Sun 29 Jul 2007 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

New this week in the USA (but months old old in the UK) is the new Manic Street Preachers album* Send Away the Tigers. Which, if you like the big pop rock sound, is great. If you don’t, go away now, we’ll all be happier.

One of the singles—”Your Love Alone is Not Enough”—features (here looking oddly doll-like) Nina Persson from The Cardigans and A Camp on guest vocals and has (at least) two historical nods: one to their own song, “You stole the sun from my heart” from the album This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours and much more head-stretchingly weird a jangly-sing along chorus of “Trade all your heroes in for ghosts” from Da Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”.

Everything is on this thing: Queen, OMD, that stadium geetar sound, a Wyndam (sic) Lewis quote (“When a person is young they are usually a revolutionary of some kind. So here I am speaking of my revolution.”**); Welsh panache***. It has the huge choruses of “A Design for Life” in the single “Your Love…” and “Autumnsong” and the in your face politics of “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next” in “Rendition” (“Rendition, rendition, blame it on the coalition … Rendition, rendition, never knew the sky was a prison”), a John Lennon cover (more on the ok side than brilliant, but that’s .. ok) and features pics from the self-published art of Valerie Phillips from her book Monika Monster: Future First Woman on Mars (which are cute but aren’t as SF as it might sound).

Video of catchy summer hit:

* At this point we are still asterisking album to point out that the parents-of-the-kids call them CDs and that who the hell knows what the kids call them.
** Regendered by design.
*** You believe it once you’ve seen it.


Aimee Mann’s nightmare

Thu 26 Jul 2007 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

Thanks, as it were (and again), to Scalzi, here we find fave songstress Aimee Man* trying to escape Neil, Geddy, and Alex in “Time Stands Still“.

For a first time viewer (ahem.) (Spoiler!) of this video, Aimee eventually (after 5+ minutes of bluescreen glory) gets away from da boys. It’s no”Afterimage”(with that amazing intro—not that the song lives up to it) or “Distant Early Warning” but but but, that video, it does take one baaack.

And here’s another one that the old youtube suggests: Luscious Jackson making the dance happen with their “Ladyfingers“.

* Best moment at Orange Peel, Asheville, show was the girl (born the year the song came out: awesome!) in front of us hollerin out for That Song, you know, the Til Tuesday one she sings as an acoustic breakdown with her band on tour, pulls off, drowns you in. The one with the hilarious hilarious vid.


No iPhone here

Tue 26 Jun 2007 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Posted by: Gavin

Good golly it is a pretty thing and we wants it.

So at first it was about the memory: 4 MB, 8 MB. Not numbers to inspire $600 purchases. These are numbers for keyrings, not intermodular future devices.

Today comes the monthly price: $60, $80, $100.

Ah well. Hope someone we know gets one so that we can lean over their shoulder and watch us some fantastic films.


Liz Hand interview

Fri 18 May 2007 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

Yesterday Liz Hand was in town for a reading (more about that later) and she went down into the root cellar to be interviewed by Jedediah Berry about art, photography, music, and more.

She was very composed for someone who was trapped down there revising Generation Loss for 3 weeks late last year.


Thu 19 Apr 2007 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Posted by: Gavin

John Scalzi (whose cup runneth over with SFWA madness) posted Marillion’s “Kayleigh” for a friend’s birthday. Which is a beautiful song and explains the popularity of the name Kayleigh in the 20-22 year old female demographic. Scalzi takes issue with Fish’s hair—with good reason. It is indefensible. But from what I remember, Edinburgh in the 1980s had no hairstylists: they’d all moved to Glasgow following the success of Simple Minds.

