Friday, February 24, 2006

this is ivy league

this is ivy league



So, Wednesday night I'm hanging out with Sonic Youth, Thursday night it's Ivy League. Ahh this rock'n'roll lifestyle...

[In case you're wondering: Ivy League, all the way].

[They're playing Fat Baby on March 16th - those of you not in Austin should definitely check 'em out.]

Ivy League 02.23.06 050

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

daydream nation

what i did this evening



One of the many projects I've been working on:
Interviewing Sonic Youth this evening, at Water Studios in Hoboken. For the record, they were all very nice, uber-professional, and Steve Shelley was awesome. Such a lamb. And they all like Freaks & Geeks, so bonus points from me.

I dragged Brian along for the ride as we needed a photographer. We heard a little of their new album as they were mixing it - I got a definite Killers-vibe from one hook that was being played over [and over].

But things were running pretty late and I was so sleepy I couldn't stop yawning. Yikes.

brian & lee ranaldo

pop punk? punk pop? wha?

right now i'm so lost in lack of sleep, 15+ hour days, painfully vivid dreams that keep waking me up and that i'll recount at a later date, keeping secrets for another week [eeee!], research and, this evening, trying to discern the difference between "pop punk" and "punk pop" [one thing's for sure, the article on wikipedia was definitely written by a Brit 'cause they keep name-checking Busted and McFly. and Son of Dork. James Bourne, have you taken to writing online encyclopaedia entries??] i kind of forgot i had a blog. or a life. hopefully more of both soon...

Sunday, February 12, 2006

winter beaches

hey snowball...




star cookies




brighton beach - little russia by the sea, brooklyn


or, Escape from New York. Having the use of a car of Saturday meant plans were made for Long Island/Upstate/Philadelphia. Going to bed late on Friday [me: working till 2am, her: drinking till 2am. Guess who had more fun.] and the desire to sleep in + PATH trains running funny meant we didn't get around to leaving till late so just headed to Brighton Beach, also known as Little Russia by the Sea.

I kind of love the beach in winter.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

what a fool believes

seems like everyone recently has been telling me they've just been to london or are just about to go... no need to rub it in, guys. guess that's what happens when you hang out with all these jet-setting kids... tour, award shows, fashion week... sounds so grand, dunnit?

well, i've decided to banish the homesick blues [and start to ignore people who tell me they're off to london] - and here's a reallllly good place to start, by watching one of the most genius cable tv shows i've seen in a long time: Yacht Rock

scroll down to the first episode, watch from there, and fall off your chair laughing.

hall & oates fo' lyfe...

Thursday, February 09, 2006

you know you've been to misshapes too much when...

they all



...you do the mean, sultry kind of misshapes face at a nets game, even when we've thrashed the knicks something chronic.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

you know it's a lazy sunday when...

0200: Finish flicking through beautiful french magazine and decide to maybe go to sleep
0417: Woken by rowdy roommates returning with entourage and deciding to very noisily make toast [worse, as my bedroom is just off the kitchen]
0705: Wake up naturally, swear because it's Sunday and there's just no need to be awake so early
1130: Wake up again, decide I should actually get up
1215: Actually get up
1237: Scintillating conversation with my dad: "Well I was looking for a hacksaw down the side of the washing machine, and it's such a mess in there, so we decided to clear out the washroom. Anyway, how's New York?"
1318: Leave house
1346: Arrive at kid robot in SoHo where I'm meant to be meeting a friend of a friend who's in town for a couple days [I'm running late]
1500: She buys me lunch. Awesome.
1520: Head to the burg to go hang at Lauren's
1545: Get to lauren's. She's still in her jammies. I sink straight into her amazing nest of a round chair. We chat and watch tv.
1715ish: As some horrendous Toni Morrision adaptation comes to an end [that we haven't really been following and thus become more and more confused every time we've returned our attention to the screen] - me: "I should really make moves to go." Lauren: "Oh really?" She throws me a fleece blanket. We turn over, avoiding all sports-related channels [Superbowl? what?] to 'Die Hard With A Vengeance'
1800: Michelle: "We're gonna order from Anytime, you want anything?" Me: "Nah, I'm okay."
1830ish: Anytime arrives. Me: "I'm hungry."
1833: I run to the deli next door to get cereal. All boxes priced around $5 [!!] apart from Fruit Loops which have $1.99 emblazoned across the box.
1837: Me: "Only in America could I be eating bright pink and electric blue cereal..."
1930: "Okay, I should really go home now."
2100: "I guess I should go soon. Man, this chair is so comfortable. I feel like I'm in a tv coma."
2145: During an ad break in the second back-to-back episode of 'Beauty and the Geek 2', I stand up. "I really have to go." Lauren: "What?! You're not going to stay and see what happens?" I sit back down.
2200: "Okay, I'm going..."

And in honour of "Lazy Sundays", and because I showed someone this clip last night who hadn't seen it before, and because it's *still* just as funny even though we've all seen it a billion times [apart from the person last night, clearly], the original Lazy Sunday...

Saturday, February 04, 2006

you know it's a good party...

...when there are fake misshapes photos...

fake misshapes photo



...and suarez picking up shorter dudes [and then astrally projecting]...

awesome double exposure



...and then spewing shooting stars while lauren throws gang signs...

WTF



...and bloggers and boys in bands...

?



...and you're so busy talking and making drinks at the kitchen counter and thinking how beautiful the apartment is you're in, and taking the world's funniest cab ride to the LES with a lady driver who plays music for you all super loud and keeps hitting the brakes to make the car bounce, and saying hi to the birthday girl at the second birthday party of the night, and having the barkeep not understand what you've asked for even though you're speaking english and you've been living here for ten months and the kids sat next to you [rockstahs, obviously, not naming any names] are laughing at you, and when you get home you realise you've only spent ten bucks all night and fall into bed in a bit of a daze...

... well, then you know it's been a good party.

*thank you so much to ellen and john for being wonderful hosts and inviting me to the first party

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

virgin suicides day

virginsuicidespic3



One of my favourite scenes in The Virgin Suicides is when the girls and the boys are playing records to each other down the phones. There's just something about it, their way of communicating, that just gets me.

The other day me and C. played this game. I've already mentioned how it's been a bad time here recently, and I know I'm not the only one, so sometimes music is a better way to do things than talking or writing.

Joanna Newsom - Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie
Phoenix - If It's Not With You
The Ponys - Another Wound
The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy
Robert Palmer - Johnny
The Walkmen - The Rat
The Rosebuds - Shake Our Tree
The Holloways - Generator
Thee Headcoatees - Davey Crockett
The Kinks - Tired Of Waiting
The Long Blondes - Lust In The Movies
Beechwood Sparks - By Your Side
Field Music - You're So Pretty...
The Oohlas - Ballerina Blues


virgin2