End of the Year Lists: Part Three!

i saw SO SO MANY terrific shows this year, so it's really hard to cull them down into a concise list, but i've never been known for being concise, so here's my Top 20-ish Shows of 2008:

1. The Pogues & Billy Bragg in NYC
2. Justin Townes Earle in Mobile
3. King Khan & The Shrines in Phoenix
4. Circulatory System @ Athens Popfest
5. Elephant 6 extravaganza in NYC
6. Crystal Stilts & Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Bard College (my show, i rule)
7. The Feelies & Shrubs in Brooklyn
8. Jay Reatard & Women in Brooklyn (i broke my finger at this show, i kind of rule again)
9. Old 97's in New Orleans
10. My Teenage Stride @ Athens Popfest
11. Okkervil River in NYC
12. Old 97's in Mobile
13. Fat Planet @ Athens Popfest
14. Robert Forster in NYC
15. Jay Reatard @ the Matador offices
16. Dressy Bessy in Brooklyn
17. Meat Puppets in Flagstaff, AZ
18. Elf Power @ Athens Popfest
19. Dean & Britta in NYC
20. (BIG TIE) Deerhunter in Brooklyn/ King Khan & BBQ in Brooklyn/ Marshall Crenshaw @ a middle school fundraiser in a church in Rhinebeck, NY (!!)/ Bunnygrunt @ New England Popfest

End of the Year Lists: Part Two!

Now, time for the all important Top Albums of 2008:

[Best Reissues]

1. PAVEMENT- BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS
2. R.E.M.- Murmur
3. New Order- Movement, Power, Corruption, & Lies, Low Life, Brotherhood, and Technique

[Best Live/ish Releases]

1. Lou Reed- Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse
2. Belle & Sebastian- BBC Sessions

[Best EP]

1. The Clientele- That Night, A Forest Grew

[BEST BEST!]

1. Old 97's- Blame It On Gravity
2. Robert Forster- The Evangelist
3. Jay Reatard- Matador Singles: '08
4. Okkervil River- The Stand Ins
5. Silver Jews- Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
6. Fleet Foxes- s/t
7. Elf Power- In a Cave
8. The Raveonettes- Lust Lust Lust
9. Magnetic Fields- Distortion
10. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks- Real Emotional Trash
11. Times New Viking- Rip It Off
12. Music Tapes- Music Tapes For Clouds and Tornadoes
13. Pine Hill Haints- Ghost Dance

14. Billy Bragg- Mr. Love & Justice
15. Jonathan Richman- Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild
16. R.E.M.- Accelerate
17. Elvis Costello- Momofuku [E.C. and R.E.M. are kind of only for sentimental/loyalty reasons, sorry boys]
18. Wolf Parade- At Mt. Zoomer
19. Deerhunter- Microcastle
20. Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power, & The Amorphous Strums- Dark Developments
21. Shearwater- Rook
22. Justin Townes Earle- The Good Life
23. The Lucksmiths- First Frost
24. Bonnie Prince Billy- Lie Down un the Light
25. Of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping

and to add a touch of excitement to all the boring text, here is Lou Reed performing the incredible "Caroline Says Part II" from the brand new movie version of Berlin, directed by my arch nemesis Julian Schaebel.
enjoy!

End of the Year Lists: Part One!

i present to you my Top 25 Songs of 2008, in descending order:

1. "Trapped Here" by Jay Reatard (Song of the Year!!!)
2. "Never Stops" by Deerhunter
3. "Suffering Jukebox" by Silver Jews
4. "Welfare Bread" by King Khan & the Shrines
5. "Dance With Me" by Old 97's
6. "Let Your Light In, Babe" by Robert Forster
7. "Too Drunk To Dream" by Magnetic Fields
8. "The Grey Estates" by Wolf Parade
9. "Supernatural Superserious" by R.E.M.
10. "White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes
11. "Starry Stairs" by Okkervil River
12. "Majesty" by Music Tapes
13. "Paralyzed" by Elf Power

14. "Ride" by Old 97's
15. "Screaming Hand" by Jay Reatard
16. "Lost Coastlines" by Okkervil River
17. "It Ain't Easy" by Robert Forster
18. "Calling and Not Calling My Ex" by Okkervil River
19. "Gardenia" by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
20. "Hallucinations" by the Raveonettes
21. "Crystal Stilts" by Crystal Stilts
22. "Softly Through The Void" by Elf Power
23. "When You Fall" by Pine Hill Haints
24. "Time Goes By So Fast" by Jonathan Richman
25. "Farm Boy" by Billy Bragg

be is was i me b c d e f g h i think...

