Besides end-of-the-grading-period insanity this week has included respiratory illness! Multiple flat tires! Root canals! Homecoming week! Not only are the Ghoulanoids toys going fast, but Derek’s Cartoonshow #2 is also in the Best American Comics 2014 anthology as one of the “Notable Comics” of the year. Tasty! With all of this going on, I’ve kept … Continue reading still raving, still demon
“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” Hemingway, New York Journal-American (11 July 1961) I’m lucky enough to have at least one friend who will devote time to reading projects. We just finished our Hemingway list started a year-and-a-half ago. Our goal was similar to the Vonnegut project: … Continue reading a farewell to Papa, for now
I started the year with the intention of writing in this space more. I even had outlined topics through February. Obviously that didn’t happen. But here’s some of what did: Baby still can’t walk, but—like her dear old dad—has taken to climbing on couches, chairs, and tables. She likes to awkwardly bounce and shriek like … Continue reading Do I dare disturb the universe?
http://vimeo.com/channels/noisypeople An interesting documentary about the Bay Area free improv scene. I’ve been listening to recordings by the composers and improvisors of the Bay Area since the mid-90s. Every now and then I’ve been lucky enough to hear a few of these folks in person. Continue reading Noisy People
I’m just beginning to get into the music of Morton Feldman. His Rothko Chapel occupies a different space then I’m used to hearing in much 20th Century music. “Difficult” and “abrasive” are terms that more readily come to mind, but Rothko Chapel seems spare and, dare I say, beautiful—a word not traditionally used when describing … Continue reading Haunting the Chapel
“Saturn,” one of my favorite Sun Ra tunes, is also part of the amazing class of 1959 (on Jazz In Silhouette) which included recordings such as Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus, The Shape of Jazz to Come by Ornette Coleman, Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, and Giant Steps recorded in … Continue reading The Sound of Joy Is Enlightenment
Since 2012 began with the world’s end in mind, I thought I’d start 2013 with something else in mind. From Sir James George Frazer’s The Golden Bough: “In some parts of Breadalbane it was formerly the custom on New Year’s Day to take a dog to the door, give him a bit of bread, and … Continue reading Allow the soul time to return
4. The bird with the coolest name for the “Metallica” font: Archaeopteryx “Without its feathers, Archaeopteryx looks much like a small coelurosaur such as a dromaeosaurid or troodontid.” Yup. More of that here and interesting info on bird/dinosaur history here. 5. The bird with the coolest name for any font: The Blue-footed Booby Everything you … Continue reading Fowl Play: For the Birds: Pt. 2
Even though I should have started these entries earlier, I guess it’s never too late to give thanks. Since I have gnawed their bones on occasion, I decided I should give thanks to some of my favorite feathery friends. 1. Sam the Eagle The Muppets gloriously warped me from the beginning and I’ve always loved … Continue reading Fowl Play: For the Birds: Pt. 1
Stephen McClurg 