October 2009
80 posts
9 Dragons, 900 Unrelated Thoughts
So I’m trying to wade through 9 Dragons—the latest Michael Connelly1 novel—which is so far pretty terrible. I was close to nodding off when he introduced a minor, minor character named Barbara Starkey and aaaaall I could think about was whether he’d named her by combining Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey) and his wife Barbara Bach.
Then I abandoned paying attention in...
HOLY SHIT, I JUST REALIZED: MICHAEL STIPE IS...
kellydeal:
I’m just saying, with Moz in the hospital, we may need to start some sort of Neighborhood Tumblr Watch Group for J-Money.
Shit, Peter Buck is almost 53, Robyn Hitchcock is 56 and Nick Lowe is the same age as my mother. Google it…she doesn’t like it when I tell.
Good thing I like distinguished grey temples.
And also brittle bones.
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My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-25) →
Nick Lowe (262)
R.E.M. (47)
Arthur Alexander (40)
Stewart Copeland (34)
Billy Bragg (26)
EDIT: There are times when these weekly imports make me look like I have a problem.
Nick Lowe On Tour: Acoustic Fantastic →
When rock musicians creep past middle age, it seems like their careers start careening in a number of disturbing directions. Some grow sideburns and a soul patch before heading out on their semi-annual farewell tour.
Some ignore their advancing age and wriggle into a pair of Abercrombie Kids jeans, to disastrous effect. Some sprinkle sequins on top of their sequins and become a Caesar’s Palace...
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No, you are not going to give him mouth to mouth.
– My mother, texting me about Morrissey’s collapse.
I’ve said it a brazillion times, but my mother could not be more awesome.
Morrissey Remains in Hospital After Collapsing... →
A spokeswoman for the Great Western Ambulance Service said: “Just after 9pm we got a call to a 50-year-old man who was reported to be suffering from respiratory problems and was unconscious.
“We sent a paramedic in a doubled-crewed ambulance.
“When they arrived they found a conscious patient who was not feeling well at all.
“They made an initial assessment and took him...
Rolling Stone: How has the internet changed music fandom?
Nick Hornby: In the book [Juliet, Naked], you’ve got this guy who lives in a small seaside town, who’s obsessed with an obscure singer-songwriter. Fifteen years ago, it would’ve been a miracle if he met anyone he could even talk to about this stuff. He’s now able to talk to people who feel exactly the same way as...
Once in awhile you may feel you are on shaky ground, that your experiences and...
– From “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Critic: Lesson 7”
I’m so in love with this guy, it’s not even funny.
So we touched on what’s uncool. But what about the flip side? Well, here...
– Minneapolis writer Paul Allen, in Part 3 of his brilliant “So You Want to Be A Rock and Roll Critic” series
I Have Sixty-One R.E.M. Concerts On This Hard...
I just thought I should tell someone before I’m crushed beneath the weight of my own dorkiness.
This is why the internet sucks. Number one, they never get the lyrics...
– Michael Stipe, introducing “Driver 8” during R.E.M.’s appearance at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre. He really was reading his own lyrics from his Macbook during the shows.
NPR: Stream Live At The Olympia →
For the pair of you who remain R.E.M. fans, NPR is currently streaming the entire two-disc Live at the Olympia album, which has its official release on Tuesday.
You’re welcome and you’re welcome. Especially you.
Besides several solid Accelerate outtakes, the selling point is R.E.M’s...
– Will Hermes, reviewing R.E.M’s Live at the Olympia CDs in Rolling Stone __________ Mr. Hermes, you almost got it right and I’d agree with you entirely if you’d lopped the last two words off of your final sentence. “Drummer Bill Rieflin often holds things together.”...
You’ve got to be bloody-minded and stay bloody-minded. It’s a...
– Robyn Hitchcock
Hey, Guy Behind Me in the Coffee Shop Line
If you don’t know exactly when to clap during “Space Oddity”, don’t.
Tom Waits interviews Tom Waits
Q: What’s wrong with the world? A: We are buried beneath the weight of information, which is being confused with knowledge; quantity is being confused with abundance and wealth with happiness. Leona Helmsley’s dog made $12 million last year… and Dean McLaine, a farmer in Ohio, made $30,000. It’s just a gigantic version of the madness that grows in every one of our brains. We are monkeys with...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-18) →
R.E.M. (50)
Tuatara (47)
Nick Lowe (35)
The Presidents of the United States of America (21)
Elvis Costello (19)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
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I would tell them to go to hell. That’s a question I will not tolerate...
– Where The Wild Things Are author Maurice Sendak, when asked what he would say to parents who thought the movie version was “too scary.”
—via
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Sigh.
So I’m listening to KEXP [Seattle] which is one of my all-time favorite stations and one I used to support when I wasn’t a freelancer. When I had leftover cash to toss in the direction of public radio, I’d always make a donation, enough to score a logo hoodie or a stainless steel coffee mug.1
They’ve got a replacement DJ this afternoon, a girl who typically spins on the...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-11) →
R.E.M. (142)
Steve Wynn (48)
Pearl Jam (47)
Tuatara (38)
White Lies (28)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz