Saturday, June 29, 2013
Or maybe it's late, and you're heading to bed...
No one had put this version of "Hobo's Lullaby" up on YouTube yet, so I did it myself, just for y'all.
Oh, hey! Real boring writer-type gripes! Feel free to pass right by!
Here I am, a week after having posted the vacation report, which I thought was pretty hot stuff when I put the last period in place.
But with a week to ponder the work I've done, I must tearfully come to terms with the fact that it is, in fact, only first-draft quality, and not the finalized literary gem I thought it was. Some sections need expanding and/or clarification, which I didn't immediately recognize.
And there are some stories that hadn't been told -- such as Pryor's alien visitations, and my measured response to the "dark humor=KKK sympathizing" argument, and the events that transpired the first night I was in the hospital...
But I told someone I was going to post it that Saturday, and busted ass trying to make that deadline, only to miss it by a day. And so, in all probability, she took a horrified glance at the other posts I'd put up, containing what I call entertainment, and she fled, never to have read the hobbled masterpiece in which she played a part.
Ah, well. Such is life.
So, anyway, I don't know how I'm going to go about doing the revisions. There's not enough missing material to justify forcing the reader to revisit a large amount of familiar text -- brilliant as it is. Maybe I'll post the revisions as stand-alone chapters, separate from the original text. I dunno. We'll see.
But with a week to ponder the work I've done, I must tearfully come to terms with the fact that it is, in fact, only first-draft quality, and not the finalized literary gem I thought it was. Some sections need expanding and/or clarification, which I didn't immediately recognize.
And there are some stories that hadn't been told -- such as Pryor's alien visitations, and my measured response to the "dark humor=KKK sympathizing" argument, and the events that transpired the first night I was in the hospital...
But I told someone I was going to post it that Saturday, and busted ass trying to make that deadline, only to miss it by a day. And so, in all probability, she took a horrified glance at the other posts I'd put up, containing what I call entertainment, and she fled, never to have read the hobbled masterpiece in which she played a part.
Ah, well. Such is life.
So, anyway, I don't know how I'm going to go about doing the revisions. There's not enough missing material to justify forcing the reader to revisit a large amount of familiar text -- brilliant as it is. Maybe I'll post the revisions as stand-alone chapters, separate from the original text. I dunno. We'll see.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
The writing project is done.
I just finalized a long-ass work of non-fiction entitled My Summer Vacation. I'd scheduled it to be nestled within a protective cushion of posts intended to build up anticipation and then later sooth the frazzled nerves of the reader. But complications arose, and the cushions were deployed long before the Summer Vacation post was completed, and all of that careful design planning was undone.
Anyway, you can scroll down to see my intended design, or you can disregard all my efforts and just start reading. I won't judge you.
Also, for whatever it's worth... This morning, I was catching up on some of the things I've missed, and saw this post from Warren Ellis. So I gave it a shot and pasted in the text of the Summer Vacation post. And apparently...
Well. okay, I guess.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
A bit of sweetness and light before the heavy business
Shit's gonna get real heavy a couple of posts down, so I'm going to start us off with some comedy, which will get darker in increments until we're all in the same mindset.
First off is Ms. Katie Lee, with a song very dear to my heart.
Next up is the somewhat unfairly vilified Gloria Balsam. Widely regarded as one of the worst singers ever to be recorded, she was fearless in putting everything she had into those notes. And for that, I have an unbounded respect for her. It doesn't hurt that she's backed by some impeccable late-70's production values.
Okay, yeah, I realize that Ms. Balsam isn't everyone's acquired cup of tea. If you need some earwash, go listen to some Judy Henske or Nina Simone, and come back when you feel better. We'll wait for you.
Everybody back? Great. Here we go with the Diabolical Biz Markie and some white dudes, tearing Elton John's classic into unintelligible shreds.
And here we have Van Morrison, proving that contractually-obligated albums are crapshoots at best, and creepy medical tracts at worst.
Next in the sequence, Crispin Glover does an incredibly unhinged cover of that beloved Nancy Sinatra gem.
Frank Zappa did some appropriately wackadoo love songs in his time. Here's one.
First off is Ms. Katie Lee, with a song very dear to my heart.
Next up is the somewhat unfairly vilified Gloria Balsam. Widely regarded as one of the worst singers ever to be recorded, she was fearless in putting everything she had into those notes. And for that, I have an unbounded respect for her. It doesn't hurt that she's backed by some impeccable late-70's production values.
Okay, yeah, I realize that Ms. Balsam isn't everyone's acquired cup of tea. If you need some earwash, go listen to some Judy Henske or Nina Simone, and come back when you feel better. We'll wait for you.
Everybody back? Great. Here we go with the Diabolical Biz Markie and some white dudes, tearing Elton John's classic into unintelligible shreds.