lately i have been listening to lots of Tall Dwarfs & Chris Knox.

i have also been liking songs like these

(king khan & bbq's "love you so")

that sound like real 1950's songs like this

(gene vincent's "my heart")

see also: the vulgar boatmen's "heartbeat," jonathan richman's cover of "i can't stay mad at you," the ramones' "i wanna be your boyfriend," elvis costello's "really mystified," hoodoo gurus' "my girl," etc.

i like these cartoon drawings of the Presidents
http://www.letrainbleublog.com/2008/10/fourty-four-presidents-mzamaria-sputnik.html

and the graphics for the Queen's Hideaway in Brooklyn
http://thequeenshideaway.com/

and "The Catorialist"- HYSTERICAL
http://thecatorialist.blogspot.com/

AND I LIKE

this bag


and mustache necklaces


and masks like this


and this picture of the Go-Betweens.

My Guide to Greenpoint: Part One!

i've been speaking out so much lately on behalf of Greenpoint, even boldly declaring it the BEST AREA OF BROOKLYN (oooh, controversial!), so i figured that this lovely, northernmost part of the borough deserved to be written about. maybe one day in the future i will start a blog solely dedicated to Greenpoint. ah, dreams!

i have moved 3 times since i've been in Brooklyn, recently settling in the best abode of all. my room was unfurnished so i had to get creative with books & cd's used as tables or shelves or something. i also put fun stuff on my walls to add a bit of personal FLAV-OR.



notice my adorable, super cool (hey now, don't make fun of me!) Welsh Corgi calendar, side by side with some inspirational Feelies & Buddy Holly pictures.



my very minimal wall.



i live near McGolrick Park which is bound by Nassau and Driggs Avenues. it must be named after some Polish person.



this is one of the many beautiful churches in Greenpoint, on Manhattan Ave., and you can see it from all different points in the area. it's called St. Anthony of Padua Church i believe.



peaking out...



so, now, onto some of my favorite places in Greenpoint!!

sometimes, after a day of not eating very much, i am really hungry and i'll go down to the deli on the corner of Sutton & Nassau and get a bagel with cream cheese for 1 whole dollar. and, when i am workin' in Greenpoint and not in the big city, while everyone else is having some type of meat-y lunch, i'll go down there and get a delicious cheese sandwich. piled high with sharp cheddar, lettuce and tomato, and lots of mustard on a big old roll, it only costs me $2.50!!!! amazing!

another of my favorite food places is Amarin, a Thai restaurant on Manhattan between Driggs & Nassau. sometimes when i am out of Diet Cokes and don't feel like leaving the house, i'll order delivery from them so that they can bring me one. i also get some tasty, surprisingly light and very spicy! pad thai with tofu out of the deal.

one of my favorite non-food places around here is Susan's Laundromat at Diamond & Driggs. before i moved to Brooklyn, i had never dropped off my laundry- i'd always suffered through the dredgery of doing it myself, miserable the whole time. but since i discovered this place, i have changed my ways. i just give them everything & it's only 10 bucks and they do such an amazing job. they are so sweet and neatly hang and fold everything, it is such a joy!

there aren't many "cool" "hip" hotspots in my area of Greenpoint (clearly, since i am talking about LAUNDROMATS in my Guide), but there is one good place called Bar Matchless, at Manhattan & Driggs, right by McCarren Park (we'll get to that later). i recently went there to see my friend's band Pow Wow! [www.myspace.com/powwownyc] play a show. it was also where i spent Election Night! alongside a bunch of happy, drunk hipsters! by the way, only a few blocks down from Matchless, on Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg, there was some major craziness on Election Night! there was a bit of drama eventually, but it looked pretty amazing for the most part. this picture is courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan [www.brooklynvegan.com] which is a great source for music news & happenings in BK.



the only non-positive thing one might be able to say about Greenpoint is the transportation situation. the L is a 15 or 20 minute walk, to either the Graham or Bedford stops. the G is a little closer, with locations on Nassau and Greenpoint Ave., but the G seems to be pretty universally disliked. there is a good place to use the bathroom right before the G stop on Nassau, if you were wondering. i've used it a few times on my way to far-off destinations like Park Slope. anyway.
cab drivers also have no idea how to get to Greenpoint (or Brooklyn in general). despite being located right off the BQE, the few times i've taken a cab in the past 3 months, i've had to direct my driver where to go. which, if you know anything about my sense of direction, is a scary thought.

