summer reading
it seems that all i want to do these days is lay out in the sun (if it were to ever return) and read book after book. i'm grateful to have rediscovered a love of fiction and reading for pleasure. i suppose it has to do with the fact that i am no longer editing all day every day - for me, editing really killed the reader-for-pleasure in me.
anyway, right now i am slowly getting through
I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe. i am enjoying it for sure, but it is terribly long. i bet wolfe could have cut it by 200 pages and still made the same very timely and scathing observations of college culture. i'd be done with it by now, if only he'd asked for my editorial input!
once finished with charlotte simmons, i plan to move on to one of these fabulous-sounding books:
The Stolen Child, by Keith Donohue
The Whole World Over, by Julia Glass
Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
The Stolen Prince, by Hugh Barnes
now to figure a way to get to the beach for a week or two for some summer reading!
the sleepy strange, 06/24/06
blur, tender, from 13 (crap album but great song)
supergrass, late in the day, from
in it for the money (love supergrass lately)
mojave 3, breaking the ice, from
puzzles like you (new mojave 3 record)
japancakes, sleepy strange, from
the sleepy strangecharlatans, indian rope, from the
indian rope single on dead dead good (one of my treasures)
stone roses, i am the resurrection, from s/
tstone roses, fool's gold, from s/t (these two sounded sadly dated)
radio 4, dance to the underground remix, from
v/a DFA remixesbis, dead wrestlers, from
music for a stranger worldbelle & sebastian, electronic renaissance, from
tigermilksufjan stevens, year of the monkey, from
enjoy your rabbitjuana molina, no seas antipatica, from
sonbonnie prince billy, may it always be, from
ease on down the roadjames yorkston & the athletes, tender to the blues, from
moving up countrynorfolk & western, porch destruction, from
a gilded age (i should be in this band)
sun kil moon, carry me ohio, from
ghosts of the great highwayneko case, star witness, from
fox confessor brings the floodbroken hips, spiral bound, from s/t ep
king creosote, grace, from
v/a dream brother: songs of jeff buckleyrose melberg, take some time,
cast away the clouds (sounds just like the softies, lovely!)
hylozoists, the 50 minute hour, from
la fin du monde (la fin du monde is terrific beer, too)
calexico, roka, from
garden ruin (calexico never ceases to amaze and surprise me)
black mountain, drugonaut, from s/t (i had to end with a rocker!)
this is not a dog blog
everyone, meet chief brody
my new passion
passiflora caeruleaisn't it gorgeous, now if only mine would bloom!
i have a friend in australia
my friend in australia is called david, and he's really a top guy. we met almost 5 years ago at a history of urban planning conference in philadelphia - we share the same esoteric interest in the built environment.
so david, he's got this blog called lorraine crescent, which is also the name of the street on which he, his lovely wife and adorable beagles live (i think lorraine crescent is the name of the street - how would i know, i've never been there). anyway, my point in telling you all this is that i finally got 'round to linking to his blog on my blog and now i'm encouraging you to check it out. he's hilarious, living the highly-coveted academic life, and has fabulous taste in music.
so, david, sorry i've not been in touch in an age, but i promise to check in more often. hopefully my few adoring fans will now become yours and that will make up for my less-than-perfect friendship.
love,
bls
the sniffly strange
last evening was i was overcome by a sudden and dreadful allergy which marred my presence on the airwaves. i was a sniffling, whinging mess. that, compounded by the unfortunate fact that we're down a cd player (leaving 2) and i didn't bring any records, made for a tough show. i was a twitchy wreck - hopped up on antihistamines and anxiety, all the while feeling very sorry for myself and my red, runny nose. not sure if it comes out in the playlist or not, but what these songs do have in common is that most of them are 4 minutes plus, allowing me a brief moment of rest, here and there.
tales of endurance, supergrass, from
road to rouen (not ruin - don't even say it that way!)
