Big Ups to Our Homegirl Heidi

"Darling of the Downtown Theatre Scene" and wife of the honorable K.P. O'Fagan II, Schreck won a friggin' Obie this week for her performance in Two-Headed Calf's Drum of the Waves of Horikawa. (Which, unfortunately, I missed.)

CYPJN!? salutes you, madam. The recognition is well-deserved.

Oh. My.

Saw DeVotchka at Terminal 5 last night.

Wow.

A m a z i n g show.

New York, where were you? We thought you were going to get tix.

Denver, they're your band. Stop taking them for granted. Make a point to see them next time they're home.

Seattle, John & Cheryl & Kevin told you to go and you didn't. Shame on you. Your loss.

Omaha, you still have a chance. They're playing the Slowdown on Saturday night. Do NOT screw this up. Remind everyone just how cool you really are and buy tickets for this RIGHT NOW.

Europe, you get to spend the whole summer with them.

You lucky bitch.

A Little Something For The Faithful

I've been an absentee blogger lately, so I figured I'd try and make it up to you.

Like a dad who buys you a present after he misses your ball game.

Or takes you to a ball game because he forgot to buy you a present.

Here.

I was going to do a post about what I've been listening to lately. So much good stuff.

Then I came across this widget on Dup's blog the other day and decided I'd just go ahead and share...

P.S. Since you just asked if The Missus and I were going to any good shows lately, I'll answer you.

Yes.

Yes we are.

DeVotchka tonight, Firewater Saturday night, Gogol Bordello 6/20 and Black Angels 6/28.

What?

I know you're jealous. But, you don't have to be. Get a ticket and come with us.

Seriously.

...?

I know, I know.

I've been busy, alright?




Geez.


Get off my back already...

Okay, so this is some funny shit...

Many thanks to Neil for passing this one along. Enjoy*...
*Not appropriate for office viewing

Evan & Gareth - Mano-A-Mano

Finally made it back to Bowery Poetry Club last week after a three year absence. Last open mic of the season. Felt good.

It’s a sobering thing to try and calculate
The exact percentage of time I’ve spent of late
Trying to fill myself up with
Myself
Trying to fill myself up with
Myself

Heading out into the winter of my spirit
Wrapped only in my distractions
While my truest need
Becomes such a whisper

I can’t even hear it

I like bombast
I like subterfuge
I like noise
I like to shout down any ounce of substance

that tries to penetrate
Any ounce of anything
I didn’t orchestrate

I gravitate toward surface
I gravitate toward sheen
I gravitate away
From whatever gravity means

I line my insides with my outsides
I play dress-up

I try on skinny jeans
I try on cigarettes
I try on crossword puzzles
I try on the internet

I try on “Rock of Love with Brett Michaels”
I try on MSNBC
I try on whatever I can buy
To make myself more “me”

I try on too much red meat
I try on too much red wine
I try on snarky dismissive and
“No, no, really, I’m fine”

I hang myself with ornaments
And pray the branches hold
I play Dead Kennedys on the way to my office job
To keep from getting

old

I put in as much as will fit
With little regard
For what I’m getting out of any of it

When I was growing up there were actually channels on the television
That had no content
just static
just space

A hissing, scrambled buzz of nothing
(Or, if not nothing, then
Something close to not-quite-something)

But not now

Now

Every channel is full and multiplied
300-plus points on the dial
Each with its own picture, sound & style

most still static

But structured & groomed & with a target
Demographic

All a fitting metaphor
For a collective human nature that says
Empty is an eyesore

That clamors desperate, loud
For moremoremore
And doesn’t bother to distinguish or define
More of what
Because more itself
Seems to be enough

I have tried
Filling myself up with
Myself

And I have left myself
Unsatisfied

I have tried

Filling myself up with
Myself

And I have left myself
Full of shit

There’s truth out there somewhere
Hidden in the little spaces between
What I want
And what I do

Yes, it’s soft
But not completely out of earshot
If I can keep my mouth shut long enough

Only open
Only empty
Only silent
Only still
Only flushed of what separates
Me from me
Me from God
Me from you

Me from the life I only dare talk about in the abstract

-IMBA

4/08

Ladies & Gentlemen... The World Premiere of...

DJ PROVERB

Oh, yes. Hot damn, indeed.

Totally last minute, but if you find yourself in Astoria tomorrow night between 10pm and midnight looking for a place to listen to a kickass mix of Indie Rock, Electronica, Vintage Alternative, Progressive Hip Hop and Transglobal Beats while enjoying any of the 25 great microbrews on tap, come check out my inaugural DJ set at Sunswick.

I'm hoping this will be the first of many. I'll keep you posted.

Quote of the Week

From The Missus. Wednesday night. 12:49am.

"I'm very open right now. Now's a good time to know me."

"Please Explain #27"

Dup invited me to be the next contributor in his "Please Explain" series. I was honored and happy to oblige.

The Boss Backs Obama

From Bruce's websiste...

Dear Friends and Fans:

Like most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.

He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where "...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone."

At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams of My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.

After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.

Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President.

-Bruce Springsteen

Thank you, sir.

This blog agrees.

Onion Headline of the Week

April 7, 2008
Charlton Heston's Gun Taken From His Cold, Dead Hands

Tough Decisions

Jesse, Maker of Huts sent me the following story and it was too good to pass up. He thought it might be an Onion article at first, but alas... it was real.

I think it speaks to the passion of parental commitment and the nuances of making the tough decisions involved in the proper upbringing of a child.

Parents Fight Over Which Gang Toddler Should Join

Police: Mother A Crip, Father A Westside Baller

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- A couple fighting about which gang their 4-year-old toddler should join caused a public disturbance that resulted in the father's arrest, Commerce City police said Thursday.

On Saturday, Joseph Manzanares stormed into the Hollywood Video store where his girlfriend worked, threatened to kill her and knocked over several video displays and even a computer, Commerce City police Sgt. Joe Sandoval said.

After he ran out of the store, police were called and the 19-year-old was arrested at his home.

His girlfriend told police that they had been arguing about the upbringing of their son and which gang he should belong to. The teen mother, who is black, is a member of the Crips. Manzanares is Hispanic and belongs to the Westside Ballers gang, the woman said.

"They have different ideas on how the baby should be raised. Basically, she said they cannot agree on which gang the baby would 'claim,'" Sandoval said.

Manzanares was charged with disorderly conduct, harassment, and domestic violence. He was transported to the Adams County Detention Facility.

On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to a year of probation. The misdemeanor harassment charge was dropped.