And here we have Van Morrison, proving that contractually-obligated albums are crapshoots at best, and creepy medical tracts at worst.
Next in the sequence, Crispin Glover does an incredibly unhinged cover of that beloved Nancy Sinatra gem.
Frank Zappa did some appropriately wackadoo love songs in his time. Here's one.
There's an incredible Beatles/Stones/Doors/Hendrix song about the wonders of artificial cheez spread, but I can't get the thing to embed. Here's the link.
NSFW - Musically-deficient dark humor
With absolutely no apologies whatsoever to Wanda in 5 South.
Hannibal Buress, y'all. If you don't know about him, get on that. He not only wrote for 30 Rock, but also appeared on a few episodes. This routine is pretty good, but the rest of the show is tremendous.
Kyle Kinane's another name you should know. Here's his latest show in its entirety. It's about forty minutes long, but that's likely not the longest time you're going to be spending on this blog today. This takes a little while to really get going, but at least stay long enough for the pancakes.
It took me a while to really warm to Louis CK, but he's well worth checking into. I don't think he's the second coming of George Carlin, exactly, but he's damn close. This next clip comes from his Beacon Theater show.
Billy Bob Neck has some cogent points to make about Gomer Pyle, but for my money he's never been more on the nose than with this scathing critique on the very real dangers posed by FIFA.
Hannibal Buress, y'all. If you don't know about him, get on that. He not only wrote for 30 Rock, but also appeared on a few episodes. This routine is pretty good, but the rest of the show is tremendous.
My New Bedlam bro Will was talking about a Chappelle Show skit, but I thought he was talking about this.
Kyle Kinane's another name you should know. Here's his latest show in its entirety. It's about forty minutes long, but that's likely not the longest time you're going to be spending on this blog today. This takes a little while to really get going, but at least stay long enough for the pancakes.
It took me a while to really warm to Louis CK, but he's well worth checking into. I don't think he's the second coming of George Carlin, exactly, but he's damn close. This next clip comes from his Beacon Theater show.
Billy Bob Neck has some cogent points to make about Gomer Pyle, but for my money he's never been more on the nose than with this scathing critique on the very real dangers posed by FIFA.
NSFW - MY SUMMER VACATION
A warning before beginning: this factual post is going to document some heavy, largely tragic topics – suicide attempts, frank anatomical descriptions, psych-ward life and pitch-black morbid humor – you know, laugh-riot feel-good stuff like that. If you're prone to being triggered by reading about such things, proceed with caution – or don't read at all.
Also, there are going to be lots of parenthetical asides in this post, but rather than use parentheses...
I've renamed all the players and institutions in this drama. If you recognize yourself and wish to be identified by your real name (what the fuck's the matter with you, anyway?!), let me know and I'll make the necessary changes (no, really –what the fuck's the matter with you?!), but otherwise, I've chosen to err on the side of pseudonymity. And while I'm being ridiculously open and honest about what I put myself through, I'm not going to betray the trust of the friends I met in 5 South. Their stories are their own, and frankly, those tales are none of your fucking business.
Also, there are going to be lots of parenthetical asides in this post, but rather than use parentheses...
...they're going to be formatted like this.
The long tragicomedy begins after the break.
Considering I've got more than 500 playlists in iTunes...
...one might ask if I put any thought into crafting a soundtrack for my last days.
Shore did!
Stumbling
Katie Lee - The Will To Fail
Nobuo Uematsu - You Can Hear The Cry Of The Planet
Big Mama Thornton - Life Goes On
Bonnie Raitt - Guilty
The Doors - A Feast Of Friends
Fury in the Slaughterhouse - Every Generation's Got Its Own Disease
The Bonzo Dog Band - Straight From My Heart
Tom Waits - Innocent When You Dream (Barroom)
Charlie Musselwhite - Everybody Loves Me
Ween - Sorry Charlie
Black Box Recorder - Child Psychology
Mojave 3 - When You're Drifting
Webb Wilder - Original Mixed-Up Kid
The Jayhawks - Blue
Tom Petty - Saving Grace
Phil Ochs - Gas Station Women
Mojo Nixon - Promised Land Tonight
Faith No More - I Started A Joke
De La Soul - Fallin'
Gnarls Barkley - A Little Better
Baby Huey - Hard Times
Netherfriends - Full of It (remix)
N.A.S.A. - Way Down
Collapse
Beck - Goin' Nowhere Fast
Pearls Before Swine - I Shall Be Released
Nina Nastasia - Wakes
Alice In Chains - Rotten Apple
Cocorosie - Werewolf
Grateful Dead - Brokedown Palace
John Prine - Rocky Mountain Time
Kinky Friedman - God Bless John Wayne
Pearl Jam - Crazy Mary
Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - Kiss The Sky
Deep Puddle Dynamics - The Candle
Flotation Toy Warning - Donald Pleasance
Kanye West - Runaway
Pink Floyd - Childhood's End
The Builders And The Butchers - Short Way Home
Tom Waits - Lucky Day
Jose Gonzalez - Down The Line
Cults - Most Wanted
The Greenhornes - There Is An End
Going
Supertramp - Goodbye Stranger
Neil Hamburger - Thinkin' It Over
Barnes & Barnes - When You Die
Kinky Friedman - Hobo's Lullaby
Ween - Wash Me Down
The Angels Of Light - My Suicide
The Kleptones - Exit
Gravediggaz - 1-800 Suicide
Notorious B.I.G. - Suicidal Thoughts
Insane Clown Posse - Suicide Hotline
Gone
Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli - Time To Say Goodbye
The Monkees - Porpoise Song
Alice In Chains - Don't Follow
The Builders and the Butchers - All Away
Pixies - Wave Of Mutilation (UK Surf Version)
Supergrass - Time to Go
Pere Ubu - Goodbye
The Kleptones - Last Words (A Tribute)
R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World As We Know
Shore did!
