Tabloid Mags

I've had a wonderful evening.

2010-07-18T11:55:00.004-04:00

After some deliberation, I have decided it is time to bring this blog to a close.

I can offer no explanations, no fancy phrases, no great plans or crazy schemes. But for those who read this blog, if anyone, I can offer my gratitude and a song. After all, it is only appropriate to go out on a campy note:

Petite Musings

2010-07-11T13:20:00.003-04:00

I could try to explain the silence on this blog, but I don't think I necessarily have to. Let's just pretend that people slide from society and then drift back quietly, if not rhythmically.

I love the freshness of things. Working in the city and driving home to the country suits me. I love the quiet and right now I'm enjoying being incommunicado with the rest of society. Most days, I find myself walking with my head in the clouds, keeping my feet to the ground, and hoping I don't have to talk with anyone. I don't know where this sudden wave of antisocial behavior has come from, but I like taking some quiet time for myself. Slinking around, trying to go unseen in order to keep the peace. I am living in books.

I haven't been running in weeks. While I mourn the loss of my runner's body, I'm not choked up about it. If anything, my body aches for a return to library stacks to pick up a new bounty of books for devouring. I'm nourishing my mind. Though I loved a sleek figure, the way my limbs felt when stretching for miles and aching for pavement. My body is no longer the taut machine it was last summer, when I was anything but shy. I fell much more bikini-conscious now. At the same time, I know it's still there, somewhere beneath the small bits of flesh that have development with stagnation. I just haven't had the urge to unearth it. I've been lazy and I'm learning to love letting my just lighten up a bit. To lounge and to loaf.

Little Birds

2010-06-24T10:45:00.003-04:00

Hiding out in the Green Mountains these days, settling into domesticity and recovery.

Three Dog Night-"Joy to the World"

2010-05-14T23:30:00.006-04:00

This came on the radio on the drive home to visit ma familla for the weekend and I just had to crank up the volume. So what if I'll be deaf by the time I'm 30? Nothing beats driving on the NYS Thruway at 6 o'clock on a 70-degree Friday evening headed towards the motherland with the window rolled down, the dandelion seeds spitting at your windshield, belting "Jeremiah was a bullfrog" and not giving a hoot if that guy driving the Lincoln in the slow lane fancies you something of a madwoman with your couldn't-give-a-damn curls.

For Love or Memorex?

2010-05-11T19:32:00.002-04:00

Now available for your reading pleasure over at The Northville Review a little piece I like to call "For Love or Memorex?"

Read it. Love it.

Notre Prof d'Anglais

2010-04-20T09:58:00.003-04:00

As I get back into training for 5K season and life in general, I find my ears tuned in to '60s French pop music. I love the peppiness of the vocals and the dense instrumentals. Up on the iPod is Chantal Kelly with "Notre Prof d'Anglais". It's also a clever way to brush up on my French studies:

Beauty School Dropout

2010-04-13T22:04:00.004-04:00

The second spring shearing sees the author going for a very whimsical, low maintenance look:

Since I started tracking my hairstyles with iPhoto, it's interesting to see how I've managed to look somewhat younger and less tired. I think it's the bangs. Also, it's good to know I'm handy with a pair of scissors, though some would say it looks like I cut my hair with a penknife.

I started cutting my own hair in college after an incident with a hairdresser left me looking like the Dutch Boy Paint mascot. However, my senior year of college made me return to the hairdresser's chair to become a redhead as an immersion journalism experiment for an essay on Molly Ringwald. But my old ways soon caught up to me and, out of necessity brought on by poverty, I found myself reaching for the shears yet again.

Hey, $30 can buy a haircut or fill my gas tank. A girl knows what she's got to do.

From the Stacks

2010-04-09T12:55:00.001-04:00

Photos from around the Sage College of Albany Library.

Notes from the Margins

2010-04-02T00:30:00.000-04:00

Taken from the commonplace book, March 2010

Did you know that Pottery Barn sells fabric by the yard? I ended up spending about an hour in my local Pottery Barn the other day as I admired architect lamps and collected fabric samples with Alix. We proceeded to swoon over suede and organic cotton. I ended up leaving with about forty swatches. I'm not quite sure what I'll use them for--maybe that quilt I've been daydreaming about.

