Status, Thursday, Feb 24

I'm leaving for SF in about 2 hours.

Tonight's the Polyphonic Spree show.

Hopefully showing my book around town, too.

Should be back in Puddletown, freelance and interviews notwithstanding, on March 5th, a Sunday.

NYTimes photo: former Ice sea on Mars.

we're paying home much for NASA to take aerial pictures of Burning Man?

you can see the dome from disorient. Gosh!

Yahoo! News - Supreme Court Rejects Appeal on Ban on Sex Toy Sale

Red state madness. Cue SNL's Clarence Thomas hearing parody, "Waaaeeeeeeell, I pra-fer the hahdcoah pohnawgraphy, witha ovah-siiiize gin-i-taaaillya."

(Oh, and sell those energizer stocks you own).

Who wants to go to the Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee border and open up a fully legal (for now) Sex Toys store?

Yahoo! News - Supreme Court Rejects Appeal on Ban on Sex Toy Sale: "Supreme Court Rejects Appeal on Ban on Sex Toy Sale

Tue Feb 22,11:48 AM ET

By James Vicini
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) rejected on Tuesday a constitutional challenge to an Alabama law that makes it a crime to sell sex toys.

The high court refused to hear an appeal by a group of individuals who regularly use sexual devices and by two vendors who argued the case raised important issues about the scope of the constitutional right to sexual privacy.

The law prohibited the distribution of 'any device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs.' First-time violators can face a fine of up to $10,000 and as much as one year in jail.

The law, adopted in 1998, allowed the sale of ordinary vibrators and body massagers that are not designed or marketed primarily as sexual aids. It exempted sales of sexual devices 'for a bona fide medical, scientific, educational, legislative, judicial or law enforcement purpose.'
Georgia and Texas are the only other states that restrict the distribution of sexual devices, according to the court record in the case.

Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites), representing those who challenged the law, argued that private, consensual sexual conduct among adults is constitutionally protected and beyond the reach of government regulation. (Among other things the ACLU is deluded.

They said the Supreme Court's decision in 2003 striking down a Texas sodomy law also created a fundamental, constitutional due process right to sexual privacy.

'The evidence shows that this case is not about novelty items, naughty toys or obscene matter. It is a case about human sexuality and extremely intimate novelty items, naughty toys or obscene matter. It is a case about human sexuality and extremely intimate acts," the attorneys said.

They said Alabama has never explained "why sales of performance enhancing drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra and even ribbed condoms(!) are not similarly prohibited."

The attorneys said the state did not contest the evidence that about 20 percent of all American women use a vibrator and at least 10 percent of sexually active adults use vibrators in their regular sex life.

A federal judge ruled against the state and found a constitutional "right to use sexual devices like ... vibrators, dildos, anal beads and artificial vaginas."

But a U.S. appeals court based in Atlanta upheld the law by a 2-1 vote.

The appeals court said it agreed with Alabama that the law exercised time-honored use of state police power to restrict the sale of sex. It rejected the ACLU's argument that the constitutional right to privacy covered the commercial sale of sex toys.

Alabama Attorney General Troy King opposed the ACLU's appeal.

"This case involves conduct that is both public and commercial -- the sale of sexual devices to the general public in commercial retail shopping centers" and at in-house Tupperware-style parties, he said. 'The state of Alabama is, in fact, terrified of the female orgasm. And thinks of going down on a woman as disgusting.' he did not add.

'The act of procreation can, does, and should occure without the need for womankind's recreation' he did not state. He further added that ever since that whole Janet Jackson thing, he's started believing that sex between races might be ok.

the ACLU also did not contest the evidence that about 99% of Alabama women could not have an orgasm with their husbands without playing a 'movie' in their minds about having group sex with Jimmy Smits, Bill Clinton and the baseball player John Rocker.

King said the law respected "the distinction between public commercial conduct and purely private behavior." He said, "It ... stays out of people's bedrooms."

