Happy hallowe'en!

Maigret

Enjoying this Simenon book, which I should have read in one sitting, but have not had time...still, it's good! Also nice: detective Maigret has a cold the whole time, so as he's solving two murders we are kept in the loop as to his fight against the common cold. Also, he and his lieutenant-ish dude have dinner and for dessert they each have a pear!

Bad Lieutenant makes me sleefy

That Bernard Sumner-helmed Bad Lieutenant record - I've put my finger on why I think it sucks, by using the technique of only listening to it maybe twice, then just percolating this post:

1. don't let some other asshole sing two tracks

2. speaking of same, the whole thing is so lifeless that, to me, it carries a whiff of obligation, one which I've probably imagined and then extrapolated into a whole "thing." But it's like Barney told ol' Phil Cunningham "Yeah, mate, sorry that you got to join New Order for only one [admittedly underrated] record. Tell you what, we'll do another record...grab a buddy of your from back in Macclesfield and we'll whip this thing out and people will lerv it!"

Um, no. Also, shitty drum sounds and who cares if Alex Blur is on bass? You can't hear him.

Guernica!

You do know that Picasso's Guernica is memorializing an atrocity committed against my people, yes? FUCK FRANCO!

Jesus H, Gordon

I always felt charitable toward Sting, I'm sorry to say. Even during the standing-around-with-tribal-dudes period, and the Tantric Thing. Didn't buy any of his records after 1987, but always liked him in a "if I had any class at all, Sting would make a good uncle" sort of way.

But really, a "winter" album in time for Xmas with a picture of a lightly-bearded Sting walking with a dog in the snow. Horrors!

Break out the lute!

Wipers

How did I never know about the Wipers? "Romeo" rules.

Maybe because they weren't Basque? Am I that shallow?

Can anything be stupider than that a man has the right to kill me because he lives on the other side of a river and his ruler has a quarrel with mine, though I have not quarrelled with him?
Blaise Pascal

Guindilla!

As much as I hate to have the foods of my homeland commodified, I need to mention here that Trader Joe's has guinjilla peppers. One bite and I was home!

Prefab Sprout?!?!

I always thought that sometime a band should do a whole, good record and just sit on it - how cool would it be if, from the hazy mists of time, there came forth a prime-period album by, say, XTC or REM (when still good) and it just went ker-plop!, fell from the sky into one's lap?

Well, I saw that there was a new Prefab Sprout (!) record and tried to keep my momentary gasps/whoops of joy from elongating to a yawn. But, as it turns out, Paddy is now going deaf as well as blind (which is interesting, now that I think, because once they had Mr Wonder play harmonica on a track!) and, really, how good could a record called Let's Save the World With Music really be, anyway?

Well, as it turns out, the answer is "pretty fuckin' great," because this was actually a record made in 1992 (!) or so, demos for a follow-up to Jordan: The Comeback. The good news that the songs are stellar is made even better by the fact that the Inevitable White-Dork Rap (as was de riguer [sp?] then) comes in the fist seconds of the first track, never to return!

It makes me wonder what else Mr McAloon is hiding.

Has anyone gotten THIS pointless tattoo yet?

Aguirre!

Aguirre is a Basque name, and it reminded me of Hank Aguirre, the 50's - 60's baseball pitcher, so I looked him up dutifully to see if we had any Basque connections/were related, which, it turned out, was impossible, because Hank was famously Mexican. Nonetheless, the Wiki gods provided this amusing anecdote:

As a rookie for the Cleveland Indians in 1956, Aguirre struck out Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams the first time he faced him. After the game, Aguirre asked Williams to autograph the ball. Reluctantly, Williams complied. A couple of weeks later Aguirre faced Williams again. This time the "Splendid Splinter" smashed Aguirre's first offering for a home run. While circling the bases, Williams yelled to Aguirre, "Get that ball, and I'll sign it, too."

When WAS the last time?

That you listened to "Everyone Everywhere" off Republic?

You should do it TO-NITE!

Right next to Pine Club, no less

Saw some amazing graffiti the other day, and right around the corner from the mighty Pine Club. Scrawled in red spraypaint, two feet high:

BICHES

Hopefully, the more sensitive type of Pine Club habitue (Oakwood citizenry as opposed to bowling-jacket Union folk) will see that and tut: "They're called bichons."

Hopefully.

Girls

So, yeah, that Girls record is quite good, though I don't really much feel like listening to it all that much. I think because the guy's voice gets a mite too gratingly "goony" at times.

However, here he wears a Suede t-shirt, so for that alone they must be commended!

