Better Living Through Literature
Words + Projects + Stuff I Like
1. Have you seen Better Book Titles yet? It redesigns book covers “to give you the meat of the story in one condensed image”–one hilarious condensed image, that is:
So many more here.
2. Happy birthday to Marxist/alienist playwright/composer Bertolt Brecht today. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be singing “Show me the way to the next whisky bar” when this week is finally over tonight.
Sometimes all you can do is accept that the bad day wins, get takeout, make a drink, and listen to Bob Dylan (who I find soothing; your mileage may vary). My inner hippie really loves “Mr. Tambourine Man,” because my inner poet thinks the lyrics are so pretty:
Then take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind,
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves:
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.
That last line is like a tagline for bad days! Also, be sure to watch the video soon if you find Bob soothing; I found it on a Turkish (?) site and it may not be up long.
How about some Sifl & Olly on a Monday morning? After all, I’m going to be using English all week.
I love all of it, but you know that my absolute favorite part comes at :49. I’ll be walking around work today humming “Now that I know your English ways I’ll translate all that Satan says!”
Yay Jimi!
If you read kottke.org, you’ve probably already seen this, but there’s a collection of Buddy Holly covers coming out and I’ve been listening to the album pretty much non-stop. There are some clunkers (Sir Paul, I’m looking at you) but “Peggy Sue,” “Rave On,” “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” and a lot of others are really well done.
Of course, the songs themselves stand up to just about any treatment–major thirds and surf drums are pretty hard to screw up.
I’ve been listening to early (non-gospel) Candi Staton a lot lately, because it is just. so. fab. Who doesn’t need to hear some gravelly-voiced, steely-souled lady singing about love gone wrong? Add a horn section and it’s just about perfect.
Even if you don’t usually listen to anything I post, I think you should listen to this: there’s an awesome guitar intro, overdriven vocals, that horn section, a really slick modulation at about 1:45–and Candi herself, of course.
I would love to find this on vinyl. My monolithic media cabinet has space for a turntable…
Even though Bob Dylan is one of my absolute favorites, I haven’t featured any songs here because I know he’s not for everyone. But Tuesday was his 70th birthday, “Maggie’s Farm” has been in my head all week*, and this performance is pretty great, if only because he seems so pissed.
I don’t think this is the 1965 Newport Folk Festival performance where he went electric (because the crowd cheers in the end) but it seems to be from about the same time.
*Gotta love lyrics such as “He hands you a nickel, he hands you a dime, he asks you with a grin if you’re having a good time […] They say, ‘sing while you slave!’ and I just get bored.”
This has been an incredibly busy week–I can usually handle it when things pick up like this but I am just fried. And it’s only Wednesday! I have another deadline today so I will do what worked writing papers in school: Crank up some Bob Dylan.
The combination of tunelessness and dense lyrics really helps me focus.
I heard a James McMurtry song Sunday on KRCL that just hit me–I had known of his name before but hadn’t really heard any of his songs. It’s called “Hurricane Party” and the refrain is “There’s no one to talk to when the lines go down,” plus it talks about “one great love.” Thoughtful, lonely lyrics! Clever guitar! I was hooked. Have a listen:
Although I learned he plays a club in Austin most Wednesdays and I briefly planned an Imaginary Trip, complete with Imaginary Cute Outfits I’d Sew, I think he may a little too close to a hippy to be a true Imaginary Boyfriend. (A couple of years ago I took a vow: No more hippies, EVER.)* But he can be my Imaginary World-Weary-and-Older-Let’s-Have-Some-Bourbon-and-Compare-Scars Friend.
*The way he sings “The Lights of Cheyenne” kind of makes me want to recant that vow. But I hold firm! Because I value steady jobs and shampoo!
Oh yes, this week I am packing for a Saturday move.
Toby is helping, of course.
While I pack, I have the Semisonic “Closing Time” song in my head, but I’m making up new lyrics.
moving time,
pack up all the boxes
and stack them up in your house
moving time
time for Dad to rent a truck
and drive everything across town
I do like a line of the original lyrics, though: every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. Oh, the profundities of 90’s pop.