The justices (who were obviously all men whose sexually frustrated wives will soon be sleeping with the gardener.) rejected the appeal without any comment or recorded dissent.

Shrugmp3 blog: And We'll All Hee-Haw, Okay

While waiting for this morning's sleeping pill to kick in, went through the ol' mp3 blog aggregator and found this stuff that sounds interesting.

I like this blogger's writing and intend to investigate further. And you know I'm fixin' to order the 'Pickin' on Modest Mouse:' disc.

Catch the Joy Division pun. (Note downloadable mp3s from his site at the link below. If anyone's having trouble downloading tracks off of my or other people's sites, please email me and we'll get things sorted.)

We're Here to Help You Thru Yr Changes: And We'll All Hee-Haw, Okay: "Surely, you're aware of the new hot new trend in country music: Bluegrass tributes to KROQ-worthy artists. Or maybe not.

Well, let me fill you in on this one. For about the last two years at the public radio station where I volunteer, we've been getting in a lot of cross-genre 'tributes' to rock bands.

At first it was string quartets. We were getting albums like A String Quartet Tribute to Nine Inch Nails, A String Quartet Tribute to System of a Down, A String Quartet Tribute to the Velvet Underground and Nico, etc. etc. They all seemed to appear at the same time, or very closely dated to each other. (The first such album I can recall was by Apocalyptica, whose tribute to Metallica predates the ones mentioned above by at least six years or so.)

In the last year, however, we've seen an increase in bluegrass tributes. A lot of these albums were called 'Pickin' On' someone or another. You know, Pickin' on the Beach Boys, Pickin' on Hendrix, Pickin' on the Beatles, Pickin' on the 1910 Fruitgum Company, whatever. Very basic, routine, practically primer selections.

The most recent vintage of these albums all seem to come from CMH Records, an independent, traditional Americana label. On the surface, they seem like just another respectable, mom-and-pop label, offering a variety of country, gospel, kid's and Christmas albums.

Beneath the exterior, though, CMH Records are goddamn crazy people.

We started getting their CDs at KAOS around this time last year, as I recall. They were tributes to artists I don't really care to listen to that much -- Dave Matthews, Bob Marley, all that regular stuff.

Then CMH issued an album called Pickin' on Wilco.

"

ESPN.com: Page 2 : P-I-G of a weekend

Again, I'd like to emphasize the non-sports aspect of this story and the Sports Guy. Here's a comedic take on trying to fly on a crappy airline out of LAX while it's raining.

Wait a second, (rereading article). Shit! This was from the same Friday that I got delayed 3 1/2 hours on a 1 1/2 hour flight. Someone please explain airline quantum physics to me? If a passenger is in a bar drinking an expensive... Wait, this is about the Sports Guy's rant. I'll rant on in a second. Also note the existential 'Penthouse' at the airport delimna.

ESPN.com: Page 2 : P-I-G of a weekend: "8:45 a.m. -- Thanks to a comedy of errors, I didn't make my plane reservation until three days ago, which is relevant for three reasons. First, if my airline for the weekend was an NBA player, it would be Michael Olowokandi -- bad reputation, perennial underachiever, but a strangely palatable option since it's impossible to find a serviceable big man at a reasonable price. Everyone who flies this airline ends up feeling like Kevin McHale, the last NBA GM to sign Olowokandi, and someone who would DEFINITELY never do it again. For the purposes of this column, we'll be referring to this weekend's airline as Olowokandi Air.

9:35 a.m. -- Because of the weather conditions, my flight is delayed until 11:15, which means they have to change my connecting flight ... only the next one from Vegas to Denver doesn't leave until almost 6 p.m. Say goodbye to the Celebrity Game and the Rookie-Sophomore Game, as well as my chance to hang out with Tony Allen and Al Jefferson.

The executive board of Olowokandi Air is here to serve you!

