 |
||
You are what you read. And what you see. And what you hear.
I am Heath.
Who are you? 
Email Heath at heath at mediadiet dot net about items of possible impact, interest, and intrigue. Or just to say hey! (Portions of our correspondence might make its way back here. If this makes you feel uncomfortable, be sure to let me know.) Send me links. Use Delicious, and tag them for:h3athrow.
AOL IM: h3athrow Delicious Links: Twitter Bits
Online: Steal this button and link to Media Diet.
Logo by Joe Szilagyi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
 |
Friday, June 28, 2002
Mention Me! XIV My boss just told me to go home, but here's one last tidbit. I've been drawn into a discussion over at the Atlantic Unbound -- Post & Riposte -- which amuses me because the Atlantic is located two floors above me and I've never once stopped by their discussion area. Even though I used to hang out with Wen, Unbound's former editor. In any event, there's a bunch of David Eggers fans, young writers, and journal publishers -- including one of the folks involved in Pindeldyboz -- and they were recently discussing one of my recent Media Diet posts about Dan Zevin. Long story short, they're good people. Fine, upstanding people. And discussion wavers between the chatty and the in depth. Some hip lit-related sites recommended by these people include Tatlin's Tower, Opium Magazine, Surgery of Modern Warfare, and Eyeshot. I have yet to dig deeply into those resources, but I have vetted, aided, and abetted Zulkey, which I recently added to my Media Morsels. OK. Time to go home. On the agenda: show, party, weekend. See you Monday. Off the Shelf III That might not be the most appropriate headline, but so far, all of the Off the Shelf entries have mentioned Steve Portigal, so here's to tradition! Steve recently emailed me commenting on Media Diet and his blog -- even comparing me to Wil Wheaton, whom, I admit, I might look like -- but more importantly, he turned me on to the Boombox Museum. Kickin' it old school, as they say, the museum outlines the history of the humble ghetto blaster from 1976-1989, dividing the narrative into three periods: the birth, the golden age, and the decline and fall. The images in the 1976-1981 section are the most interesting, but the golden age, which covered 1981-1985, touches on the role boomboxes played in early hip-hop and breakdancing culture -- and warrants the most coverage. (The Fat Boys and LL Cool J are featured prominently.) Finally, the decline and fall pages show how product design changes followed changes in functionality -- almost every boombox manufacturer chased the ghetto blaster and portable stereo markets simultaneously with awkward hybrid products coupling Walkman-like devices with boomboxes. This is where I came in. I had the Sears LXI as a teenager. The Boombox Museum is slightly misleading, as it's one of many only exhibitions organized by the Pocket Calculator Show -- which also curates online exhibits of digital watches and Walkmans. Good to hear from you again, Steve! Welcome back from Japan. Party to Record Releases VI Back to the books, folks. Top Shelf Productions offers a monthly email newsletter entitled This Month @ Top Shelf. The most recent transmission includes information about Doug TanNapel's new graphic novel Creature Tech and a brief bit on another Top Shelf book currently solicited in Previews. It's a slim edition, but it's a good list to be on -- email Chris Staros to request a subscription. Good people at Top Shelf, yup yep yup! Rock Shows of Note XXVII The following report was previously posted Jan. 7, 2002, in the Media Diet discussion forum, which will be deactivated shortly. So. I walked past the Clairvoyants/Denali show Friday night, and the Middle East Upstairs line area was packed, so I didn't venture in. And, like a dope, I walked home past TT's without going in -- not knowing until later that Just Like Them features former members of the Cretins, a wonderful Boston-area pop punk band. But I did catch some other good music this weekend. 