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Archives for 07/17/2005 - 07/23/2005

Saturday, July 23, 2005

Common Denominator

posted by on July 23 at 8:37 PM

There’s a nice common denominator to a couple of smaller news stories that ran today.
In both this Reuters story about a bill that calls for stricter guidelines on the Pentagon’s treatment of detainees (including an investigation into past treatment of detainees at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib), and this NYT story about the stem cell research billit seems Republicans are getting fed up with Bush and lashing out. I guess this is the way it goes down when things start falling apart at the top.

Chimp Retirement Homes

posted by on July 23 at 6:03 PM

There’s a great long article in the new NYT Magazine about a new chimp retirement complex partially funded by the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection Act (passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton in 2000). The writer, Charles Siebert, has an unfortunate habit of referring to chimps as monkeys (they’re apes, duh), but otherwise it’s a fascinating read, yielding silly facts like adult chimps’ apparent fondness for Jerry Springer and General Hospital as well as making a strong, subtle case for spending taxpayer money on good homes for chimps that have spent much of their lives serving as subjects for our medical research or actors in our puerile entertainments.


Friday, July 22, 2005

The Revolution Will Be Podcasted

posted by on July 22 at 5:07 PM

Late last year, I heard about this podcasting concept. I was immediately intrigued by the idea of little indie radio-like showsor, really, mini audio booksbeamed right into my iPod. To my dismay, however, I was such an early adopter that the vast majority of available podcasts at the time were utter crap, boring amateurs broadcasting from their bedrooms and bathrooms. Everything I found seemed to be about music or technology, two subjects that I appreciate, but don’t want to listen to a stranger drone on about for an hour. Blah.

In the past few months, however, that’s all changed. There are tons of Podcasts available, from the likes of Slate and Al Franken’s Air America show, to spiffed up amateurs discussing everything from abstinence to zydeco. Apple just released an updated version iTunes with an Podcast directory for easy browsing, and the phenomemon caught that eye of both the New York Times and Fortune yesterday.

Anyway, my love for podcasts has been renewed. Slate’s are great (short and sweet readings straight from the site), and I’m secretly obsessed with a hobby-related podcast (about a hobby I’m too embarassed to admit to on this here Slog). I spent two hours last night catching up on my backlog of podcasts while I ran errands, made dinner and cleaned up the apartment. It was great! (And much more efficient than trying to read while I cook.)

But I ran out of podcasts! I don’t want to obsessively check iTunes to see if the four or five I’ve subscribed to have new casts, so I turn to you all: Any suggestions for podcasts to check out? I’d love to get ones in the vein of Slategood, brief, general storytelling or news, on a variety of topics (Salon needs to get on board with podcasting). But I could be persuaded to check out a compelling podcast on something uber-specific, like bananas. Tell me what to look up, in our Slog forum.

(Speaking of the forums, a reader there recently suggested that The Stranger start podcasting. I couldn’t agree more.)

band name of the day

posted by on July 22 at 4:11 PM

Seattle punk band OOPS… I STEPPED IN SOME CHRIST play Studio Seven Tues Aug 2.

dog shit

posted by on July 22 at 3:45 PM

A couple of dog-related things that likely matter to no one else:
Dogster is Friendster for your dog.
• The lovely lady in white to right of today’s slog (in the “Ad of the Week”) is Grisha Stewart, who helped us teach our big dog manners. If you have a dog in need of training, she’s expert.
• I found a quaint English pub, the White Horse, on Post Alley (a few doors south of Kells and near the Pink Door), which welcomes dogs AND has two of my favorite beers, Nut Brown Ale and Old Peculiar.
• Also, the fab Hideout is dog friendly. I’m compiling a list; If you know of other sweet or swank places I can take my dog, e-mail me.
No, I am not yet a crazy dog lady, but I’m working on it.

More Speak Like a Child

posted by on July 22 at 3:29 PM

on another matter, relating now to “What is Jazz,” our classical/jazz/experimental music critic DeLaurenti just sent me this email:

“Hi Charles,
Although debating jazz minutia and perennially beating dead-horse questions such as “What is Jazz?” is what we purists do, I didn’t want to clutter the Slog quibbling about the date of Speak Like a Child. It is not, as you contended, 1969 but 1968, see http://www.herbiehancock.com/music/discography.htmly”

Ok, DeLaurenti, you win that round.

For Example…

posted by on July 22 at 1:49 PM

In case the definitions are unclear, Charles’s last post: cinema.

Right About Last Days

posted by on July 22 at 1:30 PM

My review of Last Days is correct. Maerz is wrong in the way that Frizzelle’s criticism of my praise of Batman Returns was wrong. My concern is cinema; meaning, the stuff that makes a movie a movie and not something else. I don’t care if the dialogue is dumb or the pace is slow. What I want to determine is the condition of the work: cinema or not cinema? That is the only question I ask when watching a collection of images that are moving on a screen. If the images do not amount to cinema, then I call it bad. If they come close to cinema, then I say almost good. If what has just happened is cinema, I say great. If you or Frizzelle are going to make a habit of criticizing my criticisms then please do so on the grounds that I formulate my criticisms, instead of grounds that are not really grounds because they are not at all sound.

A Step Backwards

posted by on July 22 at 1:20 PM

Call me trite or predictable or “PC,” but something obvious needs to be said about the Roberts nomination. Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman appointed to the SC. Just because Ruth Bader Ginsburg is on the Court now doesn’t give Bush the latitude to stray from the O’Connor precedent. In fact, Ginsburg’s presence on the Court should have put more of a burden on Bush to appoint a woman. The significance of the O’Connor precedent, and what made it less of a token appointment, is that it paved the way for Ginsburg to be appointed and bring the Court somewhat closer to the actual make up of America’s legal landscape where 30% of lawyers are women. If Ginsburg is the only woman on the SC, females will only make up 11 percent of the Court.

RE: Stella v. Chappelle-a

posted by on July 22 at 1:19 PM

I would just like to publicly and whole-heartedly disagree with Sean Nelson’s statements regarding comedy troupe Stella. Now I can’t say whether Stella is funnier than the Chappelle show (I’m not prepared for such a debate), but I can say that I find Stella to be really fucking hilarious.

Continue reading "RE: Stella v. Chappelle-a" »

Stella v. Chappelle-a

posted by on July 22 at 12:39 PM

So, I’m biased because my friend is the co-creator and co-writer of Chappelle’s Show, but this Stella business that Comedy Central has proffered as a temporary replacement is about as funny as Non-Hodkin’s Lymphoma. Jesus. I’m sure those guys make their friends laughthey might even be talented live improv performers (where the physical feat of keeping a sketch going can be enough)but that’s not the same thing as being actually funny on TV. There are quotation marks around every word and gesture; it just reminds me of being at a party in 1994, except the vibe is even more joyless, and everyone’s wearing suits.