so i end up walking A LOT. and there are a few certain walks that i make frequetly that i absolutely love. one is the walk from Greenpoint to the Bedford area of Williamsburg. i do this walk if i am going to the subway or Salvation Army or, most commonly, the Music Hall of Williamsburg. i walk past the lovely, lively McCarren Park, which is always swarming with families with small children, kids playing sports, people jogging, old people, young people, hip people, normal people. it's very fun.



then, on my way back home, when it's late at night and i've just been to a show, i love to go to Anna Maria Pizzeria on Bedford for an incredible slice of pizza. they stay open until like 5 am and the place is always packed with drunk people (funny if you are drunk too, highly annoying if you aren't) and the guys who work there are kind of wiseasses and try to sell you 5 slices instead of 1, but all that insanity is worth it, because that pizza is seriously amazing. i eat it as i walk back down Bedford towards Greenpoint, where even very late at night there are people around and it is 100% safe and i get to take in all the beautiful sights that look downright magical at night, like this school right by McCarren Park.



speaking of long walks, last weekend i was at a party in a different area of Greenpoint, down near the East River by Java and India Streets, and by 2 am, i was the only one ready to head home. so as to not send me on my way totally defenseless, D and J "borrowed" a big umbrella for me. what gentlemen. so i walked down bustling Manhattan Ave., in a light rain at 2 am, using this sweet umbrella as a sort of walking-stick. like a cane. like when Kramer was a pimp on Seinfeld.

Notes From the Street:

(said in gruff, New York, homeless guy voice)

"Hey blondie! Smile! It gets worse, believe me!!!"

-yelled by dude slumped against a wall in Union Square, to me, as i was walking down the street, apparently not smiling, probably because i was carrying two heavy Trader Joe's bags and in desperate need of a Diet Coke.

walk around, walk around, shake

even though i've got no $$, i'm bidding on these glasses because i like them lots



i'm also contemplating going after these in addition to the grey pair



if it was possible to get sick from listening to one album too much i think i might have died already due to the number of times i've played Opposite Sex by the Vulgar Boatmen in the past 4 days. i only heard it for the first time on Monday night, the day before the Election (!). and i'd be frightened to even guess how many times i've listened to it since. MAN, IS IT GOOD OR WHAT. just bear with me as i go through my VB Obsession Stage 2 here, folks.

look how cool & dorky they looked



i'm going to devote my life to writing a book about them. well, i might not devote my whole life to it, but i'm definitely going to do it! maybe it will be entitled Women and Boatmen First, the title of one of their early cassette-only recordings, or it could be called Right to Left, the name of the band Dale Lawrence (one of the 2 main dudes) was in before the VB. hey, don't steal my ideas now! i know everyone's just dying to get a piece of this goldmine of a project.

and here is this song, it's a really early one by them, or maybe it's even by Right to Left, but Dale Lawrence is singing (there's also Robert Ray, he wrote most of the songs, way to go Rob!) and it's a song called "Over You," that is not on any of their releases and the first time i played this video i was honestly speechless. it's from some 20 year old recording, made in someone's basement somewhere, and yet the beauty and urgency and melody and power of the song manage to completely overwhelm. the song has one lyric: "i'm over you" repeated for 2 and a half minutes, and it's pure bliss, every single second of it.

This Is The Day.

the last election four years ago was My First Vote. it was also my first year of college. so i was basically surrounded by zealous first-time voters in an incredibly idealistic & liberal bubble. i guess we really felt like we were in control for the first time. so when, around 2 am, things started going downhill very very quickly, it was utterly crushing. we took it personally. the next day, after the defeat was official, the whole campus was just sulking around. classes were cancelled. i remember showing up to my African Art class and our professor saying, "you all don't want to be here do you? everyone is too depressed." we all just morosely nodded "yes" and left.

SO ANYWAY! TOMORROW! HAPPY THOUGHTS! because despite the last election feeling huge, this one is unfathomably huger. a trillion times bigger. this is our last chance to get it right.

so in honor of November 4th, 2008, what else would i do but create a mixtape?

here you go, Election Day, enjoy.