30 minutes too late to catch Moment -- a fine new band with a CD on Espo -- I caught a set by heavy-metal wunderkinds There at the Middle East Up. This is unabashed, shameless fun metal the way it was meant to be played. \m/ 's all around, a hulking, bearded lead singer, and loads of wanky solos. But not at all ironic. Appreciative. There are the heralds of the New Wave of Boston Heavy Metal! And last night, at the Washington Street Art Center in Somerville, I caught three musical groups: Sinkcharmer (featuring Paul and Jen from the Operators with Jef from the Anchormen and the Tardy), Red Telephone (which played rather straight-forward college indie rock), and Ad Frank -- who wowed with his Bee Gees-styled vocals, swagger-meets-simper stage presence, and solid song writing. I'm not sure, but he might be the guy I used to see dancing up by the DJ's during Mod Night in Allston. If it is, he's come a looong way. The latter two acts -- Red Telephone and Ad Frank -- have a residency at Charlie's Kitchen every Monday night this week. In fact, they're playing there tonight. I'm tempted to go. (1) Because Red Telephone said they're usually more "bad ass," and I wasn't that impressed by their scaled down set at the Center, and (2) because Jef says Ad's usually all hyperactive, herky jerky, and new wave when he plays. He wasn't that hyper last night. Anyhoo: Sinkcharmer play list! Rumor is that Henry Hudson was Paul's attempt to write an Anchormen song. I especially liked Half Life -- or Hole So Deep -- I forget which one was the hyperactive number with the yell-along chorus. Humor Me V The following magazinedex was previously posted Dec. 18, 2001, in the Media Diet discussion forum, which will be deactivated shortly. Blast #2, May 1971, G&D Publications, NYC, NY (bimonthly, 40 cents) Editorial Tyrant: Al Forman Publishing Bigshot: Howard Reed Cover: Mike Kaluta image of the Statue of Liberty holding a burning bra and a tablet marked "Liberty or Death." Cover lines: Youthful Satire! Adult Humor! Pubescent Sex!; Fem Lib: Freedom Fighters or Crazies; Other Gross Things in This Issue: TV Shows, School Daze, Boobarella, Swinging Encounter Group, Mod Comix, Up the Military, Sportscast Records, Fetish Magazine, Personality Analysis, and Much More... p.5 Fem-Lib w/Bob Smolin, d/Mike Kaluta... pointless assortment of women's liberation movement jokes p. 11 Blotz w/d Nick Cuti... Rorschach test-inspired gag strips addressing sexism, politics, Greenwich Village, psychiatry, and psychedelia p. 12 Preview of New TV Shows w/ Mel Campbell, d/ Bob Jenney... fantasy TV line-up sporting "The Yuck Lawyers," "The Partridge Fumbly," "The Most Deadly Show," and "Head Acher." Targets include Shirley Jones, Don Knotts, and Rod Serling p. 16 School Daze with C-Minus Seymour w/d Marvin Myers... series of six comic strips pouncing on computer dating, the French horn, scientists, and long hair p. 18 Boobarella w/ Mel Campbell, d/ Jim Mooney... parody of Barbarells featuring spoofs of nudity, Flash Gordon, and Mao Tse Tung p. 23 Analyzing Your Personality w/ Bob Smolin, d/ Bob Jenney... personality analysis test knocking on Sophia Loren, the Black Panthers, the library, and Cuba p. 26 Swinging Encounter Group Unltd. d/ Mike Kaluta... center spread taking on orgies, fetishes, women's lib, vocabulary, and halitosis p. 28 Mod Comix w/d Chuck McNaughton... comic-strip parodies aping Little Orphan Annie, Lil' Abner, Blonde, Peanuts, and Archie commenting on women's lib, drugs, homosexuality, Charles Manson, and dodging the draft p. 34 Up the Military-Industrial Complex w/d Rodrigues (uncredited in masthead)... five gag strips making fun of rank, uniform, and pacifism p. 36 Moon Child w/d Nicola Cuti... a "pixie created in the void of outer space" encounters a Snappy Answers for Stupid Questions-inspired computer that refuses to fix her watch. Best of Issue p. 39 World Newsfronts d/ UPI Photos... wire-photo fumetti jabbing Charlie McCarthy and John Wayne. Not as funny as Cracked's photo funnies p. 40 The Sportscaster w/ M.A. Conley, d/ Alan Weiss... athletic events TV broadcast parody tackling cheerleaders, half-time shows, and statistics p. 43 What's Real w/d John Stearns... four gag strips featuring... oh, nothing p. 44 Off the Record w/ Suzanne Douglass, d/ Stan Goldberg... Archie-styled two-pager taking on Top 40 radio programming p. 47 Fetish Magazine w/ Marv Wolfman, d/ Bob Jenney... "the magazine for the sophisticated pervert" undresses correspondence course ads, fetish gear ads, letter columns, and the Olympics p. 52 The Sentry w/d Stu Schwartzberg... ugly Americans get theirs Ads: house ad p. 4, Ace Books