* * *

"Patches? We don't need no stinkin' patches."

* * *

It is never a good idea to compose sentiments in greeting cards under duress. I'm sorry to everyone who will be receiving sappy Easter cards a few days late since I have yet to make it to the post office.

* * *

I've decided that chopping off my hair will make me feel liberated. Also, I would like to purchase a retro bicycle on which to tool around some little town with a yoga mat strapped on the back. And maybe a basket for books or groceries or a Toto as well. Just a thought.

* * *

Thinking about that discussion with Mills, the one over beers on Thanksgiving Eve at a dive bar midtown. He was glad to see I hadn't become a "Brooklyn Girl," but I looked like a "cinema star on the steps of the bakery in that peacoat." AT was pleased to hear that I was shunning MFA programs at Christmas, that I wouldn't be composing "Columbia/NYU/New York bullshit that I used to read at [name of well-known literary journal omitted]." We stick to our roots. We know our red necks and blue collars. We pay our dues daily.

* * *

At one of my three jobs we were asked to choose our alter-egos for our phone personas, our inspirations for the kind of presence we want to have on the phone. My choice? Rosie the Riveter:

Gonna Get Along Without You Now

2010-04-01T23:07:00.003-04:00

Some variations on the classic song. Just for kicks.

Patience and Prudence

Skeeter Davis

The Vibrations

The Lawrence Welk Singers and Orchestra

Viola Willis

She & Him

We Who Are About To Blog

2010-03-31T16:09:00.004-04:00

Just a shout out to say that at some point I will be posting over at the new collaborative blog, We Who Are About To Die. Don't let the title fool you--we are not going to drink the Kool-Aid, though we may blog about Kool-Aid and other fun pop-culture and contemporary society stuff and nonsense. The blog officially launches on Thursday, April 1st, but due to a hectic schedule as of late my post is still in draft mode.

Oops.

Anyway, there are good people involved, including Daniel Nester, Michael Schiavo, and some other people I don't actually know but I hear are good so I'll take their word for it. So check it out.

Stop and Think It Over

2010-03-24T22:52:00.003-04:00

I've been nursing a musical crush on Greg Cartwright since my senior year of college when I heard his cover of "Stormy Weather" from the Reigning Sound's album, Time Bomb High School. When I found out he wrote "Stop and Think It Over" (which I'd heard covered by Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles) it became true love. I am a garage rock girl at heart. All loud guitars and snarled lyrics. I miss the days when I used to throw on jeans and a t-shirt, hop down to whatever dive my favorite bands would play at and just dance around for a little while.

The Oblivians-"Stop and Think It Over"

Elvis Presley-"Beach Boy Blues"

2010-03-22T21:55:00.002-04:00

The gems you find on borrowed iPods. I had forgotten this one, as it's been a good ten years since the last time I saw Blue Hawaii.

Left of the Dial

2010-03-20T01:57:00.004-04:00

Paul Westerberg performing "Left of the Dial"

Blasted this from my car stereo when I happened to take one of my drives on Tuesday. I get that itch to drive out of town just to see a cluster of trees that doesn't looked choked by concrete. I always dare myself to keep going. To chuck my cell phone out the window and forget names and faces. To fall off the map, to be forgotten. To find some sleepy little town to make a quiet life.

2010-03-16T09:42:00.001-04:00

The Bran Flakes - "Stumble Out of Bed"

2010-03-13T08:45:00.005-05:00

Does anyone else get a kick out of figuring out which samples are used?

Small Longings

2010-03-12T10:44:00.003-05:00

I dream of home and fields and flowers and that feeling of burrowing into the ground and being absolutely safe. Once I walk across that stone threshold between the dilapidated farmer's walls no one can do me harm.

Rereading Little Women reminds me how much I want to be a girl again. I want to walk barefoot, watch my skin flush and peel before settling into a tan that's never as dark as my sister's. I long for freckled shoulders and that bead of sweat that trickles down the bridge of my nose and onto the page of a book on a scorching summer afternoon. For that floral print bedsheet that I used as a blanket for the hammock on those July nights.

