Radiohead does it right.

I just saw the news on Stereogum that Radiohead, instead of finding a new record label, have decided to just go ahead and release their new album in 10 days time. This is by far the coolest thing they could have done for a variety of reasons. Firstly, they are pretty much the only band besides Zeppelin and the Beatles that haven’t started selling their music online. Secondly, they prove that a band with a smart and large fan base does not need a record label to sell or promote their albums anymore. Thirdly, they really only finished their album a couple of weeks ago and instead of doing the usual ‘wait around, promote, have the album leak’ thing, they pretty much guarantee that the album will only come out when they want it to. Finally, you can order a ‘hard copy’ of the album, but only on a 2 record set (w/bonus CD + digital download). They’re like ‘fuck selling CDs at a music store’ and are officially cutting out the price-gouging middlemen to whom generations of young people have given their hard bargained dollars for.

It’s funny that in the 4 years since the last Radiohead album, I’ve discovered a lot of great music, and been to a lot of shows, and yet, I am almost peeing my pants at the thought of this new one. It’s like I haven’t aged a day. I sensed things were going to start looking up, and I was totally right on this one, eh?

I, for sure, am going to pre-order this son of a bitch forthwith

-In Rainbows preorder- 

Workin’ On A Friday

It’s 7pm and I’m still at work.

Nuts.

But tomorrow is Saturday. So there’s something.

And the day after is Sunday, but I think I will need to work 2 hours at least one of those days.

Something great is going to happen. Like miracle cure for lactose intolerance level great. I can feel it!

Technology makes me mad

I just need to make two DVDs! That’s it. Finn’s Last Dance + 10 seconds of black at the beginning. But with my main workstation down and my only other DVD burner attached to my laptop, I was stumped last night about how to do this simple task.  SGT. Moonraper is still not fully operational, and probably won’t be until I can get going on it a little more this weekend.

(I can only imagine that there will be at least two trips to Fry’s…a bittersweet proposition)

Anyway, luckily enough my workstation at work (Called Content004, mysteriously enough) was originally intended as a video editing station, so I’m burning the DVD right now.

Basically I just need to get the DVDs to Philadelphia by Monday so we can get Finn shown at it’s first (and perhaps only) festival. If anyone wants to go to Philly to check it out in the middle of the fest, I think I can get you a free pass.

It’s weird and anticlimactic to get into a festival this late in the game. But I’m not complaining. No sir.

Arcade Fire Tonight!

As well as LCD Soundsystem!

I saw Arcade Fire at Sasquatch and even though I was pretty far back, I thought their live show was pretty incredible and I swore (swore!!) that when they came to the city that I’d go and see them. It ended up being $45/ticket, but yet, I am going and it will be awesome.

ArcadeFire_025

Originally uploaded by Kent, J

I think I’m writing like a 13 year old girl.

Crap.

Say hello to Sgt. Moonraper

Though I’m generally pissed that my old computer (Thunderpants) died during my last move. It gave me an opportunity to build yet another PC with a most awesome name. Yes friends, this is Sgt. Moonraper, a melding of brand new and spare parts I have scattered about. We shall see who cowers in fears!

[Note, this is only Sgt. Moonraper's case, he has many things inside that make it count]

Fall Matrimony

Sickness! Not something I’m very good at, I think. I should probably be left alone during most of it and just drink juice and tea on my own until the phlegm subsides.

In any case, it’s probably time for my quarterly “Fuck You (Previous Season) good luck (coming season) is coming post.

Fuck you Summer, for causing me to be busy and miss your handful of hot days and not see all that many good movies, and fuck you for having my job get busy and have no films made at all. Fuck you for not inspiring me to write a great screenplay or make something of any importance and most of all fuck you for being the season that everyone always looks forward to and then dissapoints. You’re a showboating fucking fuck you motherfucker and I don’t even want to talk to you until I’m done with Spring and its bountiful short shorts!

Hello Fall! With your crispy air and leaves and brand new sweaters. Good morning cloudy afternoons drinking tea and listening to Neil Young. I hope to see you soon Thanksgiving with your awkward family moments and tasty foods that I love to eat! Greetings October and the buildup to Halloween in which I will purchase a pumpkin, carve it poorly and eat those little pumpkin candies that tasy all waxy and make me feel sick! Guten tag Movie that we may yet shoot if the world does not conspire against us and make me sick and cranky again. Buenos Dias warm and drunken times with close friends! We’ll meet soon, and embrace warmly with heart and verve!

