A blog about stuff I like, creative projects and general randomness. I expect that the results of various writing prompts will also appear here. Welcome.
Joan Jett and Paul Westerberg - Let's Do It Jessca Hoop - Four Dreams
Rogue Wave - Without Pain
Wayne Hancock - Brand New Cadillac Eilen Jewel - Queen of the Minor Key
Angry Johnny and the Killbillies - Disposable Boy
Vampire Weekend - Step
Spacehog - In the Meantime
Marah - Faraway You
Eleanor Friedberger - She's a Mirror
Amanda Green - Pop Girl 66
Concrete Blonde - Happy Birthday
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Wail
Illinois - Nosebleed
Southern Culture on the Skids - Camel Walk
Hour 2
Lorde - Royals
Dawn Kinnard - Father Couldn't Break It To You
Wilco - Burned
Fiona Apple - Hot Knife
Jonathan Fireater - No Love Like That
Jake Bugg - Two Fingers
Bettie Serveert - Rudder Dr. Dog - These Days
Ted McCloskey - The Last of the Pin-Up Girls
Foxygen - Shuggie
Elastica - Car Song Widowspeak - Locusts
Hefner - The Hymn For the Cigarettes
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - One Love to Another
Folk Implosion - Natural One
Bat For Lashes - Laura
They Might Be Giants - Ana Ang
Alabama Shakes - Hold On
Primus - Tommy The Cat
Soup Dragons - Divine Thing
So, except for my playlists it has been a bit quiet over here on the Spotty Blog.
There are a few reasons for that.
This past week was Mom's birthday week, which meant a lot of good time spent with family, eating all kinds of yummy things that are not conducive to health and/or movement.
The recent Pennsyltuckian heat wave was not so great for encouraging activity, either.
Even when it seems like nothing is going on somehow things still happen.
I'm still working on the dragon novel, which is where most of my writing energy is at the moment. Another play is in the works, but it remains in its early stages.
The play Road To Nowhere, while it has an awesome director, producer and cast. (Paul Winarksi takes on the director and producer mantle, here.) Is still in search of a venue in NEPA
I did get some reading in this week. Libba Bray's Rebel Angels, the second book of a series whose debut I reviewed recently, did not disappoint. Still hooked, ya'll.
I also picked up Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches, another first in a series. An interesting, twisty, book combining history, alchemy, genetics, witches, vampires, daemons and fated romance. This was one of those that I grabbed without reading the jacket. If I had, I'm not sure I would have picked it up because I might still be suffering a bit of vampire-fatigue, but I'm glad I did. For those of you who can't get enough of vampire stories, it's worth checking out. There's an interesting world structure.
Also, when productivity is impossible, I'm revisiting the X-files over on Netflix. So far, it's holding up for me.
The big excitement has been the acquisition of a scanner. (Yeah, I know, I'm slow on the technology thing. Shut up.)
Holy old timey pictures, Batman! I'm trying not to get completely pre-occupied with this new-fangled device and remain focused on present projects, but it's difficult when I am now able to foist things like this upon the world...
So, this week was pretty straightforward. New stuff, stuff from the before times, and a few crazy cover songs. The new album that I was really into this week is Rogue Wave's Nightingale Floors.
Hour 1
Rogue Wave - No Magnatone
Folk Implosion- Natural One
Lorde - Royals
Flaming Lips - Buggin
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Mosquito
Foals - My Number
Whale - Kickin
Eleanor Friedberger - She's a Mirror Marah - Valley Farm Song
Replacements - Busted Up Ted McCloskey - Just Wanna Disappear
She and Him - I've Got Your Number Son
Ani Difranco - Swing
Foxygen - Shuggie
Melanie - What Have They Done to My Song, Ma?
The New Morty Show - Unskinny Bop
Jake Bugg - Lightning Bolt
Dance Hall Crashers - American Girl
Hour 2
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - One Love To Another
Matthew Sweet - Millenium Blues
Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
Tom Waits - Big In Japan
Widowspeak - Locusts
Violent Femmes - Out The Window
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Bag of Bones
Lumineers - Ho Hey
G. Love and Special Sauce - Cold Beverage
Magnetic Fields - Quick
Catatonia - Mulder and Scully
Neko Case - Man
Liz Phair - Help Me Mary
Alabama Shakes - Heartbreaker
Rogue Wave - College
Propellerheads - History Repeating
Beta Band - Round the Bend
Portishead - Roads
So, this week's Round Up is a bit scattered. Mid-summer things tend to get busy in Reggie-land. It's cyclical thing. The play Road to Nowhere is still in the works, but we're in search of a venue for the workshop and eventual run. (NEPA folks who know of a space, give me a shout out.) Currently I am about half-way through the first draft of the dragon novel, and of course, there's the volunteer radio show. Then there are the daily obligations, family stuff, and, well, the general feeling of "HOLY CRAP IT'S JULY AND I NEED TO GET MORE SUMMER INTO MY SUMMER!"
Just, you know, in case anyone was curious about general goings on.
Now that I've cleared my throat, here goes the round up...
Chuck Wendig's Blue Blazes
What It Is: A novel wherein the criminal underworld intersects the supernatural underworld. Huge, meat-loving Mookie Pearl handles a lot of dirty jobs for a criminal organization which bring him in contact with the supernatural underworld, particularly when it comes to finding and then distributing a drug called the Blue Blazes. Smear some on your temples and you'll see the world as it really is, which you may or may not, exactly, appreciate.
