Except, funkier

Wow. OK, that was best book launch party ever. Thanks, LSU Press, Teddy's Juke Joint, Floyd Patterson and the OMT band, Danny over at Cottonwood Books and everybody that came and packed the house. I got up and spoke for only about a minute -  why compete with this kind of action? My phone was acting funny, otherwise I'd have shown you more than 17 seconds worth

They sold and I signed about sixty copies of Louisiana Saturday Night, which I say is a good first night out. More to come; particularly ones booked at Maple St. Books in Bayou St, John, New Orleans on March 22 and  Baton Rouge Gallery on March 25. They look to be slightly more sober affairs, but perhaps we can drop a few party gauntlets and see what we can do.

Monday:
The Clash, "The Magnificent Seven"
LCD Soundsystem, London Sessions
The Fall, Levitate (via some kind soul's YouTube playlist)
Metronomy, Nights Out
M83, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

I'm listening to LCD Soundsystem's "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" as I type this, and I imagine the above video is what that song's experience actually feels like. Except, funkier.

I love the 1997 album Levitate by the Fall. It's one of the lesser-known of their storied (anti-)career but on of the treasures in that shadowed vein. It's the record where they simultaneously laid the groundwork for post-OK Computer Radiohead and LCD Soundstytem and never got their due. Which is fine; they would have just squandered said due had it been granted.. It contains their most fun cover tune (this side of "Mr. Pharmacist", anyway).


The Fall, "I'm a Mummy"

I heard the London Sessions version of LCD Soundsystem's "Pow Pow" on the radio while driving back from the book party.



It sounded electric, shouting "ADVANTAGES TO BOTH!" along with them, ablaze in the ego high of having one of the best parties you ever went to having been thrown in your honor and the unstoppable theory-funk of New Wave. Then, I looked off to each less-advantaged side of Scenic Highway flashing by at midnight, jetting from the gas refineries to the on-ramp to massive concrete Interstate that further disadvantaged the parts of those neighborhoods, the parts that were not leveled in the erecting of that interstate, which is in my experience mostly a ghost highway to the airport.  "ADVANTAGES TO BOTH!"   One's vantage is key in assessing the relative merit of one's advantage.


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I was floored and humbled we had such a great turnout. Teddy's is a great place and I think the book is a great book but there is a stretch of reality that prevents us from bridging out of our comfort zone, whatever that comfort zone is. Acknowledging how precious this sounds, I hope this book gets a few people on that bridge.

See? That's why I didn't make a speech at the event.