Here’s the article…

posted by on July 22 at 11:12 AM

…on the “discrepancies.”

These discrepancies may be important because Fitzgerald is investigating whether Libby, Rove or other administration officials made false statements during the course of the investigation.

A Reason To Live Another Week

posted by on July 22 at 10:27 AM

If you enjoyed Fran Lebowitz’s interview with Ruminator yesterday, you should know that there will be a longer version appearing next week.

Coming Soon: Evidence of Perjury?

posted by on July 22 at 9:55 AM

The blogs are abuzz this morning about a story, supposedly coming soon from the Bloomberg news service, that indicates Karl Rove and Cheney’s chief of staff, Lewis Libby, may not have told the truth to the special prosecutor. This is significant because it may give the special prosecutor enough ammunition to indict Rove and Libby for perjury, even if he doesn’t have enough evidence to indict them for leaking classified information.

Supposed excerpt from the story is here, at the normally reliable site Daily Kos. Follow the links within to other blogs that are reporting the same thing.

“The Bantam of the Opera”

posted by on July 22 at 9:22 AM

I don’t like boxing, and don’t appreciate opera, but the idea of a former Golden Gloves boxer quitting the ring to devote his life to bringing opera to the masses is fascinating.

Here’s the Seattle P-I’s obituary for Glynn Ross, founder of the Seattle Opera and co-creator of the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Choice excerpt:

No corny gambit was beneath him if it promoted the cause of opera: cement trucks bearing signs saying “Get mixed up with Seattle Opera,” for instance, or signs declaring “Get a head with Salome.” “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing,” he always said. “Nothing succeeds like excess.”

Last Days the Movie: Bring a Pillow For the Nap You Bought

posted by on July 22 at 9:00 AM

I completely (and respecfully) disagree with my co-worker Charles Mudede’s review this week giving the Kurt Cobain-inspired Gus Van Sant film Last Days a positive review. Instead I’d like to warn people that the waste-of-your-money movie is not only a long, slow test of patience, but also that it’s a frustratingly lame cliché of the rock star as the drug addict—which, even given that Cobain was both a rock star and an addict brings no new life or originality to that concept or to the end of Cobain’s life.

Continue reading "Last Days the Movie: Bring a Pillow For the Nap You Bought" »


Thursday, July 21, 2005

How Not To Win Friends and Influence People

posted by on July 21 at 5:11 PM

If the Sudanese leadership wanted to disabuse people of the notion that Sudan is run by a bunch of genocidal thugs, then roughing up the American Secretary of State’s entourage, plus an American television reporter, was probably not a good idea.

The headline alone is unbelievable: “Rice Angry at Abuse of Aides in Meeting with Sudan Leader.”

And yet what are we doing to stop what even our government calls a “genocide” in the Darfur region of Sudan? Close to nothing.

Katie Holmes loves Tom Cruise

posted by on July 21 at 2:55 PM

It’s true. And she says so about 800 times in this absofuckinglutely creepy W interview.

I tried to pick a favorite part, but I just couldn’t. The whole thing is a big ball of brainwashed absurdity.

Overpriced Seattle

posted by on July 21 at 2:23 PM

According to this study, Seattle is the most overpriced city in the whole US of A. The criteria for being an overpriced city is “when prices go up, when employment is stagnant and when incomes are flat.”

Dispatches from NYC

posted by on July 21 at 1:32 PM

A friend in NYC emails:

Wave my civil liberties goodbye!

Starting tomorrow, NYPD will be conducting random bag checks, and if you refuse you can’t get on the subway.

I asked him if he knows what they’re looking forother than obvious explosives, I suppose. Is anything banned on subways, like they are on planes? Knives, guns, etc?

I can only imagine what a mess this will make of the commute. Unless check are infrequentwhich then raises suspicions of profiling. Troubling, either way.

Bumped by al-Qaida

posted by on July 21 at 12:14 PM

Damn. The Fox Cable News Network was slated to descend on the Stranger offices today to interview me about my recent criticisms of NARAL. (Go figure.)
Anyway, I ironed my shirt, put goop in my hair, and brought a tie into work. And I had my soundbite all ready. I was going to preface every statement about my disappointment in NARAL with the following refrain: It’s the Republicans fault that the state doesn’t mandate comprehensive, medically accurate sex education. But the Fox’s NW correspondent canceled. He said he’s off chasing today’s headline story about the London bomb suspect’s ties to Seattle. He did reschedule for tomorrow. We’ll see.

Monorail Rebid Prospects Better than Ever

posted by on July 21 at 11:45 AM

Last week, one of two groups that were originally vying to build the monorail, Team Monorail, held an unprecedented meeting with two members of the monorail agency’s inner circle.

One year ago, Bombardier-led Team Monorail announced that it was dropping out of the running to build the monorail, citing unreasonable financial requirements. After sole bidder Cascadia Monorail Company’s bid came in months late and $200 million higher than expected, Team Monorail asked to be let back into the bidding. Then-agency director Joel Horn insisted it would be “illegal” to reopen the process before negotiations were complete, and refused to even meet with Team Monorail representatives.

Since then, everything has changed: The SMP has scrapped its $11 billion financing scheme, Horn and fellow agency leader Tom Weeks have resigned, and interim board director Kristina Hill has announced that “every option,” including a rebid, is on the table.

Last week, TM representatives made their pitch to the agency to do just that, in a meeting with interim executive director Tom Horkan and legal director Ross Macfarlane. According to TM flack Blair Butterworth, the agency heads were “receptive” to TM’s pitch.

Continue reading "Monorail Rebid Prospects Better than Ever" »

Music Fest Update

posted by on July 21 at 11:36 AM

Because of lack of funding, this year’s Seattle Music Fest has been cancelled. Northwest Programs for the Arts is looking into alternatives, however, and they sent out this press release regarding a possible They Might Be Giants (who were scheduled to appear at the Music Fest) show at the Moore.

Continue reading "Music Fest Update" »

Annie’s right

posted by on July 21 at 11:14 AM

It’s, like, totally sunny here in Seattle. Gorgeously sunny and warm.

When I first moved herein July 1991, seven weeks before the release of Nevermind and the ensuing culture boom that made my arbitrary relocation seem like the hippest thing in the worldI marvelled at how these gloriously sunny days affected the Seattle populace like a drug, or a surprise paid holiday. I’d never seen an entire city get in a better mood en masse.

Anyway, that’s kinda how it is in Seattle today.
Meanwhile in Berlin, God sends down the rain to wash away the forthcoming sin.

Text message to Friedrichshain

posted by on July 21 at 11:11 AM

It’s sunny in Seattle. Nonstop. It’s just sunny and sunny and sunny and sunny.