Little Darling

2010-03-09T14:51:00.003-05:00

George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Elton John, and others performing "Here Comes the Sun" at the Prince's Trust Concert in 1987. Heard a great version of this song on Monday on Skidmore College Radio, but I haven't done enough digging to find the playlist and version.

She's Spanish, I'm American

2010-03-07T08:29:00.003-05:00

Bored with Brooklyn. Give me Valencia.

She's Spanish, I'm American-"The Ocean Always Wins"

The Turtles-"You Baby"

2010-03-06T17:11:00.001-05:00

He's my pride, he's my joy

2010-03-05T23:02:00.003-05:00

It's March and with some 40+ degree weather on the horizon this weekend it can only mean that we're nearing springtime. Since my playlist preferences tend to change with the seasons, springtime is uptempo with more harmonies and plenty of '50s and '60s girl group sounds. This one comes courtesy of The Girlfriends:

The Girlfriends- "(My One and Only) Jimmy Boy"

Baby, It's You

2010-02-25T10:05:00.003-05:00

Heading back to 1969 with Smith's cover of the classic, "Baby, It's You":

The Pipettes - "Our Love Was Saved By Spacemen"

2010-02-23T22:36:00.005-05:00

The Pipettes are a contemporary girl group out of England, but we're not talking the Spice Girls of my youth. They are a complete throwback to the '60s girl groups and the Phil Spector sound. They don't always hit the mark, but they are fun. While the lineup has recently changed to just the Saunders sisters and their sound is moving into '70s disco, '80s electronica, I'm really enjoying their latest single, "Our Love Was Saved By Spacemen":

I feel like I'm in an episode of Jem.

In case you were curious, this is what they sounded like with members RiotBecki and Rosay:

Not the Shangri-Las, but enough to make me throw on my green party dress and stilettos.

Camera Obscura - "Let's Get Out of the Country"

2010-02-18T09:12:00.003-05:00

A little ditty from Camera Obscura this Thursday morning. Jessica reminded me how much I adore their whimsical melodies.

Domesticity reigns here at the HQ. Sewing buttons onto peacoats, basic cleaning and dishes, and debating which pattern I want to use for a few dishcloths I've been meaning to knit. The lovely things in life.

All That Heaven Allows Trailer (1955)

2010-02-17T09:00:00.001-05:00

I have a bit of an obsession with Douglas Sirk and melodramas of the '30s, 40s, and '50s. "Weepies" they've been called. The soap operas of Hollywood cinema. What's unique about these films is that they often explore the complex emotions of love and the female identity more in-depth than their "serious" counterparts.

While in Switzerland in 2006, I strolled along Lake Lugano and wondered if my director walked this very path. Some ghosts linger.

Josh Rouse - "Winter in the Hamptons"

2010-02-16T10:19:00.005-05:00

Josh Rouse is one of those college music crushes that has endured long after the time of living in a dorm and surviving on cheap and/or free food has ended. As I throw on my thermal gear and get ready for a run, I'm taking him with me.

Rouse just released a new album, El Turista, that I'll have to acquire. Maybe I should just move to Spain. It seems like all my American music loves are turning ex-pats and moving there. However, my high school French and college Italian won't help too much. Another language to butcher with my heavy tongue.

The Rite of Spring

2010-02-16T08:59:00.006-05:00

Dear Springtime,

Get here soon. I miss your buds and blooms and the smell of damp earth. Also, I really want to get my spring shearing. I know that's completely vain, but I'm dying to get my short curls back. And my freckles.

Love,
Katie

New Writing Out Now in Paradigm

2010-02-14T18:19:00.004-05:00

Just out in Paradigm is "Plan B", an essay by yours truly.

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than reading an essay about emergency contraception? Call it a public service announcement.

Commonplace Entry from February 2007

2010-02-13T20:23:00.005-05:00

"Some histories are best left unmapped [undocumented]. Realizing that his seven year advantage is like trying to swim the Atlantic against current. Each undulating wave penetrates the skin with the frigid truth--his past a superfluous ocean compared to my humble mud puddle. An old sea dog to this child in rain boots [rubbers]."

