You know what’s hard to deal with? Making plans to have a late breakfast at Waffle House, then getting overruled and ending up at a Chinese restaurant. My central nervous system has a difficult time reconciling ham & cheese omelette-anticipation with the harsh reality of chicken and broccoli. Ya know?
Last night I had a few beers (ahem) and loaded a few more complete catalogs to the Big iPod. I added the Smiths, Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel (what of it?), Paul Simon (through Graceland only), AC/DC (through Back in Black only), and the Reivers.
Next up: Paul Westerberg and REM. I have a dilemma with REM because I really like their new album, but thought the previous two (three?) were zzzzzzz. My inner-completist won’t allow me to skip two or three albums in the catalog, and just jump ahead all willy-nilly. That would be both cavalier and irresponsible. Yet I know I’ll never listen to those two (three?) dogs…
What to do?
In case you were wondering, I’m learning to really love the shuffle-play feature of the iPod. Being an album kinda guy, I’d previously scoffed at the mere suggestion of such a thing. But I impulsively engaged it a few days ago, and am now hooked. Jumping from the Buzzcocks to Paul Simon to the Boomtown Rats to Van Halen to the Jam… It’s like the world’s greatest college radio station.
And speaking of St. Paul, a few days ago I mentioned the bizarre new “album” he released as a 44 minute mp3 download, for the enormous price of 49 cents. It was one big file with no separate songs, or even names of songs listed. It was just a data-dump, with little advance warning or accompanying information.
I was highly skeptical; the first few times I played it I thought it was just something he’d cobbled together in his basement while drunk. There was noise between songs, sometimes several tracks were playing at once, and it just sounded like an unfocused artsy-fartsy mess.
But boy was I wrong… The actual tunes on that thing (the ones that play all the way through, and don’t get lopped off by racket), are among the best he’s released since the Replacements broke up. In fact, there’s a feel to it that Westerberg hasn’t been able to recreate since Pleased to Meet Me.
I absolutely love it; it’s one of the best albums of the year. And that’s the good news… The bad news is it’s no longer available; downloads were abruptly halted a few days ago, and nobody really knows why. I have a feeling it has something to do with the Partridge Family cover (“I Think I Love You”) at the end. Somebody somewhere is probably insisting Paul pay fees for downloads of that tune.
And based on past behavior, I doubt Westerberg will ever agree to edit the song from the album. So, it’s probably gone forever, and will become one of those legendary lost records.
In its place is a song called “5:05” which sounds like a pissed-off response to the whole situation.
Never a dull moment.
Forbes magazine recently released a list of America’s ten fastest-dying cities, and I’m proud to announce I’ve lived in two of them. Plus, nearly every company I’ve ever worked for is now defunct! Yes, it’s a proud legacy…
Several people wrote me this morning saying our Ads vs. Reality page was featured on the CBS Early Show. I didn’t see it, and can’t yet find video evidence. If you have anything on it, please let me know. ‘Cause I need closure.
Now I’m going to mow the grass, make a fart-themed video with the Secrets (a long story), go out for a cuppa two tree beers with Toney, prepare one of my world-famous salads, and watch The Wire.
I’ll leave you with a photo that may or may not give you the heebie-jeebies. You can probably guess which camp I fall into…
Surf Reporter Knucklehead recently had cervical spine surgery, and asked her sister to snap a pic of the Smoking Fish alongside the scar – which was repaired with some kind of glue instead of stitches. And while I applaud the action, it gives me a full-body shiver. Sweet sainted mother of Lancelot Link!
Take a look here, if you’re so inclined. It’s fairly dark, and that might not be a bad thing.
I’m glad you’re doing well, Knucklehead. We all hope you make a quick and complete recovery. I hoist a golden elixir in your honor.
And I’ll see you guys on Monday.