The Troops Weigh In On The '08 Election

Radio You Can Actually LISTEN TO in NYC???

Yes.
-
Anyone who lives here knows what a wasteland New York radio is. And anyone who's read this blog for any amount of time knows what a huge fan I am of Seattle's independent free-form station KEXP.
-
I've now been listening to KEXP online for 5 years. It literally gets me through the slog that is my workaday life. It's the kind of place where you can hear Wilco, Bright Eyes, Johnny Cash, Dead Kennedys, Ministry and The English Beat all in the same hour. Everything from indie rock to vintage punk to classic soul to 60's Cambodian psychedlic pop. No bullshit. As well as introducing countless new bands that you will quickly come to love.
-
I have long been pining for something of that ilk on the dial here in NYC and have long done so in vain.
-
...Until now.

91.5FM Radio New York and KEXP have teamed up to bring something DESPERATELY NEEDED to the New York airwaves.

WAKE UP (6am-9am) is a morning radio show hosted and curated by KEXP's director of programming, Kevin Cole. The site describes it as "An inclusive mix of alternative rock, hip hop, electronic, roots, soul, and global — as well as exclusive music features, NYC show info and news from NPR and the BBC."
The Missus and I have been listening for over a week and it's really given us a much-needed boost in the morning.


And then from 9am-12pm, 9.15 simulcasts the first 3 hours of KEXP's John In The Morning Show, hosted by John Richards.
"The music you want to hear when you need to hear it. From the Pixies to Pela, M.I.A. to Massive Attack, JITM breaks new music, embraces old music and ties it all together."

Something this special doesn't come along very often. The best way to support it is simply to tune in. (And pledge, whenever KEXP has their quarterly fundraising drives.)
-
I guarantee if you start tuning in, you'll quickly become a fan. And what New Yorker couldn't use a little something to look forward to in the morning...

Food For Thought From The Front Lines

Just read this article written by a U.S. soldier in Iraq. His take on the real meaning of the recent death-toll milestone in Iraq. Illuminating and sobering.

American Express Saves Planet Earth

A memo I just received...


M E M O R A N D U M
Subject: AMERICAN EXPRESS WFC SUPPORTS EARTH HOUR CAMPAIGN
Date: March 26, 2008
To: World Financial Center Colleagues
From: Judy ------, VP, Corporate Social Responsibility

As a sign of our commitment to the environment, a number of American Express locations around the world will support Earth Hour, a global environmental campaign taking place on Saturday, March 29, 2008.

During Earth Hour, which began last year in Sydney, Australia, homes and businesses are encouraged to curb energy consumption by turning off their lights for the one hour period between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. In this way, participants in Earth Hour can demonstrate that it is possible to take action on an issue as far reaching as climate change.

Here at the World Financial Center, we will support Earth Hour by turning off our lights for one hour beginning at 8:00 p.m. Also, there will be no heating or air conditioning on the floors during this time. Throughout the Earth Hour event, all emergency lighting and security systems will remain on as usual.


Wow.

Wow, AmEx. What a BOLD and DEFINITIVE gesture. You mean to tell me that you're willing to turn off the lights... for a whole hour ... At 8pm on a Saturday... When no one's fucking here??? And the air conditioning, TOO? At the end of March!!!?

You sirs, have my utmost respect. I am blown away and inspired by your innovation, your courage, your pioneer spirit, your willingness to risk.

You are the example we should all be living. You are the standard to which we all should strive. Your uncompromising tenacity and vision light the way for all of us.

My sincerest thanks to you, Company.

You make me proud to call myself an American. Express employee.
(contractor, technically)

...


God, I hate this place.

Ladies and Gentlemen... Please Welcome...

E L S I E * G E N E V I E V E * P O Y N T E R

Born Monday, 3/24/08

7:58pm. 6lb 9oz.

Our very good friends and next door neighbors Neil & Katie gave birth yesterday. The results are below. Pink, fresh and adorable.

This is going to be a great learning experience for The Missus and I, having a newborn within such close proximity. In fact, we just learned yesterday that each baby you have comes with a free hat. Which is pretty cool.

We're looking forward to getting to know her.

I Got Tagged For A "Meme"

So, laKetch tagged Certainlia and Certainlia tagged me. Since there's NOTHING going on at the office today, I was able to indulge.

Apparently, the below set of fill-ins are called a "meme". The reason is obvious. Enjoy...

I can't believe I've never...

Until recently I'd probably have said "seen The Godfather." But The Missus and I finally took care of Parts I & II in a pasta-filled Saturday about a month ago.

I guess there are other important movies and books I haven't seen or read that could easily fill this spot, but that feels a little too pedestrian.

I would say that I can't believe I've never really been single or "dated", but I can believe it. I'm a serial monogamist who ended up meeting the future Missus within weeks of a called-off wedding engagement to a girl I met within weeks of being dumped by my high school sweetheart. Odd but true.

So, let's see.... AH. I got it. Over beers the other night, Neil was giving me the dope on his recent root canal and was astonished to hear that... I've never had a cavity. Or a filling. I guess I can't believe it either.

Everytime I think about...I still cringe

Ugh. So many of these. I guess one of the worst is the following...

Growing up, I was surrounded by older people. A retirement-age father, a live-in grandmother, elderly neighbors, much-older half-siblings, etc. On top of that, I was a smart kid. Between my intelligence and my circumstances, I assumed a level of maturity that I may or may not have actually achieved but that the adults around me were willing to accommodate and encourage. I never had to sit at the "kids table". I was included unapologetically in whatever social functions my parents engaged in. I was never told to butt out of an obviously adult conversation. And when my folks wanted to go see a movie - be it "The Blue Lagoon" or "Kramer vs. Kramer" - they took me along. I'm not saying this is right or wrong. I will say that I would probably be a little more discerning with my own kids, but in the end I don't think it did any permanent damage. The salient point of this is that from a very early age I considered myself an adult. And as such, I was occassionally prone to assuming an authority over my peers that I simply did not have.

Which brings us to...

The late 70's. Mary Moppett's Day Care. Omaha, Nebraska.

It's TV time. TV time is supposed to be for watching TV. That's what we were told to do. By Debbie. Debbie the day care worker. Debbie with the long, straight, brown hair parted down the middle and reaching to the small of her back. Debbie with the skin-tight Chic jeans and flowy white blouse that opened generously whenever she bent over. Debbie who might very well have been my first crush.

TV time is for watching TV. That's what we were told to do. By Debbie. An adult. And I took doing what adults told you to do seriously.

So, I'm sitting there. Indian style. Quietly sipping lukewarm chocolate milk. Being attentive. Being good.