Saturday Morning Kitchen Dance Party

2010-02-13T10:50:00.002-05:00

Sponsored by Corinne Bailey Rae's "Paris Nights/New York Mornings" from her new album, The Sea, which I'm really loving but am too poor to buy. Hello, inter-library loan!

This is Professoring?!

2010-02-09T09:01:00.004-05:00

Forgive me if I sound like a proud professor, but I've got some pretty great students. One student, Jessica, is blogging Do Something Pretty While You Can, where she always has great photos (and I share her love of Zooey Deschanel). Another student, Matt, is now a blogger for that New York Times of the North, the Times-Union's This is College?! blog. Check out his first post. I have two more students who are in talks to start blogs as I type.

I'm certain they think I'm completely insane and yet they still show up to class. Talk about dedication. Follow their antics over at our course blog. This week, it's all about the professional letter!

Trailer for Mildred Pierce

2010-02-07T10:30:00.004-05:00

I love quiet Sunday mornings with a classic movie. This Sunday, it's the Joan Crawford classic, Mildred Pierce (1945).

"The intimate affairs of a woman who refused to live by the rules."

Cold & Flu Season

2010-02-06T00:48:00.004-05:00

Jerry Lee Lewis-"Rocking Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" from the great '60s television show, Shindig!

Exposed Brick at MASS MoCA

2010-02-03T09:25:00.002-05:00

New Music: "I'll Do It All Again"

2010-02-02T22:14:00.004-05:00

Heard Corinne Bailey Rae's new single on WEXT, one of my favorite frequencies, this morning and fell in love. Anyone else diggin' this?

Corinne Bailey Rae-"I'll Do It All Again"

Diane Birch

2010-01-31T23:03:00.006-05:00

One of my gal pals, Rachel, lives a few hours away so we keep in touch via the USPS. We send each other cds and other trinkets along with our letters detailing our thoughts on feminism, social activism, and holding tight to the belief that we can still change the world. We score the soundtrack to what it means to be a twenty-something independent female in the 21st century.

She sent along Diane Birch's 2009 release, Bible Belt, and I have been enjoying it immensely. It's like Joanie Mitchell meets Amy Winehouse. Below is the opening track, "Fire Escape" which sits well with me. The closing track is lovely, as is everything in between.

Diane Birch--"Fire Escape"

Covers: Hello Mary Lou

2010-01-31T10:49:00.003-05:00

Gene Pitney, who actually co-wrote the song (1960)

Ricky Nelson, who had the hit (1961)

Creedence Clearwater Revival (1972)

New Riders of the Purple Sage (1972)

Queen, live at Wembley (1986)

Open Mic/Professing

2010-01-30T00:42:00.004-05:00

Just mentioning a shout-out from Albany poet and Third Thursday Poetry Night MC Dan Wilcox. What's better than that is that one of my students was brave enough to read! Christine did a fine job in front of the mic.

You probably were not aware, but I've been entrusted with the education of great minds. Check out what the students of EGL 235: Intro. to Technical Writing had to say about resumes, CVs, cover letters, and life.

Digital Love

2010-01-27T15:32:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure this is my technological soul mate: Apple Introduces iPad

MASS MoCA & Sol LeWitt

2010-01-26T14:00:00.003-05:00

Sol LeWitt:A Wall Drawing Retrospective currently on display at MASS MoCA.

Science for Girls - "Fourteen Days"

2010-01-21T15:33:00.003-05:00

One of those songs I haul out to calm the winter doldrums.

Birdie

2010-01-12T11:51:00.001-05:00

Hello, Dolly!

2010-01-08T20:48:00.004-05:00

A new year means a fresh start. More writing, knitting, and attempts to color my world. I like to think that my impending relocation and new job will make 2010 a brighter year.

Now, Voyager

2009-12-14T15:42:00.007-05:00

289. The Untold Want

"The untold want, by life and land ne’er granted,
Now, Voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find."
-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

I am no longer sitting here, waiting for my life to start. It's in motion--all wheels turning, rivers flowing, infinite possibilities germinating. I cannot tell you how it scares me beyond belief to know that the future is unwritten, but the book is mine for the writing.

