The live band he came with provided a nice touch. I caught “Desire” & “Simon Sez”. I wonder if he rocked some Organized K. isht?
Best Moment: The look on P’s face every time he tried to get the crowd going.
Talib Kweli: I enjoy Talib. More as a lyricist then a live performer. He can hold his own when he brings the live but I like getting lost in his wordplay, delivery and cadence. His set seemed really short and the presence of the Strong Arm Steady went mostly unnoticed. Except for Krondon…who might be the UGLIEST thing on the planet.
Best moment: One of the sound guy’s comes on stage to tweak a monitor and Talib calls him out by saying “Why the fuck would you do that. Fucking dickhead.”
Cypress Hill: There is something so butt rock or I guess…butt rap, about these guys. I have seen them like 6 times now? And mostly all by accident. Don’t get me wrong. They do have a tight show but really how many songs about WEED can you do? And the GREEN GRINCH was definitely in the air. I didn’t have any at all (really) and I still needed Visine.
Best Moment: “Hand On The Pump” & “How I Could Just Kill A Man” ruled!
Nas: One mic, A DJ and Nasir. He ripped through his set song after song. He covered the classics “NY State Of Mind”, “The World Is Yours”, “Street Dreams”, “If I Ruled The World”, “Made You Look”, “Get Down” and “Hip Hop Is Dead”. He jumped from song to song and covered a lot of history in the time he was on stage. He missed some cues but his presence commanded attention. Dope isht!
Best moment: “Y'all got some good weather, some beautiful women, some good weed," Nas announced. "And some of y'all have four or five wives, huh? I'm thinking of moving out here."
Wu-Tang: There is nothing better then yelling out “Bring The Mother Fucking Ruckus” with complete strangers by your side. The WU stage show was chaotic as I counted at least 12 maybe 13 people on stage at all times. A lot of feedback from the mics and eight emcee's on the choruses can be a little much at times. Still, a lot of energy and a lot of fun. It need more GZA though…that guy is slept on.
Best moment: Method Man saying that “Old Dirty loved him some pussy”. CLASSIC!
-Dag Smart in line at the San Diego Comic Con
...Kapoor of the day
Your vitality and courage are strong now and you are eager to meet challenges. You can accomplish a great deal of work, especially if it involves physical effort. If you are active in sports, you will be especially competitive and vigorous now. Self-confidence is high.
-Da Rental Van!
In a way, the unacknowledged American standard for success is to transgress. Break the rules, or find a place where the rules aren't there yet, where they're not legally set in stone, and do something there. Make your name by breaking convention. We tend to live by rules that never made any sense, but we've forgotten they aren't the truth.
-Gunnar McKell and The King (L-R) say HOLLYYYWOOOOD!
"I don't feel a burden," Common explains. "I feel it's adult. That's my sole purpose. I ain't afraid of it, I ain't trying to stray from it, I embrace it. I know with all the conscious music, there's going to be music where I battle MCs like I did on 'The Game,' getting at 'em. I'mma make songs [while] having fun. That's what I'm about. The biggest thing I gotta do is be myself, that's what MCing is about. That's one of the most important things with being a MC: be you."
Common “Finding Forever”
Every other artist out there should feel, think, say and do the same. It is so hard to set the bar but even harder to keep it the there…“Finding Forever” does just that. Maybe a little too mellow at times in the second half of this LP…however…the music by Kanye West continues to impress me and Common is Hip Hop’s champion. The idea you don’t half to make DUMBED DOWN tunes for the masses and can put out product of this caliber is inspiring. This is Common’s 7th LP and he sounds as fresh as ever (go back and listen to “Resurrection“ and compare). The best and most intelligent LP of 2007 (so far, people better step their game up).
-Numbs rocking it LIVE on the "Play It As It Lays" show (KUCI 88.9 FM UC Irvine).
You experience sudden insights, make discoveries, come up with fresh solutions to old problems, and seek alternatives to the usual routine way of doing things. Your mental processes are speeded up and you move more quickly now. A non-stop flow of communication between yourself and the people in your immediate environment is likely. Try to make room for a lot of spontaneity and flexibility in your schedule at this time.
I cannot believe the hospitality of people in the LBC! Swiss, Dizzy and the Crew @ Iguana Kelly's made us feel at home this afternoon. Some of the outakes from the trip so far: Fat lady flying in the air, The Aids Monkey, Costa Mesa Arizona, "People get shot down there", Live mugging, "Do you need me to babaysit", "You're the one the driving, you get a double"...more later. The Pike is going to be ILL tonight. I'll post some pics. Cali is great. We rocked the KUCI "Play It As It Lays Show" last night...we will post some audio on the myspace when we get back to the 801. Stay Chill...DAG!
Left To Right...Top To Bottom
Me, Shawn and Chris on the "Timberland Twister" backwards flip off.
Shawn and Elektra and the Sunfish they caught.
Chicken Elektra
Elektra @ the MPLS zoo
Dago @ White Castle (I didn't eat there, poser!)
The goats at the zoo bashing skulls
The FAM
My Dad's Cribo
Butterfly and Flower
Carlie The 1/2 Twin and Elektra
Goat eating my camera
LEGOLAND
Dago @ Spongebob Fishing pole
Elektra and Blue
The Neice, Nephew and E on the LIL' Ripsaw
Elektra early AM plane flight
