Author Archives: Duff

Other People’s Playlists

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Another fun thing that can shake you out of your listening rut is using other people’s playlists. Take this great little list by Movies of Myself offered up for Valentine’s Day for example. I already owned all those songs, but I might never have listened to them in that order/grouping and hello it starts with the Cars. Come on now, people, you just can’t go wrong starting a mix with the Cars.

All-Time Favorite Cars Song: Drive.

And with that one we’re back in high school again (Hmmm, I would have said junior high but it apparently didn’t come until 1984 so I guess the Cars I was listening to in junior high were earlier albums than that). Holy crapolarolla are we thinking about old times today or what.

Blasts from the Past

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One of the joys of the 2008 CD Reorganization Project is rediscovering old tunes, sometimes tunes I never got into but most of the time tunes I loved that never made it onto iTunes (or the iPod) because they were out of the regular listening rotation by the time iTunes/iPods came around…

Last night, going through the “rap/hip hop/etc” piles, I found PM Dawn. PM Dawn!!! (Did you know them?) I loveloveloved those albums, haven’t listened to them in ages…

Unfortunately this discovery was made too close to bedtime to import them into iTunes last night so today I find myself searching the Pod for other oldies but goodies….Guess what I’m listening to right now? The Go-Go’s “Vacation”. Something that made it into iTunes one day when I was working on a “College-ing It Out” playlist, but then started thinking about things that (for me) were High School actually. Oh yeah, baby. This reorg project is bringing all KINDS of stuff to mind. Yay!

À la Nick Hornby, books in/books out for March.

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Bought:

  • The Death of Sweet Mister, by Daniel Woodrell (used)
  • The Great World, by David Malouf (used)
  • The Conversations at Curlow Creek, by David Malouf (used)
  • Confessions of a Recovering Slut, by Hollis Gillespie
  • Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois
  • The Fatal Gift, by Alec Waugh (used)
  • A Spy in the Family, by Alec Waugh (used)
  • The Ballad and the Source, by Rosamond Lehmann (used)
  • The Music at Long Verney, by Silvia Townsend Warner (stories) (used)
  • The Naming of the Dead, by Ian Rankin (in Japan, no access to my bookshelves!)
  • The Murder at the Vicarage, by Agatha Christie (in Japan, no access to my bookshelves!)

Read:
  • The Meaning of It All: Thoughts of a Citizen Scientist, by Richard P. Feynman
  • The Complete Stories, by David Malouf
  • The Hunt Ball, by Rita Mae Brown
  • The Hounds and the Fury, by Rita Mae Brown
  • Ms. Pettigrew Lives for the Day, by Winifred Watson
  • The Naming of the Dead, by Ian Rankin
  • Let`s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste, by Carl Wilson
  • The Murder at the Vicarage, by Agatha Christie
  • The Tourmaline, by Paul Park

In Concert: The Raveonettes

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A totally rockin’ sonic assault. Sounded great! Sooooo loud though, may have been the loudest show I’ve heard at the Double Door. My heart could not decide whether to beat in time with the bass or with the drums but it certainly was not beating at its own pace! And there were some songs during which the amps vibrated so strongly that you could see (or I could feel) the tips of my spikey hair vibrating. Nuts!

On the other hand…there’s not a lot of variation going on in their sound. Every song was played at the same level of loud, same speed of beat-thumping, same vocals level, etc. There’s no “Oh I like their softer ones” with this band, or even their “louder” ones, it’s all at the SAME level.

So if you’re a fan of their particular sound (and I am), then it was great. And if you’re looking for a bit more variety in your listening experience (variety in tempo, or decibel level, or even beat), then this is not the band for you.

Recommendation.

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I didn’t even realize that Anthony Minghella was the director of one of my favorite guilty pleasure films and yes although I do love The English Patient (one of the rare combinations where I love both the film AND the movie) and yes I thought Matt Damon was great in The Talented Mr. Ripley but no that’s not what I’m talking about.

Mr. Wonderful. Rent it. It’s sweet and funny and Matt Dillon is completely irresistible in it and William Hurt is as icky as ever and it’s got New York City and bowling and big Italian family scenes and (sort of) karaoke and all kinds of good stuff. And I have already seen it oh 78.9 billion times. I’d happily watch it again tonight.