PMCG - thePhoenix, S@N, FNX

Faraone in Montreal, Day 4: Swinging Like Tarzan

Chris Faraone — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:26:00 GMT

[While the rest of the staff is busy duncecapping-and-kazooing its way through the usual July 4 activities, Phoenix rap critic Chris Faraone has left the country and is doing lots of drugs. We rejoin him at Montreal's Jazz Fest, already in progress.]

GZA's Liquid Swords: drunk, or just human?

MONTREAL -- I must have sniffed a kilometer of blow last night. Not really, but isn’t that funny? Get it – they have the metric system up here, which, from what I can tell, is the only disadvantage about Canada. Everything else is better in Montreal; you can smoke weed and drink in public, the women are way hotter, people are hella nicer, and the cops are so cool that Canadian rappers don’t even rhyme about killing them.

Since I’m not sure where to begin, I’ll move chronologically. Right after filing my dispatch yesterday I had a drink with Mitch Myers, the acclaimed author of The Boy Who Cried Freebird, a National Public Radio correspondent, and, most importantly, a part-time columnist for High Times. Meeting Mitch was not just an honor, but also a reminder as to how little I know; I understand French better than I understood his jazz talk. If I’m ever going to start actually writing about music instead of just commenting on how wasted I get all day, I’ll have to keep hanging out with guys like him.

They have a term around here for people who wear credential leashes when they’re outside of Jazz Fest: “assholes.” I don’t care though; I like rocking things around my neck, and since I can’t afford an icy rope chain, festival passes work fine. Yesterday, however, I removed it at my friend Adam’s request when we went for smoked brisket at the world famous Schwartz’s Deli.

While at first I wasn’t excited about sitting Benihana-style at Schwartz’s, we turned out to have a good crew. To my left was an old-school black gentleman who was visiting his friend and hitting all the outdoor shows; like most jazz heads I’ve met up here, he was simply elated to be around so much soul. To my right there was a cool ass DJ duo from Toronto called the Ill Kidz who I’m going to watch spin at some uber-bourgeois club tonight.

Montreal is the most authentically hip-hop city that I’ve ever been to. Walls everywhere are decked with serious graf murals; there are record stores on every other block (corporate and non-corporate); and – get this – yesterday I saw a group of twenty kids breaking on the sidewalk. Let’s face it: New York belongs to racist wealthy yuppie scumbags and tasteless hipster phonies. Boom-bap might have started there, but it’s hard to call Gotham hip-hop’s home when twits like JR Writer claim Harlem and the NYPD has a task force specifically charged with exterminating rap culture. Hip-hop can’t breathe in a lot of U.S. cities, which is why it’s only natural that it flourishes in places where people are less ignorant, more open-minded, and, to put it bluntly, less bigoted.

Nowhere was Montreal’s passion for hip-hop more evident than at last night’s RZA and GZA show at Metropolis. The spirit went way beyond the hundreds of Wu-Tang t-shirts, many of which, I should note, looked new, unlike the ratty ones from the Wu-Wear days that all my fellow lowlife Massholes break out at the annual Clan show in Worcester. People are still extremely into Wu-Tang here; most were familiar with tracks from the RZA album that dropped last week.

Not all was peachy though. Before RZA took the stage, and before GZA performed “Liquid Swords” from front to back, we had to sit through one of the most excruciating sets in the history of live music. The group, Stone Mecca, which later backed RZA more than competently, straight up sucked on its own. They call it neo-soul; I call it junk-ola. Canadians are truly sweet people; had they tried this shit at a Wu-Tang show below the border, they’d have been booed back to Los Angeles.

I wasn’t the only one disgusted; one of the soundmen told me that GZA refused to come out before the DJ re-warmed the crowd. Actually I’m lying; the soundman told the Narcysist, the MC from the legendary Montreal rap group Euphrates, and the Narcysist told me. I have to plug my boy here; watching Narcy in the club was like watching that scene in Coming To America where they’re at the St. John’s game and the two janitors recognize that Eddie Murphy is royalty: “Just some people who I met in the bathroom.” Narcy has that effect on people. And while I’m slinging Eddie references, the band I would most compare Stone Mecca to is Sexual Chocolate.

I’m not certain what the announcer said since it was in French, but all I heard was “Liquid Swords,” which, coincidentally, were the only two words that I needed to hear. After DJ Mathematics lit the flame with some Mobb Deep cuts and Big Pun and Fat Joe’s “Twinz” (you know – over Dre’s “Deep Cover” beat – the song that proves East Coast hip-hop’s superiority over West Coast flavor), GZA strolled out wearing one of his trademark neon polos.

The rest of this dispatch is dedicated to my Wu-Tang Wednesday people at Tommy Doyle’s in Harvard Square. I see you. Although everyone knew that GZA was going to kick Liquid Swords in its entirety, it was still infinitely exciting when that scary little girl’s voice from the intro came on. If you had two hands, they were high up in the air forming an almighty “W.”

GZA: Liquid Swords live at Montreal Jazz Fest

Around track three GZA began forgetting some lyrics; but while word around the venue was that he was drunk, I think he was just human. This didn’t bother me at all; for one, as he told the crowd: “That’s what y’all are here for;” and for two, it made me feel less guilty about not remembering every intro, rhyme and hook. Nobody in the crowd seemed to give a shit either; instead we formed like Voltron to help our boy get through.

The only disappointment in GZA’s set was that RZA, who was presumably backstage, didn’t come out for his verse on “4th Chamber.” They ended up dropping it together two hours later at the end of RZA’s set, but I kind of wanted it in the moment. Other than that, shit was hectic; in a few weeks I get to see GZA do Liquid Swords at the much more intimate Harpers Ferry in Boston, and if Montreal was any indication …you didn’t really think I was going to set up a sentence with that cheap tabloid cliché – did you?

When you have plans to hit a Wu-Tang show, you should never have afterparty plans. They’re always going to be late, and they’re always going to dig deep into their catalogues and spit until the roof rots. For the start of his hour-and-a-half long set, RZA opened with “Long Time Coming” off his new Digi Snacks, which I recommend to anyone who’s ever dug a Wu-Tang album, which I’m imagining is you if you’re still reading this.

Marching through his new disc, RZA, with the help from a semi-redeemed Stone Mecca, crushed “Don’t Be Afraid To Call My Name.” The band’s translation of the title track, Digi Snacks, was also raw; of the new joints, the only one that blew was “Straight Off The Block,” a horrendous David Banner-produced creative fart that should be axed for the second Digi Snacks pressing.