Phoebe Philo

She used to work for Stella McCartney or something and now she's at Chloe, or maybe Celine?, etc. BUT what's really exciting is that she finally answers the age-old question "What does Tom Ripley's 'amoral' wife Heloise look like?"

How prisons are built

Was apprised of the fact that decisions are made on where to build new prisons not by existing crime stats, population density or any of that, but rather on an area's 3rd grade reading levels. Um, wow.

What ARE the cats going out to Hallowe'en parties as?

Glad you asked!

Picci:

Biscuit:

Not sure I would do it again

...but was accidentally given a Butterfinger by our candy machine and it was pretty good. Probably hadn't had one in twenty years.

Brake lights - ON THE FRONT OF YOUR CAR

You know how, when you are trying to make a left turn, and the light turns yellow, the freaks coming in the other direction will now just keep plowing through all the way to red and sometimes beyond? Then you're stuck in the middle of the lane and have to punch it to get out of the way of the folks whose light is newly green?

Well, I want brake lights on the front of cars so that I can see when these assholes are braking. There's no way to tell as is, and the reprehensible morality of today doesn't adjure these cruds to stop, so, if they are going to stop, a little red light should come on, on the grill, maybe, so the person (you!) making the left turn doesn't drive in front of this scofflaw. Yes, I know they have to get home to take little Kaylie to tumbling/smoke KrakkRoxx or whatever.

Wait! Now that I think, there could be the "conventional" red light on grill that they intend to stop and a, I dunno, blue light that signifies they are going home to read, when they understandably can't wait for a red light and so should be given a free pass, vexation-wise. Maybe the light could SAY Reading. Although, shouldn't they have a book on their laps when driving anyway?

Warpaint

Have only heard two songs from these and like both a bit more each time I hear them. The exciting part is one of the girls herein was the suicide bathtub girl in The Rules of Attraction! I'd prefer that they sound more like, say, Enuff Z'nuff (sp?), but one can't have everything. Not sure they don't verge into "the new Stevie Nicks" territory pioneered by Bats for Lashes. But what the hell?

D_____ Paul Weller?

Not far off the real one, yes:

Inspection = GOLD!

I've had literally thousands of emails asking how the inspection went on our new house! By thousands I mean two. Well, it's all fine! Need a new electric box in the cellar/basement (those FedPacs are certain death!) and the furnace checked out and there is a slight drip in the cellar (it was pouring outside on Inspection Day) but Inspection Dude was utterly unfazed. "It was built in 1860's - that's pretty good for then!" He'd buy the place unhesitatingly!

So there will some tuck-pointing (ask me later) to be done...flashing looked good, whatever that is. Etc.

Yay!, right?

I JUST SAID THIS LAST WEEK!

NME picked up a quote from El Jarvo saying he'd like to play Glastonbury and that was extrapolated into Pulp getting together again. Did I not just say this?

This blog makes dreams come true, apparently!

Steven Patrick Capote

Basque thing #1

Had an idea to cover the entirety of the new Weezer album (which I have not heard) in the style of my homeland...cover art below!

Have a better weekend than this guy!

House inspection! Tomorrow!

Yeah, so, tomorrow at 7:30 am we meet up with some dude who will survey our new domicile for termites and the odd accelerant. Will the furnace pass muster? Will the switchbox need to be, er, switched? Suspense! I expect to talk about caulkin' pipes and to plumb the depths of a foundation crack with a screwdriver. Then: lunch! Then settling loan issues. Then dinner! Then (the part I've been waiting for) finishing my Basque book. Although I don't know why I need to read it; my heart does pump red and green blood and my cunning wiliness is not so much an example of anything but my nascent Basqueness!

Misdemeanor: chimney sweeping w/o permit

I have always loved this album cover

but have never listened to the actual album. I have it, even! I'm just scared it will slurp and thus taint the "one of my favorite album covers"-ness of the whole thing.

I could be the next Spencer Fairey

Before HOPE and all that, Spencer Fairey was behind those "Andre the Giant Has A POSSE" stickers that used to show up places on "post-no-bills"-style walls in cities and on lightpoles and such...this was like 20 years ago, so, of course, one can still see one occasionally around D_____.

But, see, I think I should make flyers of this guy and just put them up all over. And if I really thought I should, I would (?):

Also on my to-do list

is order that copy of Imperial Bedrooms that is available for a measly 16.50 from Amazon in advance of its June 2010 release. 16.50 for all that awfulness! CANNOT WAIT!