(On the bright side, I just bought about 20 magazines and newspapers. Which reminds me, why do they sell porn mags in airports? Am I supposed to read Penthouse at the gate? Take it into the men's room? Save it for the plane so I can read it next to some horrified lady? I never understood this.)

10:40 a.m. -- After wondering why my flight hasn't pre-boarded yet, I notice other passengers screaming at the overwhelmed OA guy behind the counter. As it turns out, my plane took off at 10:30 -- that's right, took off -- because there was a brief window with the weather conditions. Normally this would be great, except for the fact that A) I'm not on the plane; B) they told everyone we were leaving at 11:15; C) they left behind 15-20 passengers who paid for tickets and checked in; and D) I was sitting 15 feet away and never knew the plane was leaving. According to the weasel behind the desk, it was our fault for not hearing the announcement over a sound system that was so muffled, it sounded like Moses Malone was making the announcements. Has an airline ever used the "You were asking for it" defense before?

"

The Seattle Times: Entertainment & the Arts

Alright, this was going to be about the Dylan exhibit at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, but instead, it's just a statement of intent and anger:

I'm going to fuck up all of the people who doubt my ability to deliver television ideas. Give me your doubts. Let me know you believe in me but want proof. I'll spray the town with logos and deliver a set full of the most self-assured, self-confident debut shit you've ever seen. Who gave you the chance and why? (Note: really obscure Stone Roses references).

So, here comes the next 3 months of scripts and self-shot, self-financed ideas. Would you like to buy futures? Invest in the production and I'll pay you back twofold when it succeeds. Do you want to place puts on the stock? I'll pay you back fourfold if it fails. Bring it on.

Have we talked about Andre Dawson and the 87 Cubs in the Collusion Era of Major League Baseball? After a very good few years with the Montreal Expos (a small market, poor paying club), he shamed the Cubs into signing him by giving them a signed blank contract for 1 year. All the Cubs had to do was fill in the blanks.

I'm doing the same with good tv assignments. Starting this week.

I'm not a happy camper right now. Watch the fuck out, because I'm either going to cut your heart out or blow your fucking head away to get some good tv done. dammit.

Dylan: "I'm on the pavement, thinkin' bout your lack of confidence..."

Rant. Ends.

Beautiful day in Seattle though.

Mission and Vision Statements: Insight Out Theatre Collective

my friend Sean Keener (from Chicaago, we watch da cubbies together) apparently met one of these folks. would love to check them out.

Also, The Polyphonic Spree's cover of "Wig in a Box" has been in my head lately. (See, this isn't a blog about a broken heart, it's a blog about musical Tourette's).

I put on some make-up...

Mission and Vision Statements: Insight Out Theatre Collective: "OUR VISION
Insight Out celebrates our common human experience by acting as a cultural bridge. As American theatre artists, it is vital that we move beyond our borders to discover a world rich with diverse traditions. As cultural ambassadors, we will travel in the United States and abroad exchanging ideas and story telling traditions. We also look forward to bringing intercultural ideas and perspectives to local audiences by hosting national and international performance artists. Through this collaboration, we affirm that we are more alike than different.

ABOUT US
COLLECTIVE: col?lec?tive (adj.) 1. Assembled or accumulated into a whole. 2. Of, relating to, characteristic of, or made by a number of people acting as a group: a collective decision. 3. an amorphous, dynamic, process-oriented method of creation.
Insight Out is vibrant new voice in the Portland theatre community, founded in 2003 by Wade McCollum, Julianna Jaffe and Lindsay Lucas. Wade, Julianna and Lindsay met when they attended the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, California. After years of dreaming about starting a theatre company, they converged from afar upon Portland, to birth Insight Out Theatre Collective. "

shout out to Tiadoar

roaming around the internet before falling back asleep while dreaming of TGI Friday's Buffalo Wings and Potato Skins.

This made me say, "Aw."

: " years ago i saw the girl of my dreams and said i was going to marry her. we just got back from our honeymoon in japan and i'm feel like the luckiest man in the world."