-Matt

Adventures In Showboating

I had to leave work early today due to what I think is a combination of stress, exhaustion and a cold that’s going around. I slept for a few hours and puttered around the house for a while. I ended up going out eventually and meeting some folks for a drink or two, and John told me to listen to a particular Bright Eyes song, which of coure I did, and it was sad, so I went out to be with people and I played a song or two for them. The music and lyrics leave something to be desired, but the overall passion I communicated may have reverberated across the entire city.

Also, Troy stuck two knives into a light socket. He is recovering.
Lyrics to the song after the jump.

On My Door

Yesterday I pasted a small label to my front door labeled “Greedy Pines”. I’ve officially been a resident there just over a month now and though I’m still trying to nail everything down, and feel settled, I’m happy that I can have friends come over and bullshit and win bets and drink milk+cookies on a Sunday evening.

The rest of the weekend was spent helping shoot a movie which was mostly tiring and educational. For some reason I was exhausted the entire shoot and no amount of caffeine or other substance made me feel anything less than groggy. I still have the same crappy feeling today and am thinking about trying to get out of work for a day this week maybe to recover and drink juice all day.

It was educational, because it was the first film set I’d been on where (besides my own, if I’m being biased, which I am) where everyone was calm and professional and not completely wigging out all day. Probably could have gone a bit quicker, but by all accounts it seems like it’ll be an entertaining thing when it shows next weekend. Our camera performed admirably, and with a few modifications, should be a very useful tool for the next film we go after.

Went to the newly reopened Jive Time/Atlas after the shoot on Sunday and bought a half-score of records with Gretchen. I finally have both “The Velvet Underground & Nico” and “London Calling” on vinyl, and I’m a pretty happy camper. I like the Atlas record section in that it’s very small, but you can find a lot of great stuff there. Very compressed. Kind of like Bailey-Coy, where they might not have a ton of books, they just have the ones I seem to want to buy.

I’ve written every day for a week straight, though nothing substantial has come of the trek. Due to the settling in and business of life, I just haven’t been able to follow up as much as I want to on some of the stories I’ve been sketching out. That’ll come with time, I think, and probably when I get the rest of my apartment all put  together and in order.

Coming up for this week: ‘Adventures in showboating’, ‘My inability to watch the rest of a Deadwood episode for fear that a character I have ground fond of will be killed’ and ‘Cooking with Dimertra’

Day So Far

(stole this from kottke.org, who I think was trying to make a statement about something else, but whatever)

Woke up to alarm at 7ish, shut it off, woke up to alarm at 7:20ish, shut it off, went back to bed. Woke up to alarm at 7:30ish, went back to bed, but woke up Gretchen, fell back asleep, woke up to patented foot-tickle wake up tactic from Gretchen, ate a Clif bar for breakfast, zoned out, realized my nose was bleeding and made a mental note to go to the doctor. took a shower, got out, realizing it was now 8pm, I get dressed and head out to retrieve my car parked down the street. Text from Troy confirms workout, I show for workout and do some elliptical for 20 minutes and then a smattering of sit-ups. I get to my office and check my email, nothing doing so I head upstairs and get coffee and a breakfast sandwich that I will later regret. Put out fires for 90 minutes. Go to a meeting for 20 minutes at which I say one sentence, but in which I lay out the rest of my schedule for the week. Go back to my office. Put out fires for 40 minutes. Eat lunch of Yakisoba noodles and foul vegetables. Drink a Coke Zero, also foul. Write email for a while. Read Internet for a while. Nothing doing yet. Wait for better days to come. Finish blog.

Wide Open Spaces

When I was growing up my friend Mark had a poster of a chick in short cut-off shorts bending over so you could see a good deal of her bottom. She was dressed as a cowboy and it had the caption ‘Wide Open Spaces’. I always think of that poster whenever anyone mentions that phrase. I cannot say why, only that as a pre-teen I was fascinated that anyone would be allowed to have this poster in their room.

I guess it’s a non-sequitur to compare this (likely) stripper’s bent over posterior with the place that I live, but I have been thinking about personal space as a concept so it kind of applies.

It all came together yesterday when I visited Scrapper + Faye’s new house: