More from Soonertown

 

Forgetters

Just finished book three out of the six part Forgetters series of novellas by Dave Eggers. The plan I guess is that this will make up one complete story. Keeper of the Ornaments is poignant and a fast read. Each story features someone who has lost connection and is forced or stumbles into reconnecting to humanity. All have been very realistic depictions so far. I got the last two on my night stand ready to go. 

Boomer and Sooner

 

Chronicles

This was a wild ride of a memoir. Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan reads more like a work of beat poetry than a straight-forward autobiography. This is not a chronological retelling of a life, more of a collection of insightful observations about what Dylan was experiencing at various moments of his life. Dylan doesn't even let chronology get in the way. There's a substantial section dedicated to the process of creating one his lesser known albums (I mean, Dylan fans will know the great Oh Mercy but compared to some of his other works it falls quite a bit down in levels of public recognition). 

The writing is mesmerizing. The story-telling is hypnotic. The deep insights are not un-surprising coming from a Pulitzer and Nobel winning song-writer. Sure, this will be a great draw for budding Dylanologists but fans of memoir will get into it as well. This was written in 2004, can't believe it took me so long to finally come around to it. By the way, it has been twenty years and no Volume Two. This also doesn't surprise long time Dylan fans. With Robert Zimmerman, you never know...he could drop it into the universe tomorrow like an asteroid from the Kuiper Belt. He might even skip volume two and go straight to three (like they did with the Traveling Wilburys).

Reminds me that a couple of weeks ago I was walking in walmart wearing a shirt I got at a Dylan concert. An old man, this guy looked wise and wizened, a blue-vest wearing employee of the Waltons. He stared at my shirt as I passed him. He looked like the modern version of old bluesman Robert Johnson. Looks me in the eye and says in a deep deep voice from the dawn of time "Bob Dylan. He has it." I said "yes sir he does." that was it, and he kept on walking.

Touch of Evil

I was gifted this movie on Blu-Ray a couple of weeks ago for my birthday. This movie is weird but I really like it. Touch of Evil is over 60 years old but so many of the issues ring true in modern times...racism, corruption, generation gaps, etc. This movie often feels very modern. 

I first saw it thirty years ago. At the time I didn't realize there were other versions. The theatrical cut I saw was one that had been heavily altered by the studios against the wishes of Orson Welles, the director of the film. Studio seems to be a running theme in Welles's career. In the late 90's a re-cut based on a thorough memo by Welles himself was released. I watched that one when it came out and enjoyed the movie even more. And apparently there was a preview cut that was eventually heavily edited into the theatrical cut. 

My Blu-Ray has all three cuts. I've only watched the re-constructed cut on my blu-ray. Someday I'll have to check out the other cuts as well. I remember the theatrical cut featuring a brassy score by Henry Mancini. I did re-watch the famous one-shot opening for both the theatrical and re-constructed versions. Mancini's score is pretty cool but the Welles's version seems more realistic. I like both. 

Again, it's a strange flick. It has awesome set pieces, like filming a car actually driving through the streets without the fake screen background prevalent in the day. All the acting is great. Yes, a bit hard to see Charlton Heston as Mexican. Welles is fantastic as both director and actor.

Tired

 This is why I’m so tired. 

Stash’s

Stash Burger is one of our favorite places! 

 

Hepcat

 From several years ago. Our old school hep cat. 

Dapper

Ran across this photo of my Great-Grandfather. Wish I had that hat! 

Cat with Bad Intent

I was at a stop sign in front of this house and noticed this cat with bad intent. Don’t believe the bad intent? Keep scrolling. 

 

ACM

 

Cats Everywhere

 

Red Moon Rising

My wife took this photo with her phone last week of the blood moon. Still foggy but the red tint is pretty cool.

The Sun is Hot

This is a weird sci-fi novel about the meaning of life, Astro-physics, music and social dynamics. I liked it a lot. One of my favorite KSR novels. One of his earliest. A symphony of the whiteness of the hottest star in our solar system giving life to the deepest reaches of of human endeavor. A wild ride indeed.

Amnesia

The last album acquired this week was a triple album from Radiohead released in 2021. This three album set includes Kid A, Amnesiac and a bonus disc of previously unreleased material called Kid Amnesiae. Lots of artwork and cool stuff included. Still working my way through it. Bought on a sunny (a completely un-Radiohead like day) Thursday last week at Good Records in Dallas.

 

Cutouts

Also purloined this week...Castaways and Cutouts by The Decemberists. Their first full length album from 2002. This is the sky blue vinyl edition, reissued in 2024 and acquired from Good Records this last Thursday.

 

Picture This

Another great find at Dolly Python’s was Picture This by Huey Lewis and the News for $5. Five dollars and in great shape too! People just don’t know what they have when they have it. 

The White Album

Found one of the greatest record finds of my life today. Shopping at Dolly Pythons in East Dallas and stumbled upon an original 1968 pressing of The Beatles, more commonly known as White Album. One of my favorite records. This has the serial number stamped on the cover and "The Beatles" is embossed, not printed on the cover. Also, it has the original poster with lyrics plus individual photos of the band. Finding all that together is exceedingly rare. And for $15! Have listened to both records and the scratching is minimal. A great and rare find! Much more than I was expecting today!

 

Infinite Loop

 This photo is an infinite loop 

Supreme

Took the family to Josey Records Garland and bought a late-80’s remaster of 1965’s A Love Supreme by John Coltrane 

 

Get Welles

My Mom and Sister gifted me with three of my favorite movies: The Third Man, Touch of Evil and The Lady from Shanghai. All classic film noir movies by Orson Welles. 

Rach and Roll

We opened Spring Break by visiting the Dallas Symphony and hearing Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No 3 in D Minor.  

 

Invisible

Some Saturday listening yesterday. I bought this actual LP when I was 13. In the years to follow I would also own the cassette and CD versions as well. I am very glad I never discarded the vinyl version during the great record purges of the 1990s! 

Hoopeston and Dylan

 

Same for this blog...

 

Construction

 I feel this will be me in a few years. 

Employee of the Month

 

Connection

Sick in bed today so I watched The French Connection for the first time. Pretty good. This was the New York I grew up watching on TV and the movies growing up. Gritty, seedy and kind of gross. I’ve been to NYC twice, first in 2003 and then last year. Of course, it’s a very different city these days. But fun to see the old city on the screen. 

Moon and Venus

The Moon and Venus photographed with my phone. Pretty clear compared to phone cameras of the recent past. 

It’s This Simple.

This really should not have to be said. But in these times of disinformation and a gaslighting administration sometimes you have to make it clear. 

Ukraine

Shameful for the president and vice president to treat Ukraine as simply a business deal. People are dying and suffering due to an unprovoked invasion by a dictator. And the current American administration has sided with the dictator.