I'm Hip, Daddy-O

Again With The Laughing

Did Someone Say Rock?

I'm embarrassed to admit that I somehow completely missed The Dickies. (My punk leanings are primarily of the New York and British flavors, not California.) But I recently watched a documentary about a tribute concert for Johnny Ramone in which The Dickies factored heavily, and I was prompted to go on a quest. Stukas Over Disneyland (1983) is the band's third release, lighter on the cartoon punk of their previous efforts, heavier on the power pop. Great fun, and worth a listen for the "Communication Breakdown" cover.

FTPROWYCO!

Am I literate or erudite yet?

Hours of sitting on planes and in hospitals the past week allowed me to indulge in five more books from the cursed list. I won't bother with thorough synopsis as I'd probably just crib 'em from Amazon anyway, but here are the titles I read and my brief comments and ranks.

The God of Small Things - Caste system, India, relatively short, won the Booker: A

Gabriel's Gift - The guy who wrote Buddha of Suburbia, funny, deals with music, pleasant ending: A

Henderson the Rain King - Saul Bellow, hilarious, almost Ignatius Reilly-worthy main character, Andrew would love it: A+

The Story of Lucy Gault - Trevor, 19th century-ish story, depressing as hell: B-

Schooling- Hard to read but adventurous prose style, too close to Catholic school girl angst I had to witness in real life, points for being different. B