It's Not Real if You Don't Feel It

I just walked past a car with a mother and her teenage son smiling and listening to a radio preacher at the same volume that guys with bazooka tubes blast hip-hop as they drive down my block. A half-block down the street, I could still hear him.

More Petulance on My Part

I'd like to review A-Trak's new mix, Infinity + 1, but I'm distracted by a voice that announces over the music, "You are listening to an advance of A-Trak's Infinity + 1." I'm not sure how regularly obscuring the sounds I'm supposed to be reviewing is supposed to help me review them, and there comes a point where I wait for the intruding voice and stop noticing the music. Of course, the announcement isn't there to help make sure I know what I'm listening to, but to keep me from bootlegging the album or sharing it without permission. But as a matter of principle, I won't review albums and artists that treat me as suspicious when I haven't given them any reason to do so. If I'm treated pre-emptively as the enemy, then I'll pass on that artist and review artists that wait until I do something wrong to treat me like a scumbag.

Beam Me Up?

Does every instrument Prince touches have to look like it first appeared in a Star Trek episode or movie?

A Public Service

The list of the final 27 contestants in the most recent 33 1/3 book proposal derby was announced yesterday, and thank God someone's finally writing about the Beatles, Stones and Dylan. It's about time someone shone a light on these underanalyzed phenomena.

To be fair, mine was one of the proposals that didn't make the final cut, and the procedure was completely civilized so I'm not grousing beyond the observation that it sure looks like music stopped with the '70s according to this list.

Do the Professor

After seeing Alejandro Escovedo play "Real as an Animal" with a horn section last Friday night in Austin, I've had the Saints' "Know Your Product" on my mind.

How Businesses Die

I have on my desk the book Battle of the Band Names by Burt Bull, and it is literally a book that lists band names. It's subtitle is "The Best and Worst Band Names Ever (and all the briliant, colorful, stupid ones in between." It's a list of band names with an art director who's gone wild. Someone published a list of band names. The Alarm Clocks - how wacky! Junior Murvin - those reggae guys must be high! Mojave 3 - is this some kind of joke?!

A Good Question

See here. And a similar question - why was Barack Obama referred to as Obama during the Democratic primary season but Hillary Clinton was referred to as Hillary?