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Archive for the ‘End of the World’ Category

Ray Fawkes & Cameron Stewart–The Apocalipstix (2008)

Posted in Books about music, Cameron Stewart, Danko Jones, End of the World, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Mad Max, Ray Fawkes, Short Books, Tank Girl, The Future, Violence, YA Books on November 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: DANKO JONES-Never Too Loud [US edition bonus tracks] (2009).
I reviewed this disc a few posts ago.   Since then the disc has finally been released in the States.  And, naturally, since I bought the import version there are three bonus tracks added on this one.  The three tracks are “My Problems (Are Your Problems Now);” [...]

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McSweeney’s #32

Posted in Adventure, Anthony Doerr, Chris Adrian, Chris Bachelder, Consumerism, Corporate skewering, Death, End of the World, Gay/Lesbian, Heidi Julavits, J. Erin Sweeney, Jim Shepard, McSweeney's, Natural Disasters, Plague, Salvador Plascencia, Sesshu Foster, Sheila Heti, Short Story, Technology, The Future, Threats, Tindersticks, Wells Tower on October 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: TINDERSTICKS-Tindersticks [the red one] (1993).
Tindersticks are a fascinating band.  The first distinctive thing about them is Stuart Staples’ voice: a deep rich bass that he uses almost like a whisper.  The second thing you notice is the music.  It’s an orchestral/chamber pop collection of dark rockers with fantastic moodiness to it.  And then you [...]

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Clash of the Gods (The History Channel, 2009)

Posted in Adventure, Bible, Clash of the Gods, Death, Demons, End of the World, Fables, Gods, History, Homer, NPR/PRI/PBS, Natural Disasters, Religion, Sex & Violence, Supernatural, Universities, War, Wikipedia on August 12, 2009 | 6 Comments »

[WATCHED: August-October 2009] Clash of the Gods

[UPDATE: October 26, 2009]
I have now finished the entire series.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned from it.  (Not that I considered myself an expert, but you never know what you’ll get from TV series). The biggest surprise was how much this series filled in the [...]

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David Foster Wallace–[Week 5] Infinite Jest (1996)

Posted in Big Books, Canadian Content, Canadian Music, Consumerism, Corner Gas, Corporate skewering, David Foster Wallace, Death, Digression, Dreams, Drinking, Drugs, End of the World, Eschaton, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Infinite Summer, Kids in the Hall, Neurotics, Postmoderism, Rick Mercer, Set at School, Smarty Pants, Suicide, Technology, Tennis, The Future, The Walrus, Toilets, Tragically Hip, Violence, Work, Yuck! on July 24, 2009 | 6 Comments »

SOUNDTRACK: THE TRAGICALLY HIP-We Are the Same (2009).
I first heard of The Hip when I saw their video for “Nautical Disaster.” This is back in the day when I first got Canada’s MuchMusic on my Brighton, MA cable system, and when I actually watched Music channels. Anyhow, the song was intense and very cool and [...]

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McSweeney’s #31

Posted in Anachronisms, Biji, Bill Cotter, Books about writers, Charlie Chaplin, Consuetudinary, Corporate skewering, David Thomson, Death, Digression, Douglas Coupland, Duan Chengshi, Dystopia, End of the World, Ernest Hemingway, Fantasy, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), George Barr McCutcheon, Graustarkian Romance, History, James Hannaham, Jessica Anthony, John Brandon, John Cusack, Joy Williams, Legendary Saga, Mary Miller, McSweeney's, Meta, Miguel de Unamuno, Minnesota, Nicolas Chorier, Nivola, Oddities, Orson Wells, Pantoum, Plato, Poetry, Religion, Replacements, Say Anything, Senryū, Sex & Violence, Shelley Jackson, Short Story, Sight & Sound, Smarty Pants, Socratic Dialogue, Supernatural, Susan Sontag, Threats, Violence, Virginia Woolf, Virginity (Loss of), War, Whore Dialogue, Will Sheff on June 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THE REPLACEMENTS-Hootenanny (1983).
This is the second full length from The Replacements.  For a band that just released two punk albums (one’s an EP), naming your new one Hootenanny is pretty ballsy.  As is the fact that the first track sounds like, well, a hootenanny (even if it is making fun of hootenannies.)
However, the rest [...]

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Kurt Vonnegut–Cat’s Cradle (1963)

Posted in Books about writers, Concept Albums, Consumerism, Corporate skewering, Death, End of the World, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Gods, Kurt Vonnegut, Lavender Diamond, My Brightest Diamond, My Morning Jacket, Natural Disasters, Political Humor, Religion, Robyn Hitchcock, Sci-fi, Smarty Pants, Technology, The Decemberists on June 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THE DECEMBERISTS-The Hazards of Love (2009).
I first played this disc a few times without really listening to it, just to get a feel for it.  And I was surprised by how heavy it sounded.  The harshest moments of the disc really stood out to me, and I was quite surprised, as I think of [...]

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J.G. Ballard–The Autobiography of J.G.B. (New Yorker, May 11, 2009)

Posted in Black Sabbath, Crash, Divine Comedy, End of the World, J.G. Ballard, Radio, Supernatural, Tragically Hip on May 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: ——-
The CD player in my car died.
Evidently the CD Error screen in the Prius’ 6 disc changer is not completely uncommon.  And I am devastated.  (And looking at a pretty penny to replace it).  In the past, I have installed stereos in at least three different cars.  But man, not only don’t I want [...]

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Oisín McGann–Daylight Runner [Small Minded Giants] (2006)

Posted in Adventure, Dystopia, End of the World, Free Speech, Harry Potter, Irish Writer, Modest Mouse, Oisín McGann, Roddy Doyle, Sci-fi, Set at School, The Smiths, Threats, Violence, YA Books, Yuck! on April 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THE SMITHS-The Queen Is Dead (1986).
Years ago, when I was a young metal head, my friend Garry expanded my musical palette by introducing me to a lot of college rock (or whatever it was called back then).  The album that had the most impact on me back then was this one, The Queen Is [...]

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Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black–The Spiderwick Chronicles [Books 1-5] (2003-2004)

Posted in Children's Books, Demons, End of the World, Fantasy, Harry Potter, Holly Black, Short Books, Supernatural, Threats, Tony DiTerlizzi on March 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: FLAMING LIPS-She Don’t Use Jelly (1993).
This single contains three B-Sides:  “Translucent Egg” is something of an instrumental version of “She Don’t Use Jelly.”  It uses the same opening guitar riff, but it changes a few things along the way.  The highlights though are the other two tracks: variants from Transmissions from the Satellite Heart.  [...]

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Italo Calvino–”The Daughters of the Moon” (New Yorker, February 23, 2009)

Posted in Consumerism, Dystopia, End of the World, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Italo Calvino, Life, New Yorker, Outer Space, Short Story, Silver Mt. Zion, Supernatural on March 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THEE SILVER MT. ZION ORCHESTRA & TRA-LA-LA BAND-Thirteen Blues for Thirteen Moons (2008).
I’ve enjoyed most of the output by (A/Thee) Silver Mt. Zion (Orchestra (& Tra-La-La Band)) over the years.  So, I naturally picked up this one when it came out.  And I’m torn by the record.
This disc contains 4 lengthy tracks.  But unlike [...]

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