And then I see him.

I don't remember his name, but I remember his knotted blonde curls and ceaselessly snot-streaked cheeks. I want to say his name was Dennis, but it probably wasn't. He was the booger kid. Every day care and elementary school had one.

Dennis had decided to get into the toy bin. He'd decided that TV time wasn't for him and that he'd prefer digging a Tonka truck out of the toy bin and plopping himself down on a pile of coats he'd knocked over. He'd decided that running the Tonka truck along the orange carpet while sucking his thumb and making loud "vrooooom" noises while everyone else was trying to watch "The Electric Company" was more up his alley. Even though we'd been told to watch TV and be quiet.

Something about this felt like injustice to me. As someone who always did what they were told. As an "Electric Company" fan. And as someone who - on many levels - considered himself an adult.

As this was going on, Debbie was in the adjoining room. She was not seeing this and therefore was not able to correct it. Which I just knew she would, if she were in the room. If she were seeing this. She would say that this injustice simply would not stand.

So, in Debbie's absence (and because I was the only available adult in the room) I took action.

I went over to Dennis.

I went over and I...

I spanked him.

I took the truck out of his hand, scolded him in front of the entire class, turned him over onto his belly and I...

I spanked him.

In the moment, it felt perfectly natural. It felt perfectly justified. I think on some level I even felt like it was expected of me.

I was wrong.

I remember sensing something approaching from behind. Quickly and with intent. Her energy reached me before she'd even crossed the threshold. I turned around in time to see Debbie rounding the corner from the next room, eyes wide, mouth agape, long hair flowing behind her as she careered toward me. She was fuming. Really fuming. Actually emitting fumes. I'd never seen anyone so angry. To this day, I vividly remember the expression on her face as she grabbed me by the arms and asked me what the hell I thought I was doing. What the hell was wrong with me. Scolding me in front of the entire class. Scolding me. Lightly swatting my butt as she sent me out of the room. Sending me crying to Pam. Pam who ran Mary Moppett's. Pam who made me sit in the corner of the empty room for the rest of the day.

My mother got the full story from the staff when she came to pick me up. The shock was enough that, apparently, I wet my pants. Which I never did. I have no memory of that part. According to her, she asked me on the way home if I wanted to talk about it. I said "no". She accepted that as my answer and we spent the rest of the ride in silence.

I cringed through the entire writing of this response.

I wish I'd...when I had the chance.

I wish I had investigated my severe TMJ when I had insurance.

I've never felt so out of place as when I...

walk through the doors of American Express every morning.

There was also the time I ended up at a UNO frat party. I might have felt more at home if I'd had a plaid oxford, a baseball cap, a koozy-wrapped PBR and said "Doood!" at a high-volume every minute or so... But I didn't.

...is my guiltiest pleasure.

"Rock of Love with Brett Michaels". Don't you dare judge me.

I hope...knows how grateful I am for...

My mother. For wiping out her retirement savings to pay for acting school so I wouldn't be saddled with student loans the rest of my life. And for always letting me just be who I am.

My brother. For trying to toughen me up when I was a kid. It didn't work then. But I think it has served me later in life.

My wife. For getting me.

Bono, Edge, Adam & Larry. For any of the countless live versions of "Where The Streets Have No Name" that I listen to before every audition.

God. For literally everything.

In my darkest hours I secretly blame...for my dysfunction.

Ma. Dad. Grandma. Distraction. Addiction. Everyone but myself.

...changed my life forever.

Watching U2 close the Amnesty International "Conspiracy of Hope" concert on MTV in the summer of 1986.

I'd be remiss not to also include:

* Punk rock. - 1986
* "Somewhere I have never travelled..." - 1992
*"Howl" - 1992
*Frank Miller's graphic novel series "The Dark Knight Returns" - 1985
*Having a local theatre group approach my folks about using our cafe to create "Diner Theatre" - 1983
*Watching "sex, lies & videotape" - 1993
*Performing "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" - 1994
*Pubic hair - 1988
*Hiking the Grand Canyon for the first time - 1999
*Meeting The Missus - 1997
*Birth - 1973
*The iPod - 2004

Okay, Frantic Puppy and Big Mike... You're it.

Sexually Explicit Spam of the Day

Every day, like most Americans, I receive between 1 and 15 spam e-mails of some sort of sexually explicit nature. I'm sure you've received some yourself. (Yes, you.)

The titles of most of them make me laugh out loud. It makes you wonder if someone actually took the time to come up with these subject lines or if a computer randomly assembled them from a set of predetermined keywords in a sort of pornographic tip-of-the-hat to "Mad Libs".

Today I bring you the first in what will be an ongoing series of posts in which I feature some of my favorite cybersex come-ons.

Hence Sexually Explicit Spam of the Day #1:

From: gaineschris27@ yahoo.co.uk
Subj. Sailors and skanks on the high seas! oophyte

Which begs the following questions...

• Is Chris Gaines a real 27 yr old in the UK who wants me to see this? Or some poor schmuck who got his e-mail address highjacked to send smut out into the world?
• How did the sailors and the skanks end up on the high seas together? Was it a cruise? Or some sort of co-ed fishing expedition gone awry?
• "Oophyte." A newly developed chemical lubricant? Some overheard onomonopeia from the excursion? Or a scientific classification for people who enjoy sex on a boat?

If I wasn't absolutely certain it'd automatically erase my entire hard drive, I might just open the message and find out...

That's Deep

About every year or so, our corner bodega gets a new owner. The one constant throughout the 10 years I've been frequenting (and occasionally boycotting) this deli is that:
A) it has always smelled bad
2) most of the products on the shelves pre-date the Carter administration
D) it is overpriced and
5) it has always had the same fadded, tattered, beat-to-shit sign bearing the pathetically generic name "United Deli".

Well, in what I hope signals a raft of new changes to come, ONE of those things is finally not the case.

Congratulations, Probably-Gruff-and-Unhygenic New Owner! Thanks for making some kind effort!

Now... Let's just see if this guy can come up with a respectable price for toilet paper. You wanna really impress me? 4 rolls for under $3.99.

C'mon...

I dare ya...

An Open Letter To Everyone In My Office

No.

I didn't see "American Idol" last night.

I do not watch "American Idol".

Please stop asking.

And when you're standing around chittering amongst yourselves about it...? Do it further away from my cube.

No, I can still hear you.

Nope. Further.

No, I can still hear you.

I can still hear you.

...

Perhaps you should simply find something else to talk about.

Thank you.

