In Apprehension

Interlude

Busy day at the office here, so I'm just going to make sure you've seen the not-obscure-at-all Regina Spektor:

Sometimes, Admitting It Is A Good Start

For instance, how I've gotten over my pressure to like certain bands.  Take Wilco for instance, which is almost musical royalty here in Chicago.  Sorry folks; I appreciate that they're good musicians.  Yeah, I can see how people enjoy them.  But for me, they're indescribably boring in that noodly way of forever songs  that only the Grateful Dead managed to make fun, Phish failed miserably at and Wilco just continues the trend.  So enjoy your concerts and CDs, I wish Wilco all the luck in the world....

But I'll be listening to a Feist or Sondheim disc instead.

New DVD Releases - July 1st, 2008

Not a huge week, but two items of definite interest:

Mad Men: Season One - Easily my pickup of the week.  Everyone raved about this fictional look at ad agencies in the early 60's and it looks right in my wheelhouse (and a damn interesting cast, too).

Mishima - I'm not quite sure if I need this one, but a Criterion collection of this fictionalization of the life and death of one of Japan's greatest but most tortured author is hard to resist.

Next week: a lot of DC animation releases and...nothing else so far.

Saturday Morning Music

I'm not sure what genre you'd call this, but there's just something infectious about Punjabi MC.

Random Friday Stuff

• Glasgow has a fabulous way of dealing with illegal gig posters. (via Boing Boing)
• A newer website I ran across, the The Book Inscriptions Project.
• Also interesting is Shorpy: The 100-Year-Old Photo Blog.
• The annual NewCityChicago Lit 50 is out, and as usual it's an interesting mixed bag.  It's mostley good, with the glaring exception of Jim DeRogatis, music critic for the Sun-Times, somehow making the list ahead of his far superior counterpart at the Tribune, Greg Kot, who despite his odd fondness for Wilco is one of the better writers on the music industry in the United States.
• This Tribune list of Chicago's 10 best bookstores would be much better if the first five stores listed were, you know, actually in Chicago.  Love the inclusion of Quimby's, a fantastic alt-press store here.
• Tokyo seems to think they have a chance against Chicago for the 2016 Olympics.
• Me wants.

Just Plain Awesome

Welcome to the single best music video you'll see this year!

Ouch

My god, I wish I was making this up; it's a smooth jazz Tribute To Evanescence.

Sadness

The 20th Century was obviously a great time for technological innovation in music; from the explosion of recorded sound started by Thomas Edison, the refining of the electric guitar by Les Paul and all the way to the experiments in electronica, it was a hell of a century.  Sadly one of those innovators, Robert Moog, creator of the Moog organ, has died at the age of 71.

Something for Tiffany & Tom: Screw the Okampa, the Data Tango, the U.S.S. Make Shit Up and Worf's Revenge.

Highway Robbery

I don't care if Jimmy Buffet is playing at Wrigley Field. Are they nuts?

Tickets will be $130 and $90 for the concerts, at 6 p.m. Sept. 4 and 2 p.m. Sept. 5.

That's beyond high-priced tickets. That's larceny.