conspicuous consumption

volume 8/22

A lot going on this week. Let’s get right down to it.

READING

My brother-in-law Matt is a huge Vonnegut fan and we got to talking about him this week, which prompted me to take a trip the library. I haven’t read these books since I was in my early teens and I’m excited to dig into them again. I don’t really remember “Cat’s Cradle,” but I do remember thinking “Breakfast of Champions” was funny.

Jonathan Carroll - “Land of Laughs” and “Mr. Breakfast”

I read “Land of Laughs” a few years ago at the behest of my friend Kirk. It was strange and unsettling in all the best ways. Compelling, unique characters, completely unhinged plot, stellar writing all combine to make this an enjoyable if thought provoking work. I have never read “Mr. Breakfast” and picked it up because I enjoy Carroll’s writing.

Paul Neilan - “Apathy and Other Small Victories”

Another reread. This is one of the most delightful books I ever read. It’s quirky and riveting and the plot in this book is also unhinged! I’m starting to see a pattern here. I will probably dig into the one last among my library acquisitions because I want to savor it.

I am also still reading “Lo Fi” and “Long Island Compromise” from last week. I don’t know why I take out so many books at once.

LISTENING

Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

I resisted Chappell Roan for the past six months or so since she really blew up. I heard snippets of a few songs and decided it was Not For Me, and forgot about it. Yesterday, I saw a video of Chappell and Olivia Rodrigo, whom I adore, singing “Hot to Go” together at one of Olivia’s shows. It was the most joyous video I watched in a hot minute. They were having fun, the crowd was having fun, and *I* was having fun. I put on the Rise and Fall just for the hell of it and a strange thing happened: I listened to it about 15 times yesterday. It is a fun, lively, and superb pop album that has a hold on me. “Casual” is one of my favorite songs of the year. What a voice.

Foxing - “Hell 99”

Foxing is, at this point in time, my favorite band. I know, I have a lot of favorites. But no one is doing it like them. On this new single in advance of their September album release, they branch out into a form of music they came close to before. “Hell 99” is louder, faster, an screamier than anything they’ve one before. This is a band that puts themselves out there with every record, a real “I don’t give a fuck” band that takes chances and does whatever they want to do regardless of what might get popular. On “Hell 99” they go hard. This song makes me feel like driving head on into traffic and I mean that in the most complimentary of ways.

The Good Life - Album of the Year

How I discovered this 2004 album: I got a notice that the band Cursive is playing at a local venue. I decided I didn’t listen to enough Cursive songs to really know them. For some reason I ignored the band because I thought they were a Circa Survive clone. I have no idea where I got that from. Well, I listened to Cursive’s 2000 album Domestica and loved it (they sound nothing like Circa Survive), so I read about it and discovered that Tim Kasher - who made a song I listened to 100 times last year - was behind Cursive. About a hundred people on twitter then told me to listen to his earlier project, The Good Life. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever heard.

Devastating song warning:

WATCHING

Homicide - Life on the Street

On January 31, 1993, I was watching the Super Bowl alone in a hospital room after giving birth to my son Daniel the day before. The Bills were getting blown out by the Cowboys but I stuck around because I wanted to see the tv show they were premiering after the game. Well, the pilot for “Homicide” was one of the best things I had ever seen on television. The writing was crisp, the actors all amazing, the storylines compelling. I was immediately hooked and my enjoyment of the show made me forget that no one came to see me at the hospital that day because, Super Bowl.

I waited forever for this to be streaming. Apparently they had a hard time getting all the music rights and didn’t want to put it out there without the music intact. Well, they finally got that settled and the show started streaming on Peacock on the 19th. It is a stellar show and you should all make some time for the great Yaphet Kotto.

Other than that, I am watching the Yankees chase first place and frustrate me in the process.

PLAYING

This week marked the 35th anniversary of the Sega Genesis. The Genesis was a great console that had some of my favorite games. I played it a lot with my kids, which was fun until Daniel - at four years old - beat Sonic 2 before I did. Anyhow, I just so happen to have a Genesis and my four all time favorite Sega, so see you in a couple of weeks (after I get the adapter).

I have been stuck at level 705 of Candy Crush for a week and I refuse to pay for in-app purchases of power-ups that would help me, so I am just going to fold and quit the game cold turkey. Anyone have a good game I could play on my iPad for about half an hour each night to unwind?

And that’s a wrap on this week. My birthday weekend is coming up so next week I am hoping to have so “new” albums to share with you. Meanwhile, please enjoy Chappel Roan’s delightful NPR Tiny Desk concert.