The Mouth O' The Mule

Real American Heroes, by way of San Juan

2008-07-24T10:17:00.003-04:00

Roberto Clemente

2008-07-22T10:41:00.000-04:00

ooooh, blackie she gots a chip

Phamous Photographers, No. 4

2008-07-22T09:00:00.002-04:00

Brett Weston

unadulterated, no. 2

2008-07-22T08:49:00.006-04:00

Distant posts, and the vagaries of the surf, have brought to my attention the amazing series of pornos called GreenPorno, actually featuring the equally-amazing Isabella Rossellini, going at it like nobody's bidness.

2008-07-21T08:40:00.002-04:00

I'm malleable.

Having been unduly influenced by An Illustrated Record, I spent a lot of years thinking that "Within You Without You" was the "nadir" of the recording career o' the Beatles.

Now, I quite like the recording.

"We were talking . . . "

We Were All Young Once, No. 2

2008-07-21T08:27:00.003-04:00

Jason and the Nashville Scorchers, 1983

Strategic Blunders, No. 10

2008-07-21T07:15:00.002-04:00

Land war in Southeast Asia.

Strategic Blunders, Nos. 4, 6 & 8

2008-07-20T22:11:00.003-04:00

Engagement to marry prior to preceding divorce/termination.

Strategic Blunders, No. 2

2008-07-20T20:43:00.007-04:00

There may be an inherent flaw in any plan to corner the market on a mass-produced item that flowed from the jungles [well, factories] of Indonesia . . . .

Consumer, No. 2

2008-07-18T10:09:00.005-04:00

Hmmm -- how could I possibly be a glutton, or an alcoholic, or even a mildly-obsessive chap?

I currently have going:

(1) a three-cup, overized mug of black Maxwell House coffee;

(2) a cup of freshly-brewed, loose-leaf English Breakfast Tea [from English Tea Store" of "Pennsylvania"]; and

(3) a full 48-oz. styrofoam cup, filled to the brim with Coke Zero.

btw, I don't like Scottish Breakfast Tea -- there's too much of something [it may be caffeine, but it may be something else] in most SBTs that gets me . . . unhappily revved up, or something. Does this make me a fag?

2008-07-18T09:43:00.002-04:00

btw, if you can sit through the wanky Phil Spector production, you can download THIS ALBUM from Amazon.com for only $3.99.

No DRM. That's pretty goddamned cheap.

2008-07-18T09:31:00.001-04:00

listen as it goes to my rhythm

¡ it's good to enjoy, mulatta !

2008-07-18T08:45:00.000-04:00

2008-07-17T09:05:00.003-04:00

where in hell did I ever find the time?

The indignities of getting old are painful to endure, but the one I [currently] lament the most is

my diminished relationship with, and to, music.

where did I ever find the time to listen? I know I must have spent thirty or forty hours every day listening to albums, songs, or tapes. Forty hours a day on each album.

I know this, because I know how well I know certain recordings. Know what I mean?

Driving in, a recording of (the) Razz performing Take It Back spilled out m' speakers. I knew every little thing that every one of the players would do. I knew every footstep from the live crowd before the song started. I got to a spot and "heard" the difference between the recording and the "seminal" version that I had engrafted onto my brain.

I can't believe I was ever, ever that into anything.

So today, I offer tribute and love to Jestaplero's Panasonic boombox. Before the construction "boombox," even before "ghetto blaster," there was "Sharples's Panasonic."

Thanks to that device, and Beacon's Backstage, my life was changed forever.

the photos are, sadly, of vastly different models. But they capture something of the spirit. . . .

musings on rumour and humour and tumour and blooumer

2008-07-15T08:33:00.010-04:00

I understand that The Crowd Scene performed last night at the Galaxy Hut, supported by New York's rootsy singer-songwriter Matt Keating.

Because of work stresses, I was unable to attend. But I'm told it was brilliant.

Keating opened the night performing as a three-piece band. The dearth o' '51 Squiers, Squires, was painful, but the earnest singer was strong, and the band was tight. Vocal harmonies were quite evident, making the act an excellent fit with the Crowd Scene. Some changeovers were a bit . . lengthy, but bassist Catherine displayed a puckish humour that led to [rumour has it] many a crush amongst the assembled men [and three amongst the assembled ladies]. The ladies all commented on bassist's looks, while the men all commented on her attitude. Had I been there, I wouldn't have seen the look, as spectacles do not correct Mister Blind-post-ERetinal-Surgery-Man's eyes. But I would have heard the attitude. Mr. Keating also brought good, healthy attitude --I dug his vibe.

