A post Tuesday about a gig Saturday…
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- Tuesday 31st August 2010
I’ll never learn. In any case, I’m playing 5:30 – 7 PM this Saturday in Montreal, at the big ol’ outdoor party they call Piknic Electronik. Stop by. People say it’s off the hook; I’ll fix…
“Strange Brewski” from The Poolroom Loafer
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- Thursday 26th August 2010
My friend The Poolroom Loafer, a talented DJ/producer, sends along this short but interesting piece of audio he just finished. It’s based on the song “Str**** Br**” by the British trio Cr***. Just in time for my upcoming gigs in Montreal (Piknic Elektronik) and San Francisco (benefit for the EFF). More about the gigs tomorrow (I hope), but for the moment, check out the latent funk.
strange…
It’s a spoken word thing #5 (Bridey Murphy)
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- Wednesday 11th August 2010
In 1952, the US was in the throes of several different varieties of hysteria. The Korean War was pounding away; another confrontation between good (us) and evil (them). The US economy entered a stratospheric delirium, drunk with an unprecedented infusion of wealth that created the modern middle-class. Anti-Communist madness – led by the one, the only, the dipsomaniac Joseph McCarthy – led to…
It’s a spoken word thing #4 (Hard Times)
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- Monday 2nd August 2010
One of the most affecting books I’ve ever read is Hard Times, by the recently-deceased Studs Terkel. It’s an oral history of the United States during the Great Depression of the 30’s. Terkel interviewed every sort of person that lived in the US at that time; both the destitute and the people who were so wealthy they doubted the existence of the “so-called” depression, and fought Social…
What if the Tea Party were Black?
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- Monday 19th July 2010
The wife brings to my attention this truly excellent article – simple, short, well-written – by Tim Wise. It won’t take long to read, and instantly puts current events in perspective:
“Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And…
Harvey Pekar, R.I.P.
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- Monday 12th July 2010
Harvey Pekar was an extraordinary individual. A lifelong file clerk at a Veterans Administration hospital in Cleveland, he was a record collector, jazz critic, literary scholar, and one of the great comic book writers of all time, bringing a true literary sensibility to the form.
It’s a spoken word thing #3 (Richard Pryor)
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- Monday 5th July 2010
When I think of Richard Pryor, the general impression is that of the profane, irreverent, comedian of the insanely funny live performance videos, or Gene Wilder’s goofy buddy in the movies, or even the live-wire star of his own tv show (briefly) back in the 70’s.
The man in fine form (and a red, red suit):
When I began buying up comedy LP’s, I discovered Pryor’s early, unauthorized…
It’s a spoken word thing #2 (Pete Barbutti)
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- Wednesday 30th June 2010
(I imagine you’re wondering what the Grainger logo is doing here. And where is Pete Barbutti? Please be patient; all will be revealed in the fullness of time)
Last Saturday morning, I woke up to discover that our attic fan (known also as a whole-house fan) had ceased to work. I am not the most mechanically-inclined individual (pause here for raucous laughter offstage), but we don’t have a ton of money to piss away on the local fix-it guys unless it’s absolutely necessary. So I heaved my butt up into the stiflingly hot attic and made my way to the eaves in a sweaty, crouched shuffle to figure out what the problem was.
Latest newsletter from the Electronic Frontier Foundation
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- Tuesday 29th June 2010
The latest issue of Effector, the EFF newsletter, just hit my incoming mail. If you have even a hint of interest in the civil rights and privacy aspects of our society’s cute little online existence, you might ought to subscribe.
One of the highlights this issue is a new Firefox plug-in that protects privacy by encrypting…
It’s a spoken word thing #1 (Boris Karloff)
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- Friday 25th June 2010
I’m sitting on a real treasury of spoken word recordings in all manner of formats, and I want to bring some of these to a wider audience than just me, sitting alone in the basement and grinning like a fool. Both my cassette players busted from age, and until I get a replacement for them, and until I get the CD’s sorted out and shelved, I’m culling from vinyl, just picking out some…
