Was this really published back in 2001? I guess the Onion saw the future.

(via Neil Gaiman)

The Guardian has some 20th century poetry going on

Here's an article about the upcoming Destroyer album

Mountain Goats as a trio

Re: Spitzer, David Byrne wonders why the identities of clients 1-8 and 10+ have not been released..


Apparently the Archdiocese of NY is (was?) holding a contest to design a papal skateboard in honor of Benedict's visit?? (I can't get through to the actual? site right now)

Lethem and Chabon are sort of reunited this week on this week's NewYorker.com

• Lethem reading Thurber
• Chabon on superhero clothing (article) (audio)

Jack Nicholson for Hillary Clinton
(info)

Miranda July says she's voting for Obama

as is Michael Chabon
non politically,

here is Chabon on Arthur Conan Doyle's non Sherlock Holmes work

and here with a comment on the Lone Ranger

New Mountain Goats song, written for and about Super Tuesday

The Library of Congress now is on Flickr, but the Sleeveface group is probably more fun.

Also, disappointing to see that Kucinich is dropping out.

I came across Barack Obama on CNN today and was surprised to hear him referencing sermons (his word) he'd given in the past before launching into an extended metaphor about Moses and the Civil Rights era.

I thought the Moses bit was ok, if probably unnecessary, but sermons?

My definition of sermon was that these were given by members of the clergy, not politicians. A bit of googling revealed that the media joins Obama in terming these speeches "sermons", and also labels Clinton speeches to church congregations as "sermons". (I haven't heard Clinton refer to "sermons" that she has given.)

Perhaps I'm overreacting, but I'd rather than politicians didn't deliver sermons, especially to religious groups. Shouldn't religious groups receive their moral instruction from their clergy instead of campaigning politicians?

I don't mind politicians speaking in churches all that much, but delivering sermons seems a bit much to me.

I just finished reading A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign. It was engaging and pretty well done popular history. Especially interesting in light of the current situation with Russia and Putin, not so totally dissimilar. The changing of election law (i.e. how the electors for each state were to be selected) throughout the campaign is something that it probably not so well known.

Also, Larson does a pretty good job of providing evidence that Thomas Jefferson may have been the Hillary Clinton of his day. I mean, it seems like half the country really hated that atheistic, infidel, Jacobin guy.

There's a skeletal website up for the Persepolis movie...
which will not be seen at the Bangkok International Film Festival after intervention by the Iranian government.

Zoilus: HRC
(Hillary Rodham Clinton
and/or Her Royal Celine)

In any case, the evocation of Idol by a (leading) presidential candidate is pretty entertaining, an arguably risky reminder to the public of a more ideal version of democracy, or at least what democracy could viscerally feel like. And it's a contest that no one has ever been able to say was fixed by powerful interest groups - even though it's actually a corporate creation, of course, and has its own narrowly defined scope of permissible ideologies and qualifications, the Idol process still rouses a more participatory, engaged spirit than U.S. politics have managed in quite a while. Although, like American presidencies, it peaked early: Kelly Clarkson is the Abe Lincoln of Idol-spawned pop stars.

Tony Millionaire reviews Christopher Hitchens:

rockmusic people are all over the anti Bush comedy central cartoon

EXPRESS: What kind of contributions can we expect from some of the guest musicians that you have coming up?
» CARY: I can quickly walk you through. We have a number of people who are doing the show. Dave Grohl and Anthony Kiedis are all playing themselves in an episode that's a Lil' Live Earth concert where our little gang sort of infiltrates the Live Earth show and takes it over to convince everyone that global warming's awesome.

Frank Black from The Pixies is doing voice of Satan in an episode where Lil' Cheney has a heart attack and goes to hell and then bugs Satan so much that Satan has to kick him out of hell.

Jeff Tweedy from Wilco is doing a voice. He's doing the voice of God — or as Lil' Bush calls him, "Goddy" — and tries to help Lil' Bush understand evolution. Henry Rollins did a voice for us where he's playing an Iraq War veteran who gets stuck in Walter Reed and the kids come in and try to fix the place up and annoy him.

And Colin Meloy from The Decemberists is doing a voice where Jeb Bush — who is played fairly dumb in this — he gets hit in the head and becomes smart. His smart voice is going to be by Colin Meloy. And then the weirdest one, we're about 90 percent closed on, is it looks like Boy George is going to do the voice of Tony Blair. He and Lil' George have a special friendship — not gay, exactly, but they do a duet about being buddies....