Ong Ong

posted by on July 21 at 10:24 AM

Seattle fanzine Ong Ong has emerged after a long incubation and its christening occurs 8 pm Thursday at Rendezvous along with a showing of Hisham Mayet’s Niger: Magic and Ecstasy in the Sahel (released via Sublime Frequencies, which Ong Ong features in its inaugural issue). Besides that piece, OO editor Lucy M. and her cohorts charmingly enthuse about the following topics: Italian psych-rockers Jennifer Gentle, Wolf Eyes’ John Olsen, punk documentary Rodrigo D: No Futuro, ’90s Seattle space-rockers Jessamine, Eastern European beers, and more. You get all this plus vegan recipes, original art, 40-minute CD of field recordings by Yann Novak, and a poetic meditation on the secret messages of album covers and the joys of record collecting. Ong Ong is available at Seattle establishments such as Confounded Books (in the same space as Wall of Sound), Electric Heavyland, and all Sonic Boom locations. For more info: lucysolveig@hotmail.com.

Julie Anne Kempf and Ron Sims

posted by on July 21 at 10:10 AM

With former (and fired) King County Election Superintendent Julie Anne Kempf in the news again (she’s under investigation for creating fraudulent documents) I’d like to say: I told you so. And I’d especially like to say I told you so to Ron Sims. Back in 1999, when Kempf was assistant superintendent of elections, I caught her messing with finance records, and I broke a big story in the Stranger about it. Ron Sims wrote a letter to the Stranger saying my story was inaccurate, and promptly promoted her to superintendent. Nice job, Ron. Kempf was subsequently fired after the screwy abesentee ballot mess in November 2002. Well, she’s baaack. And it only reminds me how badly Sims has mismanaged the county elections office.

Fran Lebowitz

posted by on July 21 at 10:08 AM

Anytime I start to feel that the world is irredeemably insane and life is completely pointless (about once an hour), I remember love. More specifically, my love of Fran Lebowitz. You may recognize her as a guest star on Law and Order or from her columns and articles in every magazine of consequence since the `70s. Or as the humorist (which is a word I hate. Humorists aren’t funnyor wise. Garrison Keillor is a humorist, Fran Lebowitz is a philosopher) who has written only two books in the last thirty years. She isn’t prolific but that’s one of my favorite qualities of hers. I wish more people would winnow their output, many to the point of silence.


Here is an excerpt, from Ruminator with Fran. I think it may have single-handedly changed my ideas about smoking bans. In fact, I’m going to go buy a pack of cigarettes right now.

Text message from Friedrichshain

posted by on July 21 at 9:45 AM

It’s raining in Berlin. Nonstop. It’s just raining and raining and raining and raining and raining.

Rove Back on the Front Page

posted by on July 21 at 9:45 AM

As many in the blogosphere are noting this morning, if the Roberts nomination was meant to distract from the scandal over who in the Bush administration blew a CIA agent’s cover — well, it’s not working very well. Today the Washington Post runs a front page story that hones in on a secret memo that could be key to the leak investigation.

Moonwalking to Berlin?

posted by on July 21 at 9:04 AM

According to German news reports, the freshly acquitted Michael Jackson is planning to resettle in Berlin.

“No one in Germany ever let him down during the trial,” said Jackson adviser Shawn Andrews to German newspaper, Die Welt. “He feels at home in Berlin.”

Germany, you may recall, is the country that declined to file charges against Jackson after he dangled his infant son from a fourth-floor balcony, so they totally deserve him.

But the line I keep remembering from an old episode of the redneck sitcom King of the Hill when mother Peggy discovers her 12-year-old son Bobby has fallen in love with a female mannequin head. Her solution is sharp and immediate: “We are moving to Berlin. They accept our kind there.”

More London Explosions

posted by on July 21 at 8:54 AM

But compared with the blasts of two weeks ago (what is it with terrorists and Thursdays?) today’s four subway explosions were much smaller and 100% less deadly.

Good basic report here.

Props to the PI

posted by on July 21 at 8:09 AM

Our very own Seattle-PI has greatly impressed the lefty blogosphere. Today’s PI editorial on Bush/Rove is getting cited and linked all over the place.


Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Gallery 1412 Benefit Friday

posted by on July 20 at 7:03 PM

This just in from Mr. Sam Mickens:

“Hey dudes,
This Friday, July 22nd, there will be a big party at the gallery to raise scrill for the future of this esteemable but fledgling Seattle fixture.

For those of you who don’t know, Gallery 1412 is a collectively-run space dedicated to presenting creative and experimental music in a dedicated, all ages space. It is pretty boss and you should all check it out at some point if you haven’t already.

The party will start around 8pm on Friday and will feature lots of booze 4 sale, live performance from the art-mess Japanese band Na, Djing from Selector Gust Burns, and lots of weird raffle/auction items. I will be there, possibly bartending and certainly drinking from the cup of fun. Hope to see you there; your support for the gallery would be greatly appreciated. Gallery 1412 is located at 1412 18th Ave., at 18th and Union.”

There’s Got to Be a Photo Op in This One

posted by on July 20 at 5:01 PM

This from our own EMP/Science Fiction Museum’s lovely Christian Quilici:
“It is with some sadness I report the passing of beloved ‘Scotty’… AKA James Doohan of Star Trek fame. Wanted to let you know that we’ll be hosting a memorial gathering for him THURSDAY July 21st in our beautiful Level Three space where we will show clips and reminisce on the actor so many Trekkies love. It starts at 7pm and is free and open to the public.

Hypocrisy Party

posted by on July 20 at 4:03 PM

Confidential to the Sound Transit fan who wouldn’t stop gleefully haranguing me about the irresponsible monorail finance plan last Saturday at the Dow Constantine fundraiser: Sound Transit’s Light Rail is at least 100% over budget just for construction to get to the U. District. (Nearly $5 billion instead of $2.4 billion.) Worse, never mind 40-year bonds: Sound Transit has un-ending taxing authority to build that light rail line. I signed my name to an editorial in The Stranger denouncing the monorail finance plan and calling for a re-vote on the monorail. Would you be willing to do the same thing about Light Rail? If not, the next time you run into me at a party don’t talk to me.

More on the Tragic Death of Michael Dahlquist

posted by on July 20 at 3:35 PM

A short email from his sister-in-law Sabrina Booth:

“On Thursday, July 14th, my brother-in-law and drummer for the band Silkworm, Michael Dahlquist, was killed in Chicago. Two of his friends that were also in bands were killed as well, Doug and John. His immediate family is currently in Chicago attending to the necessary arrangements. At this time, it is very difficult for us to personally write and submit any type of official announcement or obituary for him, but we would like his death to be mentioned so as to inform his many friends and other people whose lives he touched in the Seattle area. He was from Seattle and lived here for many years. We are hoping to have a memorial service for him at the end of the month when his mother and brothers have returned from Chicago.