The Sun is Shinin', but it's Rainin Now. - Music For America

(Updated Sunday night with mp3 link):

download Gotta Be That Way here.

The Sun is Shinin', but it's Rainin Now. - Music For America: "The House of Love - Gotta Be That Way - The album isn't entirely a departure into Beatlesesque pop though. Gotta Be That Way is a bit more classic HoL. Terry Bickers almost humed vocals communicate a perfect mix of acceptance and despair. It's an optimistic song about the end of optimism. Faith in the loss of faith. We'll even contemplate prayer at this point. And the guitars ring out in hallelujah."

More from whisperin' and hollerin'

"Both recast Bickers in the image of guitar deity a la Johnny Marr or John Perry, while the prodigal one also excels on the sublimely moody "Gotta Be That Way". Delicious and lovelorn, it's driven by Bickers' dark brown baritone strafeing and close-miked harmonies. Really rather lovely."

speaking of Orange

Happy Birthday, Orange.

smiling over my shoulder: real quick-like: "i celebrated my birthday last night with wonderful friends. when i looked around i felt terribly lucky to know so many kind, friendly, interesting, fun, fantastic people. and proud, too--very proud of my friends. i don't mean proud of me for having great friends, but proud of my friends for being so great.

and in a strange coincidence, since i've been glowing in this feeling all day... someone i don't know very well, who had had reason to search through my tribe friends to find someone i wanted her to talk to, messaged me today to say:

'And by the way, you've got some seriously fun, funky, sexy friends!!! BRAVO!'

she's *right*, you know. BRAVO for YOU!!!"

Close to tears (Close Your Eyes)

Been very emotional the past few days. I find myself almost choking up a lot. Not in a depressed kind of way, but just overly emotional.

Could be that there's a lot of flux in my life, with all of the interviews and jetsetting, and one group of very lovely people breaking up (it's the end of the golden age of portland advertising creatives).

Tonight is Hart & Allison, and Marc & Amy's going away dinner. I'm already getting choked up about it. In some ways, it's like a pre-going away party for me. (Sniff)See, there I almost go again.

If you were to play what I call a prom song right now, I think I'd totally lose it (see Don't Go Away by Oasis.)

Here's a song off the new Chemical Brothers CD 'Push the Button'. It's called Close Your Eyes and features hotly tipped folk melodists The Magic Numbers.

Saffronistas

And hey, who's that in the upper left hand corner, but WhiteHeat, Ted, Julien and crap, I can't make out the other disorienteers.

Up with Orange!

A glorious splash of orange, the 7,500 "gates" by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, twists and turns through Central Park from 59th Street to 110th Street. The installation became a 21st-century happening last week, pulling in throngs from across the continent and over the ocean. Many visitors, caught up in the frenzy of saffron, plunged into matching costumes. Some carried orange African daisies. Dogs wore orange. The color made a backdrop for statues, lending a party air, which will vanish after Feb. 28, to clear the way for nature's spring painting.

Sasquatch kicks Coachella's butt

From Sasquatch Festival

Arcade Fire, Wilco, Modest Mouse, Pixies Set For Battle Royale At Sasquatch Festival

This year's annual Sasquatch Festival, held at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, WA, boasts not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not fifty, but at least a half dozen "buzz" bands. The others run along the lines of "critically-boosted" jam bands, alternative country, sucker-punch blues, and whatever it is you decide you want to call the brilliantly wondrous creations of Joanna Newsom.

This year's festival boasts performances by the likes of The Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, Pixies, Wilco, New Pornographer AC Newman, Chicago blues hog Bobby Bare Jr., jam band-inspired noodling from Benevento Russo Duo, and Matisyahu, as well as warm, gooey guitar goodness from freshly-hyped slinger Ray Lamontagne. Be Good Tanyas and The Frames are also set to play, but they aren't as exciting, fresh, or buzzed about as the bands above and aren't as easily categorized as the bands directly above. Which obviously hampers the culturally-significant rambling one could do about both bands and also limits the writer in deciding exactly one honorably hip way to describe.

