Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys

Cat, fellow readers, my apologies for the extended absence. I've been away at a Smiths convention. Heaven knows I'm miserable now! And Cat, thanks for the head's up re: "craig." I knew he was sent from outer space to put cool clutter in the homes of the hip. Not that there's anything wrong with that (holla atcha boy Sir Duc!).

Many of my "baby loving friends" have taken some offense to my recent post about the annoyance quotient of screaming babies. These, coincidentally, are the same people who objected to my stance on Mark Rothko (though Cat has not chimed in on his googoogawgaw factor). A friend forwarded me this wonderful postmodern painting which seems to combine the two wonderfully.


Ed Ruscha, Dirty Baby, 1977.

& mad props to the Cat for giving webspace to the Boredoms. Their album Vision Creation Newsun (1999) is one of the best albums nobody's ever heard. Tribal ambient superprocessed noodly-less progrock san vocals, maybe. I can't really do the album justice in two or three sentences, so just go on wit yo bad selfz and buy it or have a friend illegally burn a copy for you.

Here's something I've been thinking about for the last five years or so: the impact of High Fidelity (novel or film) on those with snobby rock/slant/improv/indie/punk sensibilties. The one major drawback of the impact of it on my life is my propensity for making lists. I love lists. In late 1999, a few of my friends put together a list of the greatest people of the Millenium (not the Willenium -- sorry to dis the Fresh Prince, Cat ... this hipster just don't understand!). We all agreed that John Hinckley was the greatest person of the millenium, followed closely by Jodie Foster, Martin Scorsese and J.D. Salinger. Jesus Christ was allowed on the list, owing to the Resurrection. I also cannot account for the synchronicity of our fascination with the botched assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. Anyway, this list was incredibly funny in 1999 before the film version of High Fidelity (2000) came out. Now, every time I come up with an irreverent list idea (like name the Top Five All-Time Sausages -- go kielbasa!!), people are all like, "that's so High Fidelity." What gives? Summer sausage ... not funny?