OK, thanks to the lovely and talented ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) stutefish, there is now a syndication feed so you can add my new blog to your old friends' list, should be so inclined
Add ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif) alexvcook to your friends list, and experience the magic! |
I started blogging for realz at http://www.alexvcook.com aka http://alexvcook.blogspot.com. Feels like its a time for a change.
Not to say I won't occassionally be posting here, but I will be there. I'm trying to sort out the RSS feed situation for reading a number of you. Evidently, all LJ accounts have an RSS feed but there is some weirdness with the digest version, being able to read locked down stuff. I have a number of you added to my iGoogle RSS aggregator but they still all say information not available.
My new hotness can be fed upon at http://alexvcook.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
or at a syndication LJ account I'll set up out of shear vanity. |
saying I dig Damien Hirst and his diamond-encrusted $99 million skull (click for more info)
I like that:
- its called For the love of God, which opens up such an easy linguistic dichotomy. Its like Rod McKuen - he's so dumb and easy yet it still works.
- he embraces the horrible-ness of it being made from death, about death and encrusted with horrible things that people likely died producing, and that the care, insurance and upkeep of this thing is going to be a financial and logistical nightmare for him forever
- upon showing this to my ever insightful pop-art-indifferent, pretentious, antiquarian friend Terry this morning, he said that Hirst is the contemporary Fabrege, and boom. It all made new sense to me in a new way. I always approached him as applying alchemy in a result-bankrupt sphere of conceptual art, but no. He's is a blue-chip egg painter.
- I actually think Hirst's work in general is rather compelling. It is amazingly crafted and his theme is sharp as a laser pointer. And I always thought it was shallow as fuck, but I spent some time with his over-designed tome I Want to Spend the Rest of My Life Everywhere, with Everyone, One to One, Always, Forever, Now and he said that he wished people had the blind faith in art that they did in medicine. People in general have no understanding of medicine they take, yet are undeniably reliant on them, but require a high degree of understanding to accept art, something that has much lower stakes from a survival standpoint.
- he gets hubris, and flambouyantly embraces it.
- boiled down, it is a bauble. It might as well have come from a gumball machine, lowly and disposable. Split the stick and there is Jesus.
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I have some sort of gmail virus (?!) that is sending out random racially inflamatory emails to people in my address book. Its awesome.
So if you are wondering why I'm saying some hateful things to you but getting your race entirely wrong, that's why. I promise to at least get that right in my hatespeech in the future. |
Alex V. Cook on The Jim Engster Show
WRKF 89.3 FM Baton Rouge or at http://wrkf.org
Friday, March 23, 2007. 9AM CST |
I might as well get with the program, so here is a flickr of the night's procedings
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44888545@N00/sets/72157594535922716/show/
This is an old Juke joint off fabled highway 61, one of the only ones left around here. Teddy, the guy in Red, turned 61 last night and had a party at the club. He was born in the spot where the keyboards are now. |
Release party for
Darkness, Racket and Twang: Essential Listening from the Fringes of Popular and Unpopular Music
by Alex V. Cook
http://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Racket-Twang-Listening-Unpopular/dp/097768492X/sr=1-1/qid=1158073481/ref=sr_1_1/103-8433466-7931807?ie=UTF8&s=books
Please come and please bring friends. Help out on my bid for cult-stardom
Hors douvres, book signing, meet the author, meet the cover artist, psychedlic light show, music from the book
All this in the cozy, urbane embrace of the Red Star
Red Star
222 Laurel St.
Downtown Baton Rouge, LA
7-9PM |
Buy it direct: http://www.sidecartel.com/detail.php?side=3
also available at
Amazon and Barnes & Noble
all you proofreaders are getting free signed copies as soon as I have them!!!!!
Darkness, Racket and Twang - Alex V. Cook
$14.95
Darkness, Racket and Twang announces a new passionate voice in the world of rock journalism in Alex V. Cook. Instead of miring articles in this collection with dull history and celebrity gossip, Cook lays bare the relationship between the listener and the music. Each article in the book depicts a short, often temporary connection with a clutch of records you probably have never heard, letting rock music serve as a launch pad for enlightenment. His opinions are as vehement as they are controversial. Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers, who gets discussed in the book, described it as "enlightening and at times infuriating (like any book about music should be)." While the music buying public grows ever more jaded, Cook's urgent and impassioned prose is a necessity on the modern cultural landscape.
