THIS is a CLOSE-UP?

My song of the week (which may or may not be a recurring feature) is a collaboration from beyond the grave between Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve (a psych-dance-rock-remix duo from England) and Love (the '60s psych-orch-rock band led by the late Arthur Lee). On the album Forever Changes , "A House Is Not A Motel" is the second track, positioned after the first (failed) single "Alone Again Or," which has some lovely strings and horns as ornamentation. But the "acid rock" spirit of the times is best captured in "House," which features some sweet-ass adrenalized drumming, downright lysergic lyrics, and a stinging guitar solo that verges on the hallucinatory. And the worst thing about the song? At 3:32, it's too damn short, offering fleeting joys that leave one wanting more. Thankfully, I'm not the only one that felt that way, for Erol Alkan and Richard Norris (BTWS) released an "unreleased" (read: "bootleg") rem

Last week, during my second flight to Los Angeles in just under two months, I had a chance to complete Appetite for Self-Destruction , a critique of the music industry’s march towards financial and artistic ruin over the course of a few decades. Written by Steve Knopper ( Rolling Stone ), it didn’t reveal much that I didn’t already know from my tenure in record retail for most of the ‘90s, but it was still an entertaining and engaging read, if a bit melancholic. One of the things I liked was Knopper's breakout examination of a few major mistakes and missteps made by the record industry at various crucial times. Some, such as the habit of suing your customers (made common practice by RIAA lawsuits in the early ‘00s) are blindingly obvious in their miscalculation. But two big ones – from my experiences, the two most important and influential decisions – really speak to my experiences as to why every single record store I’ve ever worked for is now dead. Mistake #1 – Killing The Single

A few months ago, I saw a live taping of The Late Show with Craig Ferguson , which airs on CBS at 12:35am right after Letterman. I went to the taping not fully knowing what to expect; I knew that Ferguson was a solid actor as well as a quick and gifted stand-up comedian, and I've enjoyed his shows over the years. And I know that one shouldn’t judge a performer based on one isolated encounter or episode. But if Ferguson is anything like the person I saw on the CBS soundstage for just over forty minutes, he doesn’t look like he’s getting any pleasure out of the experience. Again, maybe it was just my expectations that were skewed; I pictured Ferguson as an ebullient sprite playfully interacting with the audience and indulging in ribald humor when the cameras were off. What I saw instead was someone clearly punching the clock, a job rather than a joy, with little spontaneity or verve on display. (Trust me...I know when someone is punching the clock in a comedy environment, thanks

So this is it, a collection of my wholly subjective thoughts and emotions with respect to a wide array of topics, most of which will be interesting only to me. But maybe to you, too. For starters, from where does the blog title originate?