RZA: "Don't Be Afraid To Call My Nam" live at Montreal Jazz Fest

And then RZA dipped into all the dope songs off his solo albums that American fans for the most part wouldn’t know, but that heads up here screamed along to. From “It Must Be Bobby” to “We Roll” to the heartwarming “Grits,” the bullets just came tearing through the barrel. I tried imagining the perfect way to illustrate the collective emotion that ensued when he segued into “1-800 Suicide,” “Tearz” and “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ Ta Fuck Wit,” but instead I think I’ll just jizz on my keyboard.

This show alone was worth the trip up here; I don’t have to be nostalgic about hip-hop’s heyday in Montreal – I’m walking around in it right now. Just one thing – and this goes not just for Wu-Tang, but to all black rappers with predominately white fan bases: Please don’t do call-and-response numbers that require the crowd to say “nigga.” We’re not allowed to say it in the company of black people, so it makes things extremely uncomfortable.

Being a music critic is ironic; you’re the only one who doesn’t have to pay for tickets, but you’re also the only one who gets to print your complaints. For some reason, that dynamic often makes me feel guilty about enjoying myself at work. But from now on – or at least this weekend – I’ll be living out the mantra that RZA left the crowd with to commemorate the Ol’ Dirty Bastard: “If you are not having a good time, then you are wasting your time.” Word to all of that.

Obama's Fourth: Cox in Butte action (VIDEO!)

Carly Carioli — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:50:00 GMT

Nothing to see here: just Barack Obama and the fam enjoying a leisurely Fourth of July out in Montana.

In Butte, actually. Hmm. And then inexplicably a truck marked "Cox" rolls by.

Is this dude fucking with us?

(Equally inexplicable: the horrible cover band playing "Sweet Home Alabama." Dude, you're in Montana!)

Happy Independence Day

Ian Donnis — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:10:00 GMT

The Countdown [THURSDAY – 7/3]

Paul Driscoll — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:49:00 GMT

[# 5] Beck - Gamma Ray

[# 4] Alkaline Trio - Help Me

[# 3] Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You

[# 2] M.I.A. - Paper Planes

[# 1] Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Listen to The Countdown weeknights @ 9 on Alter-Ego!

CLICK HERE to see the full FNX Playlist!

Outtakes: the 50 states slideshow

Caitlin E. Curran — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:30:00 GMT

Having a rock archivist like David Bieber in the office means you always say yes whenever he offers to let you dig through his stuff. During the past few weeks of hunting through autographed Beach Boys albums, signed Talking Heads photos, Springsteen box sets, and invitations to join Michael Jackson's fan club, it was easy to get distracted by the awesomeness of it all. Unfortunately, some items did not make the final cut. Thus, we present to you the outtakes from the slideshow that accompanied this week's 50 Bands, 50 States feature.

Too bad the response date for Sly Stone's wedding passed 34 years ago. We were all ready to pull out our finest gold threads, yo! Also too bad that Sly and his Family Stone didn't make our final list.

The Beatles didn't make our list for obvious reasons - although we can't think of many people better associated with the city of New York than John Lennon. We couldn't resist this sorta doodled, definitely cool illustration from a 1976 copy of the Phoenix.

We admit it - we just plain old overlooked this signed Violent Femmes album. The Femmes were our pick for all-time best Wisconsin band.

More signed wackiness from the Violent Femmes. For the for realz slideshow, click here.

More: 50 Bands, 50 States

Mass. outpaces RI on renewables

Ian Donnis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:48:00 GMT

The gov's office released this optimistic statement earlier this week:

Governor’s Renewable Energy Plan Gains Momentum

Funding Approved for SAMP

Governor Donald L. Carcieri today announced that the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund Board of Trustees approved funding for the development of a Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) covering Rhode Island’s offshore waters, executed by a joint partnership between the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and the University of Rhode Island (URI). URI will provide data to the CRMC, who will execute the regulatory framework of the SAMP.

“The SAMP will expedite the permitting of an offshore wind farm capable of supplying 15% of Rhode Island’s electric energy usage, fulfilling my goal to reduce the State’s dependence on fossil fuels and foreign sources of oil and natural gas,” declared Governor Carcieri.

Yet this story, which tops today's Boston Globe Web site, seems a lot more significant:

Governor Deval Patrick signed a landmark energy bill yesterday that does away with long-standing obstacles to building renewable power projects in Massachusetts and making homes and businesses more energy efficient.

The Green Communities Act was hailed by environmentalists as among the most innovative efforts in the nation to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to encourage use of clean technologies that don't contribute to global warming.

The law will probably result in utilities' designing customized plans for homeowners and businesses to cut energy costs and providing rebates to pay for measures such as installing insulating windows and more efficient boilers. Homeowners and businesses will be able to rent solar panels from utilities to avoid expensive up-front costs, and the law makes it easier for homeowners who have installed wind turbines or solar panels to sell surplus energy.

Supporters said the new law could save hundreds of millions of dollars through energy efficiency, helping to hold down consumers' electric bills as energy prices are skyrocketing.

Back in RI, it remains a struggle to move forward, as I write in this week's Phoenix.

Back in March, Allco Renewable Energy of New York announced plans to build a solar farm in ~~Johnston~~ Coventry — the first large-scale renewable project in Rhode Island — raising the prospect of much-needed jobs and investment. As described, it would be the largest such venture east of the Mississippi, and the location, a former Superfund site, would generate at least $200,000 annually for the town.
Last Friday, though, Governor Donald L. Carcieri vetoed the related legislation, objecting to a three percent bonus — “unnecessary and unearned,” he calls it — that National Grid would receive for buying renewable energy. In his veto message, the governor also noted that the bill does not require projects funded by Ocean State ratepayers to be located in Rhode Island.
Carcieri also called a guaranteed set-aside for solar energy projects “perhaps the most troubling provision of this legislation . . . The requirement to mandate 5MW [megawatts] of solar energy could cost ratepayers tens of millions of dollars more than other sources of renewable energy, not even accounting for the three percent bonus to the local distribution company. The General Assembly should not impose such an onerous burden on the hundreds of thousands of Rhode Island ratepayers by including this provision in this piece of legislation.