Gratitude

Then I looked at November Rachel Ray, which is pretty crap, all things told. But there was a little item on regional foods and, as much as I love the Carolinas' Cheerwine and am glad that I have five cans RIGHT NOW in the fridge at home, I was shocked anew to remember that Vernors is only a regional (Michigan-based) delicacy! There was a web address and a note after ($11 per six pack 12 oz bottles) that made me thank me lucky stars! I can go and get a 2 liter when I finish typing this sentence for a dollar-nineteen!

How wonderful to live just one state away from where they are making this glorious nectar! Huzzah!

Really, John?

Took my mom to the doctor this morning and perused the November O magazine, which, as waiting room mags go, is not as good a find as a Martha Stewart Living but much better than Everyday Rachel Ray and acres better than, say, Redbook.

John Cusack was talking about books that meant something to him (!), and among such hyper-left dross as Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 (yes, John, I get it, you'd play a better Hunter S than John Depp would, yes) was a quick aside on Franny and Zooey:

"it's what got me started on theology,"

or words like that. I should have written it down on a fly-in. But, anyway - REALLY? Who reads that and sits around thinking "Yes, I should really look up what upanishads are!"? Or "Man, this Fat Lady who's also Jesus...what's that about?"

The only stuff I learned from Salinger was how to say "goddam" all the time and how to treat my mother badly. And to call my wife "buddy." And to offer someone who's feeling down a tangerine, sardonically, as in "Want a tangerine?"

Wait, I guess I have learned a lot.

I'm already modeling!!

Nope, this cover isn't SHIT HOT at all...

Need for new kitchen!!

MS Paint New Yorker cartoon 10/20

"I mean - 116 hours ago, there was no Balloon Boy..."

Xmas present for my mom:

You know she needs it!

Ah - that's it

Saw this pic of Adam Lambert (I will pretend to not have a clue who he is, but really, I have never watched even an episode of Idol - ever!) on Gawker, and was all wait! - why do I know this?


















Then it came to me:





















And, really, shouldn't some mall-trash winner of this show cover "Digging Your Scene," as it is actually the only good song of the 20th century?* I mean, rilly? I'm sure Dr. Robert could use the moolah, and I'd rather hear this on line at Meijer or wherever.




* and "True Faith"

"Times Square"

The Bride was looking around at design crapola on the World Wide Web and I was amused to see the music snob ostentation of a copy of the Times Square soundtrack so prominently displayed in this House Beautiful-style "room portrait." Supposedly this pic is from the home of one of the Vena Cava designer label girls. I can just imagine coming home from a night at Beatrice Inn (RIP) and saying "Let's listen to 'Take This Town' by XTC!"

Magnifique!

Nick Eddy - a Basque?!?!

I've always been interested in the Basques and have sort of decided that I am one.

Ponder:

* fierce independent spirit...

* they paint their shutters red and green, and I had already said that I wanted to put green shutters on our new house, prior to reading that...

* while the Catholic Spanish powers-that-were used to believe in a conventional trinity and all that, they continued to worship the sun and hairy forest gods, something I do all the time...

* they built Christopher Columbus's ships and I've been canoeing before...

* GARLIC!

So, yeah, get me a Basque flag for Xmas and we can call it even.

This has been said everywhere, sure

But was watching some of the first season of Six Feet Under and Rachel Griffiths looks so much like John Cameron Mitchell as Hedwig that I kept expecting her to burst into "Wicked Little Town," when she wasn't fretting over Bro Sisto (who looks like our friend Poolbox, of course).

Identify each for bonus points (ignore Rachel Griffiths's name at the bottom of her picture):
????





????

Seriously, these two need to star together in some stone-cold serious "family drama." Bob Redford directs!

More posts next week, I promise!

I love you all!

Thought 2 on that Balloon Kid thing

I had deja-vu also, thinking "I've heard this before...that kid is alive and hiding." Then it turned out to be true. Then I remembered it also turned out to be true when Bruce Willis remembered that a kid turned out not to have fallen down a well or whatever it was in Twelve Monkeys. So was I sharing a memory with Bruce Willis, or was I just thinking of the Twelve Monkeys-ness of the situation?

Either way, I should watch Sin City again.

A thought on that balloon kid thing

My first thought when the balloon kid was going on, a la a baby down a well, was "That goddamn Pixar makes those Up! movies and this sort of thing will happen! There will be more of this!"



Then I thought of ABC's awful 1989 record Up, which blew utterly except for "Where is the Heaven?" I had looked forward to it, but its stale-on-arrival house pianos and puny drum machines very much disappointed. But Thao Nguyen's new record is great, and it arrived at the same point of the year this year that the ABC mess did twenty years ago. SO, 2009 actually, in toto of records I've really liked, actually BEATS 1989, the heretofore standard-bearer!

This is actually what I thought, while the Breaking News red-bar was still up on CNN.com!