p. 46 Extras: Stang credits p. 28 and 44... Stan Goldberg? Marginalia: Go to work if you're too nervous to steal; Draft Gloria Steinem; The Lord is an Indian giver; Books are better than ever; Viet Nam is the national Edsel; Clark Kent is a transvestite; Support free enterprise -- support prostitution; If the rich could hire people to die for them, the poor could make a wonderful living; Instant cures for varicose veins -- long dresses; Be an Arab hero -- kidnap a child Technofetishism VII Work has declined to get me a new laptop to replace the hand-me-down I've been using for the last few years, and I'm currently stuck using another hand-me-down -- one that doesn't crash as frequently, granted, but one that also smelled like suntan lotion when I first got it. Suntan lotion? To assuage my concerns about working on unstable hand-me-downs that are several years old -- I haven't had worked on a new computer since I started working at Fast Company, always hand-me-downs -- and preparing for that day in the far distant future when I may leave the magazine to go out on my own or do something else, I've decided to bite the bullet and get my own Titanium PowerBook G4. With the help of a couple of friends and Media Dieticians, I decided not to go top of the line, but instead started at the bottom and upgraded a little. I ended up ordering: Pretty jazzed. Now I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for warchalk marks. Co-Op 'n' Roll There's Handstand Command, the energetic yet disorganized music collective that the Anchormen are involved in, and then there's Initech, the rock 'n' roll cooperative recently profiled by the Boston Globe. Comprising five local record labels, a marketing firm, and a booking agency, Initech shares office space, Net access, and office supplies -- arguably the first indie-rock incubator. While I'm really only familiar with Big Wheel Recreation's roster and operations (my friend Tom used to work there), I'm impressed by Initech's collaboration, concept, and shared services. A model worth exploring! Party to Record Releases V Squealer Music launched in 1992 in Blacksburg, Virginia, but not too long ago moved to Cambridge, where it now holds down the fort. Comprising a creative and progressive rock and jazz roster including Acid Mothers Temple, Gold Sparkle Band, the Major Stars, Spatula, and Tower Recordings, the label is one of the most consistently excellent labels I know of that got its start as a tape label. And their Squealer Music News emails, transmitted via the label's announcement list, are no exception. The June 28 edition features news on the Major Stars' new record, recent reviews, and tour; recent developments with Heathen Shame and Double Leopards; information about Acid Mother Temple's hiatus; and other material. The newsletter balances label-centric promotional information with in-depth review and description, as well as rosters of who the musicians in each project are and what they've been involved in previously. Thursday, June 27, 2002
Doctor, Steal Thyself III As in "steal yourself to go to the doctor," not "Doctor, steal something!" this time. I just got back from the Massachusetts General Hospital's downtown office, where I had my first physical in, um, about seven years. Since going to college, I've not really had a doctor to call my own, and I might have found him. We did the whole nine yards: family history, pre-existing conditions, blood pressure (120/80), temperature, ear check, eye check, hearing check -- a cool test where he put a tuning fork against my forehead and behind my ear to see how my skull conducted sound (I'm a little worried about hearing because of all the shows I go to) -- turn and cough, and a blood test for diabetes and cholesterol. Because it's been so long since I've gone to a doctor, I was slightly concerned that my slight nervousness would result in a racing pulse or problems while drawing blood, but no worries. In fact, the blood test was pretty cool. They have these little butterfly needles now that slide right in -- no puncture pressure, no pinching -- and it took no time at all to draw the vials of blood they needed for the tests. I walked back to the office with a bit of gauze and a Band-Aid on my vein and treated myself to a Mrs. Field's semisweet chocolate chip cookie and carton of skim milk on my way