The Squid and the Whale is amazing.
I Know this Much is True is amazing.
Loudon Wainwright III is amazing.
The Flaming Lips are amazing.
Summer is amazing
Life is amazing.

//

Wow, Phil is playing really beautiful chords right now.

Remember this?

[...]

After a break to soothe our ears from the assault that was the Rangers, The Neighborhood produced a set of extremely talented indie-pop. That’s not to say that they didn’t rock or that they weren’t loud- if anyone’s ears weren’t ringing by the end of the first set, they were definitely ringing by the end of the Neighborhood’s first song. Featuring a very guitar-centric sound, the 3-piece ripped through a set of hummable pop tunes that would’ve been even better if we could’ve heard more of the vocals. In the whole guitar centricity of the set, the vocals oftentimes got lost in translation. The best few songs were the ones were the guitar was set down in favor of a keyboard, an acoustic, or a bass/drums feature, as the unique tone to the vocals had more chance to shine.

The drummer and the bassist are to be commended- the bassist kept the sound moving with highly melodic lines while the drummer used a lot of unusual effects (electronic drumming, drumming on a guitar) to augment his usual drumming style. The Neighborhood’s pop-rock did have an artsy bent to it- they introduced their set with a five-minute sound collage that really didn’t have much melody but provided lots of interesting rhythms and sounds. The well-chosen covers of “Pepper” by the Butthole Surfers and “Another Brick in the Wall” were also indicators of some artsy background. The former cover was an entrancing song- they played it with a confidence and swagger that gave life to the sordid lyrics.

[...]

http://www.independentclauses.com/

An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish. "How long it took you to catch them?" The American asked. "Only a little while." The Mexican replied. "Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The American then asked. "I have enough to support my family's immediate needs." The Mexican said. "But," The American then asked, "What do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise." The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?" To which the American replied, "15-20 years." "But what then, senor?" The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions." "Millions, senor? Then what?"

The American said slowly, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos..."

Well I just got back from visiting Princeton. I guess I'll go to Boston and Montauk this weekend. There's a Toyota commercial being filmed outside my apartment. Be back on Monday!

I usually feel weird about unsolicitedly recommending music to people because we've all got our own tastes, you know? But this song is just unfathomably fantastic to me:

Kate Bush "Suspended in Gaffa"

Hope all is well.

Or: Hope you realize that all is almost always well for us. Let's stand up straight today

One Night of Fire

(If you miss this, you're going to regret it.)
Complacent Nation / TheDanger.com invites you to:

One Night of Fire
This Saturday : July 29th : Sunset
Absolutely Free.

New details: http://www.onenightoffire.com

This is your Saturday night: a moment of awe, a glimpse of the impossible and the intoxication of your nightlife set free. Several years ago, he came to this city in search of days of beauty and nights of fire. Thus began Complacent Nation: seven years of massive art parties, intimate escapades, epic success and infamous failure.  This Saturday is the culmination of our journey - a burning adventure of the everything-is-possible realized with music, performance and the spectacle of flame.

Because you love revelry spiked with risk, this is the night you dream of. A tight cabal of artists, performers and miracle makers has come together to create simple moments of beauty within a massive carnival of fire. Expect: dozens of drummers + stilt walkers + fire spinners + renegade aerialists + fireworks & rocketships + gifts of liquor + brass march bands + champagne showers + a liberated water-front + the unending spectacle of sparks and flame and a night gone wild.

This event is epic, if you want it. This party is free, open and participatory.  If you have a costume wear it (the more immaculate the better), if you have a drink share it (discreetly), if you have music play it, and if you see something wrong set it right or keep moving. The colors for this night are red, yellow and orange. Arrive in fire themed costume (think: Pheonix, Iccarus, Prometheus, M. Jackson circa 1984) or dress in red/yellow/orange.  Bring gifts to share of red/yellow/orange (think: whip-cream on cherries, orange sorbet, vodka and lemonade, rubber duckies, match-sticks).

Aim yourself for way-down-town Manhattan/Brooklyn,
7:57pm sharp.

For lunch today I went to the McDonalds near my apartment and there was a non-affiliate standing outside opening the door for people. I like New York. When I get back to Norman I want to go somewhere and just open the door for people.