I'm Going To DC

I'm squirreling away part of my larger-than-expected commission check this quarter so that in March of 2008, I can go to Washington DC to see Kiki and Herb's Year of Magical Drinking. I can't wait!

If you too would like to go to DC and see the funniest stage show in America, go ahead. See if I care.

This is pretty obscure, but...

Has anyone ever heard of this series of books about a boy wizard named "Harry Potter"? I've read all of them, and even though they undoubtedly teach children that paganism is good and Jeebuz is bad, I think everyone should read them.

In all seriousness, Deathly Hallows was a pretty good ending to the series. It kept me up until after 2AM this past weekend when I really should have been catching up on sleep. J.K. Rowling is not a stupendous writer, but she can tell a good story. And I felt like I was taking a part in pop culture history when I drove my tired ass to the nearest bookstore (and since we were in NH at the time, that was 30 minutes away) at midnight last week to get our copy for Annette. Waiting along with nearly 500 people--mostly kids dressed up in their wizardly garb--who were positively giddy in anticipation was nearly as cool as reading the book itself. The only other time in my life I've seen comparable anticipation was for the Star Wars prequels, and let's face it, those didn't even come close to fulfilling most people's expectations. HP & the DH very nearly lived up to the hype for me. If you really haven't gotten around to reading the books, give them a shot.

Best...MF&TGGs...Ever...

I just listened to the latest Me First and the Gimme Gimmes' Love Their Country. I think it beats Are a Drag as their best CD. There's not a bad song in the bunch, and Goodbye Earl is truly one of the greatest covers of all time.

The next movie I'll actually see in a theater??

The trailer for Wes Anderson's next movie, The Darjeeling Limited. 'Nuff said.

Impossible

George R. R. Martin still isn't done with the next book in The Song of Fire and Ice. It'll probably be next year before it's out. But a TV series? Even for HBO, it's impossible.

May the Crow's Eye make me a liar.

And if you haven't read these books, you suck.

In The Beginning...

To qualify my previous assertion that Squidbillies is one of the best cartoons ever, I present this.

Too Late For A Festivus Gift

Shameless Self-Promotion

Most of my postings are actually done at I'd Offer You Some, But They Mine. The title comes from a quote of one of the greatest cartoons ever. It's a blog for my equally insane libertarian friends in our fair state of Alabama. I'm particular to this recent post, which makes me giggle maniacally.

Current Obsessions

In the car, it's all Richard Cheese. Again. At the gym, I've gone on another Liars binge. Movie-wise, a neighbor of mine and I have been on a giallo kick for the past few weeks, passing badly dubbed trashy Italian slash back and forth. And my favorite current obsession: killing enormous ornery wood roaches. How did I forget about these monsters and agree to move back to Birmingham?

pop quiz

Spoon is:
a) a useful eating utensil, essential for the consumption of soup and ice cream
b) the battle cry of The Tick
c) a way to cuddle your sweetheart (but where do you put your arm?)
d) a totally sweet rock&roll band out of Texas
e) all of the above

The answer, of course, is "e". But this post is about the rock&roll band. Spoon isn't exactly an under-the-radar band anymore, but I highly encourage anyone unfamiliar with them to check out their music.

I would not, however, start with their newest album, "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga." Not to say the new album isn't good, because it is. But I still think "Girls Can Tell" and "Kill the Moonlight" are better. Both of those albums are able to convey a lot with very sparse instrumentation--it's definitely a unique style. The music in "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" is definitely beefier. That's not a bad thing necessarily, but it's a departure from what drew me to the band's music in the first place.

Anyway, I'm not writing a lengthy Pitchfork-style review here. I just think everyone should listen to Spoon, but maybe start with some of their earlier albums (but not their earliest albums, which I actually don't like that much). Start with "Girls Can Tell" and work your way up to the newer stuff. My fellow bloggers are welcome to chime in with dissenting or supporting opinions on the band and/or the album.

Oh yeah, and if you understood what I was talking about with answer "b" or the movie reference in answer "c" in my pop quiz, hiya fellow dork!

You too could be King Dork

I have excellent taste. I enjoy inflicting my taste on other people. I listen to many types of music (yes, including country and occasionally rap). Those of you who have received mix CD's from me in the past can attest to that fact. I use a myriad of sources to find good music, but oftentimes it's just a friend telling me he likes something. I enjoy lending DVD's and books to people, because when I experience something of quality I want to share it with others. I would hope my friends would do the same for me.

OK, maybe my taste isn't all excellent, but it is at least slightly different that Joe Schmo. I listen to lots of different music. I read as much as I can. Though fatherhood has put a damper on movie and TV viewing, I still get to watch something now and then. I made a vow to myself some time ago that if I was going to spend money on beer, it was going to be good beer. Now that I don't have as much time for movie watching and book reading, I want to make sure I watch good movies and read good books. There's a lot of crap out there, and this blog exists to help us all sort through that crap in order to find the really worthwhile non-crap.

So I've enlisted a few like-minded friends, and together we're going to put up posts describing music, books, movies, TV shows and other things bearing artistic merit that we enjoy. If you would rather listen to Top 40 radio, read books by hack authors who poop out a book every three months, or watch by-the-numbers movies in which only good things happen to the good people and bad things happen to the bad people, this blog might not be the place for you. OK, maybe that's a little harsh. You can like those things as much as you want, but please consider expanding your horizons with us.

My first recommendation is a book: "King Dork" by Frank Portman. If you like music, read this book. If you like to use big words, read this book. If you have ever been called a nerd or a geek or a dork, read this book. This book inspired me to write my first fan letter ever. Though written for young adults (and I stress the "adults" part), I would not hesitate to recommend it to old adults. I'll undoubtedly encourage my own son to read it some day...when he's about 14.

This is already a super long post, so I won't get into too many more details. It should suffice to say that I initially thought of creating this blog precisely because I think everyone should read "King Dork." The cryptic title of this blog comes from the book, and the book pretty much encompasses what I want this blog to be: a place for the not-so-cool to school the supposedly-cool in what is really, actually very cool. Are we cool?