as a reward for a job well done. Back on the healthcare track! Among the Literati IX Went to a reading last night at Wordsworth to see Sandra Tsing Loh, author of A Year in Van Nuys, and Dan Zevin, author of The Day I Turned Uncool: Confessions of a Reluctant Grown-Up. I sat a row ahead of a bunch of Dan's friends, and having just read the book the night before, I was really looking forward to his reading. Loh read first. She and Levin are commentators for NPR, and it showed -- both were extremely comfortable reading. Of the two, Loh was more animated, gesturing wildly and modulating her volume and tone radically throughout the reading. At times, she was overly dramatic, but the snippet she shared from her new novel about life in Van Nuys might push me over the edge to pick up the book. It's kind of a take on Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence and tells the tale of a writer with writer's block stuck in a place she'd rather not be. Lots of funny tangents. Then, Zevin. Before the reading, he distributed a questionnaire about the days people in the audience had felt most cool or uncool -- and he incorporated the crowd response at the end, giving a package of coyote urine -- a gardening aid -- to the person whose entry was the best. I don't have the book with me at work, but Zevin read two pieces: the one about lawn care and the one about his semester abroad. He stuck to the text for the most part but interjected with several clever asides and contextual tangents, even clarifying some of the neighborhood landmarks he'd included in the book -- and pointing out people in the audience who were in the book as characters, or who had had some impact on the writing (like the person who introduced him to the "zen" contractor). Of the two, I felt like Zevin was more personable and sincere -- maybe it's an East Coast/West Coast thing. And, as always, I wish I hadn't read the book before the reading. It's always best to hear readings fresh. Otherwise, you've already read it, and you're listening for variations and deviations. Zevin's selective edits of the semester abroad piece were well chosen, and for the most part, the reading augmented my experience with the book. Kudos to both! North End Moment XXII In the elevator coming back from lunch after navigating my way past a couple of Gentle Giant movers struggling with a file cabinet: Woman: I just got smashed by a giant! Me: Not so gentle, are they? Woman: No. Mention Me! XIII The Adventures of Soopa Pig recently added a link to Media Diet. Michael Lally says I'm "behind Fast Company magazine." Actually, I just watch its back. Today Is Media Diet's Birthday Exactly one year ago today, Media Diet began. It's been an awesome blogging year, and I look forward to the next 365 days. I have no idea how many entries I've published since Media Diet's launch, but since February, when I added the counter, we've had almost 10,000 unique visitors. Wow. Folks from as far away as Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Poland, and Singapore come by regularly. Thank you all for your support and attention! So, to celebrate Media Diet's birthday, do something nice for yourselves today. Buy some flowers. Go for a walk. Eat some cashews. Write your parents a letter. Smell the sea air. Stand on a fire escape. Tell someone you love them. Take your bike in for repair. Donate some unused clothing to Goodwill. Chase a squirrel. Sit on a bench and read. Watch the clouds. Also, if you blog, take a moment to email all of the people whose blogs you visit regularly -- or link to on your site -- and thank them for what they do. Tell 'em that you stop by every day, that you appreciate their work, and what you enjoy about their blog. Don't tell 'em you link to 'em. Don't ask 'em for a link back. Just express your appreciation and spread some blog love. Chances are they'll appreciate it. Obligatory thank you list: Evan Williams for getting my blog thoughts rolling, Jon Ferguson and Cardhouse for being my host with the most, the Media Dieticians who've signed up for the mailing list, Fast Company and Suicide Girls for spiking my daily traffic like nothing else when they linked to me, Charlie Park for being my first blogfriend to give me a ride somewhere, Halley Suitt for actually coming by my office and leaving a note in my mailbox (I still owe you lunch), everyone who's sent something in for review, everyone who's taken my constructive criticism well, and, well, you. You are what you read. And what you see. And what you hear. I am Heath. Who are you? In other news, James Stegall is 27 today. 27 on the 27th. Happy birthday, James! Wednesday, June 26, 2002
