jahilia

Gogo, I remember recommending Godel, Escher, Bach and you said you were having a hard time getting into it. This one is much less convoluted and more linear. Hofstadter says in the intro that he was astonished with how many people missed the point of GEB so he decided to give it another try nearly 30 years later. This one is a lot more fun to read, and the beauty of his ideas really struck me in a way that they didn't in GEB.

I've also just started a book he edited with Daniel Dennett called The Mind's I which is a kind of anthology including writings by Stanislaw Lem, Borges and Richard Dawkins, seperated by "reflections" from Dennett and Hofstadter. While not quite as wonderful as "I Am a Strange Loop", their observations on what is a "self" are both entertaining and enlightening.

Just finished two good ones

Box Office Poison was a lot of fun.

I just finished this one. I really can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much. Im having a hard time finding something to read next. Highly recommended.

One of the creepiest movies I've ever seen is Ju-on - the original, not the remake with Sarah Michelle Gellar.

 

I'll chime in too - that looks unreal. Absoutely gorgeous. Where is Lake Moraine?

It deserves the reputation. And really, with Raymond Chandler and Hitchcock, how could you go wrong? Farley Granger is wonderful. Man, I wish I could watch this again for the first time. A real pleasure.

Wow, some good ones here.

My first concert - Bob Dylan at the Warfield, 1996. At the time, Bob Dylan was the only songwriter that existed in my world. I was so excited I couldn't eat or sleep the night before. I also saw him a couple years later in Reno with Van Morrison, but that wasn't so great.

Richard Thompson - some Celtic fair in Grass Valley, or Nevada City, I don't remember which, about 2002. There were about 50 people there, laying around on the grass, someone in town owned a 1952 Vincent Black Lightning and parked it up on the stage. It was a lot of fun, he seemed as layed back as everyone else around, playing songs like "My Daddy is a Mummy" (His son had to do a report on King Tut, and that inspired the song) and telling jokes and stories. I've seen him a number of times, but this was the best by far. And the next day we drove to San Francisco for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival. That was an awesome weekend - a small Richard Thompson show and a free Steve Earle show.

Tom Waits - 1999 in Oakland, I heard tickets sold out in minutes. Hands down the best show I have ever seen. I sat next to Wavy Gravy, and yes, he was still wearing that fucking face paint.

Nick Cave "solo" at the Palace of Fine Arts in SF, 2001. It was him and the Dirty Three. I think the capacity was about 300, very small. It was a gorgeous night, cold and clear and the full moon reflected in the pond set the mood perfectly.

Neil Young solo in Berkeley, 1999. Neil is great anytime, but this was really something special. He went from guitar to pump organ to banjo - haunting & magical.

Josh Ritter at a coffee house in Berkeley. This was about 7 years ago. I am very excited to be seeing him next week at Bimbo's. That place has great atmosphere.

 

Just started this. God damn, I'm not even done the preface and I'm hooked.

My favorite book ever! I've read it about 8 times and it never loses it's magic. I would like to read others of his, but I'm afraid I'll be dissappointed.

I've also seen Steve Earle numerous times - not to be missed!

Watched this the other night. Very claustrophobic and disturbing - it was so unsettling I had a hard time sleeping that night. Not one that I would watch again, just because it made me so uncomfortable, but William Friedkin and Tracy Letts definately achieved what they set out to do. It's very scary, the horror that people inflict on themselves.

That is a great picture! Did you take that?

An acquaintance of mine replaced the "how to put the lid on your coffee" sign at Java City with this

CAUTION: HOT JAVA

Follow these two easy steps to put your lid on safely.

1) Begin by placing your hot cup of coffee on a firm, hard surface. Run your fingers slowly around the rim, checking for unusual bumps or swelling.

2) Press the lid gently onto the cup, and slide your thumb down the lip, forming a tight seal around the top. Now the cup is ready for your eager mouth.

Our hot coffee will always send waves of pleasure through your body, but remember these steps to protect yourself.

He also replaced McDonald's treat menu with a picture of Jason Biggs and an apple pie. This one is my favorite of his though.

