nah pop, no style

Two new articles in this week’s paper: Baby Dee (a show I’m especially stoked on) and Shtreiml. And as always, a little blog action as well over at FFW>>.  This week marks my one-year anniversary at the paper. Hooray for that! One year writing about music, and only a few semi-major rifts with friends. I’ve done better than I expected.

I started this Goodreads thing, which generally makes me feel guilty about not reading, and thus encourages me to read some. Here’s a quick overview of what I’ve been reading and plan to be reading:

• The Last Thing He Wanted (Joan Didion) - just finished. Many of you know I’m a big fan of Didion’s non-fiction. For a while I put off delving into her fiction because I was afraid I wouldn’t like it as much — sort of the same thing that has kept me from reading Julia Kristeva’s novels. There are of course huge differences between the two, though, chief among them being that Didion’s nonfiction is essentially like fiction, only real, whereas Kristeva’s nonfiction is theory. But I digress. This book was pretty good — conspiracy political thriller, a little muddy in spots (I felt like I was reading just to get through it at times, because I had sort of lost the thread of the action, but that may have been because I missed something while I was reading on the bus, in a distracted state . . .) The only other qualm I have is that, in a piece this long, Didion’s repetitive devices tend to become a bit TOO repetitive. Worth reading, though.
• The Evolution of Cooperation (Robert Axelrod) - reading now, in spurts. Kinda-dry academic type thing about the use of cooperation in human (and non-human, I suppose) interaction. Interesting to me. Not a beach read, really. Lots of statistics and studies, but good description of said studies, at least.
• Light In August (William Faulkner) - started it, left off, starting again, hopefully. I like me some Faulkner prose, but I also get bored in the middle of books. Sorry, reader people.
• I don’t wanna be riding this guy’s jock or whatever, but I’m into Jeff Vail’s current series about rhizomatic organization, on his blog.

Last night, jaunted about with Brian, went to D’s for a fantastical veggie dog with like cheese and cole slaw and stuff on it, then went to see In Bruges, the new Martin McDonagh joint. I love McDonagh dialogue and have yet to grow tired of it. In Bruges is pretty standard McDonagh stuff — reprehensible characters who become lovable for their quirks, lots of blood and gore, etc. The first half or so could’ve been stepped up a bit, but as Brian astutely points out, dude’s a playwright and follows a two-act play structure, so you’d expect the first act to involve a lot of set-up stuff.

Hit men, beautiful drug-dealing women, dwarves — it’s basically what you’d expect from this guy. Go see it if you’re into that stuff.

From Jeff Vail’s A Theory of Power:

The problem remains that production must remain compatible with the human host — a host genetically optimized for a late-Pleistocene, hunter-gatherer existence. Intensified specialization of production results in a highly stratified workforce, often demanding mind-numbingly routine individual functions, and requires a level of human interaction and organization that seems increasingly incompatible with our genetically optimum small-tribe environment. The high-profile emergence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder provides one example of human incompatibility with the demands of the industrial economy. Researchers have demonstrated that this “disorder”acts as an evolutionarily beneficial development of hunter-gatherer society, but that it remains medically suppressed because it makes workers incompatible with the demands of the modern economy.

• Over at the other blog (clicky on that spot to the right that says “FFW>>”), I just posted about Nicole Reynolds; I might’ve mentioned her briefly before in this space, but she’s worth mentioning again because she’s really good and has a show tomorrow night and apparently works on a sheep farm in New Bethlehem of all things! I suppose that’s the next best thing to Llama Llove.
• Sasha Frere-Jones is speaking at CMU on Friday — it happens at 6PM, McConomy Auditorium. I will likely show. We’re supposed to bring ideas for a lively Q&A. I will ask him all about what it is like to have a brother who creates typefaces.
• I’ve noticed lately a dearth of Jack Horkheimer on WQED. What gives? I am mining my inside source in hopes of finding an answer. If you have any clues in the meantime, do send them along. I’d like to get to the bottom of this ASAP. I mean, we have a lunar eclipse to deal with here and I haven’t seen Jack in months! I don’t know what to do with myself!

