Squeeeeee!

Feist
Feist
Feist
Feist
on sesame street!

The grin is infectious.

Yes it's true

toothpastefordinner.com

A Belated Defense

On Friday, I went to a fiction reading/rock show at Village Green Records in Muncie.

I was standing outside the store when a car of what appeared to be frat boys drove past and shouted at us, "Hey, Punk Rock Faggots!"  Which was really hurtful.

I don't even particularly like punk rock.

Time for a Calling Out

Over the weekend, someone anonymously commented on a couple of my posts, with the same text in each comment:

Heard some of your music, "William." You've improved over the years.
-an old friend

I don't know who this is, though I would very much like to.  It'd probably be pretty good to catch up, if they are indeed an old friend.  (If you're reading this, you can find an email link at williamwolfe.net.)

I'd also just like to say that of course I've improved over the years.  I've worked pretty hard at becoming decent.

Record Companies Keeping the Money From File-Sharing Suits

337/365: The Big Money, originally uploaded by DavidDMuir.

And not giving any to the artists they're 'protecting.'

Fuckers.

Shameless self-promotion: Show on the 24th

Click the image for its animation. I don't know why it doesn't like to work as-is.

When I play music, I'm usually using a name that's not mine. I just feel like it, that's why.

I'm William Wolfe, and I have a show coming up on the 24th. If you're within an hour of Muncie, you should come.

More information here.

I found this on my computer.

I have no idea where I found it. But it's lovely. Sorta. Supposta animate and junk.

Flip on the TV, we may pick him up on Channel Two.

I cannot pretend to have any clue what inspired this Beware of the Blog post from WFMU, but its insane detail in imagining what DJing for their station would be like--ON ANOTHER PLANET--is a real winning feature.

I admit, Saturn sounded nice, but it's the black hole that won me over.

Ahh, Jens Lekman. The Jacques Cousteau of the pits of blackest despondency.

this is my fault.

I have no idea what I mean. But I named it for Jens' "Postcard for Nina."

Super 8 + Zombies = Freaking Sweet (but not like you think)

Two of my favorite things in the world: Super 8 films and sappy semi-psychedelic love songs.

The Zombies' "This Will Be Our Year" is way up on my list. I would argue, in certain rare moods, that it's an even better love song than "God Only Knows." But rare moods indeed.



Also, apparently, these movies were shot by the filmmaker's parents. Which is extra sweet.

via Look at This...

"Little Drummer Boy" by Low

A breath. A noise blast until :20. Reverb to end all reverb. Every breath a string quartet.

I think the "slowcore" label Low gets saddled with is unfair and inaccurate, but listening to their langid-but-still-somehow-incredibly-tense version of "Little Drummer Boy," I want to hit 'repeat one' and curl up under a blanket under my parents' aluminum Christmas tree and sleep until New Year's.

Edit: you can buy it from eMusic, if you've got an account. If you don't, and you want one, please let me know. We can all get free music if you do.

A live version, via Hype Machine: Low - Little Drummer Boy

I'd rather be in Tokyo, I'd rather listen to Thin Lizzy

Or watch the Sunday gang in Harajuku:

Seriously. Weird. (via Boing Boing, at that. Purveyors of weird.) I mean, I understand the desire to take care of a pretty wounded girl (wounded pretty girl)--but post-dance party Kerry feet never really did much for me. Apparently, the, ahem, "Lawrence Nightingale" effect does work for some people.

It's cold here. Really cold. (Not the coldest I've ever seen, not by a long shot, but the snow makes it wet, too. Which is not pleasant. I track snow into my apartment. and I can't just kick my shoes off at the door either; I'm wearing my four-year old Doc Martens for marginally better snow navigation (though the lack of traction allows some INCREDIBLE ice slides), and them shoes' a pain to get off.

So yeah. I'd rather be in Tokyo. Anywhere warmer or more interesting. I'd prefer Memphis. Or even the legitmate cold of more northerly climes. But I'd take Tokyo. I'm listening to podcasts. On the Media, currently, but I'd rather listen to Thin Lizzy:

Edit: There's something wrong with me--I'm a cuckoo.

Head is churning, but Alas!

My battery is almost dead, and I have a huge screenprinting project to tackle over the next two days.  

(As well as other homework, which, I'm somewhat sorry to say, is on the back burner.  It's possible I'll stay up tonight, and go to bed normally tomorrow, but this stuff never happens like that.)

What currently has my mind churning is a blog entry from a fellow who just added me to his Flickr contacts.  He goes by the handle "Headphonaught"--which is brilliant in itself--and his "nanolog" (on which most posts are about the same length or longer than on mine).  