Originally published in personal journals and public websites, the pieces in this collection capture an original voice stepping beyond the veneer of rock-n-roll and and opening the doors of constant epiphany that the author experiences along the margins of popular, and more often, unpopular music. It is as much travel writing, documenting the psychic terrain of the music-obsessed, as it is criticism. |
from nancydrewmfa
1. What are your siblings' middle names? elizabeth, dane, and gail
2. Where is your dad right now? in Tulsa running soem branch of Goodwill enterprises
3. What was the last thing you said? That's cool, let me go remove the "BLDG" from the subdivision files and we'll see what we get
4. What is something you've learned recently? beinga graphic design client turns you into a picky person. I caught myself saying meticulous things to the book designer that have made me cringe when coming from the other direct
5. What color is your watch? don't wear one, as inspired by a Steven Cover "7 habits of highly successful people" seminar. he's not against watches, but against having too many clocks around. you only need one
6. What do you think of when you think of Australia? the comment froma friend saying he'd never met an australian he liked and a cabadian he didn't
7. When was the last time you squatted to pee? right now! ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
8. Who is the last person you liked? you mean liked or "LIKED"-like? I guess these things have jr high origins
9. Are you close to your mom? not particularly
10. Where does your best friend work? hmmm, who is my best friend?
11. What is your least attractive feature? my gigantic muscles. really my degree of physical fitness is so extreme its offputting
12. How old were you when you started wearing a bra? well, I was really drunk at the time so.....eleven?
13. What color are your pants? jeans today, but I ususally waer cargo shorts exclusively.
14. Do you have a roommate? nope and nevere. only if I ever end up in rehab or a halfway house and then we will totally keep each other off the junk
15. What color is your bedroom flooring? glorious hardwood floors you can see Jesus in they are so shiny
16. Do you have a chair in your room? my room? not in my bedroom, but there is an IKEA couch in teh music room
17. What time of day were you born? early morning
18. Do you know anyone who is engaged? I knwo two people who might be but only in the loosest sense
19. What's your favorite number(s)? 3
20. Do you know anyone named Laurie? no, but I know a Lauri and a Lori
21. What color is your mom's hair? grey
22. Do you have a dog? christ no
23. Where did you live in 1987? the dorms at LSU. now taht look back at it, I loved the dorms
24. What happened to you in 1993? I was in my second or thrid year working for the state, in denial about the virtues of adulthood
25. Does your first memory involve your dad? supposedly. I have long held a first memory of seeing the moon rocket being launched, and the story goes that my dad held me up to the TV to watch it, but I'm thinking this was implanted since I was < 1 then
26. Do you remember singing any songs as kids? I used to know all the word to the Pina Colada song. I remember singing it with a cousin on their tranpoline
27. When was the last time you went swimming? yesterday!
28. Has your luggage ever gotten lost? not lost but delayed once in california, but it arrived the next day I think
29. When was the last time you talked to one of your siblings? long time
30. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? nope, never did
31. Do you play an instrument? I like kelly's answer of "i guess my husband's dick don't count!" but yes, guitar, bass, mandolin and ukulele
32. Have you ever thought it would be cool to smash a guitar? no way. I love guitars, and I always think, someone would give their left nut for that guitar you are about to smash
33. Do you like fire? not really. I mean I don;t hate it, but I am not like drawn to it or anything
34. Where is your best friend from? again, not sure who my best friend is, which is interesting sorta. I'm assuming that this excludes spouse, who really is my best friend
35. Are you allergic to anything? people with complex allergies. not really, but I find myself having a hard time believeing that so many people are allergic to so many things, like a peanut within 50 yards will give them a seizure. How do you get by in life being so fragile?
36. When was the last time you cried? I love thinking about crying! Reminds me of Christmas growing up! Thank you! Now lets move on to people who have hurt me recently....
37. What kind of shampoo do you use? t-gel
38. Have you ever been to a spa? I've had a massage but no never been to a spa
39. Were you popular in high school? somewhat. I was on student council and president of clubs and stuff, but honestly, all that was about gettinga scholarship so I could get the F out of Houma for college
40. Did you take science all four years of high school? yep. MY senior year I think I had Physics and Chemistry II but not sure
41. Do you like butterflies? NO. I hate those tatrted up little pieces of shit, fluttering around like little whores!!!! I stomp each one I see. OK actually yes, I like them very much
42. What is the last book you read? This is Uncool: the 500 most important Singles since punk and Disco
43. Do you like Coke or Pepsi more? Coke, and mexican coke if I can get it. they use real sugar or soemthing and it is delicious
44. What is one thing you miss about your past? nothing. My present is pretty fucking good
45. Did you ever see the school nurse? like, see her naked? Like in a peeping tom kinda way? then no. I did not.
46. Have you ever wanted to be a teacher? I am a teacher (see i couldve left kelly's answer for a lot of these)
47. What is one thing you've learned about your life recently? I can do anything if I can manage to get over myself long enough to do it
48. Are you jealous of anyone? not really
49. Is anyone jealous of you? I know one friend that is in false self-depecarting kind of way
50. When was the last time you were in an elevator? at the big rich folk mall in New orleans with Maya and two of her friends. it was one of thos eglass ones that descends into a fountain. to this day, I still think they are pretty cool. I had a friend in college that spent his whole life in some tiny rural town in north lousiana and had made it to college without ever being in an elevator. His first elevator experience was moving into the dorm on the 10th floor, which sounds amazingly exciting and worth the ridiculousness of never having been in a muthafucking elevator |
from the hottest meme actor nancydrewmfa
1. Favorite Beatles song: You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
2. Favorite Rolling Stones song: Sweet Virginia
3. Favorite Doors song: The End
4. Favorite Bob Dylan song: Tombstone Blues
5. Favorite Manic Street Preachers song: hmmm, I forget
6. TV Theme Song: The Who, "Who Are You" for CSI. I never really liked that song before they used it
7. Favorite Prince Song: Let's go Crazy, mainly for "Life... its an electric word life. it means forever, and that's a mmighty long time" bit at the beginning