"Client 9" Offers A Visual Clue To Explain His Need For Involvement With A Prostitute

Seriously, though? I'm SO disappointed. I proudly voted for this man based on his work as NY's Attorney General. I was totally down with his platform, his approach, his take on the issues . The Bruno stuff was annoying but this.... I mean... C'MON, dammit.

...

I'm just so disappointed...

No More Frozen Waffles

Actually, frozen waffles became the default metaphor given my past experiences with the temporary bachelorhood I experience when my wife travels. This time around it was hot dogs.

-

I don't think I'll be eating hot dogs again for quite a while but if you are planning a hot dog dinner some time soon and need a wine pairing, I can tell you 3 reds that go very nicely and 2 that don't really work.
-

That aside, The Missus returned from Honduras last week and I have to say, it was not a moment too soon. Almost immediately after she left, Kanga decided to develop an abscess in her anal gland. ( ... ) Long story short, it involved an emergency trip to the vet, holding on to my poor, terrified, quivering dog until she howled herself hoarse while the vet drained this awful swollen thing, shelling out hundreds of dollars on the spot that I hadn't budgeted and walking out with a three-legged dog with a cone on her head. (Sidenote: Cone-head on a regular dog = funny. Cone-head on a 3-legger = pathetic and mildly heartbreaking)

-

Turns out the cone screwed up her equilibrium enough that she could barely get around and couldn't lay down at all. Which meant that I had to remove it. Which also meant that I had to take the next two days off of work to stay home with her, give her her antibiotics, flush out her abscess with a syringe and make sure she didn't try to lick her asshole. It was a miserable couple of days for both of us. Incidentally, I developed a whole new respect for single parents.

-

The Kanga ordeal was just the beginning of a string of trying situations that popped up over the next two weeks. My wife travels often and by now I've got my system pretty well down for how things operate when I'm flying solo. But this trip was different. It was longer. Money was tight. Shit happened. And over the course of those two weeks, I was really reminded what a partnership marriage is. Not just emotionally, financially, etc., but logistically. It's very much like trying to go about your daily life with an arm tied behind your back. And a solid reminder of the many roles spouses play in each other's lives.
-

You can read The Missus' impressions of Honduras here.

-

Welcome back, love.

-

-
Now, don't fuckin' go anywhere for awhile, 'kay...?

I'll Be So Glad When This Douchebag's Outta Here

Wow. We know Bush is not a smart man. We know he's not eloquent. We know he's classless. We know he's standoffish. We know he's smug. We know he's an oversimplifier.

But I've never seen him in such rare form as in the below.

He's never been presidential, but here he's particularly casual. He's always seemed more like a high school baseball coach than a president. But watching him take questions from the press, he looks like a high school baseball coach who's had a few beers after a game that his team lost. The kind of coach who -at home, later - will beat the shit out of his son, the star pitcher, for blowing the game.

I'm so glad this buttfuck is out of here soon.

Let's just hope he doesn't blow up the world before next January.

U2ube Video of the Week (Resuscitated) - #8 - The Ballad of Ronnie Drew

Bono and the boys assemble an Irish supergroup for a tribute to Dublin legend Ronnie Drew.

Like most people, I didn't figure it possible for Shane McGowan to look worse than he always has.

... It is.

My God. Here he looks like he got pissed out of his gourd, stumbled out of the pub and into the street, directly in front of an oncoming garbage truck. ....Which, apparently, left him retarded. And then he somehow managed to find his way into the studio. It's really quite miraculous.

Conversely, based on the footage below it does not look like there is any basis for my wife's crush on Larry to go away any time soon.

Balkan Beat Box

Went and saw these guys last week all by my lonesome.

What. A. Blast.

An eye for an eye and, um...

WTF...?

Blind Irishman Sees With The Aid Of Son's Tooth In His Eye
Thu Feb 28, 1:30 AM ET

An Irishman blinded by an explosion two years ago has had his sight restored after doctors inserted his son's tooth in his eye, he said on Wednesday.

Bob McNichol, 57, from County Mayo in the west of the country, lost his sight in a freak accident when red-hot liquid aluminium exploded at a re-cycling business in November 2005.

"I thought that I was going to be blind for the rest of my life," McNichol told RTE state radio.

After doctors in Ireland said there was nothing more they could do, McNichol heard about a miracle operation called Osteo-Odonto-Keratoprosthesis (OOKP) being performed by Dr Christopher Liu at the Sussex Eye Hospital in Brighton in England.

The technique, pioneered in Italy in the 1960s, involves creating a support for an artificial cornea from the patient's own tooth and the surrounding bone.

The procedure used on McNichol involved his son Robert, 23, donating a tooth, its root and part of the jaw.

McNichol's right eye socket was rebuilt, part of the tooth inserted and a lens inserted in a hole drilled in the tooth.

The first operation lasted ten hours and the second five hours.

"It is pretty heavy going," McNichol said. "There was a 65 percent chance of me getting any sight.

"Now I have enough sight for me to get around and I can watch television. I have come out from complete darkness to be able to do simple things," McNichol said.

Boxing Cat

So, I'm not ashamed to admit that I am a sucker for animal videos. This one in particular made me laugh.

My dad was a former Golden Glove-er who later turned pro. Very early in his career, a hand injury took him out of the ring forever. But he remained a boxing enthusiast through the end of his life. As such, if there was a boxing match to be found on television, dad was watching it. Actually, "watching" is too passive a term. His involvement with these matches was a decidedly more active affair. He would sit upright on the front of the recliner cushion and yell at the T.V. while involuntarily bobbing, weaving and throwing his own shadow-jabs. I would often have to explain what was happening when I had friends over and they'd hear the old man in the next room screaming "GET IN ON 'IM! USE YOUR LEFT, YOU SONOFABITCH!"

This cat made me think of him...

Big doin's over at My Chrysalis Year

Find out why I'm going to be eating frozen waffles for the next two weeks.

A Little Valentine's Mush For You

A poem I wrote for The Missus last year, on the occasion of our tenth Valentine's Day...

Ten Valentine’s

I remember buying the flowers but
Beyond that I didn’t have much of a plan

I remember heading up to 70th and Amsterdam
(or maybe it was Columbus)
And having something in mind about
Officially acknowledging the beginning of us
but
I was running purely on impulse and was therefore in
Uncharted waters

For starters, I was falling in love.

I was falling

in
love.

I was falling in fucking love
and that was about as far from the master plan
as a man who didn’t have a master plan can get.
I mean, we weren’t even saying “boyfriend/girlfriend” yet
And here I was on the 1 and 9
with a big bouquet and a card I hadn’t even signed
Grinning like a dope and completely clueless as to what the hell I thought I was doing.
But knowing nonetheless that I simply wanted to be with this girl on this night.