Stumbling
Katie Lee - The Will To Fail
Nobuo Uematsu - You Can Hear The Cry Of The Planet
Big Mama Thornton - Life Goes On
Bonnie Raitt - Guilty
The Doors - A Feast Of Friends
Fury in the Slaughterhouse - Every Generation's Got Its Own Disease
The Bonzo Dog Band - Straight From My Heart
Tom Waits - Innocent When You Dream (Barroom)
Charlie Musselwhite - Everybody Loves Me
Ween - Sorry Charlie
Black Box Recorder - Child Psychology
Mojave 3 - When You're Drifting
Webb Wilder - Original Mixed-Up Kid
The Jayhawks - Blue
Tom Petty - Saving Grace
Phil Ochs - Gas Station Women
Mojo Nixon - Promised Land Tonight
Faith No More - I Started A Joke
De La Soul - Fallin'
Gnarls Barkley - A Little Better
Baby Huey - Hard Times
Netherfriends - Full of It (remix)
N.A.S.A. - Way Down
Collapse
Beck - Goin' Nowhere Fast
Pearls Before Swine - I Shall Be Released
Nina Nastasia - Wakes
Alice In Chains - Rotten Apple
Cocorosie - Werewolf
Grateful Dead - Brokedown Palace
John Prine - Rocky Mountain Time
Kinky Friedman - God Bless John Wayne
Pearl Jam - Crazy Mary
Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - Kiss The Sky
Deep Puddle Dynamics - The Candle
Flotation Toy Warning - Donald Pleasance
Kanye West - Runaway
Pink Floyd - Childhood's End
The Builders And The Butchers - Short Way Home
Tom Waits - Lucky Day
Jose Gonzalez - Down The Line
Cults - Most Wanted
The Greenhornes - There Is An End
Going
Supertramp - Goodbye Stranger
Neil Hamburger - Thinkin' It Over
Barnes & Barnes - When You Die
Kinky Friedman - Hobo's Lullaby
Ween - Wash Me Down
The Angels Of Light - My Suicide
The Kleptones - Exit
Gravediggaz - 1-800 Suicide
Notorious B.I.G. - Suicidal Thoughts
Insane Clown Posse - Suicide Hotline
Gone
Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli - Time To Say Goodbye
The Monkees - Porpoise Song
Alice In Chains - Don't Follow
The Builders and the Butchers - All Away
Pixies - Wave Of Mutilation (UK Surf Version)
Supergrass - Time to Go
Pere Ubu - Goodbye
The Kleptones - Last Words (A Tribute)
R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World As We Know
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Give and Take
As has happened so often before, there's more taking than giving, for which I apologize.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Traveling
I need to get out of the house. The only difficulty is deciding on mode of transportation...
So maybe terrestrial travel is too tame for you
Try these, then.
I resisted getting into the excellent Love and Rockets comics for the longest time. If I'd never accidentally started in on those Penny Century comics, why, I'd never have known about this:
I resisted getting into the excellent Love and Rockets comics for the longest time. If I'd never accidentally started in on those Penny Century comics, why, I'd never have known about this:
Catastrophic hull breaches!
Oh, goodness. Honky jazz has compromised the life-support modules. Abandon ship!
Must be the oxygen deprivation talking, but I kinda like these Microsoft Songsmith remixes.
Must be the oxygen deprivation talking, but I kinda like these Microsoft Songsmith remixes.
Star Wars stuff
Oh, given the last few posts, I may as well.
The following vids start out okay and take a quick nose-dive.
The following vids start out okay and take a quick nose-dive.
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