Proponents of the bill — who were taken by surprise by the veto, considering how Andrew Dzykewicz, the governor’s energy adviser, had testified in favor of the measure — see the situation very differently.

Bill Fischer, a spokesman for Allco Renewable Energy, calls subsidies a necessary part of moving forward state-based efforts for renewable energy, and Rhode Island stands to be left behind, he says, in the region. Fischer points to efforts in Connecticut, where that state is offering $70 million in solar rebates over the next two years, and in Massachusetts, when Governor Deval Patrick recently announced the opening of a solar manufacturing plant in Westboro that is expected to create 375 jobs.

“This was well thought-out legislation that would have created renewable energy projects in Rhode Island and, more importantly, the beginnings of a green job sector,” Fischer says. “Developers do not want to go into states that are hostile toward renewable development or states that don’t have sufficient laws on their books embracing development. Carcieri’s veto set Rhode Island back.”

What about McCain's mental health?

Caitlin E. Curran — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:57:00 GMT

Don't jangle those keys!

In this week's Providence Phoenix, liberal scribe Mary Ann Sorrentino (a favorite amongst the Phoenix web staffers) writes an excellent piece voicing concerns about John McCain's mental health. From the piece:

"Much has been said about the government’s failure to provide veterans with the medical help they need. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that only 23 percent to 40 percent of soldiers suffering from PTSD seek help because of the stigma the military attaches to psychiatric treatment.

In John McCain: An American Odyssey (Free Press, 2007) author Robert Timberg (who knows, the candidate has said, “more about me than I do”) calls McCain’s legendary rages “out of all proportion to the provocation.” He has also cited the sound of jangling keys as a trigger for McCain’s POW-related nightmares.

Columnist Sidney Blumenthal has quoted McCain as calling colleagues “asshole” and “fucking jerk” on the Senate floor. Even if this were considered “normal” behavior, it would be difficult to classify it as “presidential.”

As with Hillary Clinton’s red telephone commercial, all this raises a question: if the call comes at 3 am, do voters want the awakened president to be prone to disproportionate rages or trauma associated with jangling keys?"

Yikes. In case you're in Boston, and thus have no access to the fine writings of our friends down south(ish), you can read the rest here.

Carcieri rescheduled for O'Reilly

Ian Donnis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:27:00 GMT

From the gov's office:

Governor Donald L. Carcieri will be taping a brief interview on Monday, July 7, 2008 with Bill O'Reilly of Fox network's O'Reilly Factor, for broadcast later that evening. The topic of the conversation will be the Governor's Executive Order on illegal immigration, which was issued on March 27, 2008. The interview is expected to air at 8:00 p.m. EST and 11:00 p.m. EST Monday night.

VIDEO: Beth Orton live at the MFA

webteam — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:05:00 GMT

VIDEO: Beth Orton, "Someone's Daughter"

Last night marked Beth Orton's first performance on her first tour in a long, long time. And she was missed: both her early and late performances at the Museum of Fine Arts on Thursday were completely sold out, and nobody seeemd to mind that the mid-afternoon thunderstorms force the show indoors. Orton played a career-spanning set that included a Karen Dalton cover which we may try to post later. In the meantime, watch the clip above of last night's rendition of "Someone's Daughter" off her mid-90s breakthrough Trailer Park, and check out our slideshow of photos from the show by Carina Mastrocola.

Still don't get how bad Bush is?

Jeff Inglis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:58:00 GMT

In case you answered the above question "Yes," there's an event (two, actually - or one, twice - or something) I'd like to tell you about. The "Bush Legacy Tour" is in Maine for the next couple of days. It's a biodiesel-powered bus operated by Americans United for Change (a 501(c)4 tax-exempt non-profit issue-lobbying organization largely funded by organized labor and based in Washington DC), with onboard exhibits to draw attention to, well, Bush's legacy.

"This is not a personal think about Bush," says Jeremy Funk, AUFC's main press guy. "It's about the failed conservative policies that he represents."

The exhibits, which are also available online, address various aspects of Bush's policies, including economic problems, the Iraq war, and education.

One exhibit, for example, includes a discussion of the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, with the context of conservatives' attitude that government is the problem and should be small. Given that sentiment, when faced with a major disaster, "is it any wonderthat they just didn't know what to do?" Funk asks.

The overall goal, he says, is "to drive a stake in conservative ideology as a governing philosophy once and for all." It's coming to Maine to draw attention to the close ties our US senators have to the Bush administration (hey, don't forget about the close ties one of our US reps has, too!).

It was in Brewer this morning, and will be there again tomorrow, at the Eastern Maine Labor Council's July Fourth celebration at 20 Ivers Street.

Then it'll come down to Portland, and will be in town from 10 am to 12:30 pm. There is no fixed location for it to be, and it will likely be stopping at the TV stations and perhaps the office of the Portland Press Herald (if anyone's actually there), so journalists can see it and perhaps write or tape stories about it, Funk says. (Yes, this is different from the schedule on the bus's Web site. Plans have changed - this is the right info.)

If you want to see the bus or its exhibits, Funk suggests calling Julie Blust, who is traveling on the bus, on her cell phone at 202.340.4744 and arranging a place and time to meet up with it.

When Laffey met Buddy

Ian Donnis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:50:00 GMT

Someeone heard that Steve Laffey was seen breaking bread at Fleming's a few weeks back with Buddy Cianci and Joe Paolino.

Buddy (on whose radio show I am an occasional guest) yesterday told me that, as he recalls it, the chat took place during "Meatball Mondays," one of the weekly events held at former aide Artin Coloian's Sidebar bar & grill.

He happened to stop in there. We didn't talk much about the governorship. We talked about being mayor. We exchanged mayor stories [with John Lombardi, a former interim Providence mayor, also in the house] ... It was a social event. Steve Laffey, he's very opinionated, and at least he has a theory and a philosophy. And he's a Republican, and I think he can get the Republican nomination, if he wants it. The question is, can he win [the governor's office]? And anyone can win in Rhode Island. We don't know what's going to happen with this economy, and that is a big question. I think he's a formidable candidate. I think he's a guy who can lead the Republican Party. Whether he can win or not is another story.

I asked Buddy to handicap a 2010 gubernatorial race featuring Laffey, Linc Chafee as an independent, and some Democrat, such as Frank Caprio, who seems to be the favored son of Rhode Island's Italian-American political establishment. (For an update on David Cicilline's possible gubernatorial aspirations, check next week's Phoenix.)