That despite how much I’d pooh-pooh’d the holiday,
And tried to minimize her expectations,
some smarter part of me took over and shoved me out of my own way long enough
to actually enjoy whatever it was that was starting to happen.

I was falling

in love.

And as far as my heart was concerned
it was absolutely right.
It was just the rest of me that was putting up a fight

though,
in that moment,

standing across the street from the wig shop where she worked,

losing

definitively and for good.

That was ten Valentine’s ago.

Ten.

And though we’ve grown exponentially since then,
something was revealed to us that evening.

Sitting at that bar on the Upper East Side,
Her, with her vodka tonics and me with
whatever I was drinking at the time,
Thoroughly engaged in conversation, but silently digesting
a bigger revelation about
-where- - we might- - be headed.

Having visions maybe, even then,

Of London.

Of Paris.

Of Florence.

Of Ghana.

Of Sardinia.
Saugerties.
Sandwich.
Eastham.
P-Town.
Orleans.

A silver station wagon and a
tiny house in Queens
filled with overweight cats and a
three-legged dog that leans
a little when she walks.

Of car trouble, ruined dinners, crazy landladies, incorrect delivery orders, cat litter, cat food, cat hair, hair in the sink, hair in the shower drain, haircuts – both bad ones and good ones, the 6 train, the N train, “That’s a Wrap”, “Bistro 33”, birthdays, break-ins, new curtains, new couches, new floors, the old bed, the new old bed, a new new bed, Omaha, Denver, Cadillac Mountain, the Stella Maris, the Chances, the Hans Cottage Botel, Elkmont, Mather, Skaket, Marconi, First Encounter, Ten Bay, Three Maples, Bright Angel, Phantom Ranch, Hermit’s Rest, Cade’s Cove, Andrew’s Bald, Windsor House, my mom’s house, Galena, Dylan, Tabor, Rondout, Conch’d Out, LaGuardia, JFK, Le Marais, the TGV, pain au chocolat and café au lait, Virgin Atlantic, Jet Blue, Amtrak, Greyhound...

Of travel.
Of family.
Of God.
Of home.

Of a Sunday evening wedding
And everything that might come after.
Of dealing with getting gray
with humility and laughter.

And tonight

Sitting at this bar in the West Village,
You, with your Sauvignon Blanc and me with my Carmenere,
Thoroughly engaged in conversation
but silently digesting a bigger revelation about

where

we might

be headed.

Ten Valentine’s from now.


-IMBA
Valentine’s Day, 2007

.

Happy 11th Valentine's Day together, baby.

Because You Haven't Seen It In A While and Because It's Damn, Damn, Damn Funny

Happy Birthday, Dad

My father would have been 88 years old today.

Crazy.

Hard to believe he's been gone 13 years.

Crazy.

SUPER TUESDAY

Ladies and gentlemen...

The next President of the United States.

I LOVE It When This Happens

Truly great albums don't always reveal themselves to you right away. Sometimes you really have to spend time with them, peel back the layers, investigate, find the right setting, the right mood, etc. Usually after the third or fourth listen, you have a sense that something truly special is going on and that you've got an album you're going to want to be listening to for some time.

And then sometimes... You hear a song, it blows you away, you immediately go buy the album, take it home and from the first note you're hooked. You LOVE every song on the album on the first spin and as soon as it's over you immediately play it again from the beginning.

That happened to me today.

And frankly, I needed it.

The band is called The Acorn. The album is called "Glory Hope Mountain".

I'm listening to it right now for the third time this evening.

It's making me happy.

Their first single was released as a free download.

Enjoy.

The Acorn - "The Flood (Pt. 1)"

.

-IMBA

.

P.S. Are you wondering why I know about everything cool before you do? Well, stop it. You can be cool to. By clicking here.

"U23D": A Thorough, Detailed and Exhaustive CYPJN!? Review Of The New U2 Concert Film

Holy.

CRAP.


Go see it.

-IMBA

Dammit

What a stupid fuckin' waste.

Rest in peace, man.

IT'S HERE

I've been waiting.

And now it's here.

The Missus and I just bought our tickets.

Wanna join us?

This Thursday, the 24th. AMC Loews Lincoln Square. 9:20pm.

You can get tickets here.

Do it.

It's going to be rad.

Wait... Wha?

So, of course, the day I post something that says you won't be hearing much from me in the coming weeks, a primo, Grade-A slab of blogfodder lands squarely in my lap.

I'll be brief.

In the 13 years I've lived in NYC, I've never been on a train where someone actually pulled the emergency brake. Never even heard of anyone doing it, actually. Until last night.

Not only was I on the train, I was in the car where it happened.

We had just started pulling away from the Times Square station when, "screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..." We slam to a grinding halt, people fly forward, grabbing on to the poles and each other for dear life.

Much confusion and concern ensue.

Finally, from the other end of the car I hear someone yelling "IS THIS GOING UPTOWN OR DOWNTOWN...? UPTOWN OR DOWNTOWN...?"

I'm a little puzzled. Finally, a wave of acknowledgement, disbelief and harumph-y chatter makes it's way from that end of the car to mine.

Someone.

Pulled the fucking.

Emergency brake.

Because...

(wait for it...)

They got on the wrong train.

(...)

I know.

I couldn't believe it either.

Someone pulled the emergency brake because they got on the uptown train instead of the downtown train.

People were BESIDE THEMSELVES. And, of course it was one of those situations which then prompts everyone on the train to have a vocal opinion about what's going on and try to share it with the world. EVERY New York type is there and putting in their two cents. "Someone needs to call the cops... Guy must be crazy... I'D fuckin' punch the guy if I was over there... I've got a DENTIST appointment, man, I don't have TIME... I've lived here since '67, I've never seen... I'm seriously going to move to Alexandria, Virginia. Have you been there? It's really... Seriously, someone needs to call the cops on this guy..."

If it had happened in the morning, I'd have been livid. But, since it was after work and I didn't have anywhere particular to be, I found myself mildly entertained by it.

Ahhh... The City. Just when you think you've seen it all, it readily and definitively reminds you that, in fact... you haven't.

"So... yeah. The blog's been really, um... great so far this year, man. Um... yeah. Lots of great stuff. Keep....uh... keep it coming."

Listen... I know. I've been spotty as fuck of late and I sincerely apologize. I hyped 2008 as being this totally exciting year with all of this cool stuff in the works and then I leave you guys hanging. It's lame, I know.

But, here's the deal...