I'm slowly learning what it is to have courage, to be a brave being, to fight for what I want. I thought I was all zen when I would say things like, "If it is meant to be mine, it will come to me." However, there's a difference between harmony and passivity. I never fought for anyone or anything. Today, I'm putting up my hands. Ready to embrace. Ready to duke it out. Here I am to take the punches that will surely fall squarely on my chin. That's what going out into the world for the first grand adventure is all about.

This morning, I looked that girl in the mirror square in the eye and said, "This is it, kid. We're going to put on a brave face and walk out that door to face the world." I loved that girl in the mirror today. I will love her for all of my tomorrows.

For B.K., who inspired a "smart cookie" to rethink the green.

A Little Love for Billy Squier

2009-12-13T14:36:00.004-05:00

Billy Squier and MTV wish to remind you that "Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You" circa 1981.

I love Billy Squier, regardless of past indiscretions.

Some Things I Like

2009-12-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Jake Ryan's anatomy, Lloyd Dobler boomboxes, Molly Ringwald's hair color, Baudrillard's ideas of simulacra, Christian Slater's amazing receding/reappearing hairline, Uncle Jesse's sex appeal, Beach Boys studio chatter, vintage cocktail dresses, denim jackets, swinging from tree branches, musty books, walls of sound

Becky Lee Beck - "I Want A Beatle For Christmas"

2009-12-08T18:15:00.002-05:00

This little ditty is adorable after you get past the hideous organ. And if you're curious as to which Beatle I would like for Christmas, I'd put Mr. Harrison on my list.

Notes from the Margins of a Van Halen Commonplace from April 2007

2009-12-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

Do I want to be exclusive to the DLR years or is Van Hagar allowed?

Any way to tribute EVH guitar solos?

Can we reference cover songs or does that damage the integrity of the piece?

You and your damned celery.

Not really sure what was up with the plural pronoun in the third sentence. Racking my brain to figure out why I was driven to expletives over someone's celery.

Twist and Shout to a Jingle Bell Beat

2009-12-02T20:40:00.005-05:00

Rubber Band - "Jingle Bell Rock"

As I prepare for the first real snowfall of the year, and by that I mean that there is significant accumulation for making snow angels, I dust off some of my favorite holiday tracks. This one is by the Rubber Band, a Beatles cover band from Denmark who released a great holiday album, Christmas! The Beatmas, which reworks famous holiday tunes with Beatles instrumentals. It is fantastic, to say the least. Some other tracks will be appearing later in the month, but let's start off with this one, set to "Please, Please Me."

Priest Promotes

2009-11-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

Commercials made to promote the 1986 Judas Priest album, Turbo.

Infinity Guitars

2009-11-27T10:10:00.002-05:00

Sleigh Bells - "Infinity Guitars"

Discovered them via The Hype Machine feed. Easily made their way onto my iPod's running mix. Love the electronica meets garage rock feel. I will always be a garage rock girl.

Covers: The Locomotion

2009-11-15T13:20:00.005-05:00

Little Eva (live on Shindig)

The Chiffons

Grand Funk Railroad (live, 1974)

I recently learned that lead singer Mark Farner, he of the great jawline and sparkly guitar, writes Christian rock songs. Go figure.

Kylie Minogue

Monsterpiece Theater

2009-11-10T11:34:00.001-05:00

Happy 40th, Sesame Street!

Single Blessedness and Alcoholic Pianos

2009-11-04T21:17:00.005-05:00

Lately, I have observed more and more couplings amongst my friends, a phenomenon that tends to occur this time of year. I blame it on our northeast winters; they can take a toll on your soul, for certain. And as Bette Davis tells us, "bundling is a New England custom, both honored and revered." Or something along those lines.

However, as everyone's favorite "perpetual single" I tough it out alone with a little help from my good pal, Mr. Tom Waits.

How I adore all that "midnight howlin' at the moon" business. Of course, the logical follow-up to this would be a rousing rendition of "The Piano Has Been Drinking."