I think Caprio wins that, if he's the Democrat, and he gets the support of the Democratic Party. He fits that mold I was telling you about, not close to the unions. He's south of Division Street, Harvard graduate, clean cut, strong political family.

Chafee running as an independent has a problem. There are three ingredients you need in order to win as an independent, because I've done it three times, four times. Number one, you need strong name recognition; Chafee has that. Number two, you need money; I imagine his wife [Stephanie] has got a lot of money, so they could put it in if they were so inclined to. Could they raise money otuside of their own? Yes, but I don't think it would be phenomenal. Number three, you need something to make an independent candidacy work, and that is an organization. And that he does not have.

Does he have any charisma? Not necessarily. Is he going to walk into a restaurant, or is going to walk into a hall, and everyone's going to yell and scream? Not necessarily true . . . He better think twice about running. I think if he runs as a third-party candidate, he ensures Caprio's victory. So if I were Frank Caprio, I'd be praying for him to run.

Chafee, IMHO, would be a strong gubernatorial candidate and assembling an organization would not be particularly difficult for him.

And considering how even six months can be an eternity in politics, it remains to be seen which of any number of Dems will lead the party in 2010.

Rays are the new monsters of baseball

Ian Donnis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:43:00 GMT

As dispiriting as the Rays' sweep of the Sox was, it's hard not to remember that there's a lot of baseball left, and that Tampa Bay, even with its talented staff of emerging young pitchers, might be playing a bit over its head.

For most of the season, the Sox have looked very balanced and very strong, and this is their first real rough patch of the year.

Yet if the 2008 campaign were to end today, does anyone think that Boston would extend the contracts of Manny Ramirez and Jason Varitek? I have a lot of affection for each player, but their weak performance of late highlights their advancing age.

And the sooner that Jed Lowrie replaces Julio Lugo, the better.

LEFTOVER LUNCH 7-3-08

Julie Kramer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:43:00 GMT

POLICE-DE DOO DOO DO

SEX PISTOLS-ANARCHY IN THE UK

DEPECHE MODE-EVERYTHING COUNTS

PETER GABRIEL-BIG TIME

WORLD PARTY-IS IT LIKE TODAY

U2-WHOSE GONNA RIDE YOUR WILD JORSES

GENE LOVES JEZEBEL-DESIRE

DEAD OR ALIVE-YOU SPIN ,E ROUND

MORRISSEY-SUEDEHEAD

FRENTE-BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE

TALK TALK-IT'S MY LIFE

KATE BUSH-RUNNING UP THAT HILL

RAMONES-PINHEAD

HELMET-UNSUNG

TEARS FOR FEARS-SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE

THE THE-INFECTED

Gio's last-minute legislative candidates

Ian Donnis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:38:00 GMT

We can't rule out the possibility that Democrats would try to make life difficult for Gio Cicione.

Yet when it comes to Gio's last-minute legislative candidates, who bears the responsibility for ensuring that things were done correctly and in a timely fashion?

Yes, that would be Gio.

Internets and WTF?

Charlie — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

	We find out What's on the Internet and check the WTF Line. The Not-So-Hidden track is "1,000,000" by Nine Inch Nails.
	Put us on your iPod.

Faraone in Montreal Day 3: More Jazz Than On Uncle Phil’s Porch

Chris Faraone — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:50:00 GMT

Here’s how festivals work: you get drunk on alcohol, then you get drunk on music, then around six o’clock you shower it off, then you repeat until four-in-the-morning. From what I’ve heard, that’s the routine even at Christian rock conventions. The key to covering these festivities is to party hard and work harder, and last night, my friend, I put in some work.

The artery of Jazz Fest is a mighty quad between the Hyatt (where I’m staying), the Museum of Contemporary Art, and two other brute structures that, if I were a competent reporter or thought you cared, I would have asked the names of. It’s kind of like a mid-city music carnival where you can chug beer, check shows on big or small stages, and dive into an ornate art-deco fountain if you’re so inspired.

I’m as much a foreigner on planet jazz as I am on planet Canada. As an American hip-hop critic in a foreign land, I inevitably spend the first two minutes of every conversation distancing myself from 50 Cent and George Bush. That said, every single person here has been cool to me. Jazz cats aren’t like indie rockers, who don’t want you listening to their favorite bands; the fans and artists I’ve met in Montreal are delighted to drop tips on up-and-gunning acts, secret shows, and where I can catch tight three-in-the-morning jam sessions (in my hotel bar, amazingly enough).

On the advice of a local critic from the Montreal Mirror, I chowed dinner at Pho Bak in the Vietnamese section of Chinatown. I tell you this not because it was a mighty deal and tasty too; I generally avoid writing about where I eat (as well as writing about eating all together), but my waiter had a cool look that I need to document in writing. In my friend Adam’s words: he resembled a back-up singer in an all-Asian K.D. Lang tribute band on karaoke night.

And like that I’m in a mega-venue for the hippest Jazz Fest show of the evening featuring Norwegian tweakers Datarock and Liverpool new school new wavers Ladytron. But before going further I have a brief vignette about a Stevie Wonder show that I reviewed two weeks ago. As a general rule I only write about hip-hop, but I ventured outside my specialty and fumbled badly. Who would have thought that referring to “Superstitious” as “Very Superstitious” would generate dozens of hate letters and nasty web comments? Anyway – the point is that while last week I decided to really never write outside my genre, I’m about to break that rule; so please, I beg you, don’t fucking email me about how great your favorite band is and how depraved I am. In both cases, it's likely the opposite is true.

Datarock is kind of like Devo; only instead of cool hats, they have no talent. They rotated instruments through the evening, but when I arrived one guy was on a BMX-height drum set, another was kind of singing, a third dude was playing a mini Casio on a stand that was about two feet off the ground, and one guy was doing nothing. Later on, the last guy would play what might have been an inflatable Bar Mitzvah saxophone. It is, after all, Jazz Fest. John Coltrane would be proud.

DATAROCK: Live at Montreal Jazz Fest, July 2, 2008

Insults aside, Datarock delivered a bare-chested set with some mighty electro riffs and good humor, the last of which was half-intentional and half collateral. I’m sure their diehards would disagree, but for sure my favorite part of the show was when the drummer threw his stick and completely missed it on the way down. It didn’t matter much, though, since the drum solos filling the speakers were coming from the soundboard.