The Chicago News Tribune has stories about the collision online.

Photos and other information are on the message board at Silkworm.net

I believe that Steve Albini, who is a friend and worked with him musically, has written a memoriam for him….at electrical.com, the site for the recording studio Electrical Audio in Chicago.”

Yep, Jennifer, Scotty’s dead.

posted by on July 20 at 3:26 PM

The rumors are true.

Shark!

posted by on July 20 at 2:57 PM

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it seems that fishermen everywhere are creaming their pants over the fact that an 1,100 pound Tiger Shark was recently caught off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.

Impressive. I guess!

Might I take this opportunity to remind everyone, though, that *I* recently caught an 80 lb grouper off the coast of Belize!?

Here it is again, incase you forgot.

belize.jpg

Not bad for a girl’s first real fishing trip! Where’s my national coverage, hmmm? Where’s my fishing derby prize! Where’s my mention on the Drudge Report. That grouper, which you’ll kindly remember I named Toad, fed a whole Belizian village! Just sayin’.

Re: Broken Fingers

posted by on July 20 at 2:38 PM

Christopher DeLaurenti, Speak Like A Child (which was released in 1969) is one of the last real jazz records, and it’s one that is all the more sad because it’s so close to the end of jazz itself. As for Hankcock’s later returns to actual jazz, I refuse to listen to any of it. Once he gave up the truth, he was tainted for life. I’m a jazz purist.

Geeks + Sex + Politicians = Hysteria!

posted by on July 20 at 2:08 PM

The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), which is the MPAA for the video game industry, has ordered a recall of all copies of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas from retailers. Why? Because of a buried mini-game within the game that allows players to engage in some hot sexy action with a date. The mini-game, nicknamed “Hot Coffee,” was unearthed by some hackers and, predictably, has led to a shitstorm from moral scolds in Washington (Hillary Clinton leads the charge).

Continue reading "Geeks + Sex + Politicians = Hysteria!" »

Listen Up

posted by on July 20 at 2:07 PM

Tonight (and every Wednesday) one of my favorite KEXP DJs, Greg Vandy has a killer show called “the Roadhouse” focusing on blues and “traditional American music.” He digs up some really unusual and out there stuff—and often plays acts merging indie rock and older styles of music. Tonight he focuses on various facets of new- and acid-folk, including a segment on a newer favorite of mine, Sufjan Stevens (who Nate Lippens wrote about in this week’s Stranger). Check it out at 90.3 FM or streaming live here.

Beam him up?

posted by on July 20 at 2:06 PM

I just heard a rumor that Scotty from Star Trek died….can anyone confirm? Deny?

Re: Broken Fingers

posted by on July 20 at 1:51 PM

Stranger columnist Christopher DeLaurenti contests an earlier post by Charles Mudede.
Charles, Herbie Hancock did not completely forsake the beauty of Empyrean Isles (or for that matter, 1968’s Speak Like a Child) for “that fusion/funky chicken nonsense of the 70s.” Despite such 70s albums as the hideously titled “Feets Don’t Fail Me Now,” Hancock did turn in some marvelous acoustic piano work in the 1970s with V.S.O.P., a reconstitution of four-fifths of Miles’ legendary mid/late 60s quartet.
Although the thwapping trumpet tone of Freddie Hubbard takes some getting used to -at the time Miles was in retirement after changing jazz for the fifth time with records like Agharta and Pangaea- Hancock turns in several fine solos and comps like the master he is on “V.S.O.P. Live Under the Sky.”
Additionally, the recently reissued solo disc, “The Piano” from 1978sparkles with probing, oblique (and unedited!) takes on “My Funny Valentine” and “Someday My Prince Will Come.”
May I make a sweeping statement of my own? Hancock’s music, like jazz itself, cannot be segmented into easily demarcated eras. In much of music, concurrent conservatism on the part of musicians (and the listeners who support them) is the rule, which is why so many styles co-exist within a (supposedly) single genre like jazz or rock or classical.

More Death Cab? Sure!

posted by on July 20 at 12:45 PM

I don’t know, maybe it’s the summer weather, but I’m kinda on a Death Cab kick right now… anyways…

Last night (after sadly being forced to forego a late night trip to Target to pick up Season 5 of Saved by the Bell), I was able to sit down and watch the new Death Cab for Cutie documentary, Drive Well, Sleep Carefully. The film itself was sort of stunning to look at (all thoughtfully shot on 16mm film), and along with band commentary, there were a bunch of live performances from various nights on the Transanlanticism tour (all of mostly newer material…).

The interviews were candid and funny, and overall I think it was 80+ minutes well spent. And more diehard Death Cab fans will no doubt love hearing the band talk openly about going from an awkward indie rock act touring in a cramped van to major label O.C. stars with their own shiny, big tour bus.

The DVD (directed by Justin Mitchell) will be released July 26th. More info (including purchasing info) can be found here.

It didn’t top my personal favorite rock band DVD, though. Against Me’s We’re Never Going Home is absolutely hilarious, even if you aren’t really into them. The best part is the infamous footage of the band locking Taking Back Sunday in their own dressing room! That made me laugh so hard I nearly pissed my pants.

Need New Body? Yes, You Do.

posted by on July 20 at 12:35 PM

Last night at the Crocodile, Philadelphia’s Need New Body put on the best rock show I’ve seen this year. These five misfits tore through an inspirationally feral set of spadmodic prog rock that made me think of the Fugs covering Faust or Hampton Grease Band running through Can’s songbook. Even if those names mean nada to you, you couldn’t help being astounded by the insanely intense and precise musicianship by guys who probably can barely scrape together gas money to get to their next gig.

Continue reading "Need New Body? Yes, You Do." »

Optimism on Roberts

posted by on July 20 at 11:18 AM

The NYT’s Linda Greenhouse, one of the smartest Supreme Court watchers in America, makes a compelling case for being optimistic about Roberts, for now.

Now the question is whether Judge Roberts, if confirmed, will, like those two justices [Scalia and Thomas], commit himself to recapturing a distant constitutional paradise in which the court was faithful to the original intent of the framers or whether, like the justice he would succeed, he finds himself comfortably in the middle rather than at the margin.

His résumé suggests the latter, as does his almost complete lack of a paper trail. There are no flame-throwing articles or speeches, no judicial opinions that threaten established precedent, no visible hard edges.

To the extent that as a judge he has expressed a limited view of federal power, that is consistent with the views of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, whom he is being named to succeed, and would not change the balance on the court.

His views on abortion remain to be fleshed out, she admits. But she sees him as the type of person who, like O’Connor, could evolve over decades on the court into a more thoughtful and liberal voice. The key, she says, is his reverence for the court and modern law.