1. Super Tuesday- vic chesnutt
2. Washington, D.C.- magnetic fields
3. November- the desert wolves
4. America Is- violent femmes
5. Politics- girls at our best!
6. Christ for President- billy bragg & wilco
7. Heroes & Villains- the beach boys
8. George Says He Has Lost His Way In This World- the clientele
9. Leader of Men- let's active
10. Until the Poorest of People Have Money to Spend- west coast pop art experimental band
11. Welfare Bread- king khan & the shrines
12. Workin' in the Coalmine- lee dorsey
13. I Fought the Law- the crickets
14. Running the World- jarvis cocker
15. The Greedy Ugly People- hefner
16. We Are All Bourgeois Now- mccarthy
17. Don't Worry About the Government- talking heads
18. Never Been in a Riot- mekons
19. Police & Thieves- the clash
20. Government Center- the modern lovers
21. Middle Class- pointed sticks
22. Help Save the Youth of America- billy bragg
23. 2 Little Hitlers- elvis costello
24. Exhuming McCarthy- r.e.m.
25. Dear God- xtc
26. Finally Free- elf power
27. Change the World All Around- vulgar boatmen
28. Dismantled King is Off the Throne- felt
29. Freedom- the housemartins
30. Glad To See You Go- ramones

Dear World,

please find me either a copy of or someone who has a copy of or someone who knows someone who has a copy of OR EVEN someone who has ever laid eyes on a copy of
this record



apparently there is more than one (me) fanatical Vulgar Boatmen fan out there so this album starts running at about 80 big ones. but i NEED it so badly it hurts!

lots 'o' things

1. FIRST OF ALL, MUSIC.

a. lately i've been listening to The Soft Boys, The Silos, R.E.M.'s Murmur, Jay Reatard, Sonic Youth, and one night recently Brian Eno's Another Green World was played by me & a special someone over & over again throughout the night. but more than anything else, i've been WAY into PAVEMENT lately. especially Wowee Zowee, which was the only one of their albums i hadn't played a ton over the years. but i've made up for it in the past few weeks, as that album is on constant repeat.
here is their video for "Rattled by the Rush":



b. Elliott Smith is the only person who could make Big Star's "Thirteen," the most achingly beautiful song ever, even more beautiful.
this is from Lucky Three, a film E.S. was in:



c. the day after my birthday, the magnificent Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour came to NYC. it was quite a spectacle. the crowd was rabid & the place was completely packed. i had the great honor of watching most of the show from backstage, while i rubbed elbows with some of the biggest indie rock icons of the past 2 decades. they are some of the coolest, most creative, sweetest, most genuine and talented people anywhere in the world. it was the best birthday present ever.



i was also left with an old, hole-y, AMAZING e6 t-shirt at the end of that long night (that actually never ended, because we never went to sleep). a few days later i also got an old, AMAZING Athens, Ga t-shirt from my friend for my birthday. how 'bout that.


2. This past weekend was CMJ in the city & lots of crazy/drunken/amazingly fun things went on.

a. on Thursday night, i went to see Mission of Burma.

b. on Friday during the day, Jay Reatard came to the Matador offices & played a few songs as everyone in the office stopped what they were doing and huddled around to watch. it was like a mini-concert in the middle of the workday. pretty amazing. Jay's Matador Singles '08 is one of my favorite albums of the year.
here he & his band do an awesome cover of an old Go-Betweens (!!) tune:



c. on Friday night, E came in to town. we made gin & tonics and went to Gowanus. we wanted to see Crystal Stilts, but arrived too late because apparently in New York City shows actually start on time. SHEESH. so we saw Ladybug Transistor who the man at the door referred to as "Ladybirds." from there, we headed to Manhattan. along the way, we ran into my subway pal from my hometown as well as a busker on the subway who, despite his designer glasses that i complimented him on and his fancy 12-string guitar that he let me play, asked us for a "donation" after he played us 2 beatles tunes. i hate when people sing to me. but this dude was pretty hysterical. we parted ways with our new friend and went to the Matador afterparty in the Lower East Side. drank some free Stellas, had enthusiastic interactions with people who usually never talk to me at work, admired the Halloween decorations, and got out of there around 3 am.

d. on Saturday night, M came over to Greenpoint and he and E and i had some beers & maybe a shot of vodka or two.



it was rainy, so E & i took a cab to Williamsburg for that night's show. Women played first. they were a delightful surprise. really really good stuff. they are from Canada i think.



the venue was supercool and there were crazy Alice In Wonderland videos being played on the walls and we drank Colt 45's and just had a blast. after a few pretty dreadful acts, it was once again time for JAY REATARD. it was SUCH a fun show. superfast songs, high energy from the band and the crowd, singing along and going crazy, those luscious long flowing curls of his.
this way FAR OUT photo was taken by E:



e. oh, but towards the end of Jay's set, a few members of the crowd were getting a bit unruly, and some dude slammed into me and knocked me down, as i was stood at the front of the stage. now i've got a GIGANTIC black and blue bruise on my thigh & what i think is a broken finger:



i'm pretty badass, i guess.