Regardless of what I thought, the 2,200 screaming fanatics in the building devoured every ounce. And they weren’t just bandwagoneering and pretending the way that, say, people at Girl Talk shows pretend; they really dig this junk. Maybe it’s the production value; between the light show, LED backdrop and pounding emotion, Ladytron’s set was as explosive as any live rap show I’ve ever seen.

Ladytron: Live at Montreal Jazz Fest, July 2, 2008

After Ladytron, I capped the night at Club Soda, which, if I remember correctly, was a hot spot when I came up here ten years ago. I’m from New York where clubs change names every six months, so that’s impressive staying power. Much like at Metropolis, entering Club Soda felt like walking into a club scene from a Hollywood movie where there’s a band that’s supposed to be cool or about-to-be-cool but that you’ve never heard of playing up on stage.

The band du jour was Artist of the Year – a Canadian group of either guys or girls who rock loudly and wear sparkles. I’m not sure that I have any further opinion of them, but I will say that the second they got off stage and the DJ took reign the place cleared out. Club Soda was flat. (Had to use that one.)

Finally: I know I told all you hate-mailers to hush up. But while I still encourage you to direct your anger and aggression toward critics who pretend to know about things they don’t know about, if you really want to slap me this would be the time to do it. Tonight I’m going to see RZA and GZA, so not only am I more excited than a kid passing his house on a bus ride to an elementary school field trip, but I’m also returning to my know zone. And in my know zone, I ain’t nothin’ to fuck wit.

It’s a shame about the Rays

Mike Miliard — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:39:00 GMT

Any way you look at it.

Also a shame that Dustin Pedroia, try though he might, cannot win a game for us single-handedly.

And that our bullpen is — not to put too fine a point on it — completely and utterly useless.

(But, hey, at least Timlin is coming back!)

Wow, that was bad.

Just.....really, really bad. I don’t quite know what else to say.

Maybe we can win a game in New York? Maybe.

At this point our best bet is if Madge is in the three-hole, right in front of A-Rod.

Lynch sides with Bush against shield law

Ian Donnis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:58:00 GMT

As he gears up for 2010, AG Patrick Lynch has assembled an eclectic and sometimes contrary portfolio of issue-related stances.

As I wrote back in January:

The AG seemed a progressive champion — and he incurred the wrath of Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin — when he ruled that the marriages of same-sex couples who wed out-of-state should be recognized in Rhode Island (a week earlier, his sister, Pawtucket City Solicitor Margaret Lynch-Gadaleta, had married in Massachusetts her longtime partner).

Yet civil libertarians were outraged when Lynch, backing Foreign Intelligence Surveillance amendments, recently supported the role of private telephone companies to help US intelligence agencies.

Earlier this year, Lynch emerged earlier this year as a strong supporter of Barack Obama (a story first reported here). Yet he has now placed himself in the ironic position of sharing George W. Bush's outlook on an important issue affecting the press -- and everyone's right to know.

Ed Fitzpatrick reported earlier this week:

PROVIDENCE — Although the bill is backed by 42 other attorneys general, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch is refusing to support the Free Flow of Information Act, which would create a qualified federal shield law for reporters.
The bill, which has passed the House and been recommended by the Senate Judiciary Committee, would make it harder for judges to order journalists to reveal confidential sources. ....
Lynch became president of the National Association of Attorneys General on June 19 during the group’s annual summer meeting, held in Providence.
Four days later, in a June 23 letter, a bipartisan group of 41 attorneys general urged Senate leaders to pass a federal shield law, and prosecutors intend to deliver the letter when the Senate returns from its summer recess July 8. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican, wrote separately to endorse the bill.
In their letter, the 41 attorneys general said the act would bring federal law into line with the laws of 49 states, including Rhode Island. They noted reporter shield laws have been adopted, through legislation or judicial decision, in every state but Wyoming. “An overwhelming consensus has developed among the states in support of this public policy,” they said. ....
And yesterday spokesman Michael J. Healey said Lynch will not sign the letter in part because it deals with federal legislation. “Whether it’s enacted or not will have no bearing or effect on the state law of Rhode Island, the courts of Rhode Island or our office’s functioning,” he said.
Also, Healey said, “Unlike all but two other states, the Rhode Island attorney general also functions as district attorney,” so Rhode Island prosecutors bring many more criminal matters before grand juries than most attorneys general.
“Our position has nothing to do with First Amendment issues,” Healey said. “It’s simply about the propriety of a state that relies on the grand jury as much as we do telling the federal government how they should conduct grand juries. Our rationale is more based on jurisdictional issues than on philosophical issues. To be clear, we absolutely respect the work of journalists and how vital they are to our society.”

With its lack of county-based district attorneys, Rhode Island is an anomaly, and it's no surprise that Lynch would think first of jurisdictional issues and his constituency in law enforcement. Ultimately, though, the AG's is an unfortunate stance, particulary with his prominent leadership role in the national AGs' group.

The Judith Miller case showed how reporters claiming protection under a shield law are not always serving the public.

Ultimately, however -- and I think Jim Taricani, our late friend Jack White, and many of our colleagues would heartily agree -- the ability to protect confidential sources is vital for the public interest.

Gia Rules

Charlie — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:29:00 GMT

Gia answers the phones and sends out prizes here at FNX. You may have talked to her if you've ever picked up tickets here at the station.

Some jackass Silly-stringed our cars this morning. Gia took my poor car to Sonnys on 1A and had it detailed. It hasn't looked this good since it left the lot in '93.

Thanks Gia! You're the best!

Close "Encounters" with Werner Herzog

Peter Keough — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:21:00 GMT

One of my earliest transcendent experiences in movies was watching Werner Herzog’s “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” for the first time. He has never quite equaled that achievement, in my opinion. But neither has anyone else. He’s one of the greatest living filmmakers, even though Abel Ferrara wants him to burn in hell.

He seemed in a good mood when I talked to him on the phone about his new film, “Encounters at the End of the World.” And why not: it seems that after 40 years of making movies he’s finally getting some notice from audiences in America.

PK: With Encounters at the End of the World, you’re the first filmmaker who’s shot on all seven continents.

WH: [laughing] I have to stop you right there, because this is kind of embarrassing,[laughs]. I do not want to end up in the Guinness Book of World Records.

PK: I see this was never a goal of yours.

