Dr Frank Weakly Reader for 4.26.2019
Yesterday Rules edition
Welcome friends, to yet another Weakly Reader, which I have dubbed the Yesterday Rules Edition because I stumbled across (a) the original magazine ad we appropriated for the Yesterday Rules cover art (see below); and (b) the photo above. When God throws the dice I move that many spaces. So let us pause to contemplate the majesty, the resilience, and the sheer unlikelihood of Yesterday Rules. It holds up as well as or better than anything, if I say so myself.
As some pointed out, ruefully, not to say accusingly, when the posts went up: YR was never released on vinyl. But “never” is a long, long time, and often an exaggeration. That is, never can come to an end at any point. Stay tuned.
Beyond that, as always, this, the Weakly Reader, is simply an illustrated, annotated encapsulation of the week that was, indexed so it may be found in future.
Let’s do it.
MTX-ish
— Mtx forever: an unusual playlist from David SK, with an unforgettable image. With regard to which we asked, Who Wore It Better?
“Votes” were basically tied at press time. Many people, seeing this side-by-side out of context, assumed the belly on the left is mine. It is not. It is all David SK.
— The Mr T Experience — “She’s no Rocket Scientist”, live in Southampton UK, Summer of ’92. Video on YouTube. “Minor secrets” here. Visit and subscribe to my YouTube channel here.
— Jane Lecky, an old KALX comrade, playing Sporcle (whatever that is) on Game Night, came across this: “Can you name the punk rock acronyms?” I think most of these are “initialisms” rather than true acronyms, but I’m sure MTX would stump a great many people in such a quiz. (If you wanted to make MTX an acronym, I suppose you’d pronounce it: mm-tix. Maybe we should all start doing that.)
— Yesterday Rules artwork: I came across the magazine ad we swiped for the cover of Yesterday Rules.
— …and your Friday morning “Here She Comes,” from Josh Goodman on YouTube. I’ve probably posted this before, but since we did that off-the-cuff Steinways’ version last week in this slot it seems apt. Nice take. I like it. Original. Live on “TV”. (For more covers found on the internet: go here.)
DR FRANK-ish
— Songs for Odin™ XIV: recent Song for Odin™ write-ups, collated. “A Mind Is a Terrible Thing”; “New Girlfriend”; “Everybody Knows You’re Crying”; “Rock and Roll Love Letter”; “Some Foggy Mountain Top”; “I Feel for You”; “…and I Will Be with You”. On Medium.
— novels by Frank Portman. A classic.
— Yes, ’twas I.
— “More libertarian rants please….” True story.
— Jonah 4: 6–8: round about this time of year, when it starts to get too darn hot, I think of this.
— Two things I’ve learned from this week’s social media experiments: (a) people on the internet love sexy girls in overalls drinking beer; and (b) they hate Coors, or at least, they feel compelled to “virtue signal” to that effect. However, everyone loves the Silver Bullet: cf.“The Lone Ranger,” below. Never will anyone, neither the most virtuous of the virtuous nor the hipsterest of the hipsters, ever cast so much as the hint of a jaundiced eye in that direction. Most peculiar.
— It’s too darn hot:
OTHER PEOPLE’S MUSIC
— Good morning world: Furry Lewis — “When I Lay My Burden Down”; Adam Greem — “Bluebirds”; George Jones — “The Lone Ranger”
— David Crosby on the Doors: David Crosby, in response to a query on twitter, let loose on the Doors, holding nothing back. “Square wheel bad,” he said. It was drawn to my attention because it broadly agrees with Tom Henderson’s assessment in King Dork, to wit:
Supposedly the author of this book [Revolution for the Hell of It] got five years in prison for writing it. Which seems a bit lenient if you ask me. The guy who wrote The Doors of Perception [Aldous Huxley] got off way easier, though, especially since the worst band in the history of the world, the Doors, named themselves after it. He has a lot to answer for.
As I said, no twitter is as good as David Crosby anti-Doors twitter. The fact that X guitarist Billy Zoom popped up in my facebook to say “I feel so conflicted when David Crosby agrees with me” made it all the more meaningful, really. I knew it! Meanwhile, Barry St. Vitus pointed to this SPIN article where Crosby turns turns his big twitter guns on “punk.” God love him.
— and finally: Jess Greenberg, a girl of huge talents, on the Highway to Hell:
EASTER HAPPENED
— Ten Good Friday traditions you’ve never heard of, from the Irish Times. A bit about bald guys and taking down your hanging meat quoted here.
— Look: bunny with sword; the Harrowing of Hell; Raphael’s Resurrection; bunny with axe; Caravaggio’s Meeting at Emmaus; Cuzco school, trifacial trinity; George and the dragon; Mary Clopas.
PEOPLE TAKE PICTURES OF EACH OTHER
— For your viewing pleasure: Christopher as Saruman with Les Paul Custom; a few minutes later; GK Chesterton; if you really love me honey… (women in tech); condors in love; Miguel Covarrubias — The Tree of Modern Art; a lady in a field; down with hot pants; Taco Tuesday; Happy Adminstrative Professionals Day #1; Happy Adminstrative Professionals Day #2; Odalisque by Jules Joseph Lefebvre 1874; falling; the fine wines of South America.
— oh so mature and explicit: civilization’s dying…
— and finally: Will it be swords or pistols, Sir? Neither, my good man: artichokes.
IN THE NEWS
— The disfigurement continues: Notre Dame’s I mean. Some truly awful architectural ideas from a truly awful architect. And here’s a funny “meme” on the subject. As some guy who’s name I forget on twitter said: “its a gothic cathedral, not a conference centre in Essex.” No one wants this. No one. Nevertheless, the minute Macron called for an “international contest” I knew we’d get a post-modern glass and steel spire and Norman bleeding Foster. I hate being right all the time.
— 'Stalker’ who sent 159,000 messages in 10 months to a man she met on millionaire dating site and broke into his home after a single date wants her case to go to trial because she thinks jury will clear her and order her victim to MARRY HER. Keeper.
— How to hide from the AI surveillance state with a color printout. I have heard of this and it makes sense (kind of like dazzle camo, except for people rather than ships.) On the other hand, it could be a practical joke — i.e., let’s see how many people we can get to wear a New Wave album cover around their neck to a demonstration. I choose Armed Forces (US cover.)
— Goofy story in the Guardian about whether it’s illegal to exclude someone from housing arrangements on the basis of astrological sign. Using the term “ableism” to describe prejudice against Capricorns puzzled me. That’s all I’ll say here, except that, in my capacity as one who tends to resist hip neologisms like “ableism,” I may well be a victim of neologismism, and possibly hipism. Definitely of Guardianism. And you all should stop trying to dictionary shame me, as I’m destined to remain permanently skeptical of anything not featured in the OED, ca. 1911.
— DNC doing the macarena 1996: happened on this via Nick Gillespie. I have no words.
See you all next week.
