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).

sun city part one.

i went on a trip to Phoenix & this is what i did:


on the 4th of July, we saw Peter Hook dj at a gay club. he fanned me with a cd & we sang the lyrics of the Stone Roses' "Made of Stone" to each other.



the next day, a group of us drove to Flagstaff, where it was about 30 degrees cooler. there, we went to a music festival. people there loved some dude called Roger.



we sat in the grass.



D slept through the first band, because they were just that horrible.



finally, the MEAT PUPPETS! they were tremendous.



and...

3 things:

my new tiny & adorable record player. first albums played to christen it: JoJo Zep & the Falcons' Step Lively, Elvis Costello's Goodbye Cruel World, The Cuban Heels' Work Our Way to Heaven, and Lou Christie's Lightnin' Strikes.




Willy kitteh blends in with the comforter.




redecorating my bedroom walls;
pop-art wall with Lichtenstein poster & stapler print by me.



Warhol painting done by me years & years ago and cool little cards collage.



framed Herman's Hermits sheet music, Warhol cat drawing, and my interpretation of a Lichtenstein sculpture.

summer playlists.

i just made two excellent mixed tapes for the summer.

the first is called Summer Dreamy:

1. summertime- galaxie 500
2. don't drop out- dolly parton
3. that summer feeling- jonathan richman & the modern lovers
4. death-defying- hoodoo gurus
5. car wash hair- mercury rev
6. an hour before the light- the clientele
7. a place in the sun- marine girls
8. this summers been good from the start- gorky's zygotic mynci
9. the violet hour- the clientele
10. indian summer- beat happening
11. california (all the way)- luna
12. perfect for shattering- ladybug transistor
13. the good earth- the feelies
14. so good today- the woodentops
15. rain- the clientele
16. gulf shores- bonnie "prince" billy
17. watch your step- elvis costello
18. please rain fall- the sea urchins
19. lovedust- luna
20. i know where the summer goes- belle & sebastian
21. face like summer- gorky's zygotic mynci

the second is called Summer Fun:

1. a summer wasting- belle & sebastian
2. wait until june- the go-betweens
3. here comes the summer- the undertones
4. this old chase- ladybug transistor
5. fresher than the sweetness in water- gorky's zygotic mynci
6. mexico- the desert wolves
7. sunday under glass- beulah
8. threw it away- dean & britta
9. sunnyside of the street- the pogues
10. summer in your heart- the razorcuts
11. shame about the rain- the chesterfields
12. double summer- the chills
13. sunlight bathed the golden glow- felt
14. hazey jane II- nick drake
15. all summer long- the beach boys
16. look away- apples in stereo
17. dream boy- jackie deshannon
18. my days are numbered- the close lobsters
19. the gauntlet/summer with you- masters of the hemisphere
20. the sun goes down and the world goes dancing- magnetic fields
21. adore him- the angels
22. let the serpent sleep- elf power
23. i believe- r.e.m.
24. my heart- gene vincent
25. it's only life- the feelies
26. wan light- orange juice