Best, most awkward interview ever

J. Mascis has to be the hardest person to interview of all time. Most of the musicians that I dig have a hard time with interviews, but Mascis gets the gold star.

"Hey, Mr. Rain. Ain't you follow me down?"

Tonight is a night for some Velvet Underground. I’ve been listening to “Pale Blue Eyes” and “Hey Mr. Rain” religiously because they seem to fit the mood of this grey, indecisive day. There is something about Lou Reed’s voice and cadence that makes everything OK. His lyrics on “Pale Blue Eyes” sear right through you. John Cale’s viola work on “Hey Mr. Rain [Version 1]” is gorgeously orchestrated madness. This stuff encompasses the listless chaos of today.

cleaning toilets to the tune of Hazel

I'm in the process of moving and consequentially I have to clean the whole house (including the toilets...) To ease this arduous task I'm blasting some of Portland's finest while I'm elbow-deep in Lysol and Soft Scrub. Hazel is a hidden gem of the 90s, and Pete Kreb's greatness should be lauded.



These guys had great harmonies and some creative time signatures.

'like a dirty french novel combines the absurd with the vulgar'

I just read Marquis de Sade's Justine, and it gave me some strange nightmares. I definitely think that the English department should teach this book! After reading this, I watched Quills on Netflix. It was pretty awesome and Geoffrey Rush makes a great Marquis de Sade. It is deliciously lascivious. Must watch.

Undiscovered awesome things

I'm practically beside myself due to the fact that 5 previously-unreleased Elliott Smith songs are floating around the net... My favorite by far is "Shiva Opens Her Arms", which conjures up Lou Reed and Bob Dylan greatness. The vocals in this song are so uncharacteristic of Smith! I love these lo-fi gems.


Here's another newly-unearthed gem, "She Won't Look at Me". This one is more attune to the well-known Smith style.

New painting-- Eudiamonia

"Keats and Yeats are on your side..."

The semester is finally over with and I'm free to do as I please...well, sort of. While studying for my Victorian Lit exam, I had to watch a series on Charles Dickens as a part of an exam review. I thought it was going to suck, but lo and behold, I was wrong. Dickens of London was an anglophile's wet-dream and the actor playing the mid-twenties Dickens was pretty awesome (see above). I will spare you the girlish gushing over Gene Foad's greatness.

Another great piece of film is the 2003 documentary, Bukowski: Born Into This. Talk about inspiration! I watched this beauty on Netflix a few days ago and it has renewed my appreciation of Bukowski's work. It contains loads of exclusive, in depth interviews with the writer himself and his closest confidants. If anyone knew how to use expletives artfully, it was Henry Charles Bukowski.

Freak scene, just can't believe it

Dinosaur Jr. - Freak Scene by jar0

This video makes everything better! J. Mascis has the best teeth ever.


Speaking of great teeth... David Bowie is the king of awesome teeth. This song is hot as hell.