So here’s a response, another Marillion video, “Garden Party”. The video has a strange and lovely narrative: Fish and the boys are Just William-esque schoolboy agents of chaos running around the edges of a garden party and tiptoeing into Lord of the Flies or The Wicker Man territory:


Thu 19 Apr 2007 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Posted by: Gavin

John Scalzi (whose cup runneth over with SFWA madness) posted Marillion’s “Kayleigh” for a friend’s birthday. Which is a beautiful song and explains the popularity of the name Kayleigh in the 20-22 year old female demographic. Scalzi takes issue with Fish’s hair—with good reason. It is indefensible. But from what I remember, Edinburgh in the 1980s had no hairstylists: they’d all moved to Glasgow following the success of Simple Minds.

So here’s a response, another Marillion video, “Garden Party”. The video has a strange and lovely narrative: Fish and the boys are Just William-esque schoolboy agents of chaos running around the edges of a garden party and tiptoeing into Lord of the Flies or The Wicker Man territory:


Fri 30 Mar 2007 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Posted by: Gavin

gone


Fri 30 Mar 2007 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Posted by: Gavin

gone


Tue 27 Mar 2007 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

Venus Zine was asking for questions for Patti Smith, so naturally I forward that to Liz Hand and decide that some You Tube research is necessary. So I’m well into “Horses“, “Land“, &c. but then in the related box up pops an absolutely irresistible video: “Furry Happy Monsters” from a visit by REM to Sesame Street. Instantly curious who was doing the harmony, google led to more info:

In case you’re wondering, the red-haired female Muppet singing harmony was modeled on B-52 Kate Pierson. Puppeteer Stephanie D’Abruzzo, who manipulated the Kate Monster puppet, also provided the vocal part.

If you’re looking at this on Firefox using a Mac for some reason the video doesn’t appear (although it does on Safari, que??), so watch it here.


Tue 27 Mar 2007 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

Venus Zine was asking for questions for Patti Smith, so naturally I forward that to Liz Hand and decide that some You Tube research is necessary. So I’m well into “Horses“, “Land“, &c. but then in the related box up pops an absolutely irresistible video: “Furry Happy Monsters” from a visit by REM to Sesame Street. Instantly curious who was doing the harmony, google led to more info:

In case you’re wondering, the red-haired female Muppet singing harmony was modeled on B-52 Kate Pierson. Puppeteer Stephanie D’Abruzzo, who manipulated the Kate Monster puppet, also provided the vocal part.

If you’re looking at this on Firefox using a Mac for some reason the video doesn’t appear (although it does on Safari, que??), so watch it here.


James Brown, RIP

Tue 26 Dec 2006 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

Damn. Look at those feet move. Missed this due to viruses, visitors (& helping Santa out of the blocked chimney), etc. Among other things passed back and forward: Bees and Trees from Heifer.

No snow yet although flurries are promised. Global warming, we see you not. Much.

Hope y’all had fun wherever you were.


Wed 20 Dec 2006 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , , | Posted by: Gavin

— An interview with Neil Williamson (author of a collection worth tracking down The Ephemera).

— Magic for Beginners hits another couple of year’s best lists: Seattle Times, (“odd, absorbing, fantasy stories”) and Nancy Pearl, librarian extraordinaire (list, listen). “If you do nothing else, read the title story…. It’s like looking at an M.C. Escher drawing…. It’s just a fabulous story, so don’t miss Kelly Link.” [Nancy also picks out Kevin Brockmeier, Susannah Clarke, Elizabeth Strout, etc.]– Lovely literary bookmarks by Eddie Campbell (sorry, forget where the link came from).

— See you at KGB tonight.

— The Scotsman reports on a BBC Scotland radio show they’re dubbing “the Scottish Simpsons“.

— Old Earth Books has a new release date (March) for their Howard Waldrop collection, THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME: Selected Short Fiction, 1980 – 2005.

— Some pix of Venice — many more to follow.

— Also: an interview with M.T. Anderson (thx Gwenda).

— Just received: a new issue of the Fairy Tale Review and from Dean Francis Alfar, Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol.2 (Kestrel), The Digest of Philippine Genre Stories, and Story Philippines.


