get hungry for oysters

Our backyard through the kitchen window. I just missed a hummingbird.

Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz
Arditti Quartet, Alvin Lucier: Small Waves; Navigations for Strings
Alvin Lucier, Music for a Long Thin Wire


Media announcements: In the October issue of 225, I preview the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans and have a salad with local purveyors of NPR-endorsed doom jamz, Thou. In October's Country Roads, I take you to the Saturday morning Cajun mayhem at Fred's Lounge in Mamou. Here's a taste.





In the same issue of CR, my friend Frank McMains has a great story about his family's thing for good bowls. I concur; a good bowl is about as good as it gets as far as possessions go.

OK, I wasn't sure this morning, but I did hear Our Eagle Scout of Indie Rock Sufjan Stevens go "I'm not fucking around" on "I Want to Be Well" on his new record, right? That will get you kicked out of show choir, mister! Independent of the encouraging introduction of swears, I am not so sure about this new record of his. There is a lot in it that might not have completely gelled, but I'm still drawn to it, like how I am if I see a bowl of Jell-O in the fridge that also hasn't gelled yet. I know it will be so much better when it completes its alchemy, but I want to dip into that vessel of perfect luminous color right now, when the spoon won't leave a mark and I can replace the cling wrap and none will be the wiser.



I'm currently working on a story about five supermarket plate lunches in five days, under whose auspices my beautiful bride and I took in the Friday offerings at Calandro's - fried catfish and crawfish pie, each with mac & Cheese, green beans and peach cobbler - on the very table depicted in the top photo. This is noteworthy because we are eating outside at noon and not melting like Nazis who dare open the Ark of the Covenant. Whatever has appeased the sun god this season, let's keep doing it.

Writing about such is a good gig. I have good gigs. I had one group of editors challenge me yesterday to successfully convince them to do a piece I've been on them to do for years, so here's hoping it worked. Another wants me to do a new book in January when I will (cough) finish the current one. I had a chat with someone recently about the nature of opportunity, how one is crazy not to seize it because it is such a short cut to getting things done. On the way back from lunch, basking in the glow of mac & cheese, I thought about how much I like little books, like the 33 1/3 books or Cod, ones about one simple thing, succinctly, complete to a degree, hit it and quit it style. 100 short pages and you're out. And how I started to write one about two years ago about Alvin Lucier and other artists whose interests are in the poetry of phenomena and I thought I should look at what I had and seize what I can seize. The world is your oyster; all that's left is for you to do is get hungry for oysters and find time to eat them.


Alvin Lucier, Navigations for Strings