siberia, echo and the bunnymen, from
siberia john the baptist, afghan whigs, from
1965 john saw that number, neko case, from
fox confessor brings the flood galaxies, laura veirs, from
year of meteors immaculate heart I, american analog set, from
set free immaculate heart II, american analog set, from
set free she's a lady, pulp, from
his and hers what else is there?, royksopp, from the
what else is there? single (guilty pleasure)
razzle dazzle rose, camera obscura, from
let's get out of this country (seriously, let's move to canada)
rubber ring, the smiths, from
the world won't listen change my life, spoon, from
loveways EP (swoon)
mystique of the locomotive, mahogany, from
the dream of a modern day (de rigeur train song)
for real, okkervil river, from from
black sheep boy (this may be the sexiest song ever)
she will come, royal city, from
little heart's ease (totally underrated record, f you p fork!)
chicago at night, spoon, from
girls can tell (yes, i am allowed to play mutiple songs by spoon in one show!)
black history month (braxe/flake remix), death from above 1979, from
romance bloody romance speaking in tongues, the kadane bros, from the score to
hell house red right hand, nick cave and the bad seeds, from
the best of nick cave and the bad seeds at my window, sad and lonely, jeff tweedy covering woodie guthrie, from
mermaid avenue sampler
the well, tarnation, from
v/a (i forget which)
hold on, hold on, neko case, from
fox confessor brings the flood new jersey, red house painters, from
s/t answers to your questions, loose fur, from
born again in the USA orange sky, alexi murdoch, from
time without consequence
the sleepy strange kept me awake
no friday random 10 for me this week - although i'm sure it would be a great one now that i have 2200 new additions to my library. oh well, you'll have to be satisfied with the playlist from my most recent radio broadcast. it was a marathon 3.5 hours and it came together fantastically well.
here ya go.
soft -n- EZ, japancakes, from the sleepy strange
i do believe you're blushing, unrest, from imperial ffrr
time machine, whysall lane, from s/t
little things, ida, from i know about you
my street, the oranges band, from on TV
these are the fables, the new pornographers, from twin cinema
tears for affairs, camera obscura, from let's get out of the country
sleepy strange, japancakes, the sleepy strange
i play myself on film, tim seely, from funeral music
accused of stealing, the delgados, from the great eastern
take some time, rose melberg, from cast away the clouds
love, seekonk, from pinkwood
chicago, sufjan stevens, from illinoise
chicago, bis, from return to central
the facts of life, black box recorder, from the worst of
brimful of asha, cornershop, from when i was born for the eleventh time
lovers who uncover, the little ones, from sing song EP
there's hell in hello..., jim o'rourke, from halfway to a threeway
fever pitch, wilderness, from vessel states
the dugout, ladyhawke, from s/t
brendan #3, fugazi, from repeater+3
black grease, the black angels, from passover
goin'against your mind, built to spill, from you in reverse
my mathematical mind, spoon, from gimme fiction
emotional rescue, rolling stones, from emotional rescue
skin of my yellow country teeth, CYHSY, from s/t
take me to the river, talking heads, from more songs about buildings and food
i can see my house from here, the glands, from s/t
burning airlines, brian eno, from taking tiger mountain (by strategy)
my pal matt spelled me for a bit (thanks matt!), otherwise i would have been on for four consecutive hours and up way past my bed time. here's what he played (i think he's fond of madlib):
the comeback, madlib
the payback, madlib
i wake up, yellow swans
velocity of the yolk, yellow swans
oscar see through the red eye, boards of canada
la baumette (broker/dealer remix), margo
wasting a fall, lawrence
hold down the rhythms..., kieran hebden and steve reid
the machines, kieran hebden and steve reid
magic says, dabrye
steam and sequins for larry levan, matmos
transformer, gnarls barkley
offbeat, madlib
pyramids, madlib
eternal broadcaster, madlib
you can tune in to the sleepy strange, if you're up that late, from 11pm-1am on saturday nights. check out
wtju.net for our streaming broadcast.
