Wow.

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[Via TBTL]

The blog wants what it wants

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I'm not going to lie to you – Emily and I were up all night listening to MJ records and drinkin' votka from the liquor cabinet (we are beer people, Emily and I, we don't generally hit the sauce, except in the rare instance of, say, a Captain's Tea). But there we were.

When the evening wound down we decided we wouldn't post anything today out of respect for Michael – but now I feel like it's kind of out of my system (currently in my system: 3 Advils, 12 fl. oz. of spicy hot V8, 3 cups of coffee, 1 piece wheat toast, 2 eggs sunny side up, 1 dash of bacon salt, 2 more dashes of bacon salt, votka). So having paid our respects to Michael in the only way we know how, we now return to our regular schedule.

Old records in my crib

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Is that a Swing Out Sister 45? Yes. Yes, it is.

Alright, here's the deal. When I started this blog, one of my major intentions was to digitize a ton of old records and post the mp3 files and album covers for your multi-sensory enjoyment.

This magical blue box converts analog vinyl recordings to mp3.

Obviously I've been slipping – I haven't posted any old stuff for quite awhile. There were a few big moves to contend with, and my records were in boxes for months, and then they weren't, but they were completely out of order. Chaos and darkness reigned.

Thankfully, it was just a phase. Now everything's filed on these beautiful shelves my dad made for our apartment, and the whole system is up and running again. There will be no excuses going forward. The little blue box is back in effect, and I'll be posting old records again on the regular.

Hopefully I'll get around to mix tapes too at some point.

My plan is to fire up the converter every morning when Jeans and I do our daily calisthenics on the floor of the record room (say what you will about us, but our multi-tasking skills are unflameable).

Jeans' idea of a workout is making himself look as cute as possible so that everyone will stop what they're doing and pet him. My idea of a workout is...let's just say I still look like Burl Ives.
But I carry on.

To kick off this new mp3 extravaganza I thought I would post a small selection of the rest of the records I found on our cross-country roadtrip last fall. I stopped posting records after Bozeman for no particular reason (I'm sure you noticed...) but I know America needs closure, so without further ado, here's a selection of what I hauled out of Missoula, Moscow, and Palouse.

Brother Jack McDuff Oblighetto mp3

Those two are both solid records, but I mostly just got them for the covers – so fresh.

Some good ol' soundtracks. I love my soundtracks.
André Previn Executive Party Dance mp3 from the Rollerball OST

I never had this on vinyl.

While we're admitting stuff, hey, I kind of liked "I Can't Think About Dancing" when it came out. Not as much as their first album, which deserves its own post, but still.

The Standells Black Hearted Woman mp3

I meant to digitize some of these and haven't gotten to it, oops.

Aorta Ode To Missy Mztsfpklk mp3
(listen to the ending at your own psychic peril)

A classic in my house when I was a kid.
Ellen McIlwaine Can't Find My Way Home mp3 (Steve Winwood cover)

El Chicano Viva Tirado mp3

This is just-okay psyche pop but I like the cover a lot.

This last one has a skip in it – a lot of my records are sort of scratched up, I have never been a stickler about buying the mintiest vinyl – but I believe Bob McGrath's lyrics explain why I'm posting them anyway.

Bob McGrath So It Doesn't Whistle mp3

Your Weekly Mr. Littlejeans

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Michael

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Rest in peace, Farrah Fawcett

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Farah Fawcett, 1976, in front of a blanket from the front seat of photographer Bruce McBroom's 1937 Chevy – an alternate image from the shoot that produced the classic poster. [artnet]

Read the New York Times obituary here.

Henry Mancini Charlie's Angels Theme Song mp3

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And now Michael Jackson? What a day.

The one that got away

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Nevertheless:
"Fashion's not about looking back,
it's always about looking forward."
–Anna Wintour

Everything you own in a little black case

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Andrew Wyeth Farm Road, 1979

Long-time Seattle art critic Regina Hackett takes a wider view of Andrew Wyeth:

Wyeth backed himself into a corner of a particular place rooted in land and family and painted his fear of the world. With a desperate and dry exactitude, he documented every inch of what mattered to him. He aimed for sentimentality but didn't get there.... Wyeth is the American version of Edvard Munch, literal where Munch is flowing but tapping into the same emotional territory. Wyeth's scream is that there is no scream. He's the painter of a vast suppression, what it took for him to pass for normal in the countryside.

I have to agree with that too, as inspirational as Wyeth's meticulous documentation of his surroundings has been to me.

Read the rest at Another Bouncing Ball.

The Place Where I Live

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A small but significant exhibition of previously unseen Andrew Wyeth paintings opens today at the Seattle Art Museum (alongside a way bigger show, Target Practice, which deserves several of its own posts). I thought I'd take the opportunity to post some images from this Wyeth book my parents had when I was a kid.

Andrew Wyeth (Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1968) with text by Life magazine reporter Richard Meryman

This massive book was, at least in my mind, one of the more valuable and special things we owned. I didn't get to look at it very often, so it always seemed new to me. In addition to just loving the color, the technique, the subjects and scenery, it was hugely influential in terms of thinking about fully exploring my immediate surroundings. Here are some select images from the book – click to enlarge.

"I think one's art goes as far and as deep as one's love goes. I see no reason for painting but that. If I have anything to offer, it is my emotional contact with the place where I live and the people I do." –Andrew Wyeth

Andrew Wyeth: Remembrance runs today through October 18th at the Seattle Art Museum.

Day to Day

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Miscellaneous recent photos:

Rude finger gestures from such a pristine lady.

Snoqualmie Falls. Way too crowded but still cool to see.

My buddy Jason at Big Green Egg-fest '09. That nugget on the toothpick is a little smokey and cream cheese in a half-jalapeño, wrapped in bacon.

My dad's truck in front of Oddfellows.

More of this guy.

There are a lot of little stickers, paste-ups, etc. around the world but for whatever reason I really like this character – if anyone knows who it is, let me know.

Emily at Greg Kucera Gallery yesterday (thank you for the reminder General Bonkers). Show closes Saturday – see it if you can, it's really good.

Rodriguez afternoon show at the Triple Door. (Hear it at KEXP.)

Everyone hates on crows because of their laid-back freegan lifestyle. I actually am kind of a fan – they're beautiful when you look at them up close. This one was taking a bath in a puddle of water near my office this morning.

More lil' smokies, these ones cooked in Manny's Pale Ale at Calamity Jane's in Georgetown.

Not to be all Eric Cartman and explain my photos or anything but I liked the red, green and yellow in this picture.

And I liked the greens in this one. The end.