Two quick things:

1. In my car just this evening I saw two great vanity license plates:

VANARKY

(On a Saturn hatchback, strangely enough) and

PEART

(a big Rush fan?)

2. I’ve glanced several times in the past few days into a notebook on which I recorded two of my favorite pieces of graffiti. I wish I had had a camera, but in lieu of that, I will spell them out for you. They were on the back of a seat on the bus.

“CODY + KAYLA B HOMIEZ 4 LIFE” -and-

“BREE BAD AZZ”

I picture the artists as 8-year-olds from Rosslyn Farms or something.

According to the Post-Gazette website, Robert Ferrell was sentenced today to 12 months probation and a $500 fine for sending Steve Kurtz some bacteria in the mail. Longtime readers know the story already; if you’re not familiar, do read up. Dr. Ferrell, who’s not in the best health, pled guilty last fall to mail fraud; Kurtz is still fighting his charges. All things considered, it’s a pretty light sentence, though of course it’s still worse than if, y’know, no charges had been brought at all because it’s a kind of ridiculous case.

Also, Steve Kurtz is apparently speaking at CMU next week, which has me irked only because I just found this out today, and am not getting anything in the paper about it. Oh well. When I figure out more, I’ll let you know.

*** Okay, I found out more: Tuesday, February 19, 5PM(!), Kresge Theater, CMU.***

First order of business: City Paper blogs are finally up and running. FFW>> is the music blog that The Jentz and I share; first post is more newsy than anything, but expect witty rejoinders and unsolicited criticism in the near future.

Online as of yesterday is my Good Night, States article; eat it up! Also here’s Andrew’s Allies article.

I think I’m coming down with ANOTHER cold. Wish me luck with this. Two in two weeks is positively unfair.

Whoops, sorry. I disappeared for like two weeks there. I was busy having dreams about tiny things dying, and reading and stuff. Sometimes I go through periods in which I can’t express myself in a lucid manner. That was one of those. Now I’m getting back in the game. Here are some bullet notes to start us off.

• I’ve found myself watching Antiques Roadshow weekly lately; it’s not because I want to really, I just end up in front of the TV at 8:00 on Mondays. And, I mean, okay, it’s funny to watch people freak out about how much their belongings are worth. It took me weeks to figure out that the host is Mark Walberg, and not Mark Wahlberg. I hadn’t seen the latter much lately, but I didn’t imagine he’d sunk THAT far yet.
• This past weekend, caught Centipede at Gooski’s, which was a good time. It got really crowded and awkward (see: girl walking up to me and asking if I was in her Science Fiction and Film class, me saying no and asking if I had a doppelganger, her saying we all do and she wrote a poem about that then walking away). So I left before the bulk of the Working Poor set. Sorry, folks. My threshold for weird and crowded and late isn’t what it . . . well, it really never was that great.
• This COMING weekend is two release shows I’m excited about; unfortunately, they’re at the same time, so I have to choose between them. I’ll be out supporting longtime friends Allies, whose record (I’ve only heard a track or so) sounds phenomenal. That show is Saturday at 8 at ModernFormations, with Sun Tornado, Soft Sickle and Onodrim (the Hedgeman’s new band). Across town, Good Night, States are releasing their first as well — at Club Cafe with Army of Me and Lohio. You’d do well to go to either show. My article on Good Night, States is forthcoming in this week’s issue of the paper you all tell me weekly you don’t read.
• Yesterday ruled: sum total, I did three crosswords, ran a mile or two, made a yummy meal, drank a few beers, watched a little TV, listened to Hall & Oates and Kraftwerk, put away some laundry and read a little. If only every day could be so complete.
• I’m still single, ladies, and Valentine’s day is coming up. Just sayin’.