Fritz
-
Content Count
942 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Fritz
-
-
That is some very nice news.
-
I live in Australia but one day it is my intention to make it to a Newport Folk Festival. May Jeff still be performing solo dates then!
-
Love John Fante's writing - Ask the Dust, Dreams From Bunker Hill are two great books in particular.
-
I am on that bandwagon. They opened for Punch Brothers when I saw them in December and when I got home, went straight to their site and downloaded Prologue and Retrospect. They're witty, clever songwriters and their harmonies are really special. Kenneth Pattengale is one of the best acoustic guitarists I've seen. They have some very funny schtick onstage too.
This video of "Michigan" probably gives you a good idea of what they do, if you haven't heard them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z8Yop3KI-o
The lyrics of their song "Permanent" really resonate for me.
This is such a great song. Wish they'd come to Australia.
EDIT: Just saw they were in Australia. Last year. Had no idea who they were then.
-
This is wonderful footage. Thank you so much for posting.
Oh man, that was awesome. I'd watch 90 minutes of that.
Me too. Me too.
I hope some official release is waiting in the wings...
-
You're right, it is great. Reading it now. I think it was you who said you loved a good coming-of-age story. Lean on Pete fits that bill perfectly.
It certainly does.
-
Know what did it for me? These guys:
This is tremendous. I thought it was going to be fairly bad but I wasn't ready for this.
"Hello...ello...ello...lo...lo...."
-
Of course! Benny Hill. For some reason, when still quite young, I was allowed to watch his program despite it being quite saucy for its time.
-
No problem at all.
Thinking of Dave Allen made me go seek out some clips.
Pure silliness:
-
I hven't seen Marion and Geoff but have recently heard about it and am very keen to seek it out. Is this where he plays a cab driver?
I can't speak for the US but here in Australia The Two Ronnies was huge back in the day. Occasionally I was allowed to stay up with my Dad and watch it on a Saturday evening but I was shuffled off to bed when Dave Allen came on.
-
This may be releaed as a film to the US as this trailer implies. Here the last of 6 half hour episodes is showing now on BBC2. Some very funny stuff.
I'm very much looking forward to this. Our house is very fond of Rob Brydon. We're currently making our way through some DVDs of Would I Lie To You, the game show he hosted.
-
-
Ditto! One of my favorite authors. I've read the short ones/trilogy (Cannery Row, Tortilla Flat, Sweet Thursday) tons of times and most all of his others (even Cup of Gold) but never this one.....
I've been on a big Steinbeck trip lately and loved all the books you mentioned here. Another I'd add is The Wayward Bus. Such clear and precise writing. It's beautiful. I'll also be seeking out The Log From The Sea of Cortez soon.
-
-
-
Woo hoo! I am very much looking forward to this show. We're onto season two but I'll need to go back and watch the Heisenberg scene a little more closely.
I was late to this too, and only finished watching it a couple of weeks ago. This show kept my daughter and I up late so many nights, either because we had to see how an episode finished, even if it was 3 am, or because we couldn't stand not to know what came next & had to dip into the next episode! It's a wild ride. I had a hard time watching the final episode, knowing there wouldn't be any more.
My husband had never watched it, so lately we've been watching again with him. That's been more fun than I expected, and I've noticed details that add to the story line that I never caught the first time through....like why he called himself Heisenberg that first time he did so....and also story lines the writers chose not to pursue, like one with Marie. Interesting! Have fun, Fritz.
-
Never watched it.
Until now.
-
Read Northline by Willy Vlautin after Fritz' glowing reviews. It was a terrific read -- very starkly written, and very compelling. The soundtrack that comes with the book is gorgeous and sad -- guitar, harmonica, pedal steel and piano. A perfect companion piece.
Don't forget Lean on Pete as well. That's a great book, too.
The soundtrack that comes with the book is gorgeous and sad -- guitar, harmonica, pedal steel and piano. A perfect companion piece.
** edit: Actually, the soundtrack isn't just sad, it is heartbreaking. I don't know what it is about pedal steel, but it just reaches inside your chest and grips tight and doesn't let go. It's both a physical and emotional feeling. Very powerful.
The soundtrack to Northline is a wonderful piece of music. It's my wife's favourite CD in our house. It's on pretty high rotation. I am so with you on your comments about pedal steel. There is something other worldly, ethereal and graceful about that instrument. It gets under your skin and into your head. The effect it has on me is like no other instrument. You describe it very nicely, Ms Smells like Flowers!
-
I love it when I get on a roll with great books. This was wonderful. I'm a sucker for a great coming of age story.
-
From the outset I need to say that I am a big Willy Vlautin fan. I've read his previous novels and I love Richmond Fontaine. That being said....this is such a beautiful book. I'm under a hundred pages now from finishing it and I'm in that zone where I know I'm going to be missing this book terribly once I'm finished with it. I'll mope around the house for a day or so trying to figure my way out of that strange purgatorial zone I sometimes get into when I'm between books.
Willy's writing just keeps getting better. I have been so drawn into this story with the simple and delicate prose he weaves around characters who you can tell the author really cares about. I've had a wonderful few days with this book.
-
Today is my second day of two weeks' holiday and it's raining so I read the first couple of hundred pages or so of Harpo Speaks and I am enjoying it immensely.
Today I heard a story on NPR about some books that gave me nostalgia feels
I used to love those books. This was my favourite one:
-
Certainly does not seem like a sustainable business model for the future, but who knows? Based on comments on dead.net, it appears that there are plenty of folks over 50 who desire the physical CD.
I daresay there are a number of us under 50 who prefer the physical product as well.
-
Saw it and immediately wanted to see it again. It's a beautiful film.
-
That's quite funny.
Sometimes Life Stops Sucking!
in Tongue-Tied Lightning
Posted
I'm a teacher and I came into school one morning some years ago to find the window of my classroom smashed, laptops and a portable data projector missing. The police were called and they came in and began dusting for prints. Later that morning I was in a meeting. One of the police officers popped her head in and asked me to have a chat. She had a cell phone which she wanted to show me. The conversation went something like this:
Police Officer: Is this your phone by chance?
Me: No. I've got mine on me.
Police Officer: Are you sure?
Me: Absolutely
Police Officer: Could it belong to one of your students?
Me: No, they're too young to have a phone.
Police Officer (with sly grin on her face): So it's definitely not yours?
Me: Definitely not mine.
Police Officer: OK, thanks.
It turns out one of the thieves had dropped their own phone on the floor right beneath the window they had come in. I hadn't noticed it (one of the many reasons I'm not a cop, I guess). It didn't take long to locate them after that. All computers etc. were recovered. They'd hit a few schools in the area.
I certainly hope your little scrap of paper turns out to be valuable evidence like this!