art music: josh ritter kings of leon lists music the book of lists
by david
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listing
When I was young, my parents had a book called The Book of Lists.
It was a favourite for bedtime reading - lists about baseball players, presidents, actors, science, criminals, and animals.
In the tradition of the best striptease, the lists suggested a story, but only a hint. My imagination was required for the rest. Nothing was more captivating to my adolescent mind than the list of the people who had died during sex or the list of the most popular positions for intercourse.
Around the same time, Billy Joel released the album Storm Front with the song “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” a song that lists dozens of historical events over the course of his life to that point - piecing together the political and cultural history of the world.
My dad loved this song and I remember him telling me that lists were where it was. That wasn’t necessarily where the money was, but people liked reading them.
Even though I was proof of that, it never clicked. It still hasn’t, really. But I remember it all the same.
art music: art contradiction music philip roth teenage fanclub
by david
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blank canvass
Yesterday afternoon, I was listening to the song, ”What You Do To Me,” by Teenage Fanclub, from their album Bandwagonesque.
The album was released nearly 18 years ago and has been a staple in my music collection for pretty much that whole period.
About a year ago, someone, I can’t remember who, twigged me to listen to the lyrics. I knew them but I had never really listened to them before. It was like hearing the song again for the first time.
Uncategorized: ads come to life heath brothers made to stick nova scotia pombomb pomegranate
by david
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sticking
In their book, Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath outline the SUCCESs checklist for giving your ideas a fighting chance to cut through the noise and be remembered.
- Simple
- Unexpected
- Concrete
- Credible
- Emotional
- Stories
Aim for those and your idea might have some legs.
So, what about the pomegranate phone?
Go have a look and then come back. I’ll wait.
my current favourite website
All I want for Christmas this year is to be able to see the Doctor Who Christmas Special.
found poetry
Years ago, when Michael Ignatieff was two months removed from having been elected as an MP and was contemplating his first leadership run he had a quote appear in the papers that was as poetic as it was bizarre. I didn’t have a blog at the time so Paul Wells at Maclean’s was kind enough to post it (and now the link is, forever, lost.) But it went like this:
can we herd these cats?
can we herd these cats
the question does occuroh sure
these are great cats
these are the best cats there are
warning, sinners
A couple of days ago, Joey Devilla posted this picture under the title “List of Sins…or List of Potential Band Names!”
I don’t know the origin of the image but it looks like it could be the inspiration for our preacher friend we saw at Yonge and Dundas last spring. Full photo set here.
they don’t blink
Blinking.
It gets a bad rap. It’s a sign of vulnerability.
The first one to blink loses.
Blink and you die.
Just ask Sally Sparrow.