Dear Every Person in the World

Please go to this page of this website.

Now figure out the puzzle and enjoy it at length.

Now write a note to yourself to listen as they play on my wee radio show on this fine radio station this Saturday night at 6:30, and never again ask why "Awesome" is obviously the finest band in the Americas.

PS
The new Christina Aguilera single is the song of the summer, if summers still have songs. I will now eat my hat. And her filthy underclothes, if they'll have me.

Love Without Anger

Here is a picture of me and Mark Mothersbaugh, founder of Devo, one of the best bands of ever, a band whose best work was good when I was a little kid and is even better now, one of the first "modern" pop groups I ever heard and liked and "got" and therefore forever thought about music in the context of, a band even my older step-brother and I could agree on. I interviewed him on-stage for a SIFF "Master Class" last week. It was cool. He was funny. He was smart. He was scatological. DId I mention he wrote the theme song to Pee-Wee's Playhouse? HELLO!?! Mark Motherfucking Mothersbaugh!!! And ME!!! Whoo-HOO!!! (Doesn't he look excited?)

I Climb You As I Grow Older

In case anyone was wondering, the Throwing Muses album University is a flawless masterpiece, one of the great unappreciated, seemingly forgotten classics of the last 10, no let's make it 20 years. My CD copy is in storage (all my CDs are in storage, except the comedy records, for some weird reason), so I bought it online (hey, MSN Music!) and have listened to it about 15 times in the last week. For a long time I was partial to The Real Ramona, which is probably still my sentimental favorite. But University fucking SLAYS. And it sounds so much more organic and raw than the other TM albums. In 1995, when I interviewed Kristin Hersh for the Glass Onion (the only time I ever got to say "STOP THE PRESSES" at an actual printing plant because I found out the production guy had changed the spelling of Kristin to Kristen and I refused to let it stand; spelling counts, yo), I just assumed that the world would line up to vaunt and glorify her obvious, manifest genius. It never happened. As the massive guitar throbs into the intro of "Start," as the band ramps up to the delirium of "Shimmer," as the harmonic lilt of "Crabtown" lulls me into blissful unconsciousness, I remain baffled.

What I'm saying is: Go dust off your copy and revel in its thunderous grandeur. What? You don't have one? Shame on you. They're on Amazon used for a buck and a quarter. That is simply wrong.

Things I Did On This, My 33rd Birthday

Ate thai food (chicken satay and cashew chicken) for lunch and dinner.
Worked a full day at work
Rehearsed Nilsson songs with the Nelson Sings Nilsson band
Rehearsed Cohen songs by myself
Spoke to my mother and stepfather
Debated calling my father
Thought better of it
Spoke to one of two younger brothers
Spoke to two of four step sisters
Considered infinity
Contemplated ending it all
Thought better of it
Ate a very small portion of ice cream and a few bites of brownie
Listened to the entirety of American Thighs by Veruca Salt
Considered the future of Harvey Danger
Discussed semi-extensive tour dates for Harvey Danger between August and December
Felt surprisingly optimistic
Spent 40 minutes with my closest friend
Felt indescribably sad
Self-googled
Bought unabridged versions of Lolita and Huckleberry Finn on CD
Rescued this blog from oblivion with the aid of a crappy design template
Drove by the bad store on 99
Made my bed
Failed to sleep in it

Thank You, Friends

wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you/i'm so grateful for all the things you help me do...

this is from the first of two harmonic convergences I made at/on Sasquatch. I sang on "16 Milit'ry Wives" with the Decemberists and "Crooked Teeth" with Death Cab, just like on the records.

It was real nice.