Marxist Dedication

2009-11-03T21:22:00.007-05:00

"This book was written in those long hours I spent waiting for my wife to get dressed to go out. And if she had never gotten dressed at all, this book would never have been written."

From 1963's Memoirs of a Mangy Lover by Groucho Marx.

Lots of highbrow reading here this week at Tabloid Mags.

Postmodern Fortune Cookie

2009-11-01T19:06:00.004-05:00

"The nearness of happiness always reawakens the anxiety of puberty."

From Fragments: Cool Memories III, 1990-1995 by my now-deceased French postmodern philosopher boyfriend, Jean Baudrillard.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

2009-10-31T10:15:00.005-04:00

The always-fantastic Dan Wilcox wrote a nice roundup of the shenanigans that occurred at Daniel Nester's Albany book launch party October 23. I happened to make a cameo, Benatar boots and all.

Speaking of which, if you haven't yet bought the Amazon top 100 seller in American humor, How To Be Inappropriate, I highly suggest you do so. You may just see my name in the credits.

Something's Fishy

2009-10-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

Letter for Adam, New York literati.

Floral Buttons

2009-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

Letter for Mills, Upstate Artist

With a Little Help from WCW

2009-10-26T10:31:00.003-04:00

Letter for Ashley, waitress extraordinaire.

Origami

2009-10-18T22:05:00.001-04:00

On the Radio

2009-10-16T14:01:00.002-04:00

I'm going to be doing some publicity work for my day job on the "Horse Talk" radio show this Saturday at 8 AM. If you're not still sleeping off Friday night, you can tune your radio dial to 99.1 FM or 1110 AM WTBQ if you're in the Hudson Valley or listen to the live stream online.

I believe there's a Q&A segment where listeners can call in and ask questions. You may even hear me "neigh."

Mason Jennings

2009-10-13T12:05:00.002-04:00

Dorm Room Door, October 2007

2009-10-09T20:30:00.002-04:00

I'm Ready For My Closeup, Mr. DeMille

2009-09-28T14:13:00.003-04:00

I'm one of the featured graduates on the College of St. Rose English Department Blog thanks to the wacky hijinks of Daniel Nester, author of the soon-to-be New York Times bestseller, How to be Inappropriate. Learn more than you'd care to about my day job and my alma mater here.

Violent Femmes

2009-09-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Because it's Friday, Gordon Gano is beautiful, and xylophone solos are underrated.

Violent Femmes - "Kiss Off"

Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone

Cannonball Adderley feat. Miles Davis - "Autumn Leaves"

2009-09-17T20:43:00.002-04:00

Bird & the Bee

2009-09-10T19:23:00.003-04:00

Let me just preface this by saying I really want to go shopping with Inara George. Or just raid her wardrobe. It would make my days quite lovely and whimsical.

"Polite Dance Song"

"I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" Yes, a Hall & Oates cover!

"How Deep Is Your Love?" Oh yes, a Bee Gees cover.

Summer Adventures

2009-09-06T22:43:00.002-04:00

Let's all hold hands and sing along:

As my astute shopping companion pointed out, Dan Ackroyd received top billing.

Cry for a Shadow

2009-09-06T20:37:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite Beatles songs, "Cry For a Shadow." Is it somewhat ironic that an instrumental is one of my favorites? I'm pretty jazzed about the remastered collection.

Lookin' For a Kiss

2009-07-16T21:05:00.004-04:00

Meant to post these a while ago, but with work and the usual I never found the time. Anyway, I went to see the one, the only New York Dolls and I, of course, had a blast! I think you'd have to be dead not to appreciate the beauty of David Johansen. Also rather noteworthy is the fact that I got to take my little sister. Seriously, one day she'll appreciate the fact that her first concert was the New York Dolls--probably when some cute college boy asks her.

Opening band was Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, who were fantastic!

Bueller? Bueller?

2009-07-16T20:47:00.002-04:00

Cameron Frye bewitched by George Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" to the Dream Academy's cover of The Smiths' "Please, Please, Please (Let Me Get What I Want)."

