Indignity

Somebody needs to stop hounding this poor man, whose sole purpose is to protect the American way of life. Frankly, I'm incensed that he is being humiliated in this manner. The next thing you know, they'll be forcing him to read some of the books he talks about!

Lifting My Spirits

I'm trying to fight off a bug, one exacerbated by the family upheavals of the past two days. And I'm feeling generally out of sorts. But listening to the new Coup album is brightening my mood. In light of the overwhelming nostalgia I've been feeling for my year of living "black" -- I plan to write more on that topic at a later date -- the Dirty Mind-era sound of "Laugh/Love/Fuck" is proving especially welcome. So I'll pass it on, noting that it should not be listened to at work or around children, unless you have headphones on. Bring on the Revolution (and Prince too, for that matter). . .

Lost in the Forest

While not a huge surprise, Sleater-Kinney's announcement that the band is going on "indefinite hiatus" is still a big deal in my corner of the music world. At least they're ending on a high after a superb change-of-course album in The Woods. Since it may be my last pretext for doing so, I'll also link to the feature I did on the band for Phoenix New Times back in 2002. It's awfully "lit-major"-ish, but it was my first piece of that sort, so I can live with the shame. Here's hoping that the wail that was always there isn't silenced for long, even if it has to take on a new shape.