Friday, March 26, 2004
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Talking Points Memo
"Anyone who has ever been young -- which, I suppose, includes everyone -- remembers some shameless whippersnapper who had an older brother, or older sister, or some other sort of protector. And from under the wing or shadow of that protector they'd hurl all manner of taunts and insults and boasts at all the other little kids, confident that none of them could fight back or do anything about it.
Which brings us to Condoleeza Rice. "
"Anyone who has ever been young -- which, I suppose, includes everyone -- remembers some shameless whippersnapper who had an older brother, or older sister, or some other sort of protector. And from under the wing or shadow of that protector they'd hurl all manner of taunts and insults and boasts at all the other little kids, confident that none of them could fight back or do anything about it.
Which brings us to Condoleeza Rice. "
Paul Krassner on the "drug war"
"Dr. L. had been convicted for what he sardonically describes in an essay on the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons' website as 'the heinous crime of prescribing Tylenol codeine for the treatment of migraine syndrome in a couple of ladies.' They turned out to be undercover operatives for the Medical Board of California. "
"Dr. L. had been convicted for what he sardonically describes in an essay on the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons' website as 'the heinous crime of prescribing Tylenol codeine for the treatment of migraine syndrome in a couple of ladies.' They turned out to be undercover operatives for the Medical Board of California. "
scroll down for a boo at the amazing looking Bollywood album that E l s e w h e r e failed to get at an ebay auction--the same thing happened to me with Jamieson's Scottish Dictionary.
Happy Birthday Cecil Taylor!
"Obviously I'm fascinated with words. And without thinking of rhythm in language, but knowing that it's there, and reading a lot of different people, finally what happens is the same thing that happens when we are involved in music. I listen to a lot of different music. For instance, today I listened to Chinese Classical music--which I really didn't dig too much, but I'll listen to it again--I listened to Islamic chants that really knocked me the fuck out. And just single voices. I listened to Duke Ellington's Orchestra circa 1945-- there was one piece that was just amazing. I listened to Victoria de los Angeles singing Purcell's 'Diedere and something or other...' and then I listened to Gary Grafman playing the first movement of the Brahms piano concerto. Brahms, boy I tell you--then I listened to Leonard T. Price singing the last movement of Richard Strauss' 'Solome.' Boy--what what a-- wheeew--boy, that guy--I have to go to see that guy. A lot of shit was up. And then, of course, of course--I listen every day to something by Ligeti. Today I heard 'Ramifications' and this choral piece, and 'Atmospheres.' Then I listen every day to [he chuckles] Marvin Gaye, of course. Then I put on Sarah Vaughn, then I put on Xenakis--oh, this fucking guy--this orchestra piece, and then I'm--god, I mean I practiced the piano four hours today. I spent two hours completing another section of this poem this morning. I cooked, I mopped all the floors in this house, and I've done all this stuff. And not one cigarette I can't understand it. No champagne, anything... "
"Obviously I'm fascinated with words. And without thinking of rhythm in language, but knowing that it's there, and reading a lot of different people, finally what happens is the same thing that happens when we are involved in music. I listen to a lot of different music. For instance, today I listened to Chinese Classical music--which I really didn't dig too much, but I'll listen to it again--I listened to Islamic chants that really knocked me the fuck out. And just single voices. I listened to Duke Ellington's Orchestra circa 1945-- there was one piece that was just amazing. I listened to Victoria de los Angeles singing Purcell's 'Diedere and something or other...' and then I listened to Gary Grafman playing the first movement of the Brahms piano concerto. Brahms, boy I tell you--then I listened to Leonard T. Price singing the last movement of Richard Strauss' 'Solome.' Boy--what what a-- wheeew--boy, that guy--I have to go to see that guy. A lot of shit was up. And then, of course, of course--I listen every day to something by Ligeti. Today I heard 'Ramifications' and this choral piece, and 'Atmospheres.' Then I listen every day to [he chuckles] Marvin Gaye, of course. Then I put on Sarah Vaughn, then I put on Xenakis--oh, this fucking guy--this orchestra piece, and then I'm--god, I mean I practiced the piano four hours today. I spent two hours completing another section of this poem this morning. I cooked, I mopped all the floors in this house, and I've done all this stuff. And not one cigarette I can't understand it. No champagne, anything... "
