5.6.10 Here's Your Cowboy. Here's Your Boytoy
My friend Jonny Bee (under the name of Centaur Noir) made a cover of one of my favorite songs and then he made a video for it. Good work, brah. Yep.
Also, my internet is out at home. More updates coming once I get that figured out.
CURRENT JAM: The National - "Terrible Love"
4.9.10 A Tale of Two Books
I went to a used book store today, it's something I do on my day off. Commerce seems to do my spirit well, I've found. It's the people, you see. Anyway, I have a list of authors to look for every time I visit such a place, and today I found a copy of Forty Stories by Donald Barthelme, which has been on my radar ever since Amazon recommended it for me *years* ago but I've never stumbled across it in person. The version I had seen online was a Penguin paperback edition, with this weird, almost Boschian oil painting that I found instantly appealing. That little image on Amazon (which is not the current printing's cover, by the way) had turned this book into a lust object for me, and after I read up on Barthelme and his work I was doubly interested. So as I spot this book on the shelf, the familiar orange spine of the Penguin series reassuring me, I reach for it, certain that I will attain some absurd form of relief from finally purchasing it, imagine my disappointment to discover that while the contents of the book were the same and the book itself was in pristine condition, the cover was some ridiculous text-heavy thing. I was instantly unsure of myself or what to do. Do I buy this book that I want even though I find the cover abhorrent? I've been in this situation before and generally tend to buy the thing anyway. But note this time. I put it back. Yes, form follows function so I suppose that the design is somewhat negligible. But, more accurately, form serves function. In this case, the function = getting me to spend my $$$. Sorry, Penguin, that's a fail. Now, on my way out the door, I spot the clearance (read: really old and/or functionally worthless) section. And instantly my eye is drawn to a single book, Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. Now, I know very little of Rand from personal study but what I do know, I don't like. I find her theories both offensive and impractical and her followers strike me as the worst kind of self-important people. Nevertheless, there is a part of me that feels that I should actually read her stuff, if only to better defend my opinion of it. This particular edition was printed in the early 60's (as near as I can tell, anyway) and features a torn up, dust jacket with abstract early-computer art; sale price: $2. SOLD. If I'm ever going to read this book, and I admit that it's somewhat unlikely that I actually will (strangely enough, just about as unlikely that I would actually read Barthelme's book), this is the copy that I'm going to read, just as the copy of Forty Stories still on that bookshelf is not the copy that I'll read.
CURRENT JAM: Massive Attack - "Psyche"
4.1.10 Someone Told Me Mark-Paul Gosselaar Died Today
It's been a long time. Too long, I know. I'm trying to be better about that from now on, I promise. Today is my first day in a new house so here's to new things and being rad all the time (it's a full time job). I've been busy in my absence. First of all, I posted a new ILLWILLCAST. It's a prequel of sorts to one I did in Season 1 ("2000-2001"). Alternative rock fans will like it. I still really love doing these ILLWILLCASTS and though they may be coming slightly less regularly than before, but I'm still working on them.
What else? My dear friend Zac Naughton made a song. I made a video for it. I've posted it below. Enjoy.
The other big news is that I've begun working on my next chapbook, Golden Ache. This time, I'm trying something new in order to garner some funding by partnering up with Kickstarter.com which is a very cool new site for helping people fund creative projects. You can help by donating whatever you feel comfortable (I'm hoping to raise $600 by July 1st) and I will send you some fun stuff. Lots more information is available at the Golden Ache on Kickstarter.com page.
Oh yeah, and I was fooling about M-PG. Zach Morris will never die!
CURRENT JAM: Surfer Blood - "Slow Jabroni"