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November 8, 2007
Shorties
The A.V. Club interviews bestselling author Nikki Sixx.
AVC: In the book, you say that you're frustrated that you haven't made the Guinness Book Of World Records for your life yet. What do you mean by that?
NS: I've got so many mountains to climb and goals to conquer. I've got so many scars I want to leave on the planet. I just feel like I'm not there yet. I feel like I am just getting started. Going to Washington DC? That was really cool—I'm putting that one up there with pretty cool shit that I've gotten to do. Getting the phone call, "Hello, Congressman Kennedy is on the line for you"? I'm driving down the road saying, "They have the wrong number." I laughed. We talked about making a difference, and it felt really good. I'm in Hollywood right now, and a hooker just walked right in front of my car. Life just doesn't change down here. I am on Yucca and Cahuenga, and hookers are at work at 12 in the afternoon on a Monday.
Singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock gives the Waterloo Record his reasons for issuing his recent box set, I Wanna Go Backwards.
"The obvious motivation to do this now is because all of these albums are out of print," Hitchcock says. "Also, I figured that this is the last time that people will be paying for music as a physical product. I'm sure within the next seven years or so people will be acquiring music by completely digital methods. But as far as why I chose to revisit these albums, I didn't feel that they were particularly overlooked. I just believed that they shared some similar qualities."
The A.V. Club interviews author Tom Perrotta.
AVC: Election and Little Children have been made into movies, and your new novel looks like it will be as well. Does the fact that a book of yours may well be adapted into a movie get into your head? Are you ever tempted to make a book more or less adaptable as a result?
TP: I don't know. I think I was always writing books that had very clear scenic structures. I do tend to write in scenes. I do tend to have a fair amount of dialogue. And I do tend to use stories that don't sprawl all over the place, that have a very sharp focus in terms of how they unfold in time. Those things have made filmmakers look at the books with interest. I think you can see the movie more clearly than with novels that have a more epic sweep, or have more characters, or move through history in a certain way. I think I have more tendencies that made the books adaptable. I hope that I don't stick to those tendencies just because they make them more likely to be turned into movies.
Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell talks to Popmatters.
The group returned to Bridwell’s native South Carolina to record Cease to Begin, but the singer is doubtful that the move was the only thing responsible for the album’s southern tendencies. “I’ve always wanted to explore more of the American roots side of songwriting,” Bridwell explains. “I guess lyrically the moving had some effect, but most of the songs had been written before we went down there. Maybe there’s a bit more twangier moments [on Cease to Begin] than the first record. There was definitely some of those moments on the first album but maybe it’s just a little more heavy-handed this time.” Twangier might be one way to describe Cease to Begin. The album has been cast as a more mature, subdued, country-tinged version of the band. Rather than a new direction, the effort might just show Band of Horses’ true talents on what I think is more aptly described as one of the best rock records of the year.
Former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell tells RelishNow what's in his CD player.
Neutral Milk Hotel, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea : “This album represents the best in independent music to me. The lyrics are precise but poetic, and the melodies are accessible and beautiful.”
Drowned in Sound interviews Victoria LeGrand from Beach House.
I suppose there'll be comparisons drawn with The Cocteau Twins with your record being released through Bella Union in Europe. Do you see the comparisons yourself? Does Bella feel like a natural home for your music?
Yes, but no comparisons to Cocteau Twins yet. I personally don't hear the ostentatious similarity with our music and the Cocteau Twins. Although they are a cool band, fo’ sho’.
KEXP features an in-studio performance by Tullycraft at 9:30 pacific this morning.
New York magazine's The Comics Page blog excerpts from the graphic novel, I Killed Adolf Hitler by Jason.
The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the recent convergence of indie rockers and cooking, especially cookbooks.
In some ways, this marriage of bands and cooking is a natural convergence. "For me, there's a huge connection between music and food, down to how the music affects the very dining experience," says Joe Kim, owner of Bistro B, a personal-chef service, and drummer with the High Lives. "Creatively, they tap into the same vein."
Rogue Wave frontman Zach Rogue talks to the Nashville Scene.
“We could’ve made a 30-minute record, but that wasn’t the point of this one,” says Rogue, a day after enjoying Halloween in Brooklyn, N.Y. “We had too much to say, and I felt like I wanted to fully do something for the first time. Really make a statement, or at least try to.”
WFUV features an in-studio performance by singer-songwriter Joe Henry.
The Stranger interviews author Dave Eggers and John Roderick of the Long Winters about the third annual People Talking and Singing benefit for 826 Seattle.
The Guardian's books blog features an audio excerpt from Michael Chabon's new novel, Gentlemen of the Road.
Minnesota Public Radio's The Current features an in-studio performance by Tori Amos.
My Old Kentucky Blog is sharing a couple of in-studio tracks by Ha Ha Tonka.
John Waters talks to Minnesota Public Radio about his one man show, This Filthy World.
"It's not called 'The Sound of Music,' I mean it is called 'This Filthy World.' That is a problem I have always had. What happens since just Hairspray the movie was a hit. Families would go into video stores and say 'We love Hairspray. Let's get another John Waters movie. This one, 'Pink Flamingos,' is that about Florida?' And they take it home and call the police."
NPR's Fresh Air interviews MF Grimm about his biographical graphic novel, Sentences.
The Futurist features some VHS or Beta tracks from a recent WOXY Lounge Act performance.
also at Largehearted Boy:
Daily Downloads
Try It Before You Buy It (mp3s and full album streams from this week's CD releases)
this week's CD releases
tags: music books popculture indie news