Go Bayside!

2009-06-09T20:50:00.002-04:00

Mark-Paul Gosselaar, you are my new [old] celebrity crush:

Found via Yahoo! TV Blog.

Fumo Blu

2009-05-26T21:18:00.002-04:00

Watched the cute little Italian film, Ginger and Cinnamon last week and at the very end of a relatively light, quiet movie, they break out into song:

Not only do they break into song, but they break the fourth wall! I still don't know what to think about it, but I know that I love it.

A live performance of the song, "Taratata" by Mina from a 1966 Italian variety show:

Bea Arthur : A Golden Girl

2009-05-03T16:34:00.003-04:00

Mourning the loss of the one and only, Bea Arthur. Bea is one classy dame and my idol. She will be missed.

Bea Arthur on "The Golden Girls"

Bea & Rock Hudson singing "Sniff, Swig, Puff"

Bea Arthur as Carrie Bradshaw in a "Sex & the City" parody

Happiness Will Be My Revenge

2009-04-21T21:30:00.002-04:00

Reading Yellow Stereo on my blogroll, I discovered that the ever-so-charming Jens Lekman has a new collaboration with The Sweptaways. Needless to say, I love it!

The Sweptaways with Jens Lekman "Happiness Will Be My Revenge"

Cover: "It Won't Be Long"

2009-04-19T10:15:00.003-04:00

The Quick tackle a staple of the Beatles' catalogue, "It Won't Be Long."

Guitar Love

2009-04-05T09:30:00.004-04:00

Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer chats with Jeff Baxter about his love for his guitar.

Arts & Crafts

2009-03-22T17:23:00.002-04:00

I make magnets from magazines, mostly music magazines. One of my favorites is a David Bowie mugshot (not pictured).

The streaks of purple are my knitting needles over the February issue of MOJO and some Charlotte Brontë novels.

Lavomatik Sessions

2009-03-18T20:57:00.003-04:00

I-Muzzik is a French company producing music videos of artists performing in various laundromats around Paris. Dubbed the Lavomatik Sessions, these videos are gems. Below are a few of my favorites. You can just smell the clean linens and fabric softener.

Eli "Paperboy" Reed - "It's Easier"

Ben Kweller - "Things I Like To Do" with a street cover of "Back in the U.S.S.R."

Vincent Vincent & the Villains - "Blue Boy"

Find your favorites at the I-Muzzik Youtube Channel

Tabloid Mags: Unraveled

2009-03-12T21:03:00.004-04:00

Signed up for Ravelry, which officially "outs" me as a knitter. I like to think of myself as Bea Arthur armed with a pair of size 8 purple aluminum needles and a biting wit.

If any of you are Ravelry members, say hello. My next project might just be a Cosby sweater.

Ringo, I Love You

2009-03-07T21:45:00.005-05:00

French & German darlings Stereo Total performing a live cover of "Ringo, I Love You":

The original, as performed by one Bonnie Jo Mason, better known as Cher:

Trailer for Six-String Samurai

2009-02-04T22:33:00.004-05:00

1998's Six-String Samurai is one of the best films I've seen in recent weeks. With a rock 'n roll/heavy metal showdown portrayed with characters resembling Buddy Holly and Slash as arch-rivals, how could this not be great?

Book Pocket

2009-01-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hot For 教師

2009-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Tokyo, Japan's very own Van Halen cover band, Van Heysan, performing "Hot For Teacher."

Cluster - Say Anything

2009-01-25T19:20:00.005-05:00

I'm probably one of the few people left who actually keeps the paper & pen journal. One of the many highlights is the ability to Mod Podge magazine clippings of Jim Morrison and Robert Plant onto the pages and wrap my words around them. So it comes as no surprise that I also use the pages of my journal for idea clusters. Below is a sample of such a cluster for my revisions on an essay regarding the 1989 teen classic, Say Anything.

In case you are curious, that is a heart next to Paul Westerberg's name and I did write "Jeremy Piven's hairplugs."

Peyton Place Trailer

2009-01-19T21:22:00.002-05:00

Theatrical trailer for the 1957 film, Peyton Place.

