Blather and Nonsense

Like a drug

It's hard for me to restrain myself upon encountering a page like this one, containing a handful of book reviews by Edward Tufte. I am quite proud (of myself, natch) in having managed to limit myself to one purchase while reading through the page: Ken Garland's Mr Beck's Underground Map. I wonder if Mr. Tufte has seen this series of objections, rebuttal, and counter-rebuttal to the theories presented in David Hockney's Secret Knowledge, another book reviewed.

Postscript: Subways can be fun.

The candy man can

After a visit to the Stanford Theatre for a viewing of Asphalt Jungle, famous for featuring one of Norma Jean's earliest roles but also a damn good noir, I stopped by the newly-opened Kiki's for a Peach Kiki-Tini. Not only did it come in a martini glass but my server even candied the rim with tangerine sugar -- yum! Not to mention that one can purchase any one of more than a dozen varieties of bottled sodas, including cherry RC cola. And no self-respecting candy store would be without a sliding ladder. I forgot to enquire as to Haribo candies, though.

Game on

On an absolute hunch I stopped by Toys R Us after lunch today and found what I was looking for: a Game Boy Advance SP, due out early next week. I was the second person to buy one of the portable game systems that had arrived literally minutes before my arrival. w00t!

Cult band, not cult

Soren was kind enough to point out this article on my new favorite band, The Polyphonic Spree. Plus, they'll be playing in San Francisco on 24 and 25 April at the Great American Music Hall and Slim's, respectively.

Senator, I do not recall

Forthwith I will do my best to recall the bands I heard at SXSW, roughly in chronological order:

Dressy Bessy
Dressy Bessy (again)
The Raveonettes
Jay Farrar
Michael Penn
Pinfield
Simian
Daniel Lanois
The Raveonettes (again)
Swirlies
Leona Naess
The Frames
some band at the Kindercore label party
Dressy Bessy (yet again)
some other band at the Kindercore label party
Cat Power
Spoon
Mendoza Line
Jenny Toomey
The Polyphonic Spree
The Tuna Helpers
Stairwell
Immortal Lee County Killers
Eisley
The Witnesses
The Coral
The Polyphonic Spree (again)
Supergrass

Now that's talent

It turns out that Jenny Toomey, whom I saw perform Friday night at the Hideout on Congress Ave, is not only a talented and engaging performer (I nearly swooned when she used the word "skulking" when accusing some patrons of loitering in the entryway), she's also the founder of the Future of Music Coalition, "the first lobbying group to fight for independent broadcasters and musicians with no hope of airplay on mainstream radio", according to the latest Rolling Stone.

2000 places at once

Gather 23 musicians clad in white robes playing symphonic pop music while dancing wildly and you've got The Polyphonic Spree. I can't tell whether they're a cult band or just a cult, but after having seen them twice last night (long story), I'm a convert. Never has brainwashing been so much fun.

Unrelated

Spoon rocks. No, not Uri Geller or the brothers Wachowski or even the Tick, but the Austin-based band whose most recent album, Kill the Moonlight, was hailed by many as being one of the best of 2002. Their live set at Stubb's last night was truly exemplary, loud and tight and toe-tapping. I thought I had seen some decent performances at SXSW prior, but I was obviously mistaken. As Britt noted, the amazing thing is that Spoon's live act neither adds or subtracts from their recordings but adds a whole new layer to it. Fantastic.

Southerly by Southwesterly

Successful in my quest to avoid the so-called and self-proclaimed digerati, I am now at the SXSW music festival. Finally having set up a halfway decent Internet connection (wireless) to supplant the non-existant in-room Internet connection (wired), I am able to post this note detailing my progress so far. Since arriving on Wednesday evening, I have seen one movie, heard fourteen bands, bought four CDs at the incredible Waterloo Records, and been given countless (okay, eleven) demo CDs. Oh, and I'm eating well, too. Rock on.

Some ways to go

Google ranks me at 164 in a search for "ned". Not only that, but I'm up against some stiff competition, including the Neds Rorem, Overend, Devine, Flanders, and Atomic Dustbin. Sigh.

A friendly suggestion

Come to see me sing in a concert this weekend, okay? Thanks.

Anyone for tennis?

I'm fine, you go right ahead. Yesterday afternoon I went golfing for the first time in six years; the last time I went was my first, for those counting. Frankly, I'm amazed at how much I remembered: practically everything. Of course, that's not saying much, considering my last outing put my score at 70 over par. At least I had a handful of satisfying shots and my putting game is good, so it wasn't a complete loss. I did enjoy the (half-) round, though, and would like to go again sometime soon.