Sort of humbling to consider he was only ten years older than I am.
Very few people can say they truly changed the world. He did.
And, in the interest of providing actual content:
And this seems appropriate:
And here’s his commencement address to Standford University in 2005:
So I’ve been meaning to do some sort of comprehensive post on my love of obscure Shoegazer bands. But instead of one big post, I’ve decided to start parceling out little nuggets of Shoegazer goodness every Sunday.
If you’re unfamiliar with Shoegazer music, think of reverb-and-sustain-drenched guitars backing songs drifting between the poles of rock, pop, and ambient, with a little prog and psychedelia thrown in for good measure.
We start off with Slowdive, which is actually one of the least obscure shoegazer bands out there. I first heard “Catch the Breeze” on WHFS the one year I spent in the DC area. (Actually. WHFS was one of the few things that didn’t suck about living up there.) Later on I picked up Just for a Day, which I’ve always thought of as the definitive Shoegazer album. (I’ve never been able to get into My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, despite my best intentions. Maybe it’s the screechy, annoyingly high-pitched sounds scattered on many of the tracks. Or maybe it’s the sonic quality that sounds like someone recorded the entire thing in a bathtub on a Realistic cassette recorder after they’d dropped it down a stairwell a few times using factory-second Certron tapes.) Of the songs off that, “Primal” has long been my favorite, as it has a perfect, wistful descending chord progression at the start. But I haven’t found a good video for that.
Instead, here’s “Shine.” This is a pre-Just For a Day songs off one of their early EPs.
Interestingly enough, there’s another fine Shoegazer song called “Shine” (also not available as an embeddable video) from the short-lived band Lowsundays. I prefer the short version off the Projekt Spring 2001 Sampler.
I’ve only seen the first of these, but I do look forward to seeing the others.
This Case of the Overturned Garbage Can, that is.
A chipper-at-all-hours Kasey Lansdale, having no pity on us poor souls discomforted by having to get up at the crack of noon.
if we’re going to show Kasey, I suppose we should show her father, Joe R. Lansdale. I think he’s written a book or two.
Neal Barrett, Jr. “You working on anything right now, Neal?” “I’m a writer, I’m always working on something. That’s what writers do.”
Howard Waldrop, relieved that we only have to review Cowboys & Aliens once.
Rob Landley, the man who helped found both Penguincon and Linucon. And yet, somehow, he still walks among the living.
Paolo Bacigalupi, wondering just where that alligator might have gotten to.
Brad Denton, who foolishly exposed his skin to direct sunlight for almost 15 full seconds.
Martha Wells, reclining in the position usually reserved for her palanquin.
Elizabeth Moon’s expression shortly after hearing that she wouldn’t have spend three days being condescended and lectured to by dour, joyless feminists.
Jayme Lynn Blaschke, who’ had to cut back on his previously extravagant vest budget.
Kurt Baty towers over Lego creations. Deep in the night, he sneaks into his unfinished mansion to loom over them and shout “I’m the God! I’m the God!”
With his portable manual typewriter, Lou Antonelli may be taking his emulation of role-model Howard Waldrop a little too far…
Just one of the many, many martinis Scott Bobo drank that weekend, not all of which had Ed Scarborough looking on.
Scott, Ed and Dwight wait for dinner.
Dwight, Rich and Milton.
Little Chuckie, Emma Bull and Stina Leicht just before the Elizabeth Moon and Wiscon panel, more about which at a later date. No one was killed during the panel, which counts as a rousing success.
Ben Yalow and Emma Bull.
Matthew Bay, with beer and wearing a utility kilt, key clues for the police to piece together the horrific orbital belt sanding disaster that befell him moments later.
There used to be a picture here. Now there’s not.
Lovely con newbie Jamie Hott and here +5 Camera of Smiting.
Paolo attempts to re-enact the cover shoot from Peter Gabriel I.
The second of my blackmail photos of Mark Finn, this time cavorting with shameless married hussy Emma Bull.
The unsuspecting Will Shetterly sits next to his wife, none the wiser to the lascivious gyrations performed shortly before.
Oh yeah, baby! Finn and Dave Cake demonstrate that Fezes are TOTALLY coming back! It’s only a matter of time!
Brad offers Paolo the traditional SFWA Salute of Respect.
“I just ate what?”
Here serial cavorter Finns plys his oleaginous charm on the unsuspecting Jessica Reisman.
“Tonight the monkey dies!”
Kasey Lansdale reacts with calm, cool aplomb to Brad Denton missing a deadline.
This is what happens when you attempt to photograph the Tetragrammaton.
And finally (two base notes) in a world…where dinner can take three hours…one man…will drink…a martini!
Scary.
(Hat tip: Ace of Spades.)
Some YouTube videos I grabbed:
Removed the KVUE video embed because it’s farking up my page loads.
Keep safe…
10 PM Update: 25 homes lost in Steiner Ranch.
10:55 PM Update: Parts of Dripping Springs being told to evacuate.
More video, this time from the Southeast corner of the Griffith League Scout Ranch property near Lost Pines:
Also got an email back from Michael Moorcock, who says he’s OK, and that they haven’t been asked to evacuate yet.
If I were in Asheville, NC the weekend of October 28-30, I would totally go to Moogfest. In addition to Brian Eno, it’s a veritable feast of Prog Rock goodness, including Tangerine Dream, M83, and half of King Crimson in the form of the Adrian Belew Power Trio.
Since M83 may be unfamiliar to many readers, here’s them doing “We Own the Sky:”
You may remember me raving about Black Dynamite, Michael Jai White’s awesome parody of low-budget 70s Blaxpotation films.
You may be pleased to know that the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim is doing Black Dynamite: The Animated Series. Click on the link to see the pilot. The show itself is set to premiere in 2012.