Continue reading "Optimism on Roberts" »

Rural Canadian Libraries

posted by on July 20 at 10:55 AM

Here is an item that seems completely sad and random about postage hikes potentially killing rural Canadian libraries. Why would I care you may ask? Because of my undying love of Canadian authors such as Carol Shields, Alice Munro, and Mavis Gallant? No, because I had secretly hoped that in my old age (next year) I would become a rural Canadian librarian, spending my days soothed by herbal tea and the gorgeously ordered Dewey Decimal System (yes, they use it too). This news is crushing to me and my dreams.

Toby Room

posted by on July 20 at 10:28 AM

Last night I read through Toby Room #10, the latest installment of a jotter-like magazine published by the minds behind Tollbooth Gallery. There’s a great interview with Wynne Greenwood (aka Tracy + The Plastics), who is rumored to be playing at the Frye in the fall as part of the opening reception for the highly anticipated Acting Out: Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore. It also highlights independent curator Fionn Meade, whose Hello Central graced Tollbooth last fall. He has two big projects opening simultaneously over Labor Day weekend. In Resonance is a sound-art extravaganza at Bumbershoot and Nocturnes at Soil Art Gallery featuring work by the very cool New York artist/filmmaker/writer Lucy Raven and Seattle’s Mary Simpson, who participated in Hello Central and Release & Capture at the Kirkland Art Center.

What’s so fascinating with all of this activity is that independent and off-the-grid curators such as Meade. Tollbooth’s Michael Lent, and KAC’s Jason Huff are pulling together some of the most challenging and interesting work happening around Seattle and it’s happening in Kirkland and Tacoma. Let that be a modest but powerful lesson to all the naysayers and whiners who complain that innovative work isn’t happening here.

Re:36 Years of My Lifetime

posted by on July 20 at 10:24 AM

Charles, what a dapper photo.

Hacks Stealing From Hacks?

posted by on July 20 at 10:20 AM

The best description I’ve ever read of conservative columnist/pundit/idiot Ann Coulter came from, I believe, the Atlantic Monthly, which called her a “Hate Crime in Heels.” Now it appears the blowhard skeleton may have cribbed mercilessly, if not outright plagiarized, from a number of magazines for one of her recent diatribes. Raw Story has the lowdown.

Following Frizzelle’s Mindblowing Slog Saga…

posted by on July 20 at 10:19 AM

…or should that be “Sloga”?

Anyway, after reading Christopher’s breathtaking tale, I was certain no other story would be able to top it in shock value and pathos for the rest of the week, if ever.

I have no doubt that I’m right (unless the next few days reveal some fascinating dark secrets about John Roberts).

However, this news story, forwarded to me by Ms. Sara DeBell, legendary Stranger copy editor and alter-ego of the paper’s first gossip columnist Shirley Rodell-Szyzmyjec, comes reasonably close.

Rove v. Wade

posted by on July 20 at 10:17 AM

Ok, so you’re the person in charge of making the president’s decisions. You know you’re weaker now than at any other time since before 9/11. You also know that Karl Rove (who you probably are) is cold busted and ripe for a smackdown. You further know that whoever you name as your Supreme Court appointee is going to get shouted down by the mildly re-energized Democratic congress (and maybe even some mutinous Rs). Why, then, would you not try to appoint an obvious zero like Roberts? If you’re gonna lose one anyway, why not throw it in the dirt, thereby distracting attention from Rove, and giving the people on both sides of the aisle a little taste of the blood they’re yearning for. Then, when no one’s looking, Alberto Gonzales (or someone just like him) starts looking moderate.

This post brought to you by the tender 16-year-old conspiracy nut who lives in my eyebrow.

36 Years Of My Lifetime

posted by on July 20 at 10:03 AM

I wont lie. I very pleased (or chaffed—to use a dead Rhodesian expression) with this write-up on me in the current issue of Filmmaker Magazine. But I’m also distrubed by the fact that 36 years of my life can be accurately summed up in three or four paragraphs. It makes me feel like nothing.

Keep the Rove Fires Burning

posted by on July 20 at 9:57 AM

Courtesy of Talking Points Memo comes this letter (available after the jump) delivered to Republican and Democratic leaders in congress from eleven former intelligence officers. It’s a great read.

Continue reading "Keep the Rove Fires Burning" »

Trapped in the Closet, indeed

posted by on July 20 at 9:50 AM

I believe I would rather be peed on by R. Kelly than watch all five parts of his “Trapped in the Closet” play-by-play video nightmare.

Broken Fingers

posted by on July 20 at 9:48 AM

Last night, my upstairs neighbor, Angel, asked me for the name of the song I keep playing in the morning (he hummed the tune for me). It’s called “Oliloqui Valley,” the second track on one of the greatest jazz records of all time, Empyrean Isles by Herbie Hancock. The piano solo on “Oliloqui Valley” is utterly devastating. Hancock was only 25 when he recorded it in 1964, and every time I listen to the solo (usually after taking a shower) it just breaks my heart. He gave up all of this beauty for that fusion/funky chicken nonsense of the 70s. I wish a mobster would break Hancock’s fingers right now. In a world that is so dumb, it’s a sin to waste a talent of that size and depth.

Going to Great Lengths for Underground Music

posted by on July 20 at 9:41 AM

So, I’ve written before about Arthur Fest, two days of amazing music going down Labor Day weekend in LA (the 2-day fest includes performances by Sonic Youth, Six Organs of Admittance, The Juan Maclean, Comets on Fire, Dead Meadow, Vertiver, Yoko Ono, Spoon, Modey Lemon….(pauses to wipe the drool from the keyboard) and motherfuckin’ Wolfmother—a band whose CD sticks with me like an incurable virus and blows out the bass on my car speakers every time. But since I’ve already mentioned that great event, I’ll mention another goodie from Arthur Magazine, the free 2005 Magic City Festival in San Francisco featuring a slew of psychedelic acts August 6.

Continue reading "Going to Great Lengths for Underground Music" »

Text Message from a Berlin laundromat

posted by on July 20 at 9:32 AM

I slept in and then took my clothes around the corner to a laundromat on Torstraße. Got out my wallet, turned some cash into change at the counter, got a tutorial on the machines from the counter guy (handsomest man in Germany), bought soap, put my clothes into a machine, and walked out to get something to eat. Got half a block down the street and realized I didn’t have my wallet on me.

So I went back. No wallet. Nowhere. Not at the counter, not on the machines, not on any of the tables. Not in my pocket.

Here’s what was in it: debit card, driver’s license, two credit cards, 110 euros (about $150 dollars American), my hostel key card, and my passport. SHIT!

