The Story Behind a Picture (2 of 3)

I found this article you should check out on the Smithsonian site telling the story behind this wonderful Eggleston photo. The documentary revealed a fascinating character in the photographer: at times a Gregory Peck-like gentleman, charming and noble, at others a hard-drinking, chainsmoking eccentric, both amazing and kind of pathetic. We also see Eggleston as a late night musician, playing the piano after much whiskey.

Why is it so exhilarating to find a connection between two things you love independently? My next discovery was a jaw-dropper..

William Eggleston (1 of 3)

It's not easy to talk about what makes an image interesting and involving, so I'll just say that William Eggleston's simply are. A documentary about him caught my eye last night because he lives in Memphis. The doc was no better than OK, but the barrage of his photos left me visually intoxicated. They're so simple, but utterly arresting. A quote of his was in the film, "The obvious is my enemy." His material wasn't the obvious, but it was contained in it. I went to the internets to see more, and did. Stayed tuned, this story is just beginning..

Team Fortress 2

Valve doesn't miss a trick. But they DO miss deadlines. This looks like mucho fun, if you don't mind getting your ass handed to you by a 13 year old.

Team Fortress 2 is supposed to hit the market in October, but they've been working on it for six years.

What's a girl to do?

Wicked cool video.

Buster Keaton

I'm sure by now you've seen the amazing Honda commercial "Cog." I read (on the internets, so it must be true) that it required over 600 takes. It made me think of the amazing stuff Keaton used to pull off, often stunts they had just 1 shot to get right, since they involved something being utterly and hilariously destroyed. This clip gathers many of his best.

Jackie Earle Haley News!

One of my pet obsessions used to be wondering whatever happened to Jackie Earle Haley, the little guy from The Bad News Bears and Breaking Away. I couldn't understand how he just disappeared when he was such an obvious talent. After toiling in obscurity for twenty-something years as a pizza delivery guy, a limousine chauffeur, and a security guard, Haley made an amazing comeback (including an Oscar nomination!) last year for his role as a somewhat sympathetic pedophile in Little Children.

Anyway, there's a rumor circulating today on the internets that he has been offered the role of Rorschach in Zack Snyder's Watchmen, which I mentioned to you bastards before. This is incredible news, and I hope he gets the part. Here's an article about said rumor.

Oh, and Entertainment Weekly has a pretty interesting article about Mr. Haley over here.

Google Analytics

Yo, bastards! I got bored last week and installed Google Analytics on the old blargh for shits & giggles. Whaaat? I hear you blankly asking your monitor as coffee dribbles down your chin.

"Google Analytics has been re-designed to help you learn even more about where your visitors come from and how they interact with your site."

Or don't, as the case may be. Yes, our suspicions have been confirmed - it's just us, which is good. Just so you have a greater appreciation for what I've done, GA used to cost $500.00 a month. It's free now, and incredibly powerful; the level of granularity is staggering. Unfortunately for us, it's like killing two copulating flies with a howitzer.

Lurker, send me your gmail address and I'll add you as an admin. You other guys are SOL.

Fellow Fathers, Today Is Our Day

All of you who have passed on your bastard genes, Happy Father's Day! (I make a motion that we allow Dave to join the festivities, since he has fathered several bands, good lads all.) Hope you're all grilling dead animals and getting your daily bread from a can today.

North to Alaska

On Wednesday, our Summer Tour of Weddings begins with our sojourn to Homer, Alaska (located along the Kenai Peninsula, above, and also hometown of Jay's favorite poetess, Jewell). There I will be the officiant at the wedding of Mike Werts, longtime collaborator and would-be Bastard. Following, we will go to Spokane to be met by Caroline's parents and sister for a Meeting of the Tribes. We'll return to Durham on July 2. I will probably only be able to post sporadically during this time (do they even have the "Internet" in Alaska?). In the very likely event that I am mauled by a bear, overrun by a slowly creeping glacier, trampled by a moose, or kidnapped onto a Russian whaling/vodka boat, it has been a pleasure serving with you.

Viva I Papi!

Sweet Hey-zeus, it just doesn't get any better than this. God bless the day Jaime intro'd me to the Smoking Popes! (and damn, what a drummer!)

Cracker Barrel Announces Plans To Build Another One Out By The Highway

This just in from The Onion.

Verkligen stor sång!

Not a bad pop song, ya?

Firefly, Sopranos

So, I'm currently hung up on the short-lived but much-loved Fox sci-fi series of 2002 Firefly, on DVD. The last time I binged on a TV show like this was the Sopranos a couple of years back. (OK, wait, there was The Boondocks, too.) Firefly is great. With 90 minute episodes, it's almost like watching a series of actual movies, but with this natural caveat: it feels episodic. You know? New episode, new crises, good guys win and everyone's still on Gilligan's Isle when it's over. But it has made me realize that something very otherwise was going on with the Sopranos: that series always seemed to be charging towards some ultimate resolution. I'm not really a TV watcher, but it seems to me like that's what they did better than everyone else: made you feel, episode after episode, that the shit was finally about to hit the fan once and for all. They stayed in the third act, climaxing and climaxing. You can't watch the episodes randomly, because they're always a tedious argument of insidious intent, leading you to an overwhelming question. At least that's how it seems to me, at 11:31 on Thursday. Can't wait till the final season hits DVD.

End Of An Ear

I saw the Hold Steady this weekend. I guess that will be my last big Austin schow. Definitely a great one to go out on. I also took the kiddies to see Dan Zanes and friends (including Barbara Brousal), which cost me an arm and a leg, but was a lot of fun.

We load the truck tomorrow, and it's off to Fla and a few days on the beach, so you won't be hearing much from me for awhile.

Maybe This Explains Dave's Recent Absence?

Hated Blogger Leaves U.S., Threatens Lawsuits

Stax on the rebound?

Ran across this article this morning. Too lengthy to recopy here, but follow the link to some interesting reading about Stax, its new owners, and plans for the future.

Tom Snyder Propositions ... Ace Frehley?

You'll notice Gene isn't amused.

...

Who Do Ya Use?

I'm running down the minutes on my Tracfone (aka The Ghetto Phone), and I'm casting about for a new cellphone service provider for the wife and myself. My place of employment gets me a 20% discount on most of the big guys, and it appears that the cost will be about the same no matter who I choose. I'm just looking for solid, reliable service, and at the moment, I'm leaning towards ATT (formerly Cingular).

Thoughts?

Achtung, Audiophiles!

I found this freaking cool software yesterday that converts old LPs, 45s, and cassettes to MP3s. After converting, you have the option of applying filters that can auto EQ and/or remove pops and crackles from vinyl (and hiss from tapes). In the trial version, you get three transfers; if you decide to buy, it's $34.95. At every step, you have the option of letting the software automate everything - setting recording levels, splitting tracks - and it even comes with tutorials that will help you assemble your recording equipment if you're an absolute beginner.

I've been dabbling with this archiving thing for the past few years, and this is the first time I've been totally happy with the results. I'm still learning when to EQ and when not to EQ, but here are some examples of my experiments with "before" and "afters" for comparison. (Audacity is decent freeware; MusicMatch was too, until Yahoo bought it and totally fucked it up.)

Public Image Ltd. - "Bags"
(Audacity)
(Acoustica Spin It Again)

Alice Cooper - "No More Mister Nice Guy"
(MusicMatch? Can't remember)
(Acoustica Spin It Again)

Learn more about Acoustica Spin It Again.