Beltmann

Have you read Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch? Everything I know about Arsenal I learned from that book. (I'm not a soccer fan, but I am obsessed with that book and its defense of why sports matter.)

Do NOT listen to Sky Blue Sky. It will give you dysentery and then monkeypox. It will make your armpit hair fall out. Blister beetles will invade your sweaty places. You'll scratch your ears bloody and wish you'd never been born.

The Ramones or Neil Young are obvious, to-be-expected choices, especially from a songwriter like Tweedy. I'm sure his choices were designed, at least partially, to confound expectations. Would this list be half as interesting if he had just rattled off the typical names?

I had no idea Jim James had his hair cut. I was stunned.

Wilco baseball movies eMusic books politics sean (or anything Asia-related)

You're still coming down to the Hardee's for bingo, right?

Yeah, that's a good one. For those who haven't seen it, we accompany an ailing, aging widower as he travels between four Bucharest hospitals that refuse to seriously regard his claims of head and stomach pains, mostly because those complaints are drenched in the smell of alcohol. His full name is Dante Remus Lazarescu, and that moniker, pregnant with not one but three symbolic meanings, suggests a grim odyssey top-heavy with self-importance, but quite the reverse is true: While the movie does swing for the fences in its hellish, sometimes funny indictment of inefficient medical systems, its

Off the top of my head, I can't think of a stranger use of Wilco.

A couple of classics: Mouchette / Bresson Overlord / Cooper

Wilco's popularity, or lack thereof, bears zero relationship to how I respond to the music.

I pre-ordered through Amazon and chose the free shipping option (other stuff bumped it over $25). It arrived Tuesday. Based on the stories in this thread, I'd be reluctant to use Musictoday when my usual methods are cheaper and faster.

Welcome!

Speaking of Olivia Hussey, I watched the original Black Christmas last week. She was the best thing about it.

I could be wrong, but Johnston's entire celebrity seems predicated upon a lot of people convincing themselves that he's a brilliant artist because wouldn't it be cool if this dysfunctional guy were a genius? And we were cool enough to recognize it? I have a sneaking suspicion that the idea of Daniel Johnston is far more compelling than the reality of Daniel Johnston. (That seemed to be the real theme of that documentary about him, even if the filmmakers, too, were completely sucked into the myth.) There's something oddly patronizing about the whole thing. That said, I'd probably go see h

I agree... if the reason Falwell was a bad guy was his lack of human decency, then it's hypocritical to respond to his death with a lack of human decency.

I understand your logic, St. G, and my only defense is that I do care about growers, if only because nearly every single album that means the most to me started as one. My life as a music fan is immeasurably richer because I bothered. That said, it's impossible to give every album the listening it deserves. I'm sure I own plenty of albums that would mean more to me if I had given them more of a chance. I put them aside to keep working on other records, so I don't see why you shouldn't make the same choice regarding SBS. There's no formula for choosing which albums to invest in and which

Linkin Park hasn't changed; you've changed.

As much as I disagreed with Falwell, I still believe in public decorum... Rest In Peace, Jerry. Isn't this the left's chance to show the difference between ourselves and his brand of hateful rhetoric?

I would love that. Seriously. I would love that. Best guess: "What Light" Best hope: "Hate It Here"

Blue Sky Blue.

Of Montreal - Icons, Abstract Thee Addendum to Hissing Fauna. I like it.

Yeah, I guess I phrased that poorly! I didn't cite Lee and Scorsese to suggest a spectrum; I merely wanted to offer two examples of filmmakers known for mature content.

Knowledge, background, and taste are all key to worthwhile criticism, of course, but objectivity in criticism of the arts is, in my view, neither possible nor desirable. If the arts are a record of the human condition -- and I think they are -- then critics, when they deny their personality, experiences, and biases, are denying the very things that qualify them to discuss the arts. I'm reminded of Pauline Kael, who regularly chastised her colleagues for their "saphead objectivity." For me, all of the most interesting critics have a POV, an agenda, a philosophy--it's that personal, subjectiv

I think Brokeback is a fine movie, but for what possible purpose would it be shown to a class of 12-year-olds? As a parent, I'd be ticked if my 12-year-old kid came home with this story. I teach film and have often shown R-rated clips (from Spike Lee to Martin Scorsese) and occasionally even entire movies (such as Rushmore and Run Lola Run). But the class is reserved for high school upperclassmen; each piece gets prior administrative approval based on educational justification; parent permisson slips are obtained; and kids are told in advance that they can opt out no questions asked. I h