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September 24, 2008
Shorties (Books 4 Barack, BarackRock.org, and more)
Books4Barack.com will send you ten books (including rare, first-edition, signed, and highly collectible copies) if you donate $250 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
BarackRock.org will feature mp3s and artwork donated by musicians in support of the Barack Obama presidential campaign. The first campaign will feature Maricopa, Jens Lekman, Sam Champion, Antibalis, Via Audio, Northern State, Frank Bango, Sono Oto, Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears, The Jealous Girlfriends, and other artists.
The San Francisco Bay Guardian examines the My Bloody Valentine reunion.
The Youngstown Vindicator interviews former Guided By Voices frontman Robert pollard, whose book of collage, Town of Mirrors: The Reassembled Imagery of Robert Pollard, was just released by Fantagraphics.
Q. Speaking of Guided By Voices, what do you think the band’s legacy is?
A. Do it yourself, for yourself. Have fun. Make an impact. Inspire everyone to do it. Even if everyone can’t, don’t not do it because you can’t get a record contract. Do it for the sheer joy of making records. That’s what Guided by Voices did. Play live for three hours and drink a lot of beer while you do it. Or don’t.
Esquire chooses the 75 most influential people of the 21st century.
Drowned in Sound talks New Order reissues with Peter Hook.
At the New York Times Measure for Measure blog, Suzanne Vega discusses the remixes of her hit "Tom's Diner."
I love the remixes, I embrace them, I am proud of many of them. Yes, they have “revitalized and extended my career,” as someone put it to me recently. They make me feel connected to the world beyond New York City in a way I never could have imagined when I wrote the original song about a single person feeling isolated. Absolutely. However, I still believe in copyright protection. This issue alone could take up a blog by itself. Maybe for another day.
Stream or download Michael Moore's new documentary, Slacker Uprising, for free.
Southern Shelter features mp3s of a recent Athens performance by singer-songwriter Liz Durrett.
Chick Klosterman talks to Salon about leaving Esquire.
"AC/DC did the same album over and over again," he says at one point, "and I love AC/DC, but I don't want to be Angus Young. I want to be Jeff Tweedy." As every 30-something nerd-disguised-as-hipster knows, Jeff Tweedy is the much-adored frontman for Wilco, a gifted singer-songwriter who could have spent a (lucrative) career crafting perfect three-minute pop songs but decided to dissect them instead, upending (if only temporarily) his own career with the controversial and brilliant 2002 album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot."
The Wall Street Journal excerpts from Oliver Sacks' latest book, Musicophilia.
At the New York Times Shifting Careers blog, Linda Villarosa explains how she went from journalist to novelist.
Rock Candy interviews Stars' Torquil Campbell.
RC: Was Canadian rock this diverse a decade ago?
TC: Maybe as diverse, but not as good. It has thrived for the same reason any scene does – the right people with the right skill sets and the right person to put the records out. It’s a lucky combination. Also, perhaps Canada has a younger society that until recently has felt overshadowed. Music is a way to find our identity apart from America. George W. Bush has helped as well, because he helped us define what we weren’t and helped us know what we were. Really bad leadership can lead to really good art sometimes.
FishbowlNY interviews New Yorker music critic Alex Ross about being awarded a MacArthur grant.
1. What was your initial reaction when you received the phone call?
It took me totally by surprise. The stock market was crashing that day, and a couple of times in the morning I saw this mysterious call coming in from Chicago, which seemed ominous. I thought they were trying to repossess my cats or something, so I didn't pick up. Finally David Remnick tracked me down at The New Yorker and told me not to move until the phone rang. I was overwhelmed in every possible way and couldn't think of anything coherent to say. I still feel that way; I couldn't be more grateful for this huge recognition.
John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats talks boxing with Setanta Sports.
"With boxing there's so many great stories. Pinklon Thomas was a heroin addict at 12 and I thought a really good boxer. He had a great job. I think he was unlucky to lose his fight with Trevor Berbick.
Playbill reports that Bret easton Ellis's novel American Psycho is being adapted into a Broadway musical.
Writer Ellis added, "This is the perfect storm of creative people to turn 'American Psycho' into an entertaining musical play. 'American Psycho''s essence is the high-flying 80s, the decadence and the music — together, they are the equivalent of a spectacular train wreck you have to watch."
The Telegraph lists the 50 greatest villains in literature.
If the book, 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die, interests you, you should check out its blog.
Minnesota Public Radio's The Current features folk singer Dar Williams with an interview and in-studio performance.
Jezebel has completed its list of 75 books every woman should read (a reaction to Esquire's 75 books every man should read).
The Village Voice spends a couple of nights on the town with author Jonathan Ames.
You see in him the mark of a dedicated voyeur—the sort who develops a career as a writer to excuse a compulsion to observe. Having outrageous or influential friends deflects scrutiny. He asks—frequently—that you keep certain information off the record, mundane facts that ordinarily you'd set down with no fear of libel.
NPR reviews and excerpts from Andrew Davidson's debut novel, The Gargoyle.
see also: Davidson's Largehearted Boy Book Notes essay for the book
also at Largehearted Boy:
daily mp3 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
