Entries from February 2007
I came across a great article in a well regarded online literary magazine that nicely ties together at least two of Anyworld’s most persistent obsessions (and throws in William S. Burroughs for good measure). Here’s the part that caught my attention:
Cyberpunk pioneer William Gibson (coined the term “cyberspace,” sadly remembered for the screenplay to Johnny Mnemonic) cites Steely Dan as one of his primary literary inspirations. Ironically, Steely Dan cite beat novelist William Burroughs (coined the term “heavy metal,” sadly remembered as the old guy in the Nike ads) as one of their primary inspirations. Becker and Fagen read Gibson. I wonder if Gibson reads Burroughs. Regardless, there is a lot of literature orbiting the Steely Dan nexus. And you thought it was just some guy not wanting Ricky to lose that number.
And I’d be remiss to omit the following observation:
“Any World” best expresses Steely Dan’s philosophy of place: Since the immediate world is too harsh, and the imagined world is too distant, any other world will do.
If I had my way
I would move to another lifetime
I’d quit my job
Ride the train through the misty nighttime
I’ll be ready when my feet touch ground
Wherever I come down
And if the folks will have me
Then they’ll have me
Any world that I’m welcome to
Is better than the one I come from.
Read the full article.
Categories: Steely Dan
Art
Life
Categories: News
Anna Nicole Smith is dead. I’m not sure why I care enough to blog about that, but for some reason I do. Maybe it’s because, unlike other pop-culture beauties past and present, she wore her faults and frailties on her sleeve, even got fat and dared not to act ashamed of it. She may not have been very smart or very talented, or even very sober, but at least she was a little bit honest.
Categories: News
Morgan Kaolian, an aerial photographer who does some truly fantastic work for the Connecticut Post, took me up in his Cessna Skyhawk this morning. Here are some pics; I’ll post video if and when I get around to editing it. Needless to say, dear reader, I wish you could have been up there with me — although I’ll admit I was turning a bit green by the end of the flight. (Photos courtesy Morgan Kaolian/AEROPIX.)
Me
My house (center)
Freighter offloading coal onto barge, bound for Bridgeport Harbor
Categories: Random
Upcoming shows of note:
Come see Kriss and the boys put on their best country duds and swing the night away.
And …
Sonic Youth. That’s right: Sonic friggin’ Youth. Thursday, Feb. 15, 2006, 9 p.m. at Toad’s Place ($25)
Categories: Uncategorized
My nephew, Noah, is nearly three months old. He is smiling and even imitating speech (actually, for all I know he’s speaking fluent and nuanced Tagalog). Time to brush up on my doting skills and learn a lullaby or two — the only one I can think of is by W.H. Auden, and it’s hardly suited for a 3-month-old.
Categories: Personal
ARIES: Choose your words carefully. Most simply reflect reality, but some words are so poweful that, once uttered, they spring into life and form a reality of their own. The effect can be permanent.
TAURUS: You have no reason to fear losing what is dear to you. But you should not fear letting go if that’s what you must do.
GEMINI: If they ask for a blue dog, find a dog and paint it blue.
CANCER: Release your inner child.
LEO: Learn to communicate effectively face-to-face.
VIRGO: Don’t let pandering peddlers of pious platitudes eat your lunch, and don’t gamble on an afterlife; it’s hard enough to believe what you can see with your own eyes.
LIBRA: Take care to look both ways before you cross — especially if it’s a one-way street.
SCORPIO: Tonight, you should howl at the moon.
SAGITTARIUS: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Alabama, on the other hand …
CAPRICORN: Coach was wrong. It doesn’t matter how you play the game. It only counts if you win.
AQUARIUS: Good night. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.
PISCES: Never believe anything I say.
Categories: Random