I hear that Crowd Scene also tore the roof off the sucker, adding the live rockage to introspective tunes like It's Not Easier [or perhaps It's Easier; those crafty popsters confound and confuse with their titles], and Ill Take the Blame,, revisiting Global Village Idiot, and the crazy world of Arthur Brown [I don't even mess with that title].

I hear the Teles were played a lot.

I hear that the vocal interplay of the Crowd Scenesters was MOST excellent.

I hear there was less puckish humour from the CS, because the between-song interludes were mercifully short, and the band was tight and spot-on.

I hear that 15" bass speakers boom and thud.

I hear that the collection of beautiful, beautiful women was amAZING. The notion that the distaff side hits its stride at 40 was confirmed.

I hear.

______________________________________________________________
Update: Catherine, the bassist for Matt Keating played a 1966 Precision. Anne, the bass player for Crowd Scene, played [what looks to me like] a late-70s 4001 Rickenbacker bass. Any chance it's a Chris Squire model?

I don't really know my Rick basses, y' know.

The Torn Labrum

2008-07-15T08:27:00.002-04:00

Although we all know that a torn labrum is a cinch to recover from

[yeah; I know the construction of this sentence is fucked up]

I note that the Coyote, Wily Mo Peña, has a torn labrum and will have to go on the DL.

I understand that he suffered the injury walking the dog.

In this case, of course, the "dog" was Lenny Harris . . . .

for ¡Barangus!®

2008-07-14T12:05:00.002-04:00

come visit The Crowd Scene as they blow the roof off tha suckah

at the Galaxy Hut.

You know the place.

It's tonight.

barring employment termination or other incidents, i'll go

I stole this picture from the Crowd Scene

2008-07-10T09:08:00.003-04:00

all e-mail will be a giant hassle while the geniuses in cupertino make the gorrvin' move from dotmac to mobile me.

I do not want anyone sending email to [yournamehere]@me.com

I hate medotcom

UPDATE ____________________________________________

you know, the bastards never even sent an e-mail. They'd posted a million signs that the entire apple "dotmac" world was changing to "mobile me," but they could'a warned us that web functions would disappear for DAYS ON END.

FUCKERS.

FUCKING APPLE [formerly Apple Computers, Inc] FUCKERS

Just Wondering

2008-07-10T05:57:00.002-04:00

Does anyone else think that Wolf Parade might just have listened to Marquee Moon a few times?

30 Years On

2008-07-09T16:45:00.001-04:00

Even after thirty years, Martha Smith looks mega-yummy.

Flounder? Not so much.

check it out here

What's Not To Love? No. 2

2008-07-09T16:16:00.001-04:00

Ms. Morgan

2008-07-09T15:26:00.003-04:00

So it seems that
Peavey will make you a hand-wired one-watt custom tube amp, if you just ask them nicely. At least, that's what's reported by Premier Guitar magazine in Summer NAMM: Custom Amps From Peavey.

And since we're in guitar-geek mode, here is the amp mod I performed on my Classic 30 this weekend. Two of the solid-state rectifiers were bums [I'd picked them out of a Canadian hooker], so I had to use a third and fourth. But I'm now set set set.

And let's not forget my favourite amp, which needeth help because it rolleth so awkwardly.

free music

2008-07-09T10:43:00.002-04:00

So, if you click here, I think you'll get to download a track from the SoundTrack of the new short film Veronica Always. Indeed, I believe it's the title track.

I dig the harmonica. A lot.

2008-07-09T09:53:00.001-04:00

Take a quick trip over to I Miss RFK for a blast from the past.

Please.

And then remember that, thanks to Peter Fucking Angelos, the Nats were not on local TV that year. Their first year in a new city.

Not on TV nightly. In 2005.

This millenium. Not on nightly TV.

*sigh*

Gee; I wonder how this coulda happened . . . .

Sub Pop Twentieth

2008-07-09T09:47:00.002-04:00

I'm
glad that SubPop is only twenty. It means that the Inetntions had already busted up and gone our merry ways before hopelessly pursuing a "record deal" with yet another "scene-based," two-names-merged-into one hip record label.

TwinTone had already broken our hearts, finding us too polished and professional for their ouevre.

the whole purpose of this post was to type "ouevre" . . . .