Continue reading "Text Message from a Berlin laundromat" »

The Age of Disorder

posted by on July 20 at 9:24 AM

This article, The United States: The Slide Toward Disorder (it was sent to me by a long friend and intellectual ally, James Latteier), lucidly (if not beautifully) explains the current order of things. It also gets to heart of what we at this paper call the Urban Archipelago , a theory that was repeated in The Nation recently and is in need of deeper consideration and greater elaboration, if it is to be of use to the future. I wish, however, the author of The Slide Toward Disorder, Golub, was a little more to the left. I still stand by Negri and Hardt’s Marxist analysis of late-20th century globalisation, Empire, which Golub contends is disproved by the rise of the nationalistic right in the US—the greatest benefactor of the denationalised global economy of the 90s. But philosopher Nic Veroli and I confronted Hardt on that very subject three years ago (the entire interview was published in the academic journal Radical Society) and he gave a reasonable explanation to the troubling (or contradictory) trend. The left are still correct; it is still a matter of finding “new weapons.”

The Best Roberts Analysis…

posted by on July 20 at 9:12 AM

so far, is from Wonkette

What Roberts Means for You: Wonkette readers want to know: What would a John Roberts confirmation mean for them? It’s hard to say, because we don’t know anything. That has never stopped us before! So: we do know that he looks like Pat Sajak and that he hates abortion. The good news is that we don’t know how he feels about sodomy. So for those of you upset about his anti-choice stance, remember: There’s more than one way to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. Ass-fuck while you still can. Also, from now on we’re calling that “buying a vowel.”

Supreme Court: Let’s Settle This Once and For All

posted by on July 20 at 9:05 AM

Yes, Roberts is anti-choice, anti-separation of church and state, anti-equal protection, and anti-environmental protection. But that’s not why I’m bummed out. I’m bummed out because I actually wanted Bush to appoint a true ideological radical to the SC rather than a partisan hack like Robertswhose decisions read like simple, roundabout attempts to conform to the party line. At least with radical freaks like William Pryor, Janice Rogers Brown, and William Myers, there’d be a provocative legal footing to their decisions. Freaks like Pryor are part of the “Constitution in Exile” Movement whichsuspect of both federal power and states’ rightsoffers up an intriguing and consistent Libertarian attack on the status quo. I’m kind of itching to give the “Constitution in Exile” folks a voice on the court so a shape-shifting, score-settling, true ideological battle can take place and set some real precedents. I’m frustrated with the thin, temporal decisions we’re stuck with right nowdecisions that seem based on little more than convenient and partisan justifications from both sides. It just leaves me feeling constantly anxious and unsatisfied. If Roe’s going to be overturned, I’d rather have it overturned honestly, than overturned through the sort of partisan judicial chicanery evident in Roberts’ opinions. Similarly, if it’s going to be affirmed, I hope it’s affirmed resolutely. Let’s settle some of these battles already.

Meanwhile: Click on this link, scroll to bottom and click on the detailed report for a look at Roberts’ record.


Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Re: It’s John G. Roberts

posted by on July 19 at 6:10 PM

Wow, Wikipedia is so fast. They already have a good entry on John G. Roberts, including choice excerpts from a brief relevant to Roe v. Wade. (He’s also a practicing Catholic, and I don’t want to make any rash generalizations, but you know what the pope thinks about abortion…) No mention of his (purely hypothetical) undergrad frat days, though. But look at Johnny boy’s big green eyes—obviously frat material.

On a more serious note, Fred Barbash at the Washington Post is doing a good job of keeping up with responses to the nomination, and there’s a transcript of the announcement if you missed it on the teevee, etc.

From the transcript of Bush’s announcement: “”He’s a man of extraordinary accomplishment and ability. He has a good heart. He has the qualities Americans expect in a judge: experience, wisdom, fairness and civility.” Don’t forget studliness, Mr. President.

Cut from this week’s Stranger…

posted by on July 19 at 5:55 PM

The Seattle Sun and Star, a weekly community newspaper that formed several months ago from the merger of the north Seattle Sun and the three-year-old South Seattle Star, is folding.

E-mail makes you stupid.

posted by on July 19 at 5:41 PM

I saw this today in a friend of friend’s journal… It’s old news, but I still feel it’s worthy of a slog post.

E-mails ‘hurt IQ more than pot’

Maybe DARE should start targeting the real problem…

Into the Woods

posted by on July 19 at 5:41 PM

Last weekend, three-quarters of the Stranger news team ventured into the blackberry-choked wilds of Northeast Seattle (furthest Bryant, to be precise) to attend a fundraiser for King County Council member Dow Constantine. Over tofu skewers and shots from a bottle of bourbon that would set us back, collectively, a full week’s salary, Eli Sanders, Josh Feit and I mingled with fundraisers, politicians and their flacks and gabbed about the upcoming city elections. Among those present: City Council member Nick Licata, Jan Drago opponent Dwight Pelz, exceedingly tall Greg Nickels fund-raiser Colby Underwood, and Port Commission candidate Jack Jolley, who many observers are calling the first credible challenger to entrenched 20-year incumbent Patricia Davis.

Yeah, I know: Sexy.

Anyway, our host, political consultant Christian Sinderman, was kind enough to send along the following report:

“If I could write about the event in the stranger, I would write that a near critical mass of stranger auteurs were seen mingling in the leafy “suburbs” of northeast seattle Saturday night, rubbing elbows with earnest enviros and other non-cool, rarely-seen-at-the-Comet types. Capitol Hill could have burned, and no one would have been there to write about it.”

It’s John G. Roberts

posted by on July 19 at 5:40 PM

Bush has picked a conservative appeals court judge to replace O’Connor. Let the background checking begin…

And in the meantime, in honor of the potential ascension of a conservative to the highest court in the land, please descend into our forums and check out the in-depth discussion of assless chaps that is currently under way in the “Pride Parade” section.

I know I’m not the only person who cares about this…

posted by on July 19 at 4:37 PM

Is anyone else as excited as I am about the fact that Saved by the Bell Season 5 is being released on DVD today? Not only does this season include the gang’s senior prom and graudation, but it also includes all the TORI episodes!

Come to think of it, maybe I AM the only person who cares about this…

Questioning Mike McGavick

posted by on July 19 at 4:10 PM

I Couldn’t make it to today’s press conference where Safeco CEO Mike McGavick announced he’s forming an exploratory commitee re: running as the Republican candidate against Democratic U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell in 2006. But here are some good questions that the Dem war room is already circulating. I hope they got asked:

1) In 2001, you arrived at Safeco, laid off about 1200 employees, more  than 10% of your workforce. Then you took a $2 million bonus for the year. How do you explain that?

2) You’ve also said that it made good sense to send  jobs overseas. Is that a  record you think will help you if you run for Senate?


3) Do you think President Bush should fire Karl Rove?

4) What sort of Court nominee would you suggest to President Bush?


5) Were you strongly encouraged by the national party to run? Did you talk to Karl Rove? With President Bush? 

Meanwhile, here’s some good analysis from betterdonkey.org.