Aztec Camera Jumps!

2009-01-12T22:23:00.003-05:00

Aztec Camera transforms Van Halen's "Jump" into easy listening.

Patches

2008-12-29T22:20:00.006-05:00

Excerpts from a patchwork piece I'm attempting to compile.

1. I don't write words anymore. I sit and I knit and watch old films and provide critical analysis more thorough than anything I could have accomplished in graduate school.

2.I stopped checking my Facebook once I realized that everyone was light years ahead of me. Watching as friends who had not yet graduated continued to bask in the safety net of higher education. Watching those that have graduated go on to do noteworthy things. There is nothing noteworthy I can say about myself unless I want to count the lovely personalized rejection letters I've received from numerous publications (eight and holding).

3. I cut and crop and dye my hair a spectrum of colors on what seems to be a weekly basis. There are gaps, but I do not realize this since I have lost all concept of time.

4. Stuck in snowstorm traffic I hear Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" a total of seven times in an hour on various radio frequencies. All I can think of is that the sucker punch "Last Christmas" provides is more befitting of my season.

5. I get your text messages but I cannot bring myself to respond to them.

6. Reading Jane Eyre this winter allows me to indulge my melancholia. I debate whether I am Jane or the Madwoman in the Attic. Perhaps I am Rochester, a man so consumed by his physical desires that his house is engulfed in flames.

Mike Love's Jingle Bell Rock

2008-12-22T21:34:00.003-05:00

Mike Love's rendition of "Jingle Bell Rock" on Danish television circa 1983. The cinematography is truly cutting edge. And what artistic achievements in choreography!

Choose: Hall or Oates?

2008-12-03T21:06:00.002-05:00

"Jingle Bell Rock" with Darryl Hall on lead vocals

"Jingle Bell Rock" with John Oates on lead vocals

Breakin' and Poppin' with Alfonso Ribeiro

2008-11-25T20:29:00.003-05:00

Alfonso Ribeiro shows you how to bust a move in this classic infomercial for his book, Alfonso's Breakin' and Poppin' Book. It's totally at the top of my Christmas list this year.

I don't know why Alfonso didn't parlay more of his hip-hop moves into his dance sequences on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air:

Morgan Stewart's Coming Home

2008-11-17T21:54:00.003-05:00

Morgan Stewart's Coming Home (1987)

When Bowie Met Cher

2008-11-07T22:55:00.004-05:00

From The Cher Show Nov. 23, 1975. I think this has to be one of the most awkward medley sequences I've ever seen on a variety show.

Bowie looks dapper, but what is up with Cher's hair/wig?

Life Lessons From Chemistry Class

2008-11-05T18:59:00.001-05:00

Carol never wore her safety goggles.
Originally uploaded by E-Dubya

My sister could not wait to tell me about this poster. Frankly, it needs to be a t-shirt. Oh Carol...

David Lee Roth and Joan Rivers

2008-11-01T23:48:00.006-04:00

David Lee Roth's first appearance on The Late Show With Joan Rivers (link to YouTube video).

I'm pretty sure DLR raided Dorthy Zbornak's wardrobe for his second show.

Covers: "Little Trip To Heaven" by Tom Waits

2008-10-23T21:49:00.003-04:00

Fiona Fitzpatrick

Mugison is from Iceland. I am not very familiar with Iceland's music scene (who knew they had one?), but this guy is all right. I prefer this version of the video, but with embedding disabled, I'll settle for the movie tie-in.

Even in Blackouts

Kevin Costner: Country Music Star

2008-10-07T19:10:00.004-04:00

I listen to WDST on my morning commute, as they actually play music in-between their entertaining talk radio segments. This morning, they happened to be discussing the merits of Kevin Costner's new album. Merit being that, fortunately for Kevin, he didn't write this song. Unfortunately, he chose to sing it.

Kevin Costner & Modern West -- "Long Hot Night

Walk This Way?

2008-09-29T23:17:00.003-04:00

Original Aerosmith/Run DMC music video.

Dick Brave & The Backbeats (German)

British girl groups Girls Aloud and Sugababes