North End Moment XXI The front doors and lobby to our building are taped off because of construction. I came in the back door this morning, so I didn't see what was actually being constructed, so I had to ask our building manager. Me: What's the construction? I came in the back door and didn't see it. Building Manager: They're, uh, they're repairing the sidewalk out front. Me: Putting in a new sidewalk? Building Manager: Yeah. Me: Oh, I thought they might be putting in another freight elevator. (Gesturing to the beautiful, now-empty, wrought-iron elevator shaft that serves as a skylight.) Building Manager: (Looking up.) Oh, that'd be a big job. Penciled on the official notice posted in the elevator: "Hello now go away." While waiting for my turkey and boursin cheese sandwich to be prepared this noon at Prince Pantry, I complimented the owner on yesterday's prosciutto sandwich. Owner: Oh, that's Mr. Thai's doing. He's a really good cook. Me: He is. I just started coming here, and everything's really good. Mr. Thai: You know Yan Can Cook on the TV? He's my brother! Owner: You know Iron Chef? Mr. Thai's the Titanium Chef! Me: At least he's not the Aluminum Chef. Owner: Oh, then we'd all be in trouble. For regular lunch updates, visit Lunch Is Fun. Nervy, Pervy VII The fine folks over at Suicide Girls rate a mention in a Wired News article about the new wave of "stylish subculture sites ... putting a new face on porn." Including SG in a roundup of sites that also comprises Supercult, FrictionUSA, and Raveporn, Jess Barron gives most of the piece's electrons to SG, focusing on the site's online community aspects, the empowering nature of its photography, and why so many straight women subscribe -- more than 50% of SG's members are female. Barron also mentions an SG-related LiveJournal called goth.punk.raver.nude. It's good to see SG gleaning more ink and electrons -- and it's good to see people taking the message to the masses. Right on, Missy, O, and Spooky! Tuesday, June 25, 2002
From the Reading Pile XI I don't know if I trust Media Diet's search tools, so who knows whether the entry numbers associated with the standing headlines and content categories I made up mean anything. Regardless, here's another batch of zine and comics reviews. Lucky seven this time! Discontent #12 (early 2002) Katherine Innis recently turned 30, echoing some of the angst that I experienced when I turned 29 and recounting how she continues to hold onto the patterns of her youth. She considers -- as I did not too long ago -- her habits and rituals, and admits that she has started checking people's ring fingers -- which I also do now. Good to know I'm not alone in the zinemaking world! She also lusts after real estate. I think I'm in love. Rob shares some favorite footnotes out of context, name drops Philip Larkin, and shares an affinity for Vladimir Nabokov and Hunter S. Thompson. There are winter drink recipes, photos from a concrete playground, reviews of the unauthorized biographies of Star Wars star Ewan McGregor (which reveal his penchant for profanity and his bloodline, which includes the actor who played Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars), and a found-text rider contract. Discontent is slim but shines brightly. Can't ask for much more four times a year. Katherine Innis, P.O. Box 24, Brattleboro, VT 05302. G.N. Ben Jones handed this 56-page self-published comic to me at the Picnic and said, "My whole life has been aiming to this," or something to that effect. Reading back to front, right to left, this comic, which sports a comic featuring the Popples, is supposedly not a "stoned comic." "Could I do this?" Ben asks before drawing a wild-style icon. "Does this pen work?" It works. The book contains one- to six-page strips, as well as Sharpie-drawn sketchbook pages that feature most of Ben's popcult icons: DJ's, ponies, musicians, Gumby, Tux Dog (a welcome newcomer!), breakdancing, an angry Alfe, Bart Simpson, cloud and balloon lettering, and several new road-tripping pals I