Step One: Write songs with titles like “Coachman, Ride On,” “Hereditary Insanity,” and “Come Hither, Fair Youth.”
Step Two: Put them on an album called Revenge for Imaginary Slights.
Step Three: Dress like this.
Easy peasy.
If you happen to be, say, cutting ten thousand words out of a manuscript and need something to listen to, may I suggest the New Wave of British Heavy Metal? Steve Harris will communicate directly with your subconscious and let you know what parts don’t need to be there. It was very helpful. Thanks, Steve.
Also, anyone who doesn’t like Turbo and Ram It Down is nuts.
Indisputable visual evidence:
Yeah, I’m a little bit giddy right now. Ten thousand words was a lot.
I’ve long believed that the music you listen to says a whole lot about the kind of person you are. That being said, here are my ten most-played songs, as recorded by the all-seeing eye of my iPod.
“Ouija Me,” by Communique, from Poison Arrows
“Egoverride,” by Bob Mould, from Bob Mould
“Stifled Man Casino,” by Airport 5, from Tower In the Fountain of Sparks
“Terms Of Psychic Warfare,” by Husker Du, from The Living End
“What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” by R.E.M., from Monster
“20th Century Boy,” by Placebo, from the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack
“The Best Lies,” by Communique, from Poison Arrows
“Backstabber,” by The Dresden Dolls, live at the Iron Horse, Northampton, MA, December 12, 2003
“All My Ghosts,” by Frank Black, from Frank Black And The Catholics
“Paralyzed,” by Bob Mould, from Body of Song
You’ll notice the near-complete absence of all the artists I claimed as my favorites back on the “about me” page. Make of that what you will.
Photo by Bruce Miller
This is a Kodak Brownie Reflex. When I was visiting my parents a while ago, I found my great-aunt’s Brownie in a trunk and got hooked the minute I saw that vignetty image through the reflex lens. It was like looking back through time.
I carried it away with me. That camera has taken pictures of graduations, weddings, and first communions since the forties and now it’s on a shelf in my front room. I’ve ordered some film from one of the two factories on the planet that still make 127 film and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.
I still haven’t decided whether I want to take the whole thing apart and try to clean the lens before I shoot a test roll. On one hand, I’m sure it needs cleaning. The reflex lens certainly did. On the other, there’s a very real chance I could reduce the thing to a pile of springs and screws liberally salted with bitter tears. Tough call.
No, this has nothing to do with the manuscript revision I ought to be doing. Nothing at all. Why would you even ask that?
And so reasonably priced, too!
"Control Room"
Over the weekend I dropped off my photos (one of which is pictured here) for the local art show and finally got confirmation that “Zorg and Andy” will be playing at the Tromadance Indiana festival this weekend.
Both things are certainly nice, and take the edge off of waiting for news about the book. Somewhat.
Congratulations to Guy Davis, director of the greatest film ever, on the birth of his brand-new daughter, Madeline Zorg Kubrick Davis Winslow*!
This being the first post of my new site, I should say a few things about what I intend to do here. I should talk about preparing for when the new book comes out (whenever that is) and having a more active online presence.
Or I could show a Guided by Voices video.
GBV! GBV! GBV!