Noticeably absent from this year's line-up are Northwest heroes Built To Spill who have played the festival several times in the past.

Sasquatch is set to rule your world Memorial Day weekend.

Polyphonic Christo!

From
dig , a graphic lookj at the spree, who were spotted at the gates in central
park in full regalia.

---------------------- Forwarded Message: ---------------------
From: postmaster@comcast.net (Webmail Postmaster)
To: ideateller@comcast.net
Subject: Returned mail: User unknown
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 20:20:33 +0000

The following addresses had fatal errors:
write60cant2blog@photos.flick.com: 550 [PERMFAIL] destination not valid within
DNS

WARNING! Attached message is truncated.

Update 2/15, midnight.

Not a full sorta-weekly stats, but just status for those interested:

In LA, at JWT until this Friday the 18th at 8pm.
Portland the next 3 days, to include Marc & Hart's going away dinner on Saturday the 19th.
Fly up to Seattle (pending) to interview on the 21st. With possibly an interview on the 22nd, too.
Some mix of Seattle/Portland until I fly down to SF on the 24th to go see The Polyphonic Spree at Bimbo's.
In SF, (barring freelance or interviews elsewhere) through the 5th of March or so.

New mp3s to be posted over the Portland stays.

New posts soon. The laptop comes with me for the duration until I get a job somewhere.

Much love to Homeslice camp, Shyam and all of my friends.

Dating questionairrre

Question 1: Do you like Star Wars?
(If Y, proceed to question 2)
Question 2: Do you like Star Wars too much?

The Sun Is Shinin' But It's Rainin' Now

During a period in the late 80s, before The Stone Roses came along (Behind the Music UK's "And then Nirvana came along..."), I was in love with The House Of Love. I think I owned *everything* they produced. B-sides & 7"s ordered via mail correspondence out of the back of Goldmine magazine (this is before the Internet & EBay, mind).

Their first album was a genius mix of Echo & the Bunnymen and The Jesus & Mary Chain. Singer Guy Chadwick sang about The Big Questions. There was hurt and longing and vulnerability and honest naked emotion in equally large quantities. Sound familiar?

Back then, I read NME and Melody Maker religiously, and Guy gave great interview. In one of his later interviews, he mentioned that one of the reasons that he was so fucked up and in such pain was due to something that his parents recently told him about his early childhood. Know where I'm going with this?

From a review of the book "The Primal Wound":
"As an adoptee, I could not have written this book better myself. It is an extremely insightful book which opened up a world of understanding to myself and also to my loved ones. It helped me understand why I am the way that I am, why I do some of the things that I do, why I struggle with love in my life, and why I have this subconscious fear of abandonment and trust."

Shine On, Guy.

The reason that I'm getting into all of this is that The House of Love have reformed and will release a new album next week. The two new songs are posted at Teaching The Indie Kids To Dance Again.

Love You Too Much is destined to be my new Played Too Much Song.

The sun is shinin' but it's rainin now.

The House of Love - Love You Too Much - Yesterday, I promised to explain my house of Love post. But someone in the comments beat me to it. They're back together. Not only that, but in a few weeks, they'll be releasing their first album in 11 years. Their first album with the original lineup in 15 years. Needless to say, for the microscopic group of demented cultists who understand the gravity of this news, it's huge. For the rest of you... well, when "Love You Too Much," the lead single of Days Run Away hits streets on Valentines day... well, hate to say we told you so. This track is infectious, with cowbell bubbling up from out of nowhere, and a singalong chorus that might be what it finally takes for the House to get some long overdue respect.