WH: No, no, of course not. But you see, there’s also something significant about it. Early in the film Encounters at the End of the World, there’s a fork – a caterpillar driver, and he comes from Bulgaria, and has graduated in philosophy and comparative literature, and he says something very beautiful. He talks about his childhood and how he started to venture out into the world. His grandmother read The Odyssey to him when he was a child, and about the Argonauts, and he said, “In my mind, I started to travel and explore, and in that moment I fell in love with the world.”And I thought, “My goodness, that’s exactly what I have done in many of my films.” I went out, ventured out, just being in love with the world. And, ultimately, I’m doing this film in Antarctica because I love this place, and the love of images under water, under the ice shelf of the Ross Sea was the fascination that drove me down.

PK: And even though you’ve vowed not to make a movie about penguins, the penguins actually do make an appearance.

WH: They do, yes [laughs]… I swore to everyone I’m not going to do another film about fluffy penguins, however the penguins I filmed were so good I had to include them in the movie.

PK: Do you discourage people from reading into the penguin that wonders off by it’s own into the wilderness, or the group of people with buckets on their head wandering aimlessly and getting lost? Do you discourage people from reading something metaphoric into those?

WH: Well, I think that it’s not a big metaphor, let’s face it, when you see the film as an audience, with the people with buckets over their head in order to simulate a white-out, it’s absolutely hilarious. And I saw a screening last night here in New York, and people laughed harder than in an Eddie Murphy movie. So there’s a lot of humor in that, and of course it’s….that’s what I like about the film, and we should not overload it with lots of meanings. Of course the penguin is strange, and looks like a deranged, almost insane penguin that is marching straight into the interior of the continent. No one can stop him. Yeah, but it’s very strange and, of course, kind of sad to see him like that.

PK: We shouldn’t read into him that he’s a deranged artist or something like that.

WH: No, it’s…..I personally do not read too much into it. A disoriented or deranged penguin is a deranged penguin and nothing else.

PK: Nonetheless, this film seems a bit rosier about nature, and human nature, than “Grizzly Man” a few years before. Have you become more of a mellow person since then?

WH: No, no, it’s just the kind of subject I’m dealing with in the films. Of course, “Grizzly Man,” it’s not that I invented the story, I relied heavily on incredible footage that Timothy Treadwell shot, and of course we know he was killed and eaten by a bear together with his girlfriend, so it’s a very tragic story, and no matter how you turn his story, it’s always going to be a tragic one. And of course nobody deserves to die like he died. And when you do a film in Antarctica and all this joy of being down there and being allowed to set your foot on this continent and exploring the incredible beauty of this place, of course it will translate into a different general mood.

PK: It’s almost mystical at the end, that even though you point out the dangers of global warming and there’s kind of a doom and gloom prophecy about the end of the human race, there’s this kind of idea that you can mystically commune with nature.

WH: In a way yes, but many of the scientists are totally convinced that our presence on this planet is not really sustainable, which doesn’t make me nervous. I think the last dinosaurs were not nervous either, the last ones to trod the ground. I think the trilobites before they died out were not nervous about their disappearance. Sponge, apparently, have a good chance of surviving us, lizards among the higher order of species, lizards probably have a better survival chance.

PK: Well, that’s reassuring.

WH: [laughs] It is, yes. But there’s certainly no permanence in our existence here on this planet.

PK: So you don’t think people should take this as a warning about global warming?

WH: It’s not only global warming. There are many other factors that will contribute to our demise. Global warming is just one significant element.

PK: I’ve seen almost all your films, and I haven’t seen any with any real political content, unlike those of your friend Errol Morris. Do you feel above politics, or you just don’t think it’s the place of film to concern itself with that?

WH: No, I’m not above politics because I’m part of a society. So it’s evident, whether you like it or not, you’re a part of a living community, and the body of – which in effect is always political. But I’m not a political talent. A man like Errol Morris in a way is more talented, I guess, but he’s not really a politician either; he’s a storyteller, he’s a filmmaker, and he gives us deep insight into things we normally overlook. And he’s a great filmmaker, and there’s nothing wrong about that.

PK: I spoke to Errol and other nonfiction and documentary filmmakers in the last year, and I asked them, what is the difference between a nonfiction documentary film and say a fiction film. Do you have a distinction?

WH: No, it’s all movies. And all my documentaries, put it in quotes only please, all my “documentaries” are somehow secret feature films anyway. I stylize, I stage, I invent. For example in “Encounters at the End of the World,” I just declare some things that we are seeing as pure science fiction. And all of a sudden you see the science fiction in it, if it were not of our planet.

PK: Like the divers under the ice.

WH: Under the ice. Or, for example, how strange things are getting – there are these long endless tunnels carved right under the very South Pole, into the ice, deep underground, 70 degrees below zero, and at the end of one of these tunnels, under the mathematically true South Pole, someone, a maintenance worker apparently, has dug some sort of a shrine into the ice and stashed away a deep-frozen sturgeon. So how strange can it get? You can’t even invent something like this.

PK: Do you have any idea of what the meaning of that might be?

WH: I think we should not ask. I actually know what happened, and why the sturgeon was stolen and why it was put there, but if I start to explain it, all this image and the event will lost its mystery and its beauty.

PK: I know you like to participate in everything that goes on in your movies. Did you climb into those tunnels and go on a dive under the ice?

WH: I went into the tunnels. You actually see me crawling ahead of the camera. You do not recognize me because you never see my face because I was guiding the camera because it was such low crawl spaces sometimes, and it was very, very tough for the camera to follow. Under the ice, I really wanted to dive under the ice, but this is only open for the best of the best of the divers because it’s too dangerous and the resources of Antarctica cannot be wasted away by a big rescue action or whatever. And they actually had fatalities and you just don’t go under the ice. I know my limits, and in such a case, I would delegate.

PK: I noticed the film is dedicated to Roger Ebert, and it reminded me that one of your feats was to walk 500 miles to pay a visit on another film critic or film historian, Lotte Eisner. Do you have an affinity for film critics?

