Monday, May 03, 2004
Other Cultural Diversions
Other things I've been reading/listening to...
Population: 485 -- Poet Mike Perry's meditation on living in a small town, working for the volunteer fire department. A wee bit too ramble-y for my tastes, which leaves me less than completely moved by the final "devastating" and "transcendent" chapter (really! that's what the jacket copy said!), but as a scattered description of life, it's good.
The Hurried Child -- This is like the book form of that Arrested Development CD from 1992, except for simple living advocates. The problem is, just like the CD, the high points are weighed down by stuff not quite fully carried off. Plus, it's like the simple living advocates read the word "hurried" and assumed it meant "too fast." The author spends most of the time on "calendar hurrying" -- pushing kids to do things before they're ready. A decent read, but a bit too academic at times.
Blueprint for Disaster -- A recent Get Fuzzy compilation. That, Foxtrot, Baby Blues, and Zits are the only comic strips I find amusing. Get Fuzzy lately has been the best.
Franz Ferdinand: self-titled -- A blast of 70s-era new wave. Lots of attitude, though no truly memorable songs.
Indestructible Object: They Might Be Giants -- If you like TMBG, you'll like this EP. Skewed, slightly disturbing lyrics wrapped in fabulous tunes. The only downside? The too-faithful cover of the Beach Boys' "Caroline, No." This from the band that made "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" completely their own...
And the Diamondbacks, what do they do? Here's hoping that the recent Sparks (not the early Sparks) shows up at Wrigley Field tomorrow. More baseball thoughts to come.
Population: 485 -- Poet Mike Perry's meditation on living in a small town, working for the volunteer fire department. A wee bit too ramble-y for my tastes, which leaves me less than completely moved by the final "devastating" and "transcendent" chapter (really! that's what the jacket copy said!), but as a scattered description of life, it's good.
The Hurried Child -- This is like the book form of that Arrested Development CD from 1992, except for simple living advocates. The problem is, just like the CD, the high points are weighed down by stuff not quite fully carried off. Plus, it's like the simple living advocates read the word "hurried" and assumed it meant "too fast." The author spends most of the time on "calendar hurrying" -- pushing kids to do things before they're ready. A decent read, but a bit too academic at times.
Blueprint for Disaster -- A recent Get Fuzzy compilation. That, Foxtrot, Baby Blues, and Zits are the only comic strips I find amusing. Get Fuzzy lately has been the best.
Franz Ferdinand: self-titled -- A blast of 70s-era new wave. Lots of attitude, though no truly memorable songs.
Indestructible Object: They Might Be Giants -- If you like TMBG, you'll like this EP. Skewed, slightly disturbing lyrics wrapped in fabulous tunes. The only downside? The too-faithful cover of the Beach Boys' "Caroline, No." This from the band that made "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" completely their own...
And the Diamondbacks, what do they do? Here's hoping that the recent Sparks (not the early Sparks) shows up at Wrigley Field tomorrow. More baseball thoughts to come.
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