Random!
February 17th, 2005Like fantasy baseball? I do. If picking, playing, and trading baseball players during the 2005 season with a bunch of other bookish geeks sounds like a good time to you, check it out.
Michael Chabon (a Giants fan) is editing the next Best American Short Stories, and his table of contents is slowly leaking out on the big Net. This is going to be good.
And speaking of Chabon, The Rake (also–coincidentally?–a baseball fan!) has a great overview of a recent lecture.
A word about Blueberry Boat by the Fiery Furnaces . It is many things: melodic, abrasive, dense, experimental, high-concept, childish. For my money, though, it is the best thing I’ve heard in years. It is difficult to listen to, but it is extremely rewarding. And the lyrics! Who else could throw a little English countryside murder mystery into the middle of a synthesizer-heavy indie pop album like this?
Damp in Dumbarton dip about the 14th of May.
The publican dropped me a line thought there had been foul play:
The farmer up the hill came in with his knife
He mumbled something darkly about his young wife.Riding up on the postcoach I thrummed on my notebook.
The wind was up, I held on my hat. I do up my coat, look:
The farmer stumbled past holding his gun
He mumbled something darkly about his young son.About your wife, sir.
What about her?
Pray, where is she?
Nowhere you’ll see.Locked him up in the store room of Mrs. McVeigh’s Inn.
Take tea up in the manor Sir Robert Grayson.
The farmer through the window came in with his sword;
He mumbled out of breath Forgive me m’lord.
Plus, one song has a verse almost entirely in Inuit.
February 17th, 2005 at 11:54 pm
The FFs have become one of my most frequent iPod listens. I can’t get over how good they are. It took me several listens, some serious patience, but I’m definitely a big fan now.
BTW, I think the Rake is a Rockies fan. So far it looks like we have the Braves, the Yankees, the Royals, the Padres, and the Rockies represented.
February 18th, 2005 at 9:39 am
I didn’t know there was a such thing as a “Rockies fan.” Interesting.
February 18th, 2005 at 9:47 am
The acclaim for Fiery Furnaces could easily have been lost on me, since I don’t listen to a lot of contemporary rock music, but an offhand recommendation from an unlikely source (a Mr. Bungle message board) led me to check out some MP3s and I picked up Blueberry Boat shortly thereafter. I loved it immediately; their compositions are fantastic, although I think they’ll have better recordings as their musical palette grows.
February 18th, 2005 at 11:04 am
You know, I’ve never done fantasy baseball. Always been interested to try it and I would bring Chicago fandom to the group.
How is Chabon ever going to finish his novel with all of this anthology editing? Anyway, I’m sure I’ll buy it.
Still need to get Blueberry Boat, doggone it.
February 18th, 2005 at 1:44 pm
Just another Chabon fan, chiming in to agree with you in your anticipation.
February 18th, 2005 at 4:29 pm
I played fantasy baseball several years ago and my Cubs enthusiasm did me no favors.
February 18th, 2005 at 4:52 pm
Well, you’re really not supposed to play fantasy baseball with your real-world prejudices, although they do slip in every once in a while.