3. i've fallen in love with Brooklyn lately.

a. the other night, after the Mission of Burma show, all by my lonesome, kind of late at night, i took the long way home. i walked 20 minutes down Bedford back to Greenpoint. it was just elating. it was a beautiful night, people were out but it was quiet, the park was on the right, old Polish churches all around.

b. i was also eating a slice of broccoli pizza from a pizzeria right by the Bedford L stop on this walk home. it was one of the best slices i've ever had. i got another after the Jay Reatard show, with E, before we made the late night walk home for our second night of going to bed at 6 am.
tasty:






4. ELECTION DAY, SCARY!

a. also on our walk home from Williamsburg after Jay Reatard, we saw THIS:



it was pretty amazing. it looked so beautiful. perhaps all those Colt 45's were making me overly emotional, but it was really inspiring, kinda got me all misty-eyed. well not really, but almost.

b. my dad pointed me to this hilarious/lovely essay written by the one & only Larry David.
read: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-david/waiting-for-nov-4th_b_137029.html

c. i've never been a big SNL fan, but i've been really enjoying all their election sketches. that Tina Fey sure is terrific. the dudes who play McCain and Obama are great too. they make me laugh out loud.

d. semi-related, i've also been reading The Onion a lot and it CRACKS ME UP. especially uproarious are news items entitled "First Openly Gay Racehorse To Compete Sunday" & "John McCain Accidentally Left On Campaign Bus Overnight" and "'I Am Under 18' Button Clicked For First Time In History of Internet." HI-LARIOUS!

teenage.

"woke up on Monday and got ready for school, put on my uniform, it was three sizes too small. i said, 'dear, dear, dear teacher, i've been six years away and ain't finished my essay 'cos rock'n'roll rules ok!'"
-Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

so. because i have a birthday coming up, & i am going to pretend to not really age another year ever again, and stay this age i am now forever, i came up with the ultimate list of songs about being young. here they are:

1. to be young- ryan adams ("when you're young you get sad then you get high")
2. why must i be a teenager in love?- dion & the belmonts
3. sixteen blue- the replacements
4. thirteen- big star ("maybe Friday i can get tickets for the dance and i'll take you")
5. spanish dance troupe- gorky's zygotic mynci
6. part of growing up- the tammys
7. wouldn't you?- biff bang pow!
8. 1,000,000- r.e.m. ("i could live a million years!")
9. let's kiss- beat happening
10. no time to be 21- the adverts
11. i'm not a juvenile delinquent- frankie lymon & the teenagers
12. susanne cochtrain- the right angles
13. ask- the smiths
14. i think we're alone now- tommy james & shondells ("'children, behave,' that's what they say when we're together")
15. expectations- belle & sebastian
16. you're so square, baby i don't care- buddy holly
17. noise annoys- buzzcocks
18. not yet three- jonathan richman & the modern lovers
19. the boy with the perpetual nervousness- the feelies
20. crazy- galaxie 500 ("you're so old, you must be 23, spent the year in a drunken frenzy")
21. now i wanna sniff some glue- ramones
22. teenage partner- gene vincent
23. joyriders- pulp
24. i know everything- the soup dragons
25. this angry silence- television personalities
26. silver lining- beulah ("punk rock was my first girl")
27. be true to your school- the beach boys
28. my girl- hoodoo gurus ("i took her to a dance and then i didn't see her all night")
29. holy moly- the pastels
30. today i lost a tooth- olivia tremor control
31. teenage kicks- the undertones
32. (i live for) cars and girls- the dictators
33. all grown up- the crystals ("when i'm all grown up/no more ponytails/if he wants to kiss i might say 'all right'")
34. brother- oh-ok
35. teenage fbi- guided by voices
36. doreen- old 97's ("when i first met doreen, she was barely 17, drinkin' whiskey sours at the bar")
37. perfect youth- the pointed sticks
38. the teacher- super furry animals
39. rock'n'roll high school- ramones ("i don't care about history/i just wanna have some kicks, i just wanna get some chicks")
40. teenage high 2- the pooh sticks
41. it's my party- lesley gore
42. sex is boring- ballboy
43. you're just a baby- belle & sebastian ("so kiss me on the cheek and then go off to school")
44. temptation- new order
45. big girls don't cry- frankie valli & the 4 seasons
46. our secret- beat happening ("i said 'i like you' and she said that she liked me/no one in this whole world could ever understand, that's why we're running away")
47. got a job- smokey robinson & the miracles
48. oh oh i love her so- ramones
49. young & lovely- blur
50. melt show- old 97's ("in the front row of the Melt show i fell in love with you and that was 3 weeks ago/i don't believe in school no more, you don't learn anything, you're just waitin' around")