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Snackspot: " As sickly sweet as you can imagine. The caramel is encased in its own chocolate section atop what is essentially half a KitKat Chunky, so caramel and wafer do not actually meet. Imagine, if you will, a giant rectangular shaped Rolo merged on top of the bottom half of a regular KitKat Chunky and you get the idea. Nice when you are eating it, but you get the idea pretty quick that this will make you feel nauseous five minutes after finishing it. Your instincts are correct. "
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Chaplin and Crane
"Taking his courage in his hand, Crane had mailed a copy of Chaplinesque to its subject, who had, surprisingly, written back a nice letter about it. To Crane's immense gratification, Chaplin recalled the exchange and the poem on the evening they met. Chaplin later wrote in his autobiography that when he said to Crane that poetry was a 'love letter to the world', Crane had replied, 'A very small world.' "
"Taking his courage in his hand, Crane had mailed a copy of Chaplinesque to its subject, who had, surprisingly, written back a nice letter about it. To Crane's immense gratification, Chaplin recalled the exchange and the poem on the evening they met. Chaplin later wrote in his autobiography that when he said to Crane that poetry was a 'love letter to the world', Crane had replied, 'A very small world.' "
<$Xvarenah$>: "Capitalism wouldn't work if it was a 100% rip-off. But 90%--and people praise it unstintingly."
R E W I N D - R E C O R D S great d 'n b downloads--cruelly exposing the subwoofer deficit at the Manse, however...
Third Factory Notebook faintly damns Alice Munro with a Johnny Depp comparison worthy of Armond White at his most contingent-- "I read the one and watched the other in a perfectly amiable and receptive state of mind, hoping for the best, but Munro's even competence was no more compelling than "Secret Window"'s steadily-worsening stupidity and both, I suspect, will pass from memory with very little trace in the coming few days. "
While the mild condescension toward Munro shown here is far from the misogynistic fury displayed by the likes of Brian Fawcett, I've never understood (or had satisfactorily explained) why she raises the ire of so many gatekeepers of the avant-garde. A clue here, though, might lie in the gap between a panglossian model of memory (from which the expendable and regrettable are immediately purged) and a natural overvaluation of one's essential amiability and receptiveness (hoping for the best!), neither of which get you much traction in Munro's universe.
(This post restored since yesterday, removed for crabbiness but no one seemed worried. Last night I tried to read the Munro story and I'm afraid the Factory was pretty much on the money, though Munro has certainly earned her present "filling in the corners" evenness of tone. But I kept nodding off. I'll wait for the DVD of that Depp movie, though.)
While the mild condescension toward Munro shown here is far from the misogynistic fury displayed by the likes of Brian Fawcett, I've never understood (or had satisfactorily explained) why she raises the ire of so many gatekeepers of the avant-garde. A clue here, though, might lie in the gap between a panglossian model of memory (from which the expendable and regrettable are immediately purged) and a natural overvaluation of one's essential amiability and receptiveness (hoping for the best!), neither of which get you much traction in Munro's universe.
(This post restored since yesterday, removed for crabbiness but no one seemed worried. Last night I tried to read the Munro story and I'm afraid the Factory was pretty much on the money, though Munro has certainly earned her present "filling in the corners" evenness of tone. But I kept nodding off. I'll wait for the DVD of that Depp movie, though.)
Monday, March 22, 2004
Remnick on Liebling
"In the light of what Proust wrote with so mild a stimulus, it is the world's loss that he did not have a heartier appetite. On a dozen Gardiners Island oysters, a bowl of clam chowder, a peck of steamers, some bay scallops, three sauteed soft-shelled crabs, a few ears of fresh-picked corn, a thin swordfish steak of generous area, a pair of lobsters, and a Long Island duck, he might have written a masterpiece."
"In the light of what Proust wrote with so mild a stimulus, it is the world's loss that he did not have a heartier appetite. On a dozen Gardiners Island oysters, a bowl of clam chowder, a peck of steamers, some bay scallops, three sauteed soft-shelled crabs, a few ears of fresh-picked corn, a thin swordfish steak of generous area, a pair of lobsters, and a Long Island duck, he might have written a masterpiece."
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