The House of Love - Gotta Be That Way - The album isn't entirely a departure into Beatlesesque pop though. Gotta Be That Way is a bit more classic HoL. Terry Bickers almost humed vocals communicate a perfect mix of acceptance and despair. It's an optimistic song about the end of optimism. Faith in the loss of faith. We'll even contemplate prayer at this point. And the guitars ring out in hallelujah.

Kicking coach

Every once in a while, sports can provide you with an amazing, inspiring story that really has nothing to do with sports. Even you non-sports people should read this story.

He Can't Lose
* If Patriots' Vinatieri or Eagles' Akers kicks the winning field goal, chances are either one will thank Doug Blevins, a most unusual coach

La Times

SUPER BOWL XXXIX NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS VS PHILADEL
CO IB


  GO  
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — At the edge of his chair, on the outskirts of credulity, Doug Blevins will sit.

If the Super Bowl comes down to a final kick today, few hearts will leap like the one belonging to the kicking guru who will not move.

The field goal could be attempted by Adam Vinatieri of the New England Patriots, a guy who once slept in his car in Blevins' driveway for a chance to learn from him.

Oldies

So, I was wrong: Blogger only temporarily erased some of the archives. Or, maybe, they hid them for reason of national security.

In penance, here are some of the best of the first 6 months of Again!Again!

Let's go retro, back when: we felt good about Bush (mostly), I'd never seen the Polyphonic Spree and no one really had an iPod.

Oh, and 90% of my friends didn't have babies out or on the way.

Cousin Brant is smart and funny.

Hey, Poor!

Cool dogs.

The best wedding ever . Btw, if you had the over/under on a pregnancy at 28 months, you win.

Real World Confessional

So, as always, I'm sure there's a lot of opinions out there about this blog.

If you're a friend, you may think that this is a great way to catch up with me, or that this is a desparate cry for help.

If you're my therapist, you may think that this is circumventing $125/hour session/per post and/or that this is a desparate cry for help.

If you're an ex, you may think I'm still a narcissistic, commitmentphobic asshole with great musical taste, a/o ttiadcfr.

If you're a disorient friend, you may think that i'm remarkably well-adjusted and glad i'm not on k while writing this.

If you're my mom, you might be glad i'm not genetically related to you/glad that somebody else raised me (as appropriate).

If you're a board member of the Zoloft/Prozac/Welbutrin/Sleepingpill conglomerate, you may be laughing while doing blow off of your nanny's boobs.

If you're still here, thank you. Knowing that there's actually people out there makes my life a lot less lonely.

Mainly though, this blog serves 5 functions near as I can see it:
1. A place for expression that I don't get to share with others, or I don't choose to share with others while I'm in their company.
2. A surrogate for a spouse that would ask me how my day had been in between Jeopardy rounds.
3. A cheap mix-CD replacement technology.
4. A way of dog-earing things in my life that I wish to remember but don't trust to my short/long-term memory.
5. A call to arms.
6. A call to inaction.

Things to know:
1. I mythologize and objectify, often just to simplify the stories. Thus, Brent, the Art Director, who is Mormon, becomes The Mormon. B___ the Crush, becomes The Crush, a yearlong symbol of fruitless hopes. The Cubs become The Cubs, though America has mythologized them already. And so on, and so on. I don't mean to dehumanize anyone, but you can't let a simple thing like other people's emotions or the truth to get in the way.
2. It's a very hard line to walk between sarcasm and joy and no irony and irony and mocking and honestly the usual ratio of intoxication to post precludes much of this.
3. I don't feel comfortable posting about anything romantic unless I feel they're over their feelings/never felt anything/or don't know about the blog. Unless it's a part of the mythology(see 1, above). I don't like hurting people, and I'm not looking out to add my reputation or stature as anything. If anything, I hope that this humanizes me when I'm cold.
4. Much of this is a mockery of boredom. Much of this is a testament to grandeur. Much of this is self-mockey. Much is self-aggrandizement. I've still no idea how to reconcile any of these ideas.
5. I wonder if this is a healthy thing for me, or a thing that might seem like it's healthy but hides a lot of problems, or merely a semi-desparate cry for help. The thing that worries me is that Blogger erased all of my (real hurt) Post-Crush traumatization in April 2004. WTF is that? Is this some weird take-off of Wargames or Electric Dreams?
5a. I apologize for being not a blackbelt in 80s pop culture. I have to look those past things up.
6. I absolutely am amazed that anybody can get past the idiosyncrasities and whoo-hah and enjoy this. Same goes for people that I date. (Section 11 - I Stand Amazed - The Polyphonic Spree soon to be posted here.) I apologize in advance for not being more normal like Alf's owner; or more trainwreck like James Dean.

