san francisco mable joy.
artist: mickey newbury
album: looks like rain
label: mercury
notes: this album will definitely be coming with me to the desert island.
That May Come In Useful
'I'm still alive then. That may come in useful.' Molloy by Samuel Beckett
(some useful stuff, hopefully)
The underlying bureaucratic key is the ability to deal with boredom. To function effectively in an environment that precludes everything vital and human. To breath, so to speak, without air.
…It is the key to modern life. If you are immune to boredom, there is literally nothing you cannot accomplish.
from ‘The Pale King’ by David Foster Wallace (his final novel)
Loving both these albums right now. Both are real growers.
Summer of Jest
If you’ve been meaning to read (or re-read) this book—all 1,079 pages of it—then here’s a chance to do so before you die, while also being part of a larger conversation that could make the experience more meaningful and fun.
I would like to re-read but I’ve only just started The Pale King for the first time so I stick with that.
Impressions of Expo 67 (by nfb)
Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
This feature-length Oscar-nominated documentary focuses on Malcolm Lowry, author of one of the major novels of the 20th century, Under the Volcano.
I haven’t watched this yet but I’m a big Lowry fan. He seems rather forgotten about these days.
Just watched it last night. What a very strange doc. It’s informative about Lowry’s life but some of the footage of ’70s Mexico and New York City, accompanied by disturbing music, and a cast of interviewees who are odd (to say the least) makes this a bit of an strange viewing experience at times.
Check out this BBC production from 1991 that chronicles J. G. Ballard’s first trip to Shanghai after he first left it in 1946. The documentary looks at the scenes of his life which inspired his autobiographical novels Empire of the Sun and The Kindness of Women. (via UbuWeb)
So looking forward to the new QOTSA album x 2
So looking forward to the new QOTSA album
Not I: Lisa Dwan's record speed Beckett
Actress Lisa Dwan explains how she performs one of theatre’s most challenging roles, as Mouth in Samuel Beckett’s short play, Not I.
As stage plays go, there’s nothing quite like Samuel Beckett’s Not I.
In a pitch-black space, a disembodied female mouth floats 8ft (2.5m) above the stage lit by a single beam of light and speaks, as Beckett directed, “at the speed of thought”.
CDs from library. Low’s new album ‘The Invisible Way, ‘We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like a River’ by Richmond Fontaine and ‘Song of the Pearl’ by Arbouretum. Good finds.
New Flaming Lips album including mini bonus CD.