WH: No, I think Lotte Eisner was not a film critic. She was a co-founder of the cinemateque, and she was some sort of mentor for me in spirit, and so when she was going to die, I walked from Munich to Paris because I didn’t want to allow her to die, and she actually was out of hospital when I arrived. But Roger Ebert, I don’t care whether he’s a critic or not. You see, I’ve always tried to be a good soldier of cinema, and I feel pretty much alone, and all of a sudden, for decades as a great, wonderful soldier of cinema out there and that’s Roger Ebert, and I feel a kinship with him in a way, and now he’s so deeply afflicted by illness, he’s been… he cannot speak for two years or so, and he still soldiers on, watching movies and writing about them, and I dedicated the film in deep kinship and admiration to him. I said to him, “Roger, this is a film you cannot review. You can only enjoy it or hate it or whatever, but you cannot review it because you cannot review a film that is dedicated to you.” And instead of reviewing it he wrote a very, very kind letter to me. And it was a personal letter and I told no one about it, but Roger actually posted it on his website a few months later.

PK: That’s a big sacrifice because a favorable review from Roger would change your box-office.

WH: No, come on, let’s face it. Having a good review from Roger Ebert, it doesn’t change a film, and whether it changes the box-office or not, sometimes you must not care about it.

PK: It seems like at times you go out of the consciousness of the mainstream, and then you come back for a film like “Grizzly Man.” Do you think you’re now in another phase of your career?

WH: Well, I’ve never thought about career in my life ever. I don’t have a career; I only have a life. But as I live in the United States, I married here in the United States, it has done good to me and I always felt, yes, I am moving here and I’m out for new horizons, new subject matters, new perspectives, new alliances, new forms of distribution, and it has done good to me.

PK: I heard you are doing a remake of Abel Ferrera’s “Bad Lieutenant” or a sequel?

WH: No, it’s not a remake nor is it a sequel. I think it’s a completely different story, the same way the last James Bond film is not a remake of the previous one. It’s an entirely different story. I know that Abel Ferrera is ranting wildly, it’s wonderful to have the thunder around before you even start working, but I think he’s under the impression that I’m doing a remake, so I can actually assure him it’s not going to be that. I think he’s got a good face. I think I should try to engage him as a drug dealer.

PK: He’s quite a character.

WH: Yeah, maybe.

PK: You weren’t familiar with him before you came up with the idea of doing this? I read somewhere that you didn’t know who he was.

WH: I don’t really know much about who he is. I only heard he made this film “Bad Lieutenant.” I have no idea what else he made. But I’m told he’s a gruff, vociferous person, which is beautiful, yes? We need these people.

PK: Had you seen the movie and said, “I want to do this again?”

WH: No, I have not seen it.

PK: So you were approached by –

WH: No, I got a screenplay which was already finished, and no, what was really intriguing is that Nicolas Cage was interested in it, and it turned out that Nicolas Cage really wanted to have me as a director. And the prospect to work, No. 1, the prospect to do a film noir was very intriguing, and the prospect to work with such an exceptional man like Nicholas Cage is quite fascinating.

PK: And this would be a studio, a Hollywood studio production?

WH: No.

PK: And “Rescue Dawn” was that a studio production? I was reading a “New Yorker” story and it seemed like there was a lot of …

WH: No, it’s not a studio production. Only 24 hours before the film was shown for the first time, MGM acquired it. It’s as remote from Hollywood as it can get. The producer – one of the two producers – came from the trucking business and is running some seedy nightclubs, and the other producer is a basketball star, Elton Brand, so how far can it get from Hollywood?

PK: But it was more money than you’re used to?

WH: No, I have made much bigger films.

PK: Oh you have?

WH: Yeah sure. Like “Fitzcarraldo,” or “Nosferatu,” “Aguirre,” “Kaspar Hauser,” or “Invincible,” or… I have made at least a dozen movies that were much bigger and more much expensive.

PK: Oh, OK. I was wondering … the movie “Rescue Down” is about a pilot who’s captured. Does that give you any insight, or change your opinion at all about, say, a presidential candidate?

WH: Oh, we should not [laughter]… draw some kind of parallel between a shot down pilot who was the only American POW to escape from Vietcong captivity. No, but it’s very, very exciting times in America right now, with what I see. Very, very fascinating political climate right now, and I truly, truly like to see what is emerging right now.

PK: It’s also a very volatile period for films that are documentaries.

WH: Well, it always is, in a way. I wouldn’t say that political life is really that volatile, but all of a sudden there is a revival of the sense of politics, and the most, the most wonderful of all things, was to see how many people would turn up for caucuses or primaries. All of a sudden it’s a revival of the sense of politics. We, the Americans, are shaping our political life. We are shaping our future, that’s wonderful to see.

PK: Are you a citizen?

WH: No, I’m saying that as a guest in your country. I’m married to an American citizen. She is actually voting, and I see the excitement of her, and I see the excitement of all the friends around, so it’s very, very good times in terms of politics.

PK: Do you think Dieter would have made a good president?

WH: No. [laughs] He was way too wild. No, no of course not. McCain actually is one of those who was shot down and in captivity. But I think he would make a better president than Dieter Dengler.

PK: I see. But he didn’t escape.

WH: No, he didn’t. Being imprisoned in captivity in Hanoi itself, that was impossible to escape.

PK: Another film that I heard you were making, maybe it’s not true, but I heard you’re making a film with David Lynch?

WH: In a way, yes, but that’s way down the line. The film has to find its window of opportunity. David is actually going to be the executive producer but I wrote the screenplay and will direct the film. But there’s yet another film, and I’m signed up for it with Focus Features to do a film in Southeast Asia, “The Piano Tuner.” So it’s just one after another, and I really have to work hard, very focused. I’m afraid we have to finish soon.

PK: OK, there’s something I’ve always been curious about. The late singer Ian Curtis of the band Joy Division has been featured in a couple of films lately. In them it’s shown how he committed suicide after watching your film “Stroszek” on TV. Did you know about this?

WH: I heard about it, I heard about the film because I think they wanted to acquire some excerpts of my film “Stroszek,” which he apparently saw before he died.

PK: How do you feel about it?

WH: I heard about it, yes. I haven’t seen the film but I heard about this case. My feeling is it’s not a film that can drive anyone into suicide. There must have been massive other reasons for that. And um… it touches me in a very strange and deep way. I wish I had met the man, I wish I had been his friend, I may have… I may have made a film with him.

My Song Is Better Than Your Song - Week 39

Special Ed — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:40:00 GMT

Paul Nelson is the current record holder with 13 wins under his belt. He is looking to extended his run this week against another mystery guest.

Since he took down his boss last week we decided to hit Paul a little closer to home.

We called in his cousin, and basketcase, The Other Derek!

