The Fray: Over My Head (Cable Car)
Deep, kind of melancholy, but with a beat. This and a strong cup of coffee might get you through the work day. Some really pretty stuff.
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June 30, 2006
June 28, 2006
Cassie: Me & U
For some reason, this type of music came into being in the ’80s and (sadly) never went of style. It’s machine-driven R&B, essentially soulless, with stock lyrics. Some record label puts it out, markets it massively, and people troop out obediently and purchase it. Go figure.
Download Cassie from ITunes (Warning: may cause brain damage)
June 27, 2006
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Dani California
It’s good to know that the Chili Peppers are still in shape — still putting out muscular rock grooves, still in fine spirit. No new territory explored here, but it’s sure to please the group’s rabid fan base.
June 26, 2006
Guess who's on the cover of Oprah's magazine this month?
You guessed it — it’s Oprah! In fact, Ms. Winfrey is on the cover of her magazine every month. Oprah in green, Oprah in earth tones, Oprah similing, Oprah laughing. Change is a constant in life, but one verity is truly eternal. On the cover of O magazine will be Oprah herself.
At the monthly staff meeting when they discuss the cover shot, I’m thinking that once every few years, a staffer — someone brand new, and young — suggests they put, say, Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover. The silence in the room must be deafening.
Afterward that staffer is taken out and transferred to the stenography pool, never to be heard from again. And then the meetings return to their timeless rhythm, as unvarying as the changing of the seasons…
Paris Hilton: Stars are Blind
I have to give credit to Paris Hilton. She knows everyone’s going to laugh at her for putting out a single. But she proceeds anyway.
To tell the truth, I like her. She presents herself as a vapid, spoiled rich girl, and (as far as we can tell) that’s what she is. There’s an odd honesty there.
Every generation needs an international party girl. In the 1930s we had Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton — nowhere near as fun as Paris. I think we got lucky with Ms. Hilton. She’s always good for laughs.
Download Paris from ITunes (but don’t let anyone know you did it)
June 25, 2006
Nelly Furtado: Loose
Whoops — it’s still more soulless, machine-driven, generic hip hop-esque noise. If you’re a music programmer for the Gap stores, playing this cut will give your retail outlets a hip feel. If you’re an actual human being, this is as nutritious as a glaze donut.
Rihanna: A Girl Like Me
She’d be a songstress in the sensitive singer-poet mode — if only she weren’t so incredibly over-produced. Still, there are moments of guilty pleasure if you’re willing to let your standards drop.
Download Rihanna from iTunes
June 24, 2006
Christina Aguilera: Ain't No Other Man
Oh, Christina: Britney still gets all the headlines, but you’re a much hipper, harder working pop-chick diva.
Deep? No way. But turn the tune on as your convertible whizzes down that always-sunny street.
Download Christina from iTunes
June 23, 2006
Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere
They call this music “alternative,” but that doesn’t sum up the airy beat and trippy vocals. The tune defies an easy pigeon hole - call it “pleasant stuff.” (Does everything need labels?)
Download Gnarls from iTunes
June 22, 2006
Shakira: "Hips Don't Lie"
If you want to know what the summer of 2006 sounds like, this is it: a hard-thumpin’ street beat, plenty of heat, and Shakira shaking her (musical) hips.
June 21, 2006
The War in Iraq: The Madness
Here’s an amazing fact: the war in Iraq costs the U.S. $5.6 billion a month. A billion, we know, is a thousand million. Think of it. Take a million dollar bill, burn it, then do that again, and again – and again – until you’ve burnt more than five thousand of ‘em. Then do that again next month. And next month, and next month…
Man, I know we’re an affluent nation, but we sure know how to spend it. (Oh, but we don’t have enough for student loans. We had to cut that program. Huh?)
I’ve always thought – and I’m sure this is a cockeyed plan, so pay no attention – that we’d be better off just buying some of these desperate countries we have misguided adventures in. How much can an acre of land in Iraq cost? At $5.6 billion a month for three years, we could have bought the entire country acre by acre by now.
But the serious question is: who’s responsible for our tragedy in Iraq, and why are those people still in power?
I Went to the Library!
Me, at the library? I know what you’re thinking: but James, you’re a bookstore man. Yes, it’s true, I spend plenty of time at the bookstore. But sometimes it’s nice to hand over a library card rather than a credit card.
Library people are my people. They’re really book people. They’re not as pretty as bookstore people – far from it, actually (sorry, library people). Library people are older, less affluent, not as well dressed. But they’re good, good people. They stand in line with armfuls of books. They have little cards in their wallets (library cards) whose sole purpose is to get them books. God bless the library people.
And then, invariably, every library has a sexy librarian. She may be young or old, it doesn’t matter – sexy librarians are timelessly sexy. Without fail, she drives a late model Volvo, she listens to NPR, and she watches indie movies. In the summer she wears big floppy hats. Oh, God, don’t we love the sexy librarians?
(Side note: this blog post will help me get listed in search engines for the term “sexy librarian.” Always a highly sought-after search term.)
June 10, 2006
Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth
Within the first few minutes of watching Al Gore’s documentary about global warming, it struck me: Al Gore can’t ever be president.
The passion, intelligence and lack of moral compromise he brings to An Inconvenient Truth make him the exact opposite of recent presidents. (Actually, I wish we could elect Gore or someone like him, but I’m not optimistic.)
Gore details the growing danger of global warming, accessibly but without dumbing it down. He ties together science and politics with moments of humor. The problem is imminent, he points out.
What I found most stirring was seeing a national leader who not only speaks the truth, but does so in a forward-looking, rational manner. Damn, this country would be much better off if we had a few more like him. An Inconvenient Truth is a “must see.”
June 05, 2006
Kerry Close Wins!
Congratulations to Kerry Close for her fantastic performance in winning the National Spelling Bee. I was very happy to see her hold the trophy aloft — she deserves it.
I got to know Kerry and her family because she’s one of the five spellers I profiled in American Bee. Her story is remarkable. She first earned a spot at Nationals at the tender age of 9, so this was the 13-year-old’s fifth year there. She kept her eye on the prize through each of those years, working month after month. She’s proof that intelligence combined with very hard work (and supportive parents) can achieve great things.
Way to go Kerry!