"the boy next door is into better things/the boy next door is into bigger things/the boy next door is me"

i saw The Feelies a few weekends ago in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. they were phenomenally fast & tight & perfect & amazing. i think the highlight of the show for me had to be "Raised Eyebrows," with it's pounding, primal three-drum intro, giving way to jittery guitars and a beautiful melody. IN-CREDIBLE. this is what the "Raised Eyebrows" (with "Fa Ce La") single looked like when it came out in 1980.


The Feelies are my style icons they were (and ARE) so cool, they just dressed and looked perfect to me.


My favorite album cover of all time, how can you deny THE COOLNESS:






Glenn has the best style of any man ever. He was sporting some amazing tortoisehell sunglasses & nicely-fitting khakis & awesome all black All-Stars.


Oh, and Dave, the guy who plays percussion, was my FAVE. he completely owned the tambourine & bells & maracas & occasional snare and bass drum.


before The Feelies came on, SHRUBS opened for them, and i thought they were the greatest thing i'd ever heard. they also were amazing because they had mini-shrubs on stage with them. and the drummer especially rules because he gave me all this crazy stuff. he liked me.


and, while we're on the subject, i also saw the mighty Robert Forster (of the best band of all time, The Go-Betweens) a few days before The Feelies. Robert wins at life.

the economy in me-land

NEW YORK CITY IS SO EXPENSIVE. you've been warned. but still, we choose to live here because it's just so darn terrific. i guess.

in the past week, i've had both good & bad experiences with the ways of money.

THE BAD:
1 diet coke at joe's pub in manhattan- $5.45
1 corona at joe's pub in manhattan- $8
1 gin and tonic at joe's pub in manhattan- $10
a round trip subway ride from brooklyn to manhattan- $5 (it adds up real quick!!!)
soy crips from natural food store in williamsburg- $4


THE GOOD:
coffee from a stand in manhattan near spring and hudson- 75 cents (and the guy is so nice too!!)
a bottle of wine from trader joe's wine shop in union square- $3.99
a whole slew of groceries, including hummus, crackers, a Luna bar, eye makeup remover cloths, cereal, whole wheat pasta, bananas, & a box of mac and cheese from trader joe's in union square- $16
12 pack of diet coke from natural food store in williamsburg- $2.99
1 fancy beer on tap at BARCADE (a bar with retro video games, sweet!)
in williamsburg- $5
CD's like pavement's wowee zowee, times new viking's rip it off, and the entire sonic youth back catalog- FREE! (if you work where i work)

& tickets to see robert forster & the feelies within one week of each other- priceless


& i make a whopping TEN DOLLARS a day at my internship. I'M RICH!

things of inter-est lately.

i've been obsessing over the Vulgar Boatmen for the past few weeks. almost all i've been listening to are their albums Please Panic and You and Your Sister. they were from Gainesville, FL, back in the late 80's & early 90's. they sound twangy and poppy and basically like the best thing you've ever heard and the lyrics are incredible, they make me picture mossy Southern towns with winding, hilly streets, that seem quiet but are actually brewing with activity. um, yeah, anyway. there are not many good videos of them to be found, but this one showcases a beautiful song of theirs called "Drive Somewhere."



