Brett Easton Ellis and Warren Zevon

I’m listening, right now, to a one-hour informal interview with Brett Easton Ellis (who prefers “Brett Ellis” – he added in his middle name because it sounded more literary…) Anyway, this show asks its subjects, who come from all walks of professional and artistic life, to choose five favourite pieces of music and talk about them. Ellis’ first choice was Desperados Under The Eaves by Warren Zevon. He added that he would probably pick five different pieces on any other day, but after it was played he was glad he’d picked it and would have anyway.



I nearly stood up and applauded when I heard the lines,

And if California slides into the ocean
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill

…just like I did the first time I ever heard them.

Take it from one who knew

"Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible
government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul this unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of statesmanship."

(President Theodore Roosevelt)

Appholes and iGoons

I wish I could rant like this...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Appholes
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Lonely days are gone, I'm a-goin' home...

Alex Chilton died. Never got a mention in the "mainstream" media, of course.



"High Priest" was my favourite album. I had to listen on my own, my friends couldn't stand it.

And while we're riffing on Alex's memory, spare a thought for Lux Interior of The Cramps, who also passed away recently. A month ago. Maybe I should subscribe to Rolling Stone...

Food for thought...

Music is the International Language...

Forgetting the words (or your meds) need be an embarrassment no more...



Found on Some Guy's Blog, and then some. Nearly half a million hits...

If this doesn't make you smile, you're taking things far too seriously.

Apocryphal Hollywood Story About Motivation

The story goes that, some time in the seventies, when The Method was becoming de rigeur in Hollywood, a Famous Director was encountering some problems with a Famous Method Actor on the set of an action film. The scene takes place on a rooftop. The Famous Method Actor has to run from one side of the roof to the other, as fast as he can. That’s all.

He tries, and falters. This happens over and over. He just can’t get the “urgency” thing happening. He goes to his trailer, meditates, and returns. Still no good. He’s trying his best, he’s almost in tears but he just can’t run “right”. Money and daylight are burning away. Famous Director is getting the shits, big time. Tired of the mucking around, he yells “What is it, what’s the problem?”

“I just can’t find the reason for him to be doing this,” replies the Famous Method Actor across the rooftop. “I mean, what’s my motivation?”

The Famous Director sits down, lights cigarette, looks at the Famous Method Actor for a moment and says…

“I’ll tell you when you get here!”

Angel, Me and the Three Kings of Orient Noir

First, thanks to Harry for the title pun. Such things are expected and forgiven at this time of year…

Absolutely*Kate, Commander-In-Chief of Harbinger*33 (it’s coming!) has been kind enough to post a story of mine, A Room at the Star, over at the Bijou. What’s more, I’m privileged to be double-featuring with Angel Zapata, who has another Magi-oriented story on the same bill, entitled El Dia De Los Reyes {The Day of the Kings}.

Please read, enjoy and have a safe and serene Christmas, Holiday, Hanukah, Kwanza, etc.

Peace and Love.

Holidays? Humbug! It’s Christmas!

Nothing like clustering around the warm glow of your monitor to enjoy this clip a few dozen times over the Silly Season…

Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters

While Clyde McPhatter’s groundbreaking contributions as a soul and R&B vocalist have gone generally undernoticed outside of music circles, his fervent voice and passionate delivery influenced such artists as Smokey Robinson, Ben E. King (one of his heirs in the Drifters), Aaron Neville and Jackie Wilson (his successor in the Dominoes).

“He was one of the first guys I ever listened to,” Robinson said shortly after McPhatter’s death in 1972. “When he first came on the scene with Billy Ward and the Dominoes, he was The Man.”

“Anything Clyde sings is a prayer,” Aaron Neville told Goldmine’s Bruce Sylvester. “When I was growing up, I don’t care what else was going on in the world - Jim Crow, all the other stuff - you could put on Clyde McPhatter and it would all disappear.”

(© The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Inc)

Light Fantastic

I used to consider myself a fair photographer, even learned (and forgot) all the darkroom basics and did a bit of experimentation. I might even dig some out and post them. Hard to remember when I lost interest, but I’m sorry it happened and I recently dug some old rolls of film out of my fridge (that had been there for nearly thirty years!) and got into it again.

These were shot on Ilford FP4. Note the enhancement of the grain (click on the images), caused by long storage and delayed processing. The processor and I were both amazed at the density of the images and the contrast in most. At least there wasn't any fungus growing in the rolls. This film has been in and out of seven or eight fridges since about 1980.



















Now for the real deal…

National Geographic's International Photography Contest 2009

Andrew and his friend, a young sperm whale named Scar, were swimming together off the west coast of Dominica. The two of them became "friends" after Andrew saved Scar's life. (Photo and caption by Peter Allinson)

This is from a selection, chosen for an article in The Boston Globe, from National Geographic's International Photography Contest 2009

Be amazed...