Ah, the emptiness of modern comforts…
Can a song be both great and ridiculous? Fifty years on, I’m still wondering. But I still love this and almost everything from Roxy’s first five albums.
AI David Attenborough Narrates Developer’s Life
David Attenborough is now narrating my life
Here's a GPT-4-vision + @elevenlabsio python script so you can star in your own Planet Earth: pic.twitter.com/desTwTM7RS
— Charlie Holtz (@charliebholtz) November 15, 2023
Hilarious and slightly terrifying. Story here.
A Hero For Us All …
… and better than we deserve.
Pelo
I’ve been enjoying this archive of Pelo magazines going back to the 70s. There are a lot of cool photos I’ve never seen anywhere, and a lot of the issues will have links to posters that came with the issues which are fabulous. Tempted to print a couple of them.
This Took A Lot Of Balls
2,000, in fact.
Multitalented Bastard
This live Schoolhouse Rock cuts out after a minute or so, sorry.
Jack Sheldon provided that perfect railcar voice (suck it, Boxcar Willie), and opened for Lenny Bruce, and played trumpet for jazz artists of the 1950’s and eventually Merv Griffin.
Here’s Your Chance
I know Monkeystador has been trying to attract Pussy Riot’s attention for awhile. Well, they’re playing in Tulsa!
You know it’s true because you read it in Pitchfork!
Pussy Riot will receive the Woody Guthrie Prize in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 6, and perform at the city’s Cain’s Ballroom that evening. The prize is given annually to an artist who “best exemplifies Guthrie’s spirit and work by speaking for the less fortunate through music, film, literature, dance or other art forms and serving as a positive force for social change.” The ceremony is part of the Woody Guthrie Center’s 10th anniversary celebration, which takes place from May 5 to 7.
Tulsa is a fun town. Surprisingly hip. We can go to the Dylan Archives while we’re there.
Taschen Is At It Again
I’m Working Too Hard
Both proof that one needn’t be especially proficient as a musician to write killer songs AND an explanation for my recent blargh absence.
The Nerves weren’t around too long but are regarded by some as ground zero for the LA punk and power pop scene. Drummer Paul Collins went on to form The Beat (“Rock N Roll Girl,” “I Don’t Fit In”), bassist Peter Case formed The Plimsouls (“A Million Miles Away”), and guitarist Jack Lee’s song “Hanging on the Telephone” became a massive hit for Blondie when they covered it on Parallel Lines in 1978.
And here’s Collins a few years later with The Beat …