The Meme-Mandated, Semi-Regularly-Updated, Occasionally Coherent Thoughts of G.M. Skarka
William Barton, author of Cthulhu By Gaslight sent me an email, saying that he thinks that Adamant’s Imperial Age products are “very well done,” and that he’s planning on putting them in the bibliography of a new edition of Gaslight.
OMGSQUEEEEE
Cthulhu By Gaslight was my favorite COC release in the history of EVER, and was a major touchstone for me in the late 80s. It’s one of the reasons that I do what I do.
Big selection this week, so here we go…..
First off, some smokin’ Sinatra/Michael Bublé/Robbie Williams/Harry Connick-esque swing-jazz….In German. Roger Cicero is a jazz singer from Deutschland who has, among other things, represented the country in the Eurovision song contest. Needless to say, The Minion is a big fan. As am I. Roger Cicero – “Zieh Die Schuh Aus.” (The title is “Take Those Shoes Off” — german lyrics are here. Use babelfish or summat to translate ’em, if you’re interested.)
Also in the realm of smokin’ cool is the opening theme music for the AMC TV series Mad Men, about Madison Avenue advertising men in the early 60s. Great show. The first season just ended, and a second has been given the go-ahead. This is the full version of the song from the opening — RJD2 – “A Beautiful Mine.”
Another new discovery — The Brooklyn band Yeasayer was a big hit at this year’s SXSW festival, and their debut album, All Our Cymbals was just released by Monitor Records. Some folks are calling them the second coming of Peter Gabriel and Roxy Music, which is kinda appropriate, but doesn’t grab it all. Yeasayer – “Sunrise.”
More new stuff. Plumerai is a Boston-based indie band, and this track has some serious James Bond theme TripHop action going on. Love it. Plumerai – “Illuminata.”
I’ve been a big fan of Suzanne Vega since her first album. I drifted away as her sound grew more and more polished and less NYC-art-folk, but her new album, Beauty & Crime, is a step back towards her roots. Suzanne Vega – “Zephyr & I.”
More new-ish stuff: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Anglo-French singer-songwriter, and daughter of Serge Gainsbourg (French poet/singer/actor/director/polymath) released her album 5:55 last year, but I’ve only just got around to listening to tracks from it. Wow. Check out this song — the word “ethereal” seems to do no justice. Charlotte Gainsbourg – “AF607105.”
New Old Stuff. Brilliant singer and real-life trainwreck Amy Winehouse has a cover version of the classic Johnny Nash tune, re-worked with a Reggae feel: Amy Winehouse – “Cupid.”
And, lastly, Old Stuff — I discovered Paul Weller during his Style Council days, and never really gave much of a listen to his earlier work with The Jam. Shocking, I know. I’ve been remedying that recently. The Jam – “Going Underground.”
There you go. Hope you like.
Yes, I saw that Stephen Colbert is “running” for president.
No, I don’t think it’s funny.
Jon Stewart and Colbert are both hillarious and smart, and I love the satire…..but I really I think they’ve become part of the problem overall.
For a certain age group, they’ve both become a surrogate for actually engaging at a political level more deeply, or treating it all as anything other than a cynical joke. That, to me, is just another form of self-involved, intellectual laziness: “Politics is ridiculous, Politicians are damaged liars, so let’s just treat it all like a big joke.”
The problem with that is that it breeds complacency. Cynical, I-really-know-better-and-aren’t-I-therefore-clever Complacency, but complacency nonetheless. We *have* to engage ourselves politically. If the Bush Administration has taught us nothing, its that the complacency of the public is what allows outrages to occur. Snarky comments and hi-minded chuckling makes us feel smarter, but it doesn’t improve our political process, nor does it have a hope for saving this country from the ignorant.
Because believe me, while you’re laughing, and trading video clips, and quoting zingers….. they’re organizing.