hope to see again. While I'm not sure whether this is the magnum opus Ben was going for, I'm impressed -- several of these short pieces have promise as longer parts, and I hope Ben tries the longer form again soon. Paper Radio. Hickee #3 Another brilliant anthology from Graham Annable and friends. There are the usual hits and misses, but the hits hit hard, so the misses don't really matter. Graham contributes several installations of "Movie Night," one with Joe White (who depicts animals in a delightful Greg Cook style), offering more detailed and mature work when compared to his usual Sam Henderson-esque fare. Nathan Stapley's "Human Monkey" made me laugh out loud. Vamberto Maduro's angular linear designs were consistently pleasing. David Bogan shared a Tim Burton-infused morality tale. Joe White's "The Bear" made for a nice piece of homosexual apologetica. And Paul Brown's "Baby Money" made me laugh out loud again, while his "Blind Date" made me smirk. Room for improvement in this already impressive project? David Soren's "Mr. Chuckles Takes a Bath," while clever, felt overly animated in its cartoonishness and served up more near-gay apologetica. Bill Buzardi's "Tick" reminded me of Jeff Nicholson's Ultra Klutz but was overly sketchy and oblique. And Vicken Maulian, even if he is Razmig's younger brother, didn't really belong -- yet. On the whole, solid, and well worth $5 for 60 pages. Kudos again to Graham. Graham Annable. Iconography A 34-page field guide to computer and computer-generated icons relating to thought, storage, art, self, presence, and personality. The icons appear to be primarily Mac-based and -influenced, and the descriptive text is written in an overly academic, pomo, art-critic style, touching on the images' composition, coloring, and connotation. The icons are held up as fine art and described appropriately, and the overall effect is oddly affectionate. "The Trial" and "Family Portrait" are wonderful, and the entire Self sequence, which comprises seven images, is ecstatically existential. "Not Home" and "Conference" are among the most emotive. "Are you the signifier? Are you the signified? Does it matter?" A brilliant bit of technological transparency and truth telling. $2 to Ben Balas. If God Were to Whisper A screenprinted cover adorns this Ben Jones-gifted collection of almost poems. The writing hinges on religion, meaning, confusion, love, faith, and hip hop. The "Managerial Fun Facts, to Live by..." page is important, as is the last page, handwritten as a freestyle rhyme. But otherwise? More miss than hit. I'd rather see the handwritten brainstorming pages, as uneven as they may be. Paper Radio. Return to Normal James Sturm's dark look at the reactions to 911 draws heavily on Byron Barton's children's book Airport. These six black-and-white images (covering 12 pages) carry the calamity of the day, as well as the civil rights concerns of Arab Americans and the people targeted because of the tragedies. The piece on p. 7 is particularly moving. This slim edition shows that James has moved far beyond Cereal Killings, as good as it was. It also shows that James should produce widely available work more frequently and that a 911-related book can be tasteful and telling. This mini beats the bank compared to the other 911 books that have come out, even Alternative Press'. Not sure how to get this one, but try Drawn & Quarterly. Typewriter #5 Talk about fucking shit up instead of following function! This edition of David Youngblood's anthology is freaking brilliant. With a tuck and fold binding strip, the comic accordions out to pages roughly half of 11-by-17, with some pices running up to eight of these pages. And, oh, the pieces! Graham Annable's "Madora" carries the call of lost love. Chris Wright's "Burning Corpse," "Tide," and "Asposded" installations are an excellent Lewis Trondheim-inspired look at lost love and life. Michael Bonfiglio's "Shake Bones Group" reminds me of Greg Cook by way of Dame Darcy. Jonathan T. Russell's trying to be Jessica Abel too hard. Ron Rege, Jr., does his unparalleled cute brut thing. Youngblood's "Baby Grumpus" doesn't deserve eight pages, even if he did edit the thing. And Carrie Golus and Patrick Welch (who had a great comics journalism piece in the May 16 edition of New City) offer 23 Abel-meets-Jeff Zenick views of the Uptown