Advice From A Cartoon Cat

Gotta add Achewood to my comix linx at left... Ray's got some fine advice and observations again this Wednesday:

...There are a lot of duds out there. Just look at how many people genuinely cared about the outcome of “American Idol” this year. I heard some reports that people actually bought CDs by people who were on that show! I mean, come on! Who cares if some overgrown meat-bug re-sings an already famous song with a generic band behind him, taking all the cojones out of the music? What a waste of various types of resources.

Happy Canada Day, Eh?

So I did the Archive thing again, and I figured I oughta get something from the current month on the front page.

Shaw Island is about to split into two strips, one for the humans and one for the hamsters, so keep reading. In WIGU, the Tinkle family got amnesia after a confrontation between Topato and Space Mummy...

Here at work, things are busy and I think I need to work late again to get some stuph accomplished. Holiday weekend approaching that I hope to enjoy, considering I had to forego any possibility of going to see the Moody Blues at Summerfest last night. Oh well...

Maybe I Should Make Headlines For These Posts

Eric Olsen wrote a pretty nice article about Warren Zevon and his new album, The Wind. Besides reviewing the disc, he conveys the difficulty of not coming off like a jerk when meeting a celebrity, particularly one you admire. Or whose work you admire. If you're not a fawning fanboy, you're asking presumptuous questions, speaking with unearned authority from nonexistent expertise or giving (what's the word Fripp uses) dopey advice. Basement commentary. Ideally, one is able to speak to the object of one's desire without annoying them. But, fan interaction is heavily weighted in favor of the fan. "Sorry (NOT) to interrupt your quiet meal with your friends, butt I have a hunger to tell you how great you are, and if you don't appreciate my attention I'm prepared to insult you. Sign this. Get ready for a bright flash in your eyes." Eric didn't really do all this, understand, when he met Warren Zevon at a party, I'm just rambling.

Besides Butch Vig and Duke Erikson, I've met very few celebrities. After a Summerfest show in the 80's (with Al Perkins on a tiny stage), I shook Chris Hillman's hand and thanked him for coming to Milwaukee. Shook Gene Clark's hand between sets at a little Bay View bar once, also. That was right around the time Hillman was having some Mainstream Country success with the Desert Rose Band, and I think Gene didn't appreciate my suggestion that he consider the Country Music market. Mind, this was when guys like Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, Lyle Lovett and Randy Travis were new on the scene, and it seemed like there was a market for honest thoughtful singer songwriters on the Radio of all freakin' places. Before all the empty cowboy hats took over. Oh well. I didn't ask for his autograph since I don't believe in the dumb things.

Mmm, to be honest, I've gotten a couple over the years. It's an excuse to get close to a celebrity, I guess. (Why anyone would buy an autograph is a mystery to me.) I got Flo & Eddie to autograph a 200 Motels booklet after a Turtles show some years back, and back in college I got Sneeky Pete to autograph a breathalyzer result card I happened to have in my wallet. Both of those are longer stories than I have time to relate at the moment...

Someday I should also write about seeing Roger McGuinn & Band, David Crosby's CPR and Michael Clarke (and Gene) in a "Byrd Tribute" band. That 's all Five Byrds I've seen in Concert at various times. I've gone to few enough concerts that I should make an effort to list 'em. Can probably remember most if I try. I've started this project before, I wonder what floppy disc that file might be on...

Okay, I republished the Archives.* My deathless prose will live on until the sun grows cold and dark. Or until all the terrible things everybody says about Blogger come to pass. Or until Blogspot start charging for this space.

* "It's supposed to be automatic, but you actually have to push this button."

Here's my latest Blogcritics post. I perform a little record company math and scientifically estimate that the Artist will probably receive 3 cents out of each 99 cents the Consumer spends on a downloaded mp3 or whatever that new Apple iTunes format is...

Check in again next month for more up-to-the-minute reporting.

Oh, today's the last day of school, and I get to sit in the bleachers for several hours observing a Middle School promotion exercise this evening. Lucky me.

Okay, I'm not some kind of Nick Hornby (or Hugh Grant) fanboy, I'm just rearranging some bookmarks...

"The Hornby Top Ten" - If you've seen or read and enjoyed "High Fidelity", you'll have an idea of what this is about. If you've ever made Mix Tapes or CD's or just find yourself Making Lists sometimes, you'll relate even if your tastes don't agree.

"POP QUIZ" - Nick Hornby listens to the Billboard Top 10 and realizes the stuff he listens to isn't really POPULAR music anymore... Heh, me too.

"31 Songs That Changed My Life" Nick Hornby's 31 and one each from thirty-one other people, including Vicki Blue from the Runaways -> Suzi Quatro -> Gene Pitney...

And this article references a Canadian musician rather than a British writer with decent taste in music...

"The Ecstasy of Glenn Gould" - I never liked classical piano music until I heard Gould's recording of Bach's "Goldberg Variations", so if you don't like the florid Romantic style piano, don't overlook this guy. Kind of a cross between Professor Longhair, Yo Yo Ma and Robert Fripp, if I may be allowed a very inexact analogy.

On an unrelated note, Disc Two of Scooped was spinning on my CD drive when I read that Pete Townshend was cleared of child porn charges. Good for him, though the criminal justice system, such as it is, is requiring him to Register as an Offender despite not being Charged or Convicted of anything. Well, as long as it's For The Children and not part of the Amerikkkan Resident's Homeland Security Dismantling of the Bill of Rights, I guess it's all good.

I haven't read McSweeney's much lately, but this article saved its place in my Bookmarks list for another month or two...

If meat is murder,
then chicken is manslaughter,
eggs are kidnapping,
and milk is sexual harassment.

More Deep Thoughts later in the week, perhaps...

Murphy pointed me to HyperScore, a graphical MIDI generator. Considering the fun I had with Musinum (which had a peculiar set of limitations and some awkward features - well, it's a MIDI generating, not a MIDI composing program after all), this should be a good download. It's designed for kids, so I'll let them have a turn, too!

Ooh, an e-mail from Dave Benton today! The Spooner Fan Site should soon have a couple new mp3's, both from a 1980 gig at Bunky's in Madison. A great Spooner original called "Shut Up" and a cover of an old 60's garage number called "Run Run Run". You're drooling all over the seat, kid...