Laugh, and the Voters Laugh With You, or at Least at You - New York Times

Here is the NY Times on the Colbert Report, and its focus on 434 of 435 Congressional Districts

Two fingers holding nothing

A photo of the illustrator of Goodnight Moon has been digitally altered so that he is no longer holding a cigarette.

Protest Website

NY Times article

What do you want?

So today I went to the UFT rally at Madison Square Garden. No contract in two years, and this is what it comes down to: Marc Anthony Thompson/Chocolate Genius, Richie Havens and GE Smith (he of the rididculous facial expressions while playing with the SNL band). Also a coalition of unions, and many political hopefulls.

I am curious as to how this came to be held at MSG...it seems likely that cablevision made some deal with Randy W. regarding opposition to 2012/stadium plans.

As to the mayoral candidates: can the democrats please get it together? You need to pick ONE person to go against Bloomy if you want a chance. Today's showing: Mr. Weiner you have no chance, Freddy F needs to stop being so prone to moments of dumbness, Giff Miller seems smart but comes across as just another rich white guy and Virginia Fields has rhythym but also has sided with Bloomy too frequently. Although this VF satire site is just silly.

Who doesn't like the links?

Baltimore Sun article on Malkmus

MSN Article about Malkmus

MSN article about White Stripes

about Of Montreal

sunday links

I attended a benefit show last Tuesday to benefit Human Rights Watch and some other organizations working in Sudan. In today's NY Times Magazine there is some artwork made by children illustrating the Dafur situation. We saw these pictures Tuesday night. Hopefully the press will bring some attention and help to the situation.

Also in the NY Times magazine, about Christian video games. (The marketing of religion has interested me since my undergraduate days.

The NY Times also gets around to covering internet music fave Annie of norway. I haven't heard her stuff yet because the cd isn't out in the US until the summer.

There is also a somewhat unhelpful summer music guide in the Times. It does confirm Stars and The Sadies as opening acts for the New Pornographers at Celebrate Brooklyn. Also Calexico is supposedly playing a free show somewhere.

Here's a review of some of the stuff happening at Coachella.

Stephin Merritt News (from the House of Tomorrow newsletter:)
"WORK ON "CORALINE" BEGINS!

Stephin Merritt has started work on a musical adaptation of the children's book "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman. The projected finish date for this is fall 2006. It will be presented at St. Ann's Warehouse, in Brooklyn, New York, as well as several other theaters around the country."

More immediately, "My Life as a Fairy Tale," Stephin Merritt's operatic work based on the life and work of Hans Christian Andersen, will premiere at New York's Lincoln Center Festival from July 27-30."

What would Martin think?

Would Martin Luther King, Jr consider gay rights as civil rights? Or, would he be ok with homophobia?

His family is split.

Iraq considers car ban

When I saw the headlines, I was surprised to learn that my personal position on cars (they should be banned) was going to be adopted by Iraq. After reading the stories, however, this is only a temporary measure to safeguard the election from car bombings.

Still, not a bad first step.

it's educational!

Last night we saw the Pixies at Hammerstein Ballroom. TV on the Radio opened but because of stupid long lines we missed a good chunk of their set. TVOTR sounded very good; I think that they have the sound to fill large venues (more so than a lot of the currently popular "indie" bands) but I'm not sure that enough people will "get" them.

It was fun seeing the Pixies. There was a lot of anticipation in seeing them actually play and it was a good show but not amazing. I think the band has taken some strategic shortcuts (mix the vocals low, don't pause between songs) to minimize mishaps. I don't remember the Pixies being so midtempo, and on listening to some studio tracks this morning I'm convinced they slowed down some songs. I blame the drummer. (To his credit, he seems like a nice guy.) Still this show was a lot of fun, and worth dealing with the Hammerstein.

There is an article in the NY Times about "freak folk"

I have never seen Adem previously grouped in with Devendra and Joanna Newsom. I think the Adem record is a lot more listenable than the other records, too. (Listen to a couple of Adem songs here.) Although I think Nino Rojo is pretty good.

I am glad that that creep Kerik isn't getting a cabinet level position.

American companies help the Chinese goverment watch what everyone in China looks at on the Web. See pages 18-25 of the PDF File of this article.

The trailer of Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is online. (came across this via backwardscity which had a snarky comment about the need for a remake. I guess someone has a crush on Gene Wilder.)

George Saunders

Flooding the Zone

There is a new George Saunders take on current events in the New Yorker. It's optimistic, and somewhat entertaining.