Theatre, which don't quite deserve six pages despite their worthy look at lost history. Despite the occasional editorial largesse, Typewriter remains an innovatively constructed and creatively compiled anthology. Someone ask Youngblood to edit the next SPX anthology! David Youngblood, Typewriter. Ravaging Radio V I know I'm late to report this -- that's not really what Media Diet does -- but CARP passed last week. Which means that Net radio is effectively dead. Passed away. A participant in the Nettime mailing list recently distributed an interview with the fine folks at Dublab about how CARP's passing affects them -- and the future of Net radio. Happy Birthday to Media Dieticians IV In exactly two days, on June 27, Media Diet will officially turn 1 year old. I've been blogging for a year now, and even though I was late to the party, I feel quite a bit of pride in that milestone. Time for me to start thinking about the first edition of the Media Diet print journal, eh? Do something nice for yourselves Thursday, won't you? You people keep me going. Comics and Conversation II MediaBistro features an interesting interview with The New Yorker and Fast Company regular Roz Chast this week. She talks about nervousness, Charles Addams, the cartoon submission process at The New Yorker, and the role of humor after 911. Ditherati Down! Per the list of links over to the right, Ditherati is one of my daily reads. This morning, when I stopped by to see who said what, I saw the following: ????? Indeed. ????? From the In Box: Among the Literati VIII What did you mean, anyway? -- Joe Germuska I'm not sure if this'll make sense, but here goes. As cool as Eggers and the people surrounding him -- or supported and promoted by him -- are, being part of that group shouldn't be the goal of all cool, young literati. Then we'd only have one in crowd, one tribe of solid young writers. I'm not necessarily suggesting that folks should organize their own groups in response -- as attractive as a McSweeney's like web of connections might be -- but it's not an Eggers/not-Eggers world, and most folks seem to aspire to be on the Eggers side these days. Perhaps understandably so. Basically, I'd rather see more good journals like 3rd Bed, the American Journal of Print, Fence, Pindeldyboz, Sweet Fancy Moses, etc. sprouting up all over -- many inspired by McSweeney's, sure, but many not -- and there's room for more than one outlet for amazing new writing. We're already seeing quite a bit of overlap among the contributors. Let the web of connections continue to grow, I say -- Eggers is a strong node in that literary network, but not everyone needs to be closely aligned with him. Yet it seems that everyone -- again, perhaps understandably -- wants to be his best friend. Not that I say all of the above thinking there's some sort of McSweeney's monopoly. There isn't. But there's also a lot of room in which people can do their own thing their own way -- and still reach the kind of readers attracted to Eggers and Eggers-related projects. Monday, June 24, 2002
Among the Literati VIII I met Dan Zevin, author of The Day I Turned Uncool at the 71 Sunbeam show this past Friday. Not only was he recently profiled in the Boston Phoenix, he's giving a reading this week Wednesday, June 26, at Wordsworth on Harvard Square in Cambridge. I'll be there, if not just to explain to him what I meant when I said he shouldn't try too hard to get in on the McSweeney's/Eggers in crowd. 7 p.m. ET if you're in the area. Workaday World II Today hasn't been the most productive day. One, I went to the dentist. Even though I was three months overdue, I had no cavities, and the hygienist informed me that my tissues were in good shape. Score. Two, I moved offices. Still on the same floor of the Scotch & Sirloin building in FCHQ, but in a totally different corner -- and now with a window. Check this out: 
The task of Amontillado 