I'm working on something.

After years of hedging, self-doubt and false starts, I have finally knocked aside all of my self-imposed obstacles and am officially in the process of writing the solo show I've been threatening to write for the last ten years.

I am 20 pages in. I am aiming for about 35. I am shooting for a first-draft deadline of January 31st. I am knee-deep in this thing and it has consumed the better part of the last month of my life.

I am not going to tell you anything about it.

Not now, anyway.

When it's finished and goes up wherever it goes up, you will hear plenty from me about it.

Until then, just know that there's a good reason why CYPJN!?'s content of late has been less-than-stellar. I only have so many brain cells. And I have to spread them around where they're needed most.

I will still post. And hopefully most of it will be interesting or entertaining on some level.

Or maybe it won't be.

Either way, until the 31st I'm in nose-to-the-notebook mode. So, you'll probably be seeing more videos, articles and poems in the next couple weeks in lieu of my usual sharp, witty and insightful blather.

Might be a nice break for you, actually.

Enjoy.

See you in February.

-IMBA

Why I Am Not a Painter

I am not a painter, I am a poet.
Why? I think I would rather be
a painter, but I am not. Well,

for instance, Mike Goldberg
is starting a painting. I drop in.
"Sit down and have a drink" he
says. I drink; we drink. I look
up. "You have SARDINES in it."
"Yes, it needed something there."

"Oh." I go and the days go by
and I drop in again. The painting
is going on, and I go, and the days
go by. I drop in. The painting is
finished. "Where's SARDINES?"
All that's left is just
letters, "It was too much," Mike says.

But me? One day I am thinking of
a color: orange. I write a line
about orange. Pretty soon it is a
whole page of words, not lines.
Then another page. There should be
so much more, not of orange, of
words, of how terrible orange is
and life. Days go by. It is even in
prose, I am a real poet. My poem
is finished and I haven't mentioned
orange yet. It's twelve poems, I call
it ORANGES. And one day in a gallery
I see Mike's painting, called SARDINES.

.

-Frank O'Hara (1957)

Ladies and Gentlemen... I give you... THE MISSUS

And so we begin a brand new year. Thank God, actually. Happy to get the last one the fuck off my back and looking forward to whatever this one may have in store.

I mentioned in a previous post that The Missus and I are making a conscious effort to shake up our world a bit in 2008. To actively turn ourselves upside down, shake ourselves out and leave behind whatever falls.

As a symbol of her commitment to the process and as a logical extension of her journalistic side, The Missus has started a blog of her own. My Chrysalis Year is officially up and running and I urge you to check it out. It'll definitely be one to add to your favorites.

We don't have plans, per se. But we have notions of particular goals that are all part of potential would-be plans. What we have are images in our minds of the lives we'd like to be living. Which is a good start. And the rest is what we'll be figuring out over the next 12 months.

Neither of us knows what's coming, but we know it'll be different. And My Chrysalis Year will take you through the kooky shit that happens along the way - all voiced with the wit, charm, perspective and barely-contained hostility that is uniquely The Missus.

Enjoy.

And all the best to all of you in 2008...

-IMBA

THE CYPJN!? BEST OF '07 SUPERMIX!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, readers! As promised in my Top 7 Albums of 2007 post, below is IMBA's Best of '07 Supermix!!

Almost all of these tracks were released by the bands via legal, free download sites for promotion of the album and the couple that weren't are within sharing guidlines, so enjoy. If you fall in love with a particular song, go buy the album. You can find most of them at eMusic and probably all of them at either iTunes or your local independent record store.

(To download - Simply click on the song title)

Gogol Bordello - "Ultimate"
The Veils - "Jesus For The Jugular"
Shout Out Louds - "Tonight I Have To Leave It"
Vampire Weekend - "A-Punk"
Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - "Thou Shalt Always Kill"
Blue Scholars - "Joe Metro"
Spoon - "Finer Feelings"
Pela - "Lost To The Lonesome"
The Sea & Cake - "Up On Crutches"
LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends"
Band of Horses - "Is There A Ghost"
The National - "Fake Empire"
Holler, Wild Rose! - "Mercy Beat"
Andrew Bird - "Spare-Oh's"
Beirut - "Nantes"
Wilco - "Impossible Germany"
Radiohead - "House of Cards"
Cinematic Orchestra - "To Build A Home"
The Arcade Fire - "My Body Is A Cage"

.

Bonus Video: The Arcade Fire - "My Body Is A Cage" Live from Glastonbury 2007

Merry Christmas and best to all of you this holiday season.

CYPJN!? will return in 2008 with all new rants, raves, questions, answers, problems, solutions, information, misinformation, noise, subterfuge, etcetera, etcetera.

Peace,
-IMBA

THE CYPJN!? TOP SEVEN ALBUMS OF 2007

Wow. It's been an interesting 12 months since my last year-end "Best Of" list. Lots of ups and downs. Thank God 2007 was such a stellar year for music. Not sure I'd have made it through the downs with out all the great releases that came out along the way.

Below is my meticulously drafted list of what I consider to the be Top 7 Albums of '07. As I mentioned last year, these lists are ubiquitous enough that the only point they really serve is to spur discussion, debate and diatribe between the music geek who created the list and the music geeks who read the list. And that's why I love them.

So... Take a gander and leave some comments to weigh in on what you think. Which ones I nailed, which ones I missed, who should've been listed over who, etc. You will be wrong, of course, but that doesn't make the back-n-forth any less fun...

(To preview album, simply click on the album title link) .

7. The Veils - "Nux Vomica"

Next to U2's "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb", The Veils' debut "The Runaway Found" was easily my favorite album of 2004. So, how was I to take the news two years later that The Veils were entering the studio to record their follow-up with a completely revamped lineup? Vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Finn Andrews was forced to pick up the pieces after his original band splintered just two months after the album's release. During a trip back to his native New Zealand, Andrews hooked up with two former schoolmates to work on the songs that would become the Veils much-anticipated second release. Because "Runaway Found" was such a personal favorite, I was dubious as to what might come but hoping for the best. Hence, the brilliance of "Nux Vomica". There is no mistaking that these are two very different albums made by two very different sets of musicians. But there is also no mistaking that Andrews is the undeniable centerpiece of both bands. Either despite or because of the personnel shakeup between the albums, Andrews brought forth an even more dynamic and arresting set of songs this time around. With "Nux", his singular howl manages to be both wilder and more refined. "Jesus for the Jugular" - a raw and unhinged stomp that conjures Tom Waits and Nick Cave drawing guns on each other in the middle of a post-apocolyptic ghost town - is the most dramatic example of the band's new sonic direction, while the gentle ache of "Under the Folding Branches" could have been a "Runaway" B-Side. Meanwhile, the steady martial drum cadence, muted hammond organ and ominous tremolo guitar progression of title-track "Nux Vomica" all sit coiled through the verses and then unleash in a cacophonous whip-crack like a rattlesnake striking it's prey. Dramatic language, I know. But it's an equally dramatic album and one that shouldn't go unnoticed. Like last years' Editors album, this one makes the list on a technicality. Originally released in Europe last fall, it didn't hit U.S. shelves until April of this year. Either way, it's brilliant and if you haven't yet investigated The Veils, you no longer have any excuses.