SIFF Executive Director Resigns

posted by on July 19 at 3:46 PM

Helen Loveridge, who has run the Seattle International Film Festival since 2003, has up and quit. She plans to return to England. The festival is already searching for a replacement.

Annoying Ads in Movie Theaters

posted by on July 19 at 3:35 PM

An article in imdb.com news, “Few Protests Over Theater Ads, Say Movie Chains” claims that:

Despite numerous published commentaries of late about how movie theater ads are driving away patrons, exhibitors maintain that they have received few complaints from the public about them and that many moviegoers actually like them.

This is total hooey. I recently made the mistake of going to the Uptown Theater to see a film. I had to sit through more than 10 minutes of commercials. These were not movie previews, they were ads for things such as toothbrushes and nicotine patches. It was so incredibly annoying I vowed to NEVER RETURN to that theater. I will be going to Landmark Theaters, where I will not be driven to a possible freakout by the stupid commercials.

Not Edith?

posted by on July 19 at 3:16 PM

We’ll find out for sure in less than three hours (in a blatant “Hey look over here and not at Rove!” prime time speech), but speculation right now is that Judge Edith Brown Clement is not, in fact, going to be Bush’s nominee. Kos has more.

Colin Farrell

posted by on July 19 at 2:23 PM

So apparently Colin Farrell is the latest genius celebrity to have a sex tape circulating. He’s seeking a restraining order against the woman involved. He claims the two recorded the tape with the agreement they would never make it public. Uh, right. I mean, why would some broke-ass nobody try to sell a tape of herself having sex with an international himbo? The nerve.The betrayal of sacred trust. I’m shocked. Farrell’s lawyer claims it will damage his reputation. Excuse me, isn’t he known as a drunken slut of dubious talent? Maybe he should sue his agent for Alexander. More damning: the tape lasts fifteen minutes. Wow, what a stud.

Wow Bush

posted by on July 19 at 1:32 PM

“After originally saying anyone involved in leaking the name of covert CIA operative would be fired, Bush said: ‘If somebody committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration.’”

As everyone knows, this makes no bloody sense. Of course you would fire someone who has committed a crime. All this says is Rove, like Rummy, is here to stay.

Going Down

posted by on July 19 at 1:29 PM

It’s the Rove effect.

Siberian

posted by on July 19 at 1:26 PM

I will second Jennifer’s Emergency reccomendation, and throw another good, newish local band into the mix… Siberian. I wrote about ‘em in the Underage column this coming week, and you should give ‘em a listen if you’re into pretty and lush melodic pop.

You can check out a few songs at www.siberianmusic.com. The band is also playing the Beth Ditto benefit on the 31st at Neumo’s with Pretty Girls Make Graves. The show is all ages.

Tollbooth Gallery

posted by on July 19 at 12:41 PM

If anyone happens to be in Tacoma in the next week, you should definitely swing by Tollbooth Gallery (located just north of the intersetion at 11th and Broadway). Alex Schweder`s video Jealous Poche and a new work called Split, which is having its premiere at Tollbooth, are on view. Jealous Poche premiered at Howard House last fall as part of Schweder’s astounding Lovesick Buldings solo exhibit and was included in Ergonomicon, the show at ConWorks. Its terrible timing (it opened as all hell broke loose when executive director Matthew Richter was fired) meant many people didn’t get to see the piece. It continues to evolve and adapt to different curatorial strategies. At Howard House the audience stood a respectful distance from the work while at ConWorks it was installed in such a way that the projection room’s walls angled to a near V, making it impossible to not be in the projected image as a truncated shadow. It’s fascinating to see the video again in an entirely different context. Split consists of cathode illuminated charcoal drawing in polyester resin and video and demonstrates why he’s one of Seattle’s best artists and why he recently won the Rome Prize.

Supreme Court Judicial Appointments Are Nice

posted by on July 19 at 12:24 PM

But so are celebrity sex tapes, and while watching Paris Hilton give blowjobs in nightvision is fine, watching Colin Farrell do the dirty is something I might actually enjoy. (Especially since the tape reportedly features the shaved-head Colin of Daredevil, rather than the icky blond mullet Colin of Alexander.)

News of the “Colin Farrell sex tape!” made headlines last week, but the stories were all pretty specious: Some lady claimed to have a tape and wanted a whole bunch of money for it. But today all speciousness was obliterated by reports of the lawsuit filed by Farrell to stop the tape’s release.

Most interesting claim of the lawsuit: That release of the videotape would “irreparably harm Farrell’s reputation and career.” Anyone who’s ever read an Us knows that Colin Farrell reportedly enjoys sluttery with gusto, and it’s hard to imagine how footage of him getting busy with some lady he was dating would really “harm” him.

Unless, of course, there’s something on that tape that really WOULD irreparably damage his image. Perhaps a controversial sex quirk, or some odd melange of boy and girl parts in his underpants? Who knows…but if America really is the greatest country in the history of the world, we should be able to find out with our own eyes on the internet by the end of next week.

Here it comes

posted by on July 19 at 10:32 AM

Bush will announce his pick to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor tonight at 6 p.m. PST. The early bets are on Judge Edith Brown Clement, of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas….

Teenage Slut Rampage

posted by on July 19 at 10:23 AM

Feeling trashy yet highbrow? Then check this out: Tonight is the latest installment of Get Lit!, the weekly evening of “literary karaoke” at The Bus Stop (508 East Pine Street). This evening’s program is Teenage Slut Rampage, hosted by Stranger Senior Contributing Writer Hannah Levin. Hannah’s guest readers include “Bar Exam” columnist Bethany Jean Clement and Jenny Jiminez from The Catch. They’ll be assaying coming-of-age classics by Judy Blume and Norma Klein, as well as recounting true-life tales of teen runaways, and giving away trivia prizes, including Jean Naté Body Splash and Today sponges. The fun begins at 9 PM and there is no cover!

President Clinton

posted by on July 19 at 8:24 AM

Check it out: Here’s a recent Washington Monthly article making the case that Hillary R. C. can win in 2008.

Our Get Up and Go!

posted by on July 19 at 8:02 AM

So last night the Go! Team played their third show in three days (their second in Seattle after the KEXP BBQ Sunday) to a packed house at Neumo’s. My favorite part of the show, though, were the openers, the Saturday Nights, who in my humble opinion should be the next Seattle band to break out of Seattle (they’re shopping for a label right now…. I’ll post a link to their site soon as they finish creating it). What band these days mixes pop, girl groups, hiphop, the Pixies, and humor like these guys? They were totally on last night too, despite DJ Suspense performing with a fractured foot. They were also lucky, though, to play early. By the time the Go! Team hit the stage, the crowd was sardined in, the temp. was over 100 degrees, and the ceiling was literally dripping with sweat. I couldn’t stick it out after that.

ps. Another local band doing well lately… The Emergency, who you can hear on 107.7 the End’s morning show this Friday. KEXP has really been playing a lot of the soulful garage band, too… Check out the Emergency’s MySpace page to hear what kinda sonic gems these guys have in store.


