nonpretentious

[mix-tape] Pink Bears are Funny

Here at nonpretentious, we love a spot of British comedy (or humour, as they like to misspell it.)  And we also love Mister T (and we pity the fool who doesn’t.)  So we were overjoyed that the Queen’s own Robin Fry, actor, comedian, and voice of Mister T, agreed to make a mix-tape for us.

Mr. Fry hails from the sunny, southern shores of Brighton, England and follows in the long line of British comedians that starts with Benny Hill and ends up somewhere around Mr. Bean. When he’s not writing, acting, search engine optimizing, or parenting, Robin works as a stand-up comedian and regularly performs improv with The Off The Cuff Comedy Collective. He also partakes in “proper acting” every so often. For example, he’s “currently typecast as a nutjob in ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.’”  (His words.)  A relatively unknown fact about Robin is that he writes a mean title attribute, a skill any computer geek can appreciate.

Most importantly, Robin Fry, is also a founding member of the Pink Bear Club. (Er, most importantly, unless you are one of his kids….)

What is the Pink Bear Club?

According to Robin, the Pink Bear Club “[does] interactive multimedia comedy shows, which may sound poncey but they’re really bloody funny actually.” He gets points in my book for using the word “poncey,” but let me translate for those of us who celebrate Independence Day. The Pink Bear Club is a group of comedians who can’t get enough of the cozy, pink nest. (I get points for double entendre.) They make funny movies and like spaghetti westerns and are gearing up for Bicycle Day. (Gearing up for Bicycle Day?  Pun!)

Robin’s nonpretentious mix goes from grime to Elvis to old-school hip-hop and could very well touch off another round of Mods v. Rockers if played loudly enough. And if that’s not enough to get you to listen, maybe you should consider the repercussions of angering (the voice of) Mr. T.

We love it.  Click to read the liner notes penned by the Pink Bear himself. Continue reading…

[mix tape] Innovator & Connector Sean Bonner Knows a Lot: Music Included

The main motivation behind the [mix tape] column is that there are “celebrities” out there – not-so-ordinary people changing the world, influencing communities, or doing really cool things – who have not been asked to submit a “Celebrity Playlist” to iTunes (as if!).

But, how cool is it to hear new music recommended by people you admire?  Sharing music lets you get to know people in a whole new way.  You find out dirty little secrets.  Or, you find tracks that end up on repeat (upcoming post).

Sean Bonner, co-founder of Bode Media, Inc. and Metblogs, is listed as one of the top tech people to follow on Twitter.

Anyone who has an interest in social media and the web (nonpretentious contributors!), may want to learn more about him.  [Thankfully, sean provided a useful resource for any internet stalker.  And, no, geeky girls, sean's not available.]

Like his site says, he’s “changing the world, one pixel at a time.”  This includes running Metblogs, Cat Workout, and Urban Journal in addition to his speaking engagements and guest posts.

In short, Sean connects and inspires.

Needless to say, nonpretentious was giddy the first time he responded to us on Twitter and even more giddy when he agreed to make a mix tape for this column.  I mean, the guy started his own record label when he was still in high school.  Obviously, we wanted to know more about his taste in music.

Sean’s description of the mix?  “They are all super good songs and you can’t go wrong with them as far as I’m concerned….”

He’d probably be more verbose about his choices but – talk about perseverance! – “That’s probably about the 20th incarnation I made, but every time I’d try to publish the iMix a collection of 15 or so songs would get chopped to 3 or 4 so I had to start over from scratch.”  (That’s what you get for having good taste in music!)

Read more about his pursuits after the jump. Continue reading…