THE CHALLENGER - THE OTHER DEREK

Sheila Divine "Opportune Moment"

THE CHAMPION - PAUL NELSON

Echo & The Bunnymen "The Cutter"

Leave a comment with your pick for this week's winner.

What's On the Internets? - 7/3/08

Special Ed — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:10:00 GMT

The Internet is a big place and every once in a while we find a few gems. When we do we like to share them with The People.

Fletcher

This has to be the most annoying thing in the world...

Charlie

Man gets burned for burning at Burning Man.

If only this was for real.

Got awful links? Send 'em in!

The Countdown [WEDNESDAY – 7/2]

Paul Driscoll — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:23:00 GMT

[# 5] Flogging Molly - Float

[# 4] The Offspring - Hammerhead

[# 3] M.I.A. - Paper Planes

[# 2] The Wombats - Let's Dance To Joy Division

[# 1] Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Listen to The Countdown weeknights @ 9 on Alter-Ego!

CLICK HERE to see the full FNX Playlist!

Faraone in Montreal Day 2: There's a Jazz Fest Going On

Chris Faraone — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:36:00 GMT

MONTREAL -- The Greyhound ride was sweeter than expected, as I was sandwiched between two Canadian vixens the whole way up. Across the aisle was a cute manicured hippiechick who slugged a bottle of cabernet between Manchester and Burlington; behind me I had a questionably-legal teen with cans so firm that they couldn’t have sprouted more than six months ago. The latter was traveling with her grandparents, who seemed oblivious to their baby’s flirtatious, stripper-bound ways. Either that or they’ve just accepted that 16-year-olds are fair game in Quebec.

I don’t know what this says about my past and current substance abuse issues, but I was extremely nervous to go through customs -- even though I was innocent! When you take a bus across the border, you automatically have to get off and chat with inspectors, and since I resemble the president of Iran, things like this make me nervous. Luckily, there was a dude with a terrorist beard to take the heat off, as well as a guy whose push-ups outside the bus on every break led me to believe that his rap sheet is no blank slate.

I saw three above-ground pools on the way up, so while it’s pretty obvious that Canadians are for the most part stronger-willed and better-looking than Americans, some of them have less class than Rodney Dangerfield. I always look for signs like this because, well, I, too, have no class. Not only that, but I have a pretty thick New York accent that makes me feel especially unrefined when conversing with foreigners.

Like most people who took 10 years of French, I don’t speak a word of it. Not only that, but I refuse to try. To me it’s like karate lessons: you practice all these cool kicks and grapple holds, then when you get in a fight, you instinctually grab your opponent’s ears and kick him in the groin. Luckily, my friend Adam Sampler will be showing me around all weekend. He doesn’t speak French either, but he’s been living here for eight years so he knows the drill.

Quick side story: when I was growing up, the code name in my family for Jewish people was “Canadian.” Not on some Nazi shit, but when you're full-blooded guineas living on Long Island it’s impossible to abstain entirely from anti-Semitism – no matter how many close Jewish friends you have. Long story short, after hanging with my family for a day, Adam – who’s both Jewish and Canadian – asked me what my aunt had against Canadians. Needless to say, there was no talking my way out of that one.

So within minutes of landing at my boy’s apartment I’m tugging on a tampon-sized spliff and strolling on the Esplanade. As I’m sure you know, the weed is splendid up here, and neither cops nor people with small children seem to care if you toke in public. Last time I was in Montreal, you could smoke inside everywhere. But that’s not the case anymore; now the streets are flooded with people burning everything from butts and blunts to pipe tobacco.

Before I continue, let me just say right now that there will be no music news today. This dispatch covers Tuesday, and I’m not checking shows until tonight. I know you don’t care, but I figured that you might have justified using valuable work time to read this by kidding yourself that you’re learning something about jazz. If that’s the case, please return tomorrow.

Actually – if you’re interested in getting interested about jazz, pick up Downbeat magazine. It’s one of the last authentic music mags in any genre, and boy are they in full-force up here. Nice guys these jazz critics are: last night I met a dude named Chris from Los Angeles who, at least in my mind, defined what a jazz reporter should look and act like. From his skin to his shirt to his pants and shoes, Chris was black on black on black on black. He’s been to more Jazz Fests than he can count – for real – and when I asked him what he was excited to see, he might as well have run through the whole schedule. I hope I’m still that excited about music 30 years from now. Most of the aging rock critics I meet at festivals and conferences are decidedly miserable to the point that you would forget they’ve been partying on their paper’s tab for a half-century.

Before I run off, let me give a brief preview of the rest of this week. No doubt I’ll be doing some sort of ignorant list about things that are funny in Montreal (i.e., the way French people pronounce “Super Sex” – the name of the biggest tourist trap strip club up here – makes you want to say, “Uhhh – I’ll have the sex”). Music-wise, tonight I’m meandering about various random jazz shows, tomorrow I’m checking out the RZA and GZA, the latter of whom is performing his entire album “Liquid Swords,” and on Friday I’ll be checking Lee Perry, who’s jamming with the Wailers. Much more, too. Maybe I’ll even post some nude photos. Of chicks, dude – chill.

Cigarettes, Sedaris, and Me

Deirdre Fulton — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:41:00 GMT

In today's Portland Phoenix, I have a short piece about Ken Gloss, proprietor of the Brattle Book Shop in Downtown Crossing, who'll be in Portland next week. Unfortunately, he tells me my signed first edition of David Sedaris' Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim is worth peanuts.

Good story though. See how it says "To Deirdre / Don't ever quit"? Well, this reading/signing took place at the Brookline Booksmith, and it was packed. When he'd finished reading from the book, the masses began to assemble, ready to swarm for the author's signature. But Sedaris, lamenting the fact that smokers are increasingly ostracized in this health-crazy world, said that anyone who could produce evidence of their smoking habit could jump to the front of the line. Back then, I was a real smoker (not just a fake drunk smoker like I am today), so I gripped my P-Funks and proudly weaved my way forward.

Thus, when he wrote "Don't ever quit," he was referring to my cigarette habit, as opposed to, say, my burgeoning writing career or my young, ambitious life. How inspirational!

(Also, it was at that reading that someone asked [or he volunteered, I can't remember] about what he'd been reading recently, and he responded that he loved Adrian Nicole LeBlanc's Random Family, which I proceeded to read, and count today as one of my favorite books.)