Why It Is Awesome: Demons, and mob bosses, and kick-ass roller-derby queen gangs and satyrs and ghosts and double-crosses and intrigue and BIG THINGS AT STAKE! Like, New York City sized things. Okay, it is, in fact, New York City which is at stake, here. Of course, none of that means a thing without the meat of a good story. (See what I did there, people who have already read this?) The reader begins with Mookie Pearl as a bad ass with a past and plenty of regret. As muscle and go between for the Organization and the underworld, he didn't have much time for his ex-wife and his daughter, Nora. Nora is all grown up and somehow managed to get into the same line of work as dear old Dad, except that she does so for another team, doesn't follow the rules set by his organization. And therein is the beginning of a sh*t storm that takes everyone by surprise.
So, no more about the plot because, spoilers, and if you like stories about criminals, stories about the supernatural, stories about family that don't gloss over the difficult stuff, stories that combine all three of these things and then some... then you need to read this book. It is faster paced than a hopped up gerbil running from a goosed cheetah.
Weird, personal bonus for me as a reader? There is a bit of detail about the joys of polish cuisine. In particular, the keilbassa, known in the book as kilbo, and in my region of PA, as kelbo.
(A few years ago there was a play that I wrote called The Reason We Can't Have Nice Things, a soap opera spoof written entirely in PA coal cracker dialect. Da kelbo was featured strongly therein.)
1932's War Babies
What It Is: A giant cup of WTF!?!
It is also an artifact of our culture in another time.
It is a ten minute film short featuring Shirley Temple, a child star that I recall watching during my childhood, a reminder of simpler times. (The simpler times I am referring to here are the times of me being a little kid, not historically. I think we all know through reading, or HBO originals, history is everything but innocent.) This is a thing that makes me think I need to rewatch a few of the less, um, icky, Shirley Temple films for traces of ick. (No, I don't mean the thing that makes goldfish sick.) See, I haven't watched anything with Shirley Temple in it for mumblesomething years, because, um, well, those things were part of being a small child and I haven't had the interest. The film short is on one of those collections that you can get in bargain bins full of DVDS all over the U.S. The parents broke this out one night, thinking that it might be something innocent and fun and ... well, it's just not, but here, you guys judge.
Viewed through the eyes of an adult in 2013, this film is something very, very different than it may have been to audiences in 1932. I have to admit laughing, A LOT, but it was the kind of explosive laughter that comes from being shocked and in a state of disbelief. "This is not the Shirley Temple I remember."
It sort of shattered a few pleasant memories. On the other hand, it kind of opened my eyes, like the fictional Blue Blazes, (see, everything is a circle) this film short will probably have increased my awareness of elements of sexism and racism in older films. It's not that I wasn't aware before, I just haven't seen it displayed so... jarringly in a long time as most of the films I've watched recently were released from 2000 and beyond. Maybe the lesson here is that it isn't always a good idea to revisit things that you loved as a child but have fallen off the radar. I still haven't quite unpacked everything about this film that bugged me, but I shall leave you with the thoughts of my friend, Matt Gourley, who said in response to this, "There is not enough WHAT in the What the F*ck!"
That "maybe it's not a good thing to revisit old stuff you loved, etc..." thing I just said?
Totally not a hard and fast thing.
I can hear you asking, "Why is that not a hard and fast thing, Reggie?"
Hey everybody! So for those of you who were listening this week you know it was filled with the joys of misbehaving cd players, and hopefully, awesomeness. There were a bunch of requests for which I thank you.
When it comes to radio there really is nothing like live programming. (Look at me, being all old school. Viva the beforetimes!)
One thing I mentioned is that there is a kickstarter for an art exhibit of brit-rocker Ian Dury. You can check out the info here.
Without further ado, the playlist...
Hour 1
A3 - Woke Up This Morning
Propellerheads - Velvet Pants
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito
Widowspeak - So Close
Morphine - Yes
Vampire Weekend - Step
Soup Dragons - Divine Thing
The Pogues - Sunny Side of the Street
Marah - My Heart Is The Bums On The Street
Jake Bugg - Two Fingers
Jessca Hoop - Whispering Light
Squirrel Nut Zippers - The Suits Are Picking Up the Bill
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Rainbow Connection
Illinois - Nosebleed
Eleanor Friedberger - She's a Mirror
Dresden Dolls - Coin Operated Boy
Aimee Mann - That's Just What You Are
Ben Harper- Don't Look Twice
Matthew Sweet - Dinosaur Act
Hour 2
The Lumineers - Ho Hey
Devo - Girl U Want
The Smiths - Death of a Disco Dancer
Eilen Jewel - Bang Bang Bang
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - One Love To Another
Ted McCloskey - Just Want To Disappear
She and Him - I've Got Your Number Son
Joseph Arthur - Ashes Everywhere
Amy Winehouse - To Know Him Is To Love Him
Ian Dury - Wake Up and Make Love With Me
Spoon - Waiting for the Kid to Come Out
Apples In Stereo - Bird That You Can't See
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Wail
Marah - Faraway You
Alabama Shakes - Hang Loose
