Notes From The Flip Side: 04.18.2004
You're Late.
I am late. I am very fucking late. This update was supposed to be done nearly a week ago. However, I have reasons why it was not done - prior commitments. Obligations. Illness. And so forth. I've been down with bronchitis. I'm working on changing ISPs because of the massive volume of spam I've been receiving lately. And I have to rebuild my system in the next few days due to a massive number of registry problems. There are times in life when things accumulate - this is one of them.
The Record Shop On Sunday Is A Kind Of Church For You.
I first wandered into Deadpan Alley in fall or winter of 2002. I don't remember the month or day, but I do remember that it was night and that I was new enough in town that I was worried about finding my way home - so much so that I printed out directions and a map.
I wandered in, figuring that I would just buy some records. Something on the order of four hours later, Jared had gone through the entire stock, figuring out what I liked and didn't like - and, more to the point, why I have those tastes. He spent the next several months making mix CDs for me, taking time to turn me on to new music. As a result, I can now appreciate bands like the Blood Brothers, Black Dice, Arab On Radar and a shitload of other artists that I never would have given a second chance before making his acquaintance.
In the last year and a half, I have lost count of how many records I bought at Deadpan.
And now the store has closed.
And I say to all of you who live in larger cities that you take these things for granted, that most of you do not properly appreciate what you have. The absence of an independent record store at the moment means that people like me have one less place to go, one less place where we don't feel out of place. And if you live in a small town, you know exactly what I mean. Keep your eyes peeled for a piece dealing with this subject.
While it's true that a new store will likely be opening, it is taking a concerted effort from a wide variety of people to make it happen and it is also taking a long time. I'm used to supporting a scene. Now that I see what actually goes into creating one, my respect for the people who paved the way and who carved scenes out by themselves is immeasurable.
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families
After the genocide of 800,000 Rwandans in 1994, Philip Gourevitch wrote a book titled "We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families" describing what happened - about the machetes, about the guns, the sticks, the sheer slaughter which occurred. And oddly enough, never again really doesn't seem to mean never again. It just seems to mean wait until next time.
Off The Top Of My Head ...
- A Softer World is one of the single most brilliant Web comics I've ever read. It's right up there with Get Your War On.
Now Playing:
Mr. Lif. Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros. Cradle Of Filth. The Tim Version. Hüsker Dü. Arab On Radar. Soiled Doves. Jay Farrar. Broadcast. Shadows Fall. Massive Attack. Postal Service. Shadows Fall. Death Cab For Cutie. Leatherface. Give Up The Ghost. Necronomitron. Mindflayer. Broadcast. Savath + Savalas. Superchinchillarescuemission. The Tim Version. Non-Prophets. Now It's Overhead. Vladislav Delay. God Forbid. The Kite-Eating Tree. Arab On Radar. Altaira. The Postal Service. Pernice Brothers. Air. Camera Obscura. Statistics. Daughters. Sex Positions. Underworld. Converge. Chromatics. Dntel. The Aluminum Group. Garageland. Angel Hair. Heroin. The Sick Lipstick. Atmosphere.
Now Watching:
"Intolerable Cruelty," "Baseketball," "Willow"
Just Finished:
Daniel Wallace, "Ray In Reverse"; Jonathan Carroll, "White Apples" and "The Wooden Sea"; Mike Davis, Kelly Mayhew and Jim Miller, "Under The Perfect Sun: The San Diego Tourists Never See"
Now Reading:
Paul Avrich, "Anarchist Portraits"; Bertrand Russell, "Why I Am Not A Christian"; Umberto Eco, "Island Of The Day Before"; Alan Lomax, "The Land Where The Blues Began"; Peter Guralnick, "Lost Highway" and "Sweet Soul Music"; Thomas Wolfe, "You Can't Go Home Again"; Steven Heller, "Graphic Design History" (edited with Georgette Ballance); Gunnar Swanson, ed., "Graphic Design And Reading"; Daniel Guerin, "No Gods No Masters"