For Today I Am A Boy

Antony Hegarty is just fucking awesome. [Whew.]

[Now I'm off for secret stuff in the middle of the night.]

The Gorilla Is For Sand Racing

A while ago, maybe a few years ago so even, I first heard a track by Cadence Weapon and I kept playing the thing on a constant loop.

http://www.smartwentcrazy.com/audio/TheGorillaIsForSandRacing.mp3

Fatlip

Downloading some of my favorite driving songs since I've been spending a fair amount of time in car lately and I have been listening to a lot of Fatlip. When 'What's Up, Fatlip?' came out I was so into the song and later when he released 'The Loneliest Punk' I listened to it on a near loop. Spike Jonze later did the video for 'What's Up, Fatlip?' and also did a little short documentary about him.

Anyway.

If you don't know Fatlip you should check him out.

I Like Eels

E and Bobby, Jr. perform Railroad Man for very special Eels fan, Anthony Fusaro, who passed away on May 20, 2008 after a years long battle against brain and spinal cancer.

[Everything about this makes me weepy.]

Against The Wind

There must be something about driving that makes me get all introspective and nostalgic. I'm certain of it. I mean, when you are behind the wheel of a car there are just so many possibilities. For me it's always been a place where I could meditate and road trips are almost one of the things that I love the most in the world. Ever. I could so spend the rest of my life just traveling around the country.

So the other day I'm roped into shuttling these taxis from the yard to this place out near the airport where they are doing the annual weights and measurements inspections. They have to check that the meters are calibrated correctly and all of that. So I'm doing a lot of driving back and forth and I'm zoning out listening to music. I was listening to a lot of classic rock because I was in that sort of mood and I stopped on a Bob Seger song and I was really struck by the lyrics of the song. Especially the line, “Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then.” [Whew.]



I'm not saying that the line or the lyrics really mean anything to me in terms of being hugely relevant to my life right now. Maybe they are. I'm not sure. I'm positive I am somehow drawn to them though, for sure. But what I really mean to say is that I just love that line along with the rest of the song and I don't think I ever took the time or had the chance to really listen to them is all. And I think it's nice.

I’m Not Like Everybody Else

I’ve been working on some writing in order to get out something that has been weighing sort of heavily on me for the last month or so and I’m not having a lot of luck with it. When the subject is something important I tend to really become unable to describe what I’m feeling. That’s why, I suppose, I make art. I’m not sure.

But the theme of it all, mostly, is one of me feeling a bit abnormal. I’ve felt that way all of my life and I’m equally certain that everyone feels that same exact way so that part is no big deal. But when we try and share how we really feel about anything it does at times become awkward and difficult.

I’m reminded of the Kinks song I’m Not Like Everybody Else and I have been listening to it today and figured I’d share it with you. I’ve uploaded it to my website here and I’m hiding the lyrics

I wont take all that they hand me down,
And make out a smile, though I wear a frown,
And I’m gonna take it all lying down,
’cause once I get started I go to town.

’cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.

And I don’t want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else,
’cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.

But darling, you know that I love you true,
Do anything that you want me to,
Confess all my sins like you want me to,
There’s one thing that I will say to you,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else

And I don’t want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else,
’cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.

Like everybody else,
Like everybody else,
Like everybody else,
Like everybody else.

If you all want me to settle down,
Slow up and stop all my running round,
Do everything like you want me to,
Theres one thing that I will say to you,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.

I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
And I don’t want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else,
’cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.

Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else.

I’ll get the rest out when I’m able.

[You should call me sometime and we can talk. I'm in all day just cleaning and writing and making art and rearranging furniture and I'd enjoy your company.]

Autoclave

This is my favorite [I think] from the newest Mountain Goats album and I see that I'm not alone:

Darnielle claims that he was in Alaska when he read about a life-form that can not only survive an autoclave (a device used for heating substances above their boiling point; used to manufacture chemicals or to sterilize surgical instruments) but seemed to enjoy the whole ordeal – at temperatures fatal to all other life-forms, this bacteria began to breed. Darnielle exclaimed, “Naturally, this got me to thinking about people whose hearts involuntarily pulverize any good feelings that come within a city block of them.”

A link to the .mp3 is there too.

Marvin Pontiac

A friend of mine stopped by to visit after going out to see Down By Law. This reminded me of John Lurie and then, of course, Marvin Pontiac. I used to just play Marvin Pontiac on a perpetual loop and I haven't listened to it in forever. I've lost or given away every copy I ever had. I've just now downloaded the thing again. And I don't feel the least bit bad about it either. I've paid for that album plenty enough times already.

John Lurie successfully duped plenty of people with this album and for a short-enough while plenty of people never realized that he was behind the whole Marvin Pontiac album. I think Time magazine did a review of it and were fooled at first too. But either way I just LOVE this album. I do think I loved it a bit more when I was tricked into thinking it was all done by some crazy person but either way it's such a fun and cool and lovely album regardless.

The file is here if you want to have a go at it: httpxxx://rs152.rapidshare.com/files/43303839/The_Legendary_Marvin_Pontiac__Greatest_H.rar [Remove the three XXXs at the beginning of the address.]

[Okkervil River Everywhere.]

So there have been maybe four or so separate instances where otherwise completely unrelated people on my friends list are talking about Okkervil River. I think it's sort of interesting.