7. Ba-daam-daam-da-daam-Ba-da-dum-daaaaaa-dum. And on and on! On & on!

Peace. Thank you for everything.

PS Here's a secret to me: If you ever tell me how you hurt or why something is hard for you, I'll never be able to turn you down in relation to that. I hate to see people hurt, and if I see it, not the "I need a $$$$" on the off-ramp kind of pain, but real hurt, I'll give the world to you. Ask Troy and The Lanes about the 1998 Tuxedo X-mas bonus story.

Look at all of this narcissism and conflicting self-loathing/self-aggrandizement. Somebody go buy an Echo & the Bunnymen CD. They're good at this kind of thing, too.

disorient NYC + SF + LA bribery

Just posted this mesage on the disori5nt message board. The message goes to all of you who are out there in blogland. btw long post soon to follow.):

"Hi.

As resident Joyfiend, I'd be remiss if I didn't direct all of you who like guitar/bass/drums/frenchhorn/choral/harp/theremin type music to the Polyphonic Spree in Brooklyn at the Warsaw on the 15th and Irving Plaza on the 16th. (ed: LA on the 22nd, SF on the 24th. i've got tickets to the 24th.)

They're pure unadulturated joy sans irony. 24 gorgeous young music lovers shouting about the sun. (See avatar, above, left.)

They seem to say, ain't life hard, and ain't life beautiful?

These are the folks that I skipped decomp to see twice in two days.

And so, here's my scoop: if you go and see them and don't find yourself having smiling like a madmagellan, I'll give you half your money back, no questions asked.

I'm serious about this.

If anyone's on the Left Coast, I'll be going on the 22nd in LALA, and the 24th in SF.

love,
magellan

ps, if you see any of them wandering around post or pre-show, buy them a drink; they really don't get paid as a 24 piece band"

Idiotarod in NYC

Surely, the Left Coast is up to this, non?

The Idiotarod, disori5nt team.

My favorite is our friend Ted, looking like the world's most pornj retard.

From the NYPost:

"MUSH ADO IN WACKY N.Y. RACE

By HEIDI SINGER and CYNTHIA R. FAGEN

Alaska's famed Iditarod dog-sled race took a wacky urban twist yesterday in the Big Apple's second annual "Idiotarod" competition.

Instead of mushers driving sled dogs through the wilderness from Anchorage to Nome, hundreds of costume-clad contestants schlepped some 75 decorated shopping carts across the Brooklyn Bridge to the finish line in Tompkins Square Park.

A Post reporter and four teammates braved the freezing temperatures, which felt like Alaskan weather, to wheel their Mexican-bandit-themed cart and mascot Ocho the Chihuahua on the grueling five-mile course, starting at the Fulton Ferry Pier in Brooklyn.

"We wanted to put the dog in the cart and have us drive the dog instead," said team member Jorge Monahan.

Another teammate, Dean Dalfonzo, added, "It's great to do something completely ridiculous for no reason at all — just because it's fun."

The 90-minute drive through city streets was inspired by the slightly more famous Alaskan dog-sled race that covers more than 1,000 miles.

Some of the colorful carts included a blow-up octopus and an all-girl team dressed as "Ghostbusters" movie characters.