Monday, July 18, 2005

Christopher:

posted by on July 18 at 5:38 PM

Take the Bahn to the Prenzlauerburg neighborhood. The scale and the people and the bars and shops will feel more like home than most of massive Berlin.

Text Message from Berlin

posted by on July 18 at 5:20 PM

Berlin is big and weird. And it’s no Amsterdam (which is the greatest city in the fucking world). In Amsterdam, where the Infernal Noise Brigade played two nights on a decomissioned East German fishing vessel called Stubnitz, old ladies ride bikes, the buildings are out of Disneyland, and pot and mushrooms are, like, not a big deal. The hilarious thing about ordering pot in a coffeeshop in Amsterdam? The menu. My favorite was something called, well, it was something like Super Orange Double Chunk Cosmic Blast. Literally. There were also a bunch of canals and hookers and stuff like that.

Berlin, surelz, will impress me, but all I’ve seen so far is a bird with its head torn off on the sidewalk across the street from this hostel where, late into the night, I type. Iäve been here onlz a few hours, I’ve had a couple beers, and this kezboard is fucking with me…

Meanwhile, in South Korea

posted by on July 18 at 12:55 PM

Developers are hard at work on an entirely for-profit, ready-made city, which would cover 1,500 acres on a landfill island 40 miles from Seoul. The “self-sufficient global destination city,” which wouldn’t be bound by Korea’s restrictive labor and tax policies, will be connected to the mainland by a six-mile bridge, and will feature architectural styles from around the world (according to one article, the designers “are particularly proud of its Venetian-style canals”), a Central Park, dense areas like London and Manhattan, and garden districts like Savannah, Georgia - “simulating the effects of history” to create the illusion of hundreds of years of civic development. Previous attempts to build cities from scratch (like Brasilia, Brazil, built in the 1960s and now considered one of the least people-friendly cities in the world) have been largely unsuccessful.

Seattle in the New York Times Travel Section

posted by on July 18 at 12:53 PM

Seattle is the destination of choice in yesterday’s New York Times. See it here.

They look into some cool stuff in the city, instead of just referencing our area as a jumping-off point for outdoor recreation. They even list one of my favorite restaurants, Tamarind Tree, which has the best coconut ice cream.

Can you tell it’s lunchtime?

posted by on July 18 at 12:40 PM

And we’re stuck inside smelling our pungent neighbor, KFC.

Capitol Hill/Madison Farmers’ Market

posted by on July 18 at 12:15 PM

I stopped by this market and it was fabulous. I bought cherries, blueberries, strawberries, and apricots. All fresh and delicious. There were all sorts of things to buy including veggies, flowers, baked stuff, and a guy that makes berry syrups. Sadly, no one was selling goat cheese while I was there, but I hear they sometimes have it. The prices were good and the market is very laid back and friendly, not too weird at all.

Capitol Hill/Madison Farmers’ Market runs on Fridays from 3 to 7 pm and is located at 20th Avenue between Madison and Pine Streets.

gelato al fresco

posted by on July 18 at 11:54 AM

Pagliacci delivers handmade gelato by the pint for five or so bucks (chocolate, coconut, chocolate chip mint, lemon, or raspberry). Take their number with you next time and have them be your personal ice-cream truck (you’ll have to ask for plastic spoons): 726-1717.

Re: Gelato Satisfaction

posted by on July 18 at 11:53 AM

Sara Dickerman wrote a recent article on this very subject. The Bottega won, apparently, but she didn’t mention Vios. (Perhaps because she works/ed there? I think I remember that being the case…)

Re: Gelato Satisfaction

posted by on July 18 at 11:26 AM

Try Vios on 19th and Aloha - you can walk up the counter and just get gelato without having dinner first.

There’s also a place on 1st Ave, just south of DeLaurenti’s, in the streetfront part of the Pike Place Market. It’s a teeny, gelato-only shop (I think it’s called Bottega Italiana) that’s easy to miss, but worth finding.

New Death Cab for Cutie Song

posted by on July 18 at 10:11 AM

For those who simply cannot wait for the August 30 release date to get a peak at the new Death Cab for Cutie record, a track from Plans, has been posted on Myspace.com.

Click here to listen.

I can already safely say that the “ba ba ba ba da ba ba” part is going to be stuck in my head all day.

Rove-mania, Week 2

posted by on July 18 at 8:37 AM

Karl Rove is on the cover of both Time and Newsweek this week. Welcome to week two of the scandal that won’t die, or at least won’t die until October, when time runs out on the grand jury that is investigating who in the Bush administration leaked the name of an undercover CIA operative.

Time has the best scoop: An insider account of the grand-jury proceedings, written by a Time reporter who testified before the grand jury last week. For those following the sprawling cast of scandal characters closely enough to know their names, Time also breaks the news that Lewis Libby (the Vice President’s top aide) was talking anonymously to reporters about the CIA agent at the same time as Rove.

For those confused, The Washington Post, via The Seattle Times, backs way up and lays it all out.

Me & You = Something Else

posted by on July 18 at 8:30 AM

Place me alongside Annie, Christopher, and Sean on the list of Stranger folk who thought enough of Me and You and Everyone We Know to Slog about it.

I finally caught it this weekend at the Guild 45th, and, eurek-duh, it’s amazing. Yeah, the clear comparison is Todd Solondz, but July’s movie has none of his vengeance, his sense of inflicting ugliness on the world as payback for forcing him to know such ugliness in the first place. July renders even the harshest elements of her film with unconditional love, and while loving portraits of ugly subjects is nothing new, it’s never been this sweet, and a sweet movie about harsh shit is something to see.

(Plus, for a film with so much to say about so many things”issues,” they’re calledto avoid pedantry so skillfully is a fucking miracle.)

P.S. Sean’s right about the odd preponderance of butt shots, capturing Ms. July’s retreating jean-clad bootie. However, Ms. July’s butt is very photogenic, boasting that perfect upside-down heart shape, and every scene with butt in the background features something else interesting in the foreground.


Sunday, July 17, 2005

Re: New Bookstore/Gallery Alert

posted by on July 17 at 6:28 PM

a fake nuke with magnetic words on it so you can formulate anti-war poems.
I meant those fridge-magnet words.

New Bookstore/Gallery Alert

posted by on July 17 at 6:17 PM

Infohazard: An Alternative Bookstore & Gallery, 1716 E Olive Way, 206-324-6630, Wed-Sat 11am-7pm.
Spotted from the sidewalk: books by Ballard, Burroughs, Dick, Reich, R. Crumb, Lovecraft, Orwell, Chomsky, and a fake nuke with magnetic words on it so you can formulate anti-war poems.