Listening: I'm going through a monstrous Ronnie Wood phase, spurred by my simultaneous Faces obsession. I've been listening to
I've Got My Own Album to Do constantly. Its a rock and roll fantasy realized. More on that later.
Now Look is also working itself into heavy rotation. Aerosmith, sweet and beloved. "Three Mile Smile" (standout track off
Night in the Ruts), "S.O.S. (Too Bad)", "Woman of the World" (can this be my new unofficial theme song? Sooo sultry), and "Seasons of Wither".
Get Your Wings, what a bad motherfucker. And the Clash, I still like you. Its safe to say I've sort of gone everywhere there is go within their catalog. Right now, I'm listening to songs like "Atom Tan" and "Inoculated City", AKA songs only Clash lovers will enjoy. Even so, I
do enjoy them! "Take It So Hard" by Keith Richards, not too shabby for a solo Stone. I have a magnificent vest with a tattoo-esque X-Pensive Winos logo on the back. I haven't seen it since my visit to San Francisco last year. Its hiding somewhere. I miss it, come back!
Harvest, Neil Young, which is frightfully inspiring. It truly withdraws such remarkable emotions from me. It reminds me of a life I can't have anymore, and rattles me deeply. It reminds me, "The past is the past. Make something new for yourself." It doesn't allow me to be crippled by memories. I'm really digging the Pixies these days too. "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly and the Family Stone, as well as "Hong Kong Garden" by Siouxsie and the Banshees are my current go-to happy jams.
What a fantastic collection of guitar-slinging males!
Watching: The Sundance channel aired Julien Temple's
Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten, which is so marvelous and poignant. The Mick Jones footage is so good, as he drunkenly reminisces about his old pal. Certainly a documentary to be seen. (Coupled with
Westway to the World!)
I also caught
Rock City, an amazing documentary on London in 1964 through 1975. Its not so much a documentary, but rather a collection of footage, featuring the Stones, Cream, Blind Faith, Faces, Otis Redding, Cat Stevens, and more I can't remember. Look out for it, its rare and absolutely worthy of viewing. Also, I finally saw
Anvil! The Story of Anvil. Seriously, I could have cried. It was so riveting and utterly emotional. I loved it so much. I briefly met Lips and Robb Reiner when in London, and I wish I had seen the film then. I totally would have exclaimed, "I loved your movie!!!" Because they obviously would have been really gracious and kindhearted. I watched
The Edge of Love, which was really appealing visually. I don't know too much about Dylan Thomas, so I can't say whether or not it was accurate, but it certainly looked gorgeous. The clothes, the sets, the cinematography.
Reading: My grandparents have a signed copy of the late Jim Marshall's book of rock and roll photography
Not Fade Away. It was his first book, and my grandparents happened to be in Sun Valley, Idaho when Jim Marshall did an exhibit. Its a wonderful book, and I've palmed through it numerous times. I call dibs on inheriting it! Also, the September issue of
Classic Rock, which features an incredible piece on
Physical Graffiti by Barney Hoskyns. I'm rather fond of that magazine entirely. Also, during a library stroll, I came across Nick Mason's
Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd. Its one of my favorite rock and roll books, because it has so many rare photos in a grand size.
One of my all time favorite Jim Marshall photos. Keith appears so lost in his music, and the shot is so simple and intimate. Unabashed skill.
Oh, also! I'm now contributing to
Altsounds.com; I've only done one piece thus far, but that will quickly change! Read my thoughts on the Stones'
Exile on Main St re-release
here. School has started back up, so my current obstacle is juggling homework, keeping up this blog (because I love it, and its my child - no matter where else my writing goes, I fully intend on maintaining this blog), and contributing steadily to Altsounds. I also have an interview in the works for you here, and another completed interview, which is on a computer currently cooped up in storage. So far, so good! I cannot even articulate what a madhouse my life is right now - but you know, I'm just trying to keep my head on straight, steer myself through positively, and remain productive, starting... now! I love you all. Thank you for being continuously sweet and supportive. Even in my too-long hiatus, I received kind emails. I appreciate it more than you know. Welcome back aboard the train of my wild life! x