Alexis Lawrence, 22, of Boston, threw popcorn at startled pedestrians as she and her Ghostbusters teammates rolled by.

"What's it like to fight ghosts? It's scary sometimes, but it's a living. Busting makes me feel good," she said.

The Post's team trailed the first-place winners, the "Bush Mushers," and the runners-up, the "Van Halens."

"I did it for the fun and glory," said Jared Tankel, 25, of Brooklyn, whose second-place team won about $300."

Shout out to Cousin Brant

Cousin Brant's been lurking. He emailed me the other day to say:

> So today I did something I've never done before: I visited the Country
> Music section. I was nervous at first, going straight there from the
> office, with no boots and no cowboy hat. Would they be able to tell that I
> voted Democrat? But it didn't matter, because there was nobody there (the
> advantage of shopping for CDs at Borders), and they'd filed Neko Case under
> Rock/Pop anyway, somewhere between Bad Religion and Depeche Mode. I'm not
> completely sure why. There are entire songs where I'm wondering why I'm
> listening to country (the only CD they had was "The Tigers Have Spoken," so
> I got that, but I'll probably pick up "Blacklisted" as soon as I find it),
> but then that voice kicks in. That unmistakable voice, like velvet thunder
> - it could be gospel or opera as easily as country. Maybe that kind of
> voice doesn't have a genre. Anyway, thanks. I'd never have discovered her
> by accident.
>


Brant: Glad you like Neko. She's lovely. It's still awful though when you find yourself singing her version of "This little light of mine", which is cool when she sings it, but when you're at a dive bar waiting for the (1) bathroom to open, and the possible Vietnam vet/meth dealer gives you the eye, you realize it's not very cool to
sing "Little Light" if your name isn't Neko.

The big news here, lurking record label execs, is that you can improve your artists record sales by sending me free cds. Or at the very least, don't sue me for putting up your artists' work.

Who's going to go buy The Go! Team?

More Brant:

> I feel a little stupid asking about it, since you're keeping a public
> record of it, and it's not like you're cryptic, but - how are you
> doing? L.A., musical rapture, and Zoloft, basically? Is it going well?
>


All: I'm in LA. No musical rapture until the 24th in SF for the Polyphonic Spree (my friend Hazelrigg's girlfriend has some strange phobia in regards to Spree singer Tim DeLaughter - this deserves its own post), Zoloft - no complaints.
Freelancing for at least a week (for the dead adfriends: at JWT/LA, on dot-bust survivor Ariba, for Radcliffe's ex boss Shyam), and then I'm going to take my book around to all of the places in town.

So, no mp3 posts until at least the 12th.

Be wonderful
m

Correction: Portland (OR) Not Officially Dead

(ed: updated 2/3) The Golden Age of Portland Advertising Creatives Intoxication has come to an official close. I don't have a link to prove it, but it's totally true.

Mike & Shelley Ward - gone, never to return. like ever. really. Ward has travelled to the 4 corners of the earth but not come to Puddletown.
Michael Butterworth - possibly dead, possibly in Moscow with Kemper and Kemper's coke habit, most likely at LaCenter. but pointedly, not in Stumptown.
Joel Bloom, Liz King - Moved to yuppieville Brooklyn. Hard to say whether or not Joel realizes he's moved away.
Mark Radcliffe - took the baby step move to Seattle. now moving back to Boston (actually Wenham, as if anybody from the West Coast knows or cares about the difference.
Me - half in, half out for the past year (known as the Freelance Hokey-Pokey). Currently freelancing in LA for Radcliffe's old beloved boss Shyam.
And Now, Marc & Amy Sobier (+1!), and Hart Rusen & Alison Forsythe-Rusen (+1!) are moving to freaking SF. They'll be working for Goodby (fuckers) and the girls plan on spending their spare time opening a Jamba Juice with Hazelrigg's brother's partner Myrick.

See? The Golden Age is dead! Long live the Golden Age.