Wed 20 Dec 2006 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , , | Posted by: Gavin

— An interview with Neil Williamson (author of a collection worth tracking down The Ephemera).

— Magic for Beginners hits another couple of year’s best lists: Seattle Times, (“odd, absorbing, fantasy stories”) and Nancy Pearl, librarian extraordinaire (list, listen). “If you do nothing else, read the title story…. It’s like looking at an M.C. Escher drawing…. It’s just a fabulous story, so don’t miss Kelly Link.” [Nancy also picks out Kevin Brockmeier, Susannah Clarke, Elizabeth Strout, etc.]– Lovely literary bookmarks by Eddie Campbell (sorry, forget where the link came from).

— See you at KGB tonight.

— The Scotsman reports on a BBC Scotland radio show they’re dubbing “the Scottish Simpsons“.

— Old Earth Books has a new release date (March) for their Howard Waldrop collection, THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME: Selected Short Fiction, 1980 – 2005.

— Some pix of Venice — many more to follow.

— Also: an interview with M.T. Anderson (thx Gwenda).

— Just received: a new issue of the Fairy Tale Review and from Dean Francis Alfar, Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol.2 (Kestrel), The Digest of Philippine Genre Stories, and Story Philippines.


What to do with podcasters.

Mon 23 Oct 2006 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Posted by: Gavin

Back in July (which must have been, oh, a week ago at least), in a dimly lit restaurant we asked distinguished critic Gary Wolfe for his thoughts on podcasting.

So that’s what it’s all about.


This Corrosion

Mon 18 Sep 2006 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Posted by: Gavin

2 AM videos: Ok Go. Best use of exercise machines, best choreography. (Thanks Meghan!).

Then there are so many crowd (and regular) videos on YouTube that 2 can easily become 4 (AM). Thanks to everyone who ever sneaked a decent video camera into a concert. Watching a lot of bands whose videos never made it onto Top of the Pops, Old Grey Whistle Test, and whatever other few places to see them there were in a non-MTV land or digging into the past of bands only later learned to love.

Sisters of Mercy. An appropriate slight case of overbombing: Dominion (any excuse to play around in the desert), 1959, Lucretia, My Reflection (begin with the bass), Still in Hollywood, Concrete Blonde. (So young! So much fun. Still a great video. Still don’t know all the words, sorry Gwenda.) Have to check out Catfish Scar, Johnette’s new band. (in its year of release it has to be danced to at least once per week), Possession, Heartland—this tape does indeed contain “a portion of Jolene“. Knocking on Heaven’s Door.

Few others: Still in Hollywood, Concrete Blonde. (So young! So much fun. Still a great video. Still don’t know all the words, sorry Gwenda.) Have to check out Catfish Scar, Johnette’s new band.

Tinariwen! Hipsway.
Also this:

  Tiptree radio drama; “Houston, Houston, Do You Read?” — Max Schmid guest host

Thanks to Jim Freund for the link—which will be live for 10 more days or so.

Some other time: more embarrassing bands, more embarrassing hair cuts.


Moved in. Made a flick. Huge stars now.

Fri 4 Aug 2006 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Posted by: Gavin

Made a move that was meant to happen ages ago thanks to Michael here and Brianna and Josh at Utopian.

Lazy Sunday, it’s not, but Friday afternoons are a no-go area for work in publishing (try calling your editor, they’re at the beach). We’re not at the beach, but now it’s getting cooler (right?) we are outside in the sun. Jolly weekending chums.

Flickity film: Watch out for heatstroke.


SBP1 – Erik the Shipping Tzar

Thu 6 Jul 2006 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

Erik the Shipping Tzar (self-declared) tells the whole truth on YouTube. (More lo-res videos to come.)


Sat 3 Jun 2006 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

Bear discovers flickr. YouTube.


Sat 3 Jun 2006 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

Bear discovers flickr. YouTube.


« Later Entries in YouTube