I know probably everybody has seen this already, but I just saw it last night and loved it. I normally don't like these kinds of movies, I didn't like 40 Year Old Virgin, but I'd heard tons of praise for this movie and thought I'd give it a chance. And it's just as good as everyone said! I think this one has Big Lewbowski potential - I'm sure it just gets funnier with repeated viewings.

Jeff is/was a member of Golden Smog with Gary Louris of the Jayhawks.

Mark Olsen of the Jayhawks is married to Victoria Williams.

 

Lou Reed recorded Victoria Williams' song "Tarbelly & Featherfoot" for the Sweet Relief CD which raised money for Victoria's medical treatments.

And Victoria Williams opened for M. Ward last year, so there's another.

Six Degrees

Just listened to the Okeh, Curtis Mayfield Chicago CD. Great stuff.

 

Roy Eldridge lived a very long time. He put out many many albums. Would it have been on Verve? I found Sweet Lorraine here on a Mosiac set of the entire Verve sessions. If this is it, the info is further down on the page. Norman Granz reissued stuff like this many times, as it is still reissued to this day by whomever owns the catalogue.

 

I once got to shake Roy Eldridge's hand. By then he was very elderly and wasn't really playing any more.

 

LouieB

Thanks, the one I'm wondering about is on Metro. But I don't know anything about record labels, so it could be a reissue or a collection. I think I'll definately have to track down all these Verve sessions though - I just can't seem to get enough of this guy.

seek out the Nat Cole trio's version of "Sweet Lorraine", what a lilt it has... and Bill Doggett's version packs a punch.

Thanks, I'll do that. I love that song beyond words.

I can't find a picture of the cover, but I've recently fallen in love with Roy Eldridge's 1965 self titled album (at least I think it's 1965 - I can't find any information about it anywhere). It's a shame the band isn't listed anywhere on the album, I'd like to know who's playing on the amazing version of Blue Moon. And I've only heard Chet Baker's version of Sweet Lorraine, but Eldridge's version is so haunting and beautiful - I must have listened to this album about 20 times in the past 2 days. Any jazz fans here that can help me out with credits?

this is one of my reading lists for this semester. has anyone read any of these? are they any good?

John Fowles is one of my favorite authors. I've been meaning to read this one again, I remember it being fantastic.

I was just wondering what he's been up to lately. Thanks for the heads up.

Even though it's hard to beat Dylan's "Tryin' to Get to Heaven", I think Robyn Hitchcock does a pretty good job.

Patti Smith - Wicked Messenger

One of the very few Dylan covers I like better than the original.

You then put this in the microwave?

Yeah, it takes about 3 minutes - I know it's done once it slows down to a pop every second or so.

For those who like the convenience of microwaving popcorn, bulk kernels in a paper bag work just as well as the prepackaged stuff. I just save the bags that they put wine in, or the lunch size bags if you're making a lot, pour about 1/8 to 1/4 of a coffee cup of kernels in, then reuse the cup to melt some butter. Just as easy, no added chemicals and it's a lot cheaper.

Fascinating. I'm about 100 pages into it and I can't put it down. It's hard to decribe what this book is actually about, but he has managed to tie in WWII Jewish woodland fighters, resurrection myths, Tacitus' history of the German tribes and Magritte all in the first 100 pages. Highly recommended if you're interested in that sort of thing.

I've enjoyed reading this thread, but didn't have anything to add until last night. Patti Smith and her band came into the store where I work and bought some books. Patti and Lenny Kaye were both polite, but a little aloof. Jay Dee Daugherty was super friendly. He bought a bunch of books, commenting on how great the prices were. Then he saw a book on houseboats and got really excited, flipping through the pictures and saying how he would just get depressed if he bought it because he couldn't afford one that nice. I wouldn't have known he was with the band, but Lenny Kaye was waiting for him outside. After I put all his books in a bag he walked out and I heard him say something to Kaye about the great book on houseboats. A couple minutes later a fourth guy comes in and says his friend told him we had a book on houseboats.