Bas Jan Ader is my favorite artist of all-time only after mr. a.w. he was this amazing Dutch guy who did really sweet conceptual art involving sailboats & tea parties & falling off bicycles. he went missing in the Atlantic Ocean during his final work of art. this is a particularly wonderful piece of his, from 1974, called Flower Work.



i've been up to some creative projects, including filming random shots on my video camera downtown at night & of my friends and i being hysterical. we've also been plotting our upcoming band, maybe or maybe not called The Tundra. it's going to be the best tambourine-laced party band ever!! and last but not least, i recorded 2 albums on my trashy tape recorder (that was once used by me to interview Calvin Johnson no less!). they are entitled Broken Tailbone and Twangy & Jangly.

i just re-discovered this part of an atrocious picture once taken of me & E. our legs aren't really that stumpy.



i've also been really, really obsessed with Athens, Georgia, and all things having to do with it. like, Elephant 6 bands (especially Circulatory System and the classic Olivia Tremor Control albums) and the Happy Happy Birthday To Me record label and the band THE SQUALLS. they are incredible. their song "Na na na na" is one of the greatest ever. it was featured on the seminal Athens, Ga: Inside/Out film. this clip from the film is kind of a nice encapsulation of everything i've been into Athens-wise. (you'll see some sweet R.E.M., Flat Duo Jets, Pylon, and BBQ Killers action, among other stuff. oh, and watch Peter Buck- he's amazing in this!)



um, and i've been way into glasses lately. i've been sporting a sweet pair of thick black-framed ones, ala Elvis C. and Buddy H. they look like



plus



and i've obtained a pair of red heartshaped sunglasses, ala one of my other style icons, Lolita:



finally, i've begun watching what some people consider to be the greatest TV drama of all time, The Wire. i'm not even through season 1 yet, but it's super terrific. here is a picture of my fave character, Bubbles, pulling at fast one on some mean drug dealers!

Ode to Summer 2008 (part one).

well it seems, all of the sudden, the summer is coming to an end. i've got to pack up my things & move to the big city for a little while. Matador & sleeping on floors & Robert Forster & trying to make money awaits me. The Summer of 2008 was pretty great it turns out. Maybe not as surreal as some summers, or as monumental as others, but I don't know, it was pretty fantastic. Pretty high up on the list of All Time Greatest Summers. i saw a ton of amazing shows & listened to incredible tunes & bought a lot of dresses at thrift stores & worked at the record shop & travelled &... did other things. Those are all good things.

what better way to pay tribute to and sum up the Summer of 2008 than with a multitude of lists?! okay, here goes.

top shows of the summer of 2008:
1. justin townes earle
2. king khan & the shrines with the jacuzzi boys
3. old 97's twice
4. meat puppets
5. ATHENS POPFEST in which i saw too many bands to name, but the highlights were circulatory system, fat planet, thee american revolution, elf power, my teenage stride, roky erickson, great lakes, and big fresh.

top bands of the summer of 2008:
1. vulgar boatmen
2. circulatory system
3. my teenage stride
4. the squalls
5. the cuban heels
6. 13th floor elevators
7. elf power
8. ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS, duh
9. fleet foxes
10. cats on fire

top vacations of the summer of 2008:
1. athens, georgia
2. phoenix & mexico
3. new orleans twice

top activities of the summer of 2008:
1. applying for jobs
2. making sno-cones
3. making films about sno-cones, Popfests, & Elvis Costello
4. redecorating my room
5. recording my double album on cassette
6. ATHENS POPFEST
7. watching really really good tv (Mad Men, Rescue Me, The Wire)
8. having dinner parties with friends
9. making lists
10. going to see bands

top thing of the whole summer of 2008:
1. the Athens Popfest

and here is a mixtape i made in honor of the summer of 2008. it might seem similar to other mixes made throughout the summer, but this one is different & special, believe me. these are the only songs you need to know about my summer.

1. i had to tell you- 13th floor elevators
2. one wink at a time- the replacements
3. white winter hymnal- fleet foxes
4. paralyzed- elf power
5. up the junction- squeeze
6. to live and die by the airport lounge- my teenage stride
7. when you're near me i have difficulty- xtc
8. starry stairs- okkervil river
9. ride- old 97's
10. welfare bread- king khan & the shrines
11. margaret says- vulgar boatmen
12. morning of my life- great lakes
13. the grey estates- wolf parade
14. joy- circulatory system
15. falling slowly- glen hansard & marketa irglova
16. everyday i write the book- elvis costello
17. higher grounds- cats on fire
18. i tell myself- the seeds
19. fisherman's blues- the waterboys
20. i don't care- justin townes earle
21. haunted- shane macgowan & the popes
22. don't drop out- dolly parton
23. i can't stay mad at you- jonathan richman
24. nananana- the squalls

r.i.p.

