Giuseppe Zangara

Some months back, in order to psyche myself up for seeing Tom Waits live, I listened to a bunch of his albums, many of which I hadn't played in a long, long time. This included Blood Money, an album that, in hindsight, surprises me I ever looked favorably on. Perhaps my once-rabid devotion to Waits made me something of an apologist for his lesser works; yet, even at a time in my life when I would go days on end without listening to anything other than Waits, I still didn't like The Black Rider. Mule Variations is underrated. Yes, it could used some editing, and yes, it's largely nothing new, but it's all done well. It contains some of Waits' very best ballads (the aforementioned "Hold On" and "House Where Nobody Lives," as well as "Picture in a Frame") and a lot of fun blues songs.

The worst thing about being called a has-been is that it means you were an ever-was. I am a monk and this board is my whip.

You think you can get away with this shameful shit on Matt Young's watch? Way to be behind the time, guys.

I've only given it a single listen thus far so hopefully it'll grow on me, but the new Jay Reatard singles comp is a yawner. The previous singles comp and Blood Visions hooked me instantly. I'm fine with liking someone who willingly calls himself "Jay Reatard," by the way.

Vicious burn, snuffbox. Kinetic's gonna need a skin graft after that.

I overheard the news from a clerk at the store as he was macking on one of my radio-station cohorts. She was an attractive, slender blonde, and the news of his death came up when she mentioned that Smith was one of her favorite artists.

Also, regarding the Modern Lovers, everyone's entitled to their own opinion and all, but citing "Government Center" as their best song is pretty batty. From that album alone, you have "Pablo Picasso," "I'm Straight," "She's Cracked," and, yes, "Roadrunner."

That Smith went and killed himself a year after that movie came out undercuts the emotional impact of that scene. Re: where I was at the time, I was in a record store in New York City. I was up there for that year's CMJ fest.

Def. serious, and it's getting worse. I'm embarrassed by posts I made just minutes ago. I'm cringing as I write this post right now. I'm thinking about posts I'll make in the future and the seconds it'll take that could be better spent doing something else.

The album it comes from is whatevs, but PIL's "Rise" is one of their finest moments.

There's some great songs on Substance, but the Warsaw material that makes up the bulk of the collection's second half is lousy. JD made for a shitty punk band.

TVOTR's Kyp Malone is the only "well-known" musician I got to interview during my college radio tenure. He was a friendly, engaging guy. I almost got the chance to talk to Damo Suzuki, but, due to visa issues, he ended up having to leave the country a week before the interview.

Ridding yourself of the Campaign 2008 megathread will only give birth to dozens of new threads every time a new attack ad runs or Palin further betrays her stupidity or more proof is unearthed of Barack Obama's connection with the Nation of Islam. Do you really want to make a lousy folder even worse?

I've decided Dear Science is a notch below Return to Cookie Mountain, with both trailing Young Liars, which is still my favorite release from this decade. Best currently active band, without a doubt.

My girlfriend's sister is getting hitched next weekend and of course I'm going. Man, I hope this doesn't give her, i.e. the girlfriend, any ideas. As a child, I went to a couple. Each time, I hoped something wacky would happen so it'd end up on America's Funniest Home Videos. That show is still around, though the thought of Tom Bergeron narrating some zany occurence at a wedding I attended doesn't provide the glimmer of hope it did in the halcyon days of Saget.

Dear Science is terrific. Still too soon for me to say how it stacks up against RTCM, which was my favorite release from 2006. The new album is a different kind of animal; less dense, looser, and even sort of sexy. There's also a couple of genuinely lovely ballads on it.

Oh, I was just funnin' ya, Czech. I was either going to make that post or "Czech's notion of a soul-shattering experience is listening to Amnesiac in the dark while having a good cry."

Hey, what's the protocol for when some guy walks up you in public and offers you drugs? Recently, while walking in a "hip" part of town, a sweaty fellow sporting a towel around his neck and wearing nothing but jogging shorts and sleek running shoes asked me if I "smoke that good green." I told him I was good, thanks, but I couldn't help wonder what the next step would've been had I taken him up on the implied offer to sell me weed.

Man, I love everything about "Mellow My Mind." There's just no room for sloppiness and any sound or emotional noise in Czech's music listening. If he hadn't admitted to dancing to Talking Heads in his private moments, I'd say he's a cold, unfeeling bastard.

I like the 60 more than the 90, too. The latter is good, though a tad too sweet. I like the 120, but DFH's other monster beer, the World Wide Stout, is better.

I recently picked up some of DFH's Punkin Ale and their Palo Santo Marron. The latter, in spite of having 12% strength, is very drinkable and smooth. And delicious, oh man. I emptied two bottles in a shamefully quick fashion. I also recently tried Rogue's Double Dead Guy, which, while good, wasn't all that different from the regular Dead Guy and certainly wasn't worth the inflated price tag.

I've met the sister and her husband-to-be all of once prior this; I've met the gf's folks twice—only one of those times, a formal, dinner-with-the-folks affair, was the girlfriend present. The other time, I was alone in a bookstore when I happened to bump into them. What I'm saying is is that I pretty much know no one that's going to be at this wedding, so I expect it to be a drag. It's being held near the beach in St. Augustine, which is nice, at least.

Nutty. Fear of Music has been my favorite TH album as long as I've been listening to them. Though, if I had to choose, I *guess* I like the SMS version of "Heaven" a tiny bit more than the studio recording.

I have the Dwarves' Blood, Guts, & Pussy on vinyl. I propose that for the next thread.