People Love Writing and Writing About Facebook's Top 25 Lists

Anyone who goes on Facebook regularly (and has some friends) knows the recent fad of the Top 25 Lists? Writers have become infatuated with making fun of it. All I know is people love lists and love making lists. Grocery lists, to do lists, top movies lists, top music lists. Lists, Lists, Lists. Slate's article is called "Charles Darwin Tagged You in a Note on Facebook."

Time has one called "Facebook: 25 Things I Didn't Want to Know About You" with in itself contains a list. How ironic. My favorite in the Time article has to be #6 (probably because of my Anchorman love):

"6. When I finally told my now fiancé that I liked him (as in, liked him liked him), I drunkenly gave him the Anchorman line, "I want to be on you." He had only seen the movie once and had no idea what it was from."

I saw an excellent band named Beirut last week at the BAM. This band of musical gypsies led by trumpet-playing, vocally blessed twenty-something Zach Condon was joined for half by the Vassar Orchestra. It was quite a beautiful place to see a performance. It wasn't just your regular musical performance. The space made it special and added to the complexity of the sound that you wouldn't get at your standard music hall.

While the set could have been a bit longer, it exuding the beauty and excellence that didn't necessitate it. The crowd was hushed which was continually noted by the band. It was as if the audience treated this as a performance and not just any other concert and I must agree. It wasn't the best show I've ever been too but it was poignant, pleasant and something I'd like to recreate over to and over again if I could. Stereogum has a more in-depth review and some photos.

This followed up a show I saw by the genius violinist & whistler-extraordinaire Andrew Bird at Carnegie Hall the week prior. Obviously, the sound was amazing. Actually I'd say it was extraordinary and incomparable (even from my second to last row seating). I'm not sure if it was because of the seating but the sound was just perfect, all-encompassing, which made up for the inability to really even see the show. BrooklynVegan has the set list, no good pictures though. They are pretty strict about that at Carnegie; it's quite nice to not see flashing lights are aren't from the stage lighting.

I am quite a big Doves fan. Their album Lost Souls are on a small list of the my writing albums, albums that I seem to be able to write and write often too. Well Filter Magazine has some details on their new album, Kingdom of Rust.

As a Yankee basher, nothing has made me happier than A-Rod' revelation that he is a cheater. I love it. Slate has an interesting article, "How baseball can usher out the A-Roid era."

An Israeli Supermodel Politician? I say genius! (Newsweek)

Time had another good article called "Competence: Is Your Boss Faking It?"

Tom Cruise & Denzel in a movie together directed by Cronenberg? (Hollywood Reporter)

Brett Ratner says new Beverly Hills Cop to be a "Hard R", it better just have a great Eddie Murphy in it. (Firstshowing)

I've also been reading some books. Here's my favorite quote out of one of them, Thornton Wilder's "The Bridge of San Luis Rey":

"Style is but the faintly contemptible vessel in which the bitter liquid is recommended to the world."

Bernie Mac, Favre, Radiohead @ All Points West Festival and more...

For once I haven't just been lazy but actually busy. I went to two days of the All Points West Music & Arts Festival which should have been titled Radiohead for two nights and some other bands. Those who know me are very aware of my overt love of Radiohead. My gushing might have been a little more contained in the old Kid A days but I still wholeheartedly believe that their live musical performance, all things considered, (the band, the music, the lighting, et al) is the best live show on the planet.



These two performances proved this point I believe because while they are by far the weakest setlists I've ever seen them perform, very heavy on the much ballyhooed In Rainbows at the expense of their well covered classic masterworks The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A. But you still can't take your eyes off Thom, Jonny, Colin, Phil and Ed.



Here are the setlists of the two shows.

August 8 Setlist

August 9 Setlist

Sadly, there were few other bands on these days even worth mentioning for their quality of performance. Of course, I didn't see everybody. Not every band can have the amazing stage set up and band tightness of Radiohead.



Andrew Bird had an amazing set covering an array of tracks. His on stage virtuosity on looping the samples that he plays live of his whistling and over laying violin parts along with his beautiful singing make his show a must see for people who truly appreciate the art of watching live music. Besides that, he has to be the music world' best whistler, forget about Peter, Bjorn, and John's "Young Folks."




Also noteworhty was a decent set from CSS and their dance party crew. Kings of Leon were the last to play before Radiohead and did an admiral job, like a My Morning Jacket Jr.

The most disappointing sets of the fest were from Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear. I was really looking forward to Animal Collective and while I did feel the energy, the songs were almost unrecognizable. They were lively and zany but not engaging as I thought. Grizzly Bear had an hour set aside and berely played 35 minutes of average uninspired music from their overhyped but decent album Yellow House.

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Stars Pay Tribute to Bernie Mac

Oh yea, Scientologist Isaac Hayes has passed as well.

And Morgan Freeman is in serious condition.

Not a great week to be an African American actor.

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Just when I thought Favre was gone, the fucker moves right down the street from me. His new home field as QB of the Jets is approximately 3 miles form my house. I was looking forward to the day when this fucker wouldn't have his own ticker on the ESPN screen. But it will never end. Never. I want to burn that #4 Jersey.