8. Favorite Madonna Song: like a prayer (video featured first BLACK DUDE i thought was hot!)
9. Favorite Michael Jackson Song: Rock With You
10. Favorite Metallica Song: never can tell their songs apart, I think its called "One"
11. Favorite Motorhead Song: Ace of Spades or Killed By Death
12. Favorite Ozzy Song: Bark At The Moon!
13. Favorite Public Enemy Song: Burn Hollywood Burn
14. Favorite Song from a cartoon: speed racer theme
15. Favorite Faith No More song: barf.
16. Favorite Depeche Mode song: Somebody. the sweet ballad off "Some Great Reward"
17. Favorite Cure song: Right now, thinking about it, I like every Cure song.
18. Favorite song that most of your friends haven't heard: puh-lease, my friends haven't heard anything.
19. Favorite Smiths song: You're Gonn Need Someone on Your Side
20. Favorite Beastie Boys song: you gotta fight for your right to party
21. Favorite Ministry song: either Stigmata or Jesus Built My Hotrod
22. Favorite Police song: Demolition Man
23. Favorite Sex Pistols song: Pretty Vacant
24. Favorite Beach Boys song: double barf. ok how about ... no I won't do it.
25. Favorite Def Leppard song: they never really topped Photograph in all over quality, but Pour Some Sugar on Me has soem standing merit
26. Favorite song from a movie: the imperial march in star wars
27. Favorite Duran Duran song: New Moon on Monday
28. Favorite Therapy? song: I liked that one with the video, but I can't remember teh name
29. Favorite Johnny Cash song: I've been Everywhere or 25 Minutes to Go
30. Favorite song from an 80's one hit wonder: they were a two hit wonder but Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
31. Favorite song from a video game: the Slick Rick song from Grand Theft auto
32. Favorite Kinks song: Nothin' In This World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl
33. Genesis song: HAHAHA how to choose among so many choice hits? actually, I liked Abacab back in the day
34. Favorite Thin Lizzy song: I guess it would have to be The Boys are back in Town
35. Favorite INXS song: The One Thing
36. Favorite Weird Al song: "Polkas on 45" form "in 3-d" for soem reason, my rommate my freshman year and I BOTH had this album, and realized we knew ALL THE WORRDS
37. Favorite Pulp song: common People
38. Favorite John Lennon song: God
39. Favorite Pink Floyd song: zzz. ok how about "Pigs on The Wing"
40. Favorite cover song: Elliot Smith doing Oasis' "Supersonic"
41. Favorite White Stripes: "denial twist" its still brilliant every single time
42. Favorite dance song: This Corrosion, Sisters of Mercy - that was my JAM, y'all
43. Favorite U2 song: "one" and actually Johnny Cash doing it would probably be my favorite cover, and maybe my favorite Johhny Cash song as well.
44. Favorite song from an actor turned musician: vincent gallo - "laura"
45. Favorite disco song: you sexy thing
46. Favorite Motley Crue song: looks that kill
47. Favorite Guns N' Roses song: used to love her
48. Favorite The Who song: Behind Blue Eyes, and yes, because of BTVS
49. Favorite Elton John song: ugh, he's another one. ok I started liking Tiny Dancer after that scene in Almost Famous
50. Favorite song, period: Velvet Underground - What Goes On |
I'M ON AMAZON
the Outsideleft Hardy Annual of which I am a listed contributor is now available on Amazon
This thing has been in works for a while, and even got a reading from a number of the UK contributors at some posh London bookstore. I haven't seen a physical copy myself yet, but the fact that its on Amazon and in the whole distribution publishing machine is pretty fucking cool, and maybe even a little more real than having the actual book in my grubby fingers
and what's better and even more self-indulgent than ego-surfing? pulling up your author profile on the Book Selling Database of Record
plugging my name in the author search |
Thanks to the kind initiative of tick_wonderdog Chicken Fried now has its own LiveJournal feed, so please add it on up if you want.
chicken_fried |
I just came back from seeing Curious George where the dulcet tones of Jack Kohnson put every single dad including me to sleep for 90 minutes. and thenaks to momtart I had nasty thoughts about Drew Barrymore who did the voice of the perky schoolteacher in love withe the Man in the Yellow Hat, ergo, the movie equation goes like this
 + = Z + Z + Z + Z +
hey I enabled comments on Chicken Fried, go make me look popular in the eyes of my New Journalism cohorts |
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