one of the greatest establishments in mobile, alabama has closed indefinitely. even though people complained about the lackluster service and the waitresses had meth face, Picklefish is still beloved in this corner of the world and holds a very special place in my heart.



they had some of the best pizza i've ever tasted. they had a fantastic jukebox. i recall playing lots of Elvis Costello & Big Country & Tom Petty & Ramones on it. my (legendary) band in high school, The Right Angles, would go there after every gig we played. we would yell "The Right Angles are leaving the building!" when we left, every time, without fail. we found that very humorous. i'll never know how the Picklefish employees felt about it. i saw the Pine Hill Haints there once. they are an amazing band and their bass player plays the washtub. i have ended up there with friends many many late nights after a show or hanging out downtown having a few brews. also, the one and only time i've ever eaten a FRIED PICKLE was there. a fried pickle is the stuff of dreams.



come back soon please Picklefish!

xoxoxoxoxo.

summer & sandy.

i guess i should say something non-music related here. but nothing's coming to me, as all i ever think about or DO is music. well along with one or two other things. but i digress. i have a phone interview with Matador Records in two days & i've been thinking lots about music. it's really the best thing we've got, you know.

i'm coming out with a double album on cassette soon. one side (songs written in 2007) is called Broken Tailbone and the other side (songs written in 2008) is called Twangy & Jangly.

this is a list of random good songs i've been loving this summer. isn't LIFE GOOD?!

1. nite club... old 97's
2. i don't care... justin townes earle
3. got my mind set on you... george harrison
4. fisherman's blues... the waterboys
5. auntie alice... okkervil river
6. falling slowly... glen hansard & marketa irglova
7. shut down... the beach boys
8. sayonara... the pogues
9. some of shelley's blues... great lakes
10. welfare bread... king khan & the shrines
11. i tell myself... the seeds
12. i can't stay mad at you... jonathan richman
13. actors' colony... my teenage stride
14. rain king... counting crows (L-O-L, i know right? whatever, this song is GOOD ok! i am not ashamed.)
15. big tears... elvis costello & the attractions
16. you don't love me yet... vulgar boatmen
17. he doesn't know why... fleet foxes
18. crying in the rain... dave edmunds with nick lowe
19. up the junction... squeeze (especially fun to sing at dinner parties)
20. the grey estates... wolf parade
21. everyday i write the book... elvis costello & the attractions
22. you're so good to me... the beach boys
23. when you fall... pine hill haints
24. my heart... gene vincent
25. hands off... old 97's
26. mouth almighty... elvis costello & the attractions


i can't believe how many good shows i've seen this summer: old 97's x's 2, meat puppets, king khan & the shrines, justin townes earle, billy bob thornton & the boxmasters. that's in addition to the pogues and billy bragg, crystal stilts and pains of being pure at heart, dean & britta, marshall crenshaw, and stephen malkmus earlier this year...

music lately.

last weekend, i saw the Old 97's two nights in a row. they are my favorite live band ever. i've seen them 10 times now.

first, in new orleans. ken is my guitar god.



second, on the water with some of my best friends. rhett wore a black t-shirt. it was a perfect summer night.




i've been listening to FLEET FOXES (excellent), the dB's, freddie & the dreamers, squeeze, subway sect, and of course, Elvis Costello. he is probably the most amazing man ever, so, you know. here are a few pieces of proof for that statement:

"(the angels wanna wear my) red shoes" on Top of the Pops



the video for "no dancing"



"lipstick vogue" live



the HI-LARIOUS video for "i can't stand up for falling down"



"watch your step," probably the most gorgeous song of all time, on a television program



and a stunning rendention of "man out of time" on tv



see? what'd i tell you.

sun city part two.

we drove to Mexico, through the desert.



we walked over the border to Nogales.



it was quite beautiful in some places, and the cheap woven blankets & narcotics sans a prescription were in abundant supply.



we ate at this restaurant, called La Roca, that is built into the side of a cliff. it is very colonial in design & the food was outstanding.



they have a big bird there.



back in Phoenix, we saw King Khan & the Shrines and it was an epic show.



Mr. Khan had a nice owl. and a HOT bod, as you can see.



i also got this shirt & this bruise (from when the keyboardist of the Shrines pulled me onstage to dance and clap during King Khan's show).