Serving Suggestion: This one isn't background music. It requires an active listen. I suggest headphones and a glass of the Petite Rousse petite syrah. It also underscores a late-night walk through lower Manhattan nicely.
.
6. Andrew Bird - "Armchair Apocrypha"

Turns out this capsule has been the most difficult to write. And I would imagine Andrew Bird would be pleased by that. Though I'm sure he wasn't aiming to write an unclassifiable album, he landed pretty close to the mark. "Armchair Apocrypha" expands on the plucky indie pop of previous albums and finds the singer/songwriter/violinist exploring even more ambitious territory. An eclectic mix of sounds, the album presents a quirky and complex vision of Bird's world. Whether musing on his childhood in "Darkmatter" ("When I was just a little boy / I threw away all of my action toys / while I became obsessed with Operation / With hearts and minds and certain glands / You got to learn to keep a steady hand / And thus began my morbid fascination") or exploring relationships on the lovely "Spare-Oh's" ("And you tell me that I’m too abstruse / I just thought I was a kind of bird / I just stood there not saying a word"), Bird waxes rhetorical and lets the audience make of it what we will. Fittingly, "Apocrypha" covers as much musical ground as it does lyrical. Bird is an accomplished whistler as well as violinist and the two elements end up mingling pleasantly throughout the course of the album. Throw in acoustic and electric guitars, piano, drums, bass, organ, xylophone, tympany, add some electronic flourishes and you've got a recipe for what could be a hot musical mess but all melts into one delicious listen. You'd think an album this diverse might not be accessible. You'd be wrong. It's a real gem and certainly worth checking out.

Serving suggestion: I don't have a garden, but if I did I feel like I would listen to this while I was tending it. Otherwise, it should go nicely with a light dinner and a very dry Riesling.
.
5. Gogol Bordello - "Super Taranta!"
-
I've heard Bono say that rock and roll has the ability to "actually change the temperature of the room you're in." Anyone who's been to a Gogol show knows this to be true. And you'd almost expect a band so electric and engaging live to lose at least a little of the magic when it comes time to capture the songs on record. Not so with these guys. "Super Taranta!" lifts the band's gypsy/punk sound and culture-mash ethos to new heights. European acoustic folk, hardcore punk, traditional gypsy fiddle, Italian tarantella, metal riffs and Brechtian cabaret meld together seemlessly into the freshest and most uplifting album of the year. "Ultimate" starts the party with ringleader Eugene Hutz asking us in his inimitable Ukrainian accent, "If we are here not to do / what you and I wanna do / and go forever crazy with it / why the hell we are even here?" Few lines sum up the band's mission statement better. "Zina Marina" tackles the exploitation of young Russian girls by the American porn industry, while "American Wedding" has a blast taking the piss out of, well... American weddings. ("Have you ever been to American wedding? / Where is the vodka? / Where is marinated herring?") And title-track "Super Taranta!" might just be the wildest and most stirring album closer in modern history. Top to bottom, "Taranta!" is a supremely satisfying spin. And it'll damn sure change the temperature of whatever room you're in.

Serving suggestion: Give this one a go only in a situation where you're able to physically move your body. Perfect for the gym. Or enjoy with friends, laughing wildly and chugging dark imported beer in the middle of a crowded Bulgarian dance hall.
.

4. The National - "Boxer"

-

Sometimes a band can be on your radar for a long time and somehow manage never to catch your ear. Such was my experience with Brooklyn-via-Cincinatti band, The National. I had been reading about them for a few years and would come across various songs here and there, but never bothered to delve much further. That is until I heard lead single "Fake Empire" on KEXP. Melancholy rolling piano notes underneath Matt Berninger's murky crooning give way to something unexpected halfway through. A tempo change augmented by militaristic drum flourishes, synthetic horns and staccato strings that turn what started as a smoky pub dirge into a full-on cinematic anthem. It's the perfect start to a geniusly nuanced album that only improves with each repeated listen. From the subtle sexiness of "Slow Show" to the lovely and understated "Start A War", "Boxer" will most certainly get under your skin.

Serving suggestion: Best enjoyed with a glass of Islay region single-malt scotch on a rainy day.
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3. Beirut - "The Flying Club Cup"

I listen to a lot of music. I own a lot of music. Thanks to KEXP, I am exposed to new and exciting bands on a daily basis. Additionally, my eMusic subscription allots me 40 downloads a month with which to chase whatever musical fancies I may be having at the time. My wish list is constantly full and there's always some new band that catches my ear. Suffice to say, I barely have time to get to all of my new purchases and give them the full evaluation they deserve. It's a true testament then when an album comes along that finds itself in daily rotation on my iPod. Such is the case with Beirut's "The Flying Club Cup". 21-year-old Zach Condon and crew's second album is nothing short of perfection. The raw brilliance of their debut "Gulag Orkester" is proved to be no fluke here as Beirut continue their exploration of Eastern European folk and Balkan gypsy music. However, there is an economy and clarity to the songs on "Cup" that improves on the formula "Gulag" laid out. The album also benefits from a slightly more nuanced production which brings Condon's layered, fluttery, buttermilk vocals to the fore without overcompressing the band's brilliant instrumentation. Which is quite a feat on a record that features accordion, keyboards, saxophone, clarinet, mandolin, ukulele, horns, glockenspiel, violin, cello and a wide array of percussion instruments. Standout tracks include "Nantes", "A Sunday Smile", "Guyamas Sonora", "Cliquot" and "Forks and Knives (La Fete)". But make no mistake, every song is a gem. And if you spend any time with "The Flying Club Cup", you'll find yourself falling in love with it in a big way.

Serving suggestion: Buy a ticket to Paris, Prague, Warsaw, Berlin, Amsterdam, Sofia, you choose. Find a local bar on a plaza with outside seating. Order a pint of whatever's local. Take out your iPod. Play this. Enjoy.

.

