I read Satantango about a month ago— it doesn't deserve its impenetrable reputation. It's got a very unique atmosphere but it's highly compelling.

I read Moby Dick last year on a Kindle! It seems twice as long that way, like being fed the contents of the ocean via eyedropper. Good luck!

I read Moby Dick last year on a Kindle! It seems twice as long that way, like being fed the contents of the ocean via eyedropper. Good luck!

Just read Werewolves in Their Youth, awesome if you dig short stories. Kavalier and Clay, though— yeah, read that. So good.

Yeah. It amazes me that anyone would. I spend most of my time trying to tune ugly shit out— it just doesn't compute.

True. I'll bet there were a lot of broken hearts around that set. I don't know the details of his contract— how many more seasons he would've had to honor (if any!)— but I do agree there were classier ways to handle it.

That Jesus— such a rascal!

I sadly don't even remember Rick Perry.

*gazes wistfully at pictures of grandkids while ruminating over lifetime of regret*

I can relate w/ Chappelle's decision to quit, though fleeing the country and avoiding the problem was probably a bit irresponsible. If you don't love what you're doing (for whatever reason) you probably shouldn't be doing it. It's a shame that such a personal decision has to be made in such high visibility, but that's…

I also saw quite a bit of "Without a Sound" by Dinosaur Jr. in bargain bins, which is a goddamned travesty.

That's a fair point. Hindsight is definitely 20/20— an honest question though, as I am not familiar enough with this album to know: are they railing against post-9/11 hypocrisies, or just returning to a generalized (whitewashed) "fuck authority" stance without pressing any buttons? I don't recall this album as being…

Fair enough— the point remains though. What does a rich-and-famous Green Day write about? Should they do a concept album about masturbating?

Absolutely. Who's ever going to call a party band insincere? It's ironclad. Malcontent seems to need qualifiers, though, because it starts a discussion. Nobody feels the need to discuss "Panama."

I think "American Idiot" is pretty successful as a concept album. I'm not talking necessarily about the quality of the songs; nor am I going to argue that there's a hell of a lot of specificity in the narrative. But that itself does not seem to invalidate it as a concept.

Somehow "The Hobbit" gets three movies, though.

Cheers!

I actually intend to continue the trilogy at some point after a couple of palate cleansers. It wasn't as if it was a bad book— it just sort of evacuated my brain once I was done. Maybe after I finish my current read I'll give the second book a go.

I hope you enjoy it. It's one of my favorites in recent years.

My girlfriend suggested I read Oryx and Crake based on my enjoyment of Phillip K. Dick and other books in the same general vein (like "Blueprints of the Afterlife," which absolutely floored me). I was not overwhelmed with appreciation. I can't really determine why; I felt like Jimmy was an idiot and the other…