The post, about consumerism and how it fits into his ethics, is pretty brilliant, but a little more in-depth than I have time for today.  So expect a lengthy post in a few days.  I'll just say for now that I'm terribly fond of the idea that "The world doesn't need more products.  It needs better products."  

Scott and I have had a few conversations about this.  He teases me constantly that even though I'm living off of student loans and don't have a "real" job, I have nicer stuff than he and his wife have.  The thing is, if he'd look, the nice stuff I have is usually the same nice stuff I've had for a long time.  I buy nice stuff because it works for me and it usually lasts longer than cheap stuff.  My seven-year-old iMac is still perfectly functional (even if it doesn't like playing video), it's just that I prefer using my two-and-a-half year old iBook.  My 40 gig 4G iPod still functions perfectly well--though I have to tweak settings in iTunes to get as much as possible on it, and carry around my ex's iPod Mini (given back in a fit of anger, though she kept her Found books).

Also, Kerry just called to tell me that she just found McLemore Avenue by Booker T. and the MG's on vinyl.  Which pretty much means I have the most awesome girlfriend ever.

beautiful!

Seriously.  Just go look at it.

via Boing Boing Gadgets.

Obligatory Thanksgiving Reflection Post

Because my immediate family didn't have their main thanksgiving dinner until today (by now yesterday), and because i've got some screenprinting downtime, I will now present the requisite and hackneyed:

List-Of-Things-For-Which-I-Am-Grateful

A top 5, but in no particular order

1.  New Record Player

I've had a record player for a few years.  I've collected enough vinyl for me to consider vinyl-playing capability an integral part of any home stereo setup I'd be interested in.  Not enough auxiliary inputs on your reciever?  I regret to inform you that I will be taking my business elsewhere.  The old one was on its last legs after its last fall, which shattered the dust cover, and left some gears inside unable to lock into the the teeth of their neighboring gears.  The belt kept slipping, and when it didn't, it spun the record fast enough to raise any song's pitch by a full step.

The new one is direct drive, has a speed control, can play in reverse, has a tone arm I can actually balance, has the cool light with the stationary dots so I know it's actually playing at 33 1/3 or 45, has another light that pops up when I need it to show me which track I'm dropping the needle.  Also, it's really big and fancy and silver.  It's a beautiful piece of machinery, and it sits nicely on my beautiful bookshelf.

2.  New Girlfriend

She's a stone fox.  And she's mean to me in the only possible good way--we tease each other relentlessly and it's good.  She digs my beard and my hair, though both are as they are only because I haven't bothered to trim them recently.  She makes me blush and giggle in a way and to an extent no one else has even come close to.  I can say, three weeks in, I don't want to date anyone else.  As in "ever."  I really hope this feeling lasts.  It feels like it will.

Her name's Kerry--she has her own blog which is shown far more attention than mine ever will be--and other than the fact that she can't separate the speaker of a poem from the poem's author (and the sheer distance from my apartment to hers) the closest thing to a problem I have is that she sometimes calls me "Matt" instead of "Matthew."  Not that I notice; we usually just call each other "dude," because we're best friends and usually talk about records or the news.  More often than not, both.  We also squeal joyfully over the Bill of Rights.

3.  New Ex-Girlfriend

I don't know if Elizabeth would like to see herself on this list, but yeah.  We fell apart, which made room for Kerry.  Also, it means I have to stop referring to Erin simply as "My Ex."  Which is good.  No one deserves to be remembered only for a failed relationship.  I learned a lot from Elizabeth, and even though she is currently angry at me for dating Kerry (which situation will, no doubt, be expounded upon later in a thinly veiled work of fiction), she has been--at several very needy points in my life--there for me in ways I doubt anyone could reproduce, though I hope I never have occasion to test that.  I told Elizabeth shortly before we split up (and, I believe, after) that she took better care of me than my own mother.  Which may be true, and speaking of her--

4.  Gracious and Generous Parents

Though my mom has sided with Elizabeth in each conflict we've had this year, to a point which I find unsettling and somewhat frustrating, I know she's still there for me, and loves me.  But that disagreement is part of why I think Elizabeth took better care of me--at least Elizabeth knew when I just needed someone to take my side.  My dad is going through a rough spot, but he's coming out of it well; and both give and continue to take better care of me than I deserve or want, and do it more thoroughly than they should--or really can.

5.  Shuffle Function of the iPod

It just just played the Beach Boys'  "God Only Knows" directly after "John Allyn Smith Sails" by Okkervil River.  That will make sense to some; those will agree with me that said events are not just creepy, but unabashedly awesome.