11/28/07

Playlist 2 -- Bleeding Green, No Country for Old Men, more


Hey there. Another week, another Playlist.

A.J. Jacobs. The Year of Living Biblically. A.J. Jacobs is a riot. I dove into this after reading his book The Know-it-All, in which he attempted to become incredibly smart by reading every page of the Encyclopedia Britannica. In this book, A.J. tries to “literally” follow the Bible’s rules for a year. He doesn’t shave. He stones adulterers. He avoids mixed fibers. And he tries not to covet or lie. It’s hilarious. Jacobs is an agnostic, but jumps fully into the role, or should I say robe. The book (A.J.’s) doesn’t disparage religion at all, but puts perspective on the book (that old one that starts with Genesis) and the people who follow it.


Bleeding Green Nation. And speaking of A.J. Want to keep up on the newest quarterback controversy? Here's the site.


Those who know me well, know the Philadelphia Eagles are not just another distraction, they’re my main focus, especially between August and (I always hope) late January. In the Internet and NFL Network age, it’s easy to keep up with the news. But I miss the passion. This Web site brings it all. And unlike many of the Eagle blogs and message boards out there, it’s intelligent. It’s my daily stop to catch up on the Birds.

Now who thinks that great effort against the Patriots is a springboard to a great run? I sure hope so. But being a Philadelphia sports fan for 30+ years has taught me one thing. Don't get don’t get too optimistic. You'll just get your heart broken.


The Red House Painters. Ocean Beach and Songs for a Blue Guitar. This group is really the work of one man Mark Kozelek. And these two albums are muted, yet very memorable. Although the Painters’ sound is distinct, it covers several categories from folk to alternative country to progressive. They can be loud, but also introspective, sometimes on the same song. Ocean Beach is a quieter, more consistent affair. But Songs for a Blue Guitar is more fun. Kozelek loves doing covers (he’s done albums of Modest Mouse and AC/DC songs) and Blue Guitar has three – Silly Love Songs, Long Distance Runaround and a great version of the Cars’ All Mixed Up that you have to hear. Who do the Painters sound like? Hard to pinpoint, but Kozelek has been compared to a combination between Simon and Garfunkel and Neil Young. Check out the Red House Painters My Space page and listen to their cover of Genesis’ Follow You, Follow Me. Favorite Tracks: Have You Forgotten, Make Like Paper, All Mixed Up, Cabezon and Moments.


You can find a lot of The Red House Painters’ music at www.emusic.com.



No Country for Old Men. All right, I haven’t seen this yet. But this trailer has whet my appetite. It looks like the Coen Brothers have done it again. I don’t know anything about the actor Javier Bardem, but based on the trailer he’s nailed Anton Chigurh. If you haven’t read Cormac McCarthy’s book, treat yourself to it. It’s an easy read – much easier than his more acclaimed, but still worthwhile The Road.


T.C. Boyle. East is East. (see last week’s post). Nearing the last 30 pages.


Now you guys tell me. What's on your Playlist?

4 comments:

KathyT said...

Okay, let me start by saying that you impress me, Mr. Distracted, on a number of levels! First, I have no idea what a blog is, what it's for, or how to work one, so kudos for keeping up with the trends that I'll never understand! Secondly, you actually have time for distractions! Books, music, Wii, the gym...where does one find the time to do those things and then make even more time to blog (can that be used as a verb?) about them. But most of all, I am astounded by the fact that you are still an Eagles fan in light of the fact that you flew the Philly coop long ago AND they haven't been proving themselves worthy of loyalty for as long as I can remember.

Anyway, it's great to hear what you've been up to! I think I'll check my day planner and see when I can fit in some distractions of my own! Yeah, like I even have extra time to actually check it let alone add to it!

Take care and be well!

Kathy Torpey
(Are these blog things supposed to be anonymous-did I break cyber-protocol?)

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on starting a blog. It will be another one of my distractions, lucky me.

The Red House Painters--Steve will love it. I'll pass it along.

Herb said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Herb said...

I too hope, for the sake of my friends and colleague who are Eagles fans and have suffered bravely for decades the indignities that come with any association with Philadephia since the late 18th century, that the Eagles have a wonderful end to their difficult season. (Who would have thought that A.J. Feeley would be part of a serious quarterback controversy?) However, I would appeciate if they would wait until the Sunday after next, since my own Seahawks need a good end of season of their own. And hey, they even have their own controversy, at running back.

I also find my appetite whetted by the trailers for "No Country," but then I always was a sucker for a title from Yeats. And I've admired the Coen brothers since "Raising Arizona." One of my favorite film moments is the Ku Klux Klan scene in "O Brother," an homage to the witch's castle scene (the rescue of Dorothy) in "Wizard of Oz." Unfortunately, I have a strong aversion to graphic film violence, so we'll have to see whether I can overcome it to see the film. Perhaps I'll wait until Dan sees it and provides his opinion.

Small world department. A few years ago I asked my ex-brother-in-law, who is the same age as the Coen brothers and who also grew up Jewish in Minneapolis, if he'd known them. He answered: "Not only did I know them, you knew their parents." I'd enjoyed the company of a very interesting couple named Coen several times, back in my Minneapolis days (1964-66) because they were good friends of my new in-laws. But I never made the connection, despite the somewhat unsual spelling of "Cohen."