Steve Is Not Happy --

with respect to Scott McLemee's post.

off for a day of film in Cambridge

On this blustery day I intend to go for a walk about.

From noon on the Boston Underground Film Festival takes over Harvard Square.
I hope to see a large portion of today's films.

I'll let you know.

Tim Haslett RIP

Tim was one of the most knowledgeable and passionate people I have known. He was a very friendly guy, never pretentious and consistently hilarious. He will be missed deeply.

David Day's piece on Tim in the Weekly Dig.
From MSU State News -- Obituary.
A good post at moodmat, one on mudd up!, sQuare Productions, there is also a tribute as detailed on wayneandwax at the Enormous Room.

"Monday night, March 24, 9pm-1am, music in the spirit of Tim.
If you’re a local DJ type who knew him, come on out and bring a few rekkids Tim woulda liked.
Beat Research
Mondays at the Enormous Room with residents DJ Flack and Wayne and Wax
567 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
9pm to 1am, 21 plus, Free"


A few of Tim's Pazz and Jop lists on the Village Voice site from 2000 , 2002, 2003, 2004
I'd nearly forgotten how much he loved the Pernice Brothers.

There will be a memorial service Friday, March 21st at the Friends Meeting, 5 Long Fellow Park (off Brattle, near Harvard Square) at 3PM.

There has been too much death about lately. I wish it would stop.

UPDATE:
audio tributes start tonight after 5pm on wzbc and Brian Coleman is coming in to do a special show on wzbc from 5-7pm this coming Monday, March 24, 2008.

UPDATE: Benny Blanco's blog has some Hardwired shows archived in his entry about Tim.

the greatest threat to music today

What's the greatest threat to music today?

Radio. Stations only play a tiny fraction of the music that's out there. If they would just open their doors and let all DJs choose their own records, it would encourage musicians to be more inventive.

-- Gary Numan, as interviewed by Laura Barnett in the Guardian UK yesterday.

100% agreement on this one-- luckily i have a show at one of the few radio stations in the United States that lets the DJs do just that. Non Commercial Radio is the only way to go.

new Durutti Column album "sunlight to blue...blue to blackness"

I just noticed Dave Simpson's piece in the Guardian UK's music blogs. Further down in the comments is this link to Hello Citizen blog featuring the attached artwork of the new Durutti Column album. I'd heard about it about a month ago but haven't seen the artwork until now. I think its brilliant, reminiscent of some of Ralph Gibson's work, real high contrast black and white photography. That said, i can't wait to hear the new album. A preview of the tracklisting can be found on the Kooky Disc site.

July Skies - radio - tomorrow night

Tomorrow night from 7-10pm EST (19:00 - 22:00), I finally get my radio show back after a month's absence.

I will devote the second hour of my show to the work of July Skies, especially the new album, The Weather Clock, and The Weather Clock (EP).

Stay Tuned.

the gift she gave to me

the gift she gave to me - its often difficult for me to think of something harder, something explicit and concrete, anyone who has followed my whereabouts for any period of time is all too aware of this. its all sight, all touch, all sense-impressions mixed with abstract thought-- the love of the idea over the reality. the manner in which one frames an event, no matter how ridiculous. as long as it has an over arching purpose, or is explicitly the opposite, strangely all surface, it somehow keeps my interest, it goes beyond any kind of rational inquiry. oh, how i wish it would warm up a bit, so i could go for a long walk without freezing, so i wouldn't feel so housebound all the time. the inquiry continues: i answer with my petty troubles, my upset, my sweet discontent. i keep my body within a certain degree of control, that is my ambition anyway- it probably is as far from the truth as possible. my mind goes away again dreaming. a few moments ago, as I was walking home, i wondered about nostalgia, and whether it is by definition somewhat sugar coated, my inclination is to say no, that would be too sentimental, too kitsch. nostalgia can have an endearing harsher edge. i try to remember the good times, but too often sadness is mixed with joy, too often what i wish for nearly comes true. i can sense when something isn't entirely right, or when it will meet my expectations up to a point. i know i shouldn't force the issue but there are times when, well times when i feel i need to push it just to get answers, just to learn, how to plan my next move, when to persist and when to sit and wait. i am reminded of the silent, color 8mm bits of Alain Tanner's "Dans la ville blanche" (In the white city)-- what a beautiful film.

Rainy Days in New England

I've been listening to the brilliance that is the new July Skies album, The Weather Clock, for the past week and a half. This isn't really a proper review by any means, as I have some work to attend to but can't do much of anything until the disc is over-- its too compelling somehow. At the moment, I could listen to the track "the Girl on the Hill" over and over and over again. It comes at the right point in the album (being track three) it is quite a gift to the listener. As I haven't been doing radio for the past month, I've been lucky enough to see some good friends occasionally. In the meantime, I've spent it reading, listening to music and watching some British tv. Programs I grew up with, like Death of an Expert Witness, the PD James story, with Roy Marsden as Adam Dalgliesh.

The disc is over now. I have to run some errands before the rain starts again.

parle moi...j'ai des choses a te dire

and so i wait and i wonder what might happen next. the feeling of distance overwhelms me. i make time by reading and exploring media-- its no excuse for pure experience. i am encouraged by this somewhat, considering the snow outside, the presence of words, the way she crafts a sentence or a tilt of her head. perhaps i finish books too fast-- i have to start another-- this inbetween time, when i'm not reading or focussing on something is too dangerous. i stop to wonder and think-- blurring the lines of common sense. letting my essence go for once-- out there, in the sunlight, taking a walk wondering when she might arrive again. current projects, apart from music reviews, include finishing "watching wildlife" by Cynthia Chris, starting "rogue male" by Geoffrey Household, starting a viewing of "Life on Earth" by David Attenborough, reconnecting with the world again. there are so few people i really want to see now-- and those i do live away from here.