Room worth a view I've sat in the same chair in the same office in the same corner since July 1997, never once thinking of moving. Right now, as I sit in my still-cluttered new digs, I'm glad to have made the change. The Movie I Watched Last Night XXIII Logan's Run I think a lot of the angst and existential malaise I've been feeling for the last six-plus months stems from the fact that I turn 30 next year. Call it a mid-midlife crisis if you will. But, sheesh, my problems are nothing compared to the problems faced by the folks in Logan's Run. You see, in the movie's future authoritarian utopia following an apocalypse caused by overpopulation and pollution, when you turn 30, you die. Well, you're killed. In one of two ways. Either, you seek "renewal" in a bizarre aerial acrobatic ceremony, or you try to run for Sanctuary, a legendary haven for people who don't want to die at age 30. Thing is, Sanctuary isn't all it's cracked up to be, and Logan -- originally assigned to seek it out to destroy it -- returns to share the message... and the opportunities offered by the outside world (which has surprisingly well recovered by the supposed pollution and overpopulation). Some of the best parts of the movie take place outside the walled city, where Logan and his love interest discover a post-apocalyptic Washington, DC, complete with vegetation overgrown National Mall, Lincoln Memorial, and cat-infested library -- where they encounter Peter Ustinov's wonderful character Ballard, or Old Man. While I didn't totally dig the for-the-time progressive special effects and holography, I thought that Roscoe Lee's robot character Box was extremely poorly done. Regardless, take a little Soylent Green, stir in some Planet of the Apes, add a dash of The Running Man, subtract Charlton Heston, and you've basically got Logan's Run. Brilliant. Rock Shows of Note XXVI Ended a two-week rock 'n' roll and social bender Friday night at the CD release party for 71 Sunbeam. As soon as I walked in the door at TT's, Jeremy asked if I'd work the merch table during their set. So much for seeing the band! (Just kidding; I love working merch.) I hung out with Ariel and Dan (the latter of the Jack McCoys, who have a new record to be released soon) for a bit before sequestering myself behind the table. As Neil and the gang took the stage, I "met" Tammy Ealom from Dressy Bessy, which was also playing, as she dragged their merch table over next to ours. We made a happy little merch corner. From what I could tell, 71 Sunbeam did well. They added an interesting psych edge to their usual emo/alt.rock flair, and Neil's singing sounded clearer and more intense than normal. Wish I could've been up front (ahem). A good, powerful performance for a CD release party. Kudos -- and congrats! Next up, a solo act featuring a guy and his guitar performing under the name Sea Navy. Turns out that Sea Navy might be an Ivory Coast side project that the band uses to test new material. Regardless of whether that's true, it struck me as a harder-edged pop-rock Neil Halstead, only without the country twang. Interesting, but not totally my thing. He brought out a drummer for the last couple songs, and that added a lot to the overall sound and energy. Rock duos are almost always better than rock solo performers. Mmm, Dressy Bessy. I haven't suffered from a band crush for a long, long time, but that Tammy sure is something. We hardly talked at all, and I was too shy to go over and say anything when she was hanging out over at a side table by herself. But her bandmate John was really nice (thanks for the cigarettes!), and the guy who worked the merch table most of the time was cool enough, so she seems to be in good company. She's certainly in a good band. Dressy Bessy specializes in slightly riot grrl-inspired garage pop with sweet-as-sugar vocals and loads of spazzy energy. Fun, fun, fun. I need to get some records. It also turns out that the band is loosely affiliated with the Elephant 6 collective -- and shares at least one member with Apples in Stereo. Yay, Dressy Bessy. I came to see 71 Sunbeam and left needing to see Dressy Bessy again. Lastly, there was the Fly Seville, a pop-rock band previously based in Providence. From where I sat behind the merch table -- as the evening progressed, I refused to give up my post -- they sounded pretty straight-forward, and nothing really wowed me. But I wasn't turned off and will seek future exposure. Congratulations, again, to Neil and the rest of 71 Sunbeam. Y'all should be proud. By the way, a great place to pick up records by bands such as Dressy Bessy is Twee Kitten. They'll appreciate your patronage -- but none of your patronizing. |
Last.fm Playlist
Confblogs: Sections: Things to Do: Honorary Media Dieticians: Media Morsels: |
