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Spotify Wrapped and 15 Years of Listening
Down a bit from last year, mostly due to vinyl consumption. Apparently in my jazz era. Still a punk at heart, though. Also, as of today, Last.fm has been tracking music I’ve listened to on my computer and phone for fifteen years. Looking at the top artists, I’d say not necissarily the right order, but…
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A “Brief Respite from a Harsh Reality”
A “chess set made from paper in the Buchenwald camp by political prisoner Hermann Rautenberg, a Jew from Berlin.” “On an old fishing boat, posing as a group of innocent boating enthusiasts, Herman Rautenberg from Berlin met with other youths involved in anti-Nazi activities. In spite of being arrested a number of times, Rautenberg was…
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Charles Schulz on Democracy
“In 1970, students in a fifth-grade class at Hawthorne School in Beverly Hills were assigned to write a letter to someone they admired, asking them ‘What makes a good citizen?’ Joel Lipton, 10 years old at the time, wrote to Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz.” “I think it is more difficult these days to define what…
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“If you can’t be a good example, at least try to become an interesting cautionary tale.”
Not sure what is exactly that Merlin Mann is up to, but he’s been posting words of wisdom on Github. Lots of gems.
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Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72
“How many more of these stinking, double-downer sideshows will we have to go through before we can get ourselves straight enough to put together some kind of national election that will give me and the at least 20 million people I tend to agree with a chance to vote FOR something, instead of always being…
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Jim Henson: Idea Man, Ron Howard
Had the pleasure to see the Muppets in a wonderful exhibit in Grand Rapids last year and this film served as an excellent reminder of that inspirational day. In his own words: “Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.” I will likely always be more of a George Carlin or…
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Me and Rigby watching a Ghostbusters and Gremlins double-feature in honor of both movies coming out June 8, 1984.
Truly the day cinema peaked.
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Joey Ramone would have been 73 today.
(Photo by Howard Barlow) As heard on Little Steven’s Underground Garage: The renaissance had come and gone. It ended with either Who’s Next in August, ’71, or The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St., May of ’72. You can argue all night about which record began the renaissance, but nobody’s going to argue that starting…
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The Creative Act: A Way of Being
“All that matters is that you are making something you love, to the best of your ability, here and now.” Was hoping for a few real world examples from Rubin’s illustrious music career, but this is still an inspiring book on the creative process. Here is something I need to remember: “Living life as an…
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Rest in Peace, Steve Albini
I know there’s “cooler” albums to talk about, but In Utero and Surfer Rosa were profoundly important to my teens, and I haven’t stopped listening to Mclusky Do Dallas since seeing them in San Francisco this past March. My friend Tom had the good fortune of studying under Albini in the early 2000s and had…
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20 Years Ago I Was At Coachella
So were the then recently-reunited Pixies, whom I interviewed. And Air, also interviewed. And Tommy Lee, whom I had a drink with in the VIP lounge. Which is where I also Mike Watt. And Fred Schneider. And Wayne Coyne, who would debut the Space Bubble the next evening. And Kraftwerk, who I managed to get…
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You Don’t Know How to Drive
If I never share a pixelated meme again, it will be too soon. But this one is important. Otherwise, it’s gonna be a looong summer. It’s quite simple, really: “When most drivers see the first “lane closed ahead” sign in a work zone, they slow too quickly and move to the lane that will continue…
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American Moviemakers on Letterman
Rewatching American Movie unlocked fond memories of Mark and Mike on Letterman. I cannot stop laughing.
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Brain Scans of Jazz Musicians Reveal Secrets to Creative Flow
As reported in The Conversation: “Flow, or being ‘in the zone,’ is a state of amped-up creativity, enhanced productivity and blissful consciousness that, some psychologists believe, is also the secret to happiness. It’s considered the brain’s fast track to success in business, the arts or any other field. But in order to achieve flow, a…
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Charles Schulz Drawing Peanuts
“I wish I had a better education but I think that my entire background made me well-suited for what I do. If I could write better than I can, perhaps I would have tried to become a novelist and I might have become a failure. If I could draw better than I can, I might…
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Recently Read
Two massive tomes I finally conquered: The Stand and The Pale King. Wouldn’t necessarily recommend either but I am glad I read both. Of course I love reading about movies. After making a list of my favorite (read: not the ones I think are the best) films, I realized two filmmakers had four films on…