2. The Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"

The sophomore album is always tricky. Especially if your debut was a success. So imagine the pressure The Arcade Fire faced heading into the studio to record a follow-up to what became one of the greatest and most talked-about debut albums of all time. Must've been a daunting affair. If it was, you'd never know it by listening to "Neon Bible" - another seamless set of indie anthems that grabs you from the first note and doesn't relent. Album opener "Black Mirror" swoops in from somewhere in the substrata and lets us know under no uncertain circumstances that the Fire is back and we should buckle up. "Keep The Car Running" is an aptly named getaway. "Intervention" takes us to church while "Ocean of Noise" paints a picture of why we needed to go in the first place. "(Antichrist Television Blues)" nods to Springsteen in a way that few other bands could get away with without seeming contrived. Picking up where "Wake Up" left off on "Funeral", "No Cars Go" marches down the street, fist raised high. Finally, gothic organ strains tell us we've reached the end of the road with "My Body Is a Cage", one of the most gutting and goosebump-inducing songs I've heard in years. "Cage" starts out as an elegy and then blossoms violently into what you'd imagine the opening of the Pearly Gates might sound like. It's one of the few songs I'll play twice in a row, simply because I Just. Can't. Get. Enough. In fact, I'll bet those of you who own the album are already reaching for your copy so you can listen to it right now.

Though the production here is slightly more refined than on "Funeral", the spirit of the band never gets lost in the mix. Simply put, "Neon Bible" is a triumph. And I very much look forward to whatever this band will be bringing us in the years to come.

Serving suggestion: Perfect anytime. Will be a great accompaniment to long walks or Sunday drives. Too emotional to go with alcohol. Best paired with a nice, hot, dark, bold cup of coffee.

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1. Radiohead - "In Rainbows"

-

Yup. Big shocker, right? If you've heard it, you're probably not surprised that it made the top of my list. It made the top of a LOT of Best Of '07 lists this year, and for good reason. Instead of writing a review of this album, I would have preferred to just insert a link that would allow you to stream "In Rainbows" in its entirety. It really does exemplify itself better than anything I could come up with to say about it. The haunting synth, dangling falsetto vocals and spare percussion programming on "Nude". The simple, bouncing guitar layers of "Weird Fishes/Arpeggios". The delicate longing of "Reckoner". The dark, slinky, sexy groove of personal fave "House of Cards". The genius evolution of the drum sequencing over Thom Yorke's funereal piano work on album-closer "Videotape". Etcetera, etcetera...

In lieu of that, I'll simply sat that this is a truly astonishing album made by a truly astonishing band. With "In Rainbows, Radiohead finds the perfect synthesis between the sweeping songcraft displayed on "The Bends" and the bleep-click digitial inventiveness of "Kid A" to create their best album since "OK Comptuer". And in all truthfulness, I don't know that I've heard as brilliantly produced an album from any band since "OK Computer" - until now. The Beatles often used the studio itself as it's own separate instrument but always in service of the songs. Few clever-behind-the-mixing-board bands are able to manage that balancing act, but "In Rainbows" shows that Radiohead have set the bar for how one can serve the other. Every six months or so, I'll put on "OK Computer" and each time I listen it's like I'm discovering it for the first time. It manages to never feel or sound like an album that I've been listening to for 10 years. And my guess is that - in the year 2017 - I'll be revisiting "In Rainbows"... and feeling the same way.

Serving suggestion: Don't cherry-pick this one. This is an album in the classic sense. Listen front-to-back without interruption. Best with headphones, but can be enjoyed anywhere. Making dinner, cleaning the house, morning commute, road trip, reclining on the couch with a Barossa Valley shiraz, you pick. Just give it the attention it deserves and it'll treat you real nice.

____

As was the case last year, there was such a glut of great music in 2007 that I'd be remiss not to mention some of my other faves released since last January. Here's are my Honorable Mentions...

.

The "If This Were A Top 10 List, These Would Have Been On There" List

.

Wilco - "Sky Blue Sky"

The Sea & Cake - "Everybody"

Holler, Wild Rose! - "Our Little Hymnal"

.

.

Honorable Mentions - Best of the Rest:

.

LCD Soundsystem - "Sound Of Silver"

Spoon - "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"

Blue Scholars - "Bayani"

Pela - "Anytown Graffiti"

Dinosaur Jr. - "Beyond"

Thurston Moore - "Trees Outside the Academy"

The Clientele - "God Save The Clientele"

Okkervill River - "The Stage Names"

Editors - "An End Has A Start"

Feist - "The Reminder"

Explosions In The Sky - "All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone"

___

So, there you have it. My picks. Let the dissent begin. Feel free to weigh in in the comments below.

.

ALSO... Check back ON CHRISTMAS DAY.

I've got a present JUST FOR YOU.

(Awwww, you shouldn't have.)

My downloadable "Best Of '07 Supermix" !!!

Don't miss it...

The Best New Year's Anyone Ever Had EVER...

If you've read this blog at all within the past year, you're undoubtedly familiar with The Missus' and my enthusiasm for a band called Gogol Bordello. The Lemonheads' Evan Dando wrote one of my favorite lines in all of songdom about a girl he fancied : "You're the puzzle piece behind the couch that makes the sky complete." Which is kind of how I feel about Gogol Bordello. There's been so much amazing music released in the past few years, but Gogol tickles a part of me that few bands have tickled since my adolescent skate-punk days.

SO... When I saw that they were playing Terminal 5 on NEW YEAR'S FUCKING EVE, I about shit myself. We've seen them twice in the past six months and they're just astounding. Every show is like a giant party anyway, so I can only imagine what they're New Year's show would be like. I mentioned it to The Missus the night she got home from London and we immediately bought our tix.

Now... What could be better than Gogol Bordello on New Year's Eve, you ask? Well... Let's see... Maybe VIP passes? Why, YES SIR. Molto grazie to Krish and his swanky music industry contacts for swinging that one. I hereby retract every smug or snarky remark I've ever made about Canadians. GO LEAFS!

So, yeah.

Me, The Missus, a bottle of champagne and the best seats in the house for one of the best live bands on the planet for New Year's Eve.

I'm even jealous of me.

Clicky below to get a taste of what you'll be missing...

"60 Revolutions"


"Baro Foro/Undestructable"

A Sure Sign That Your Formerly Affordable Working-Class Immigrant Neighborhood Is Being Invaded By Hipsters

It's just not natural...

So, Kanga and Gatsby have... um... they've developed a... a bit of a thing for each other.

It started out as cute, but now...

I just don't know.

Click below for some hot interspecies action.