A new semester at UIC starts tomorrow, so I've been busy this week putting together a syllabus and a course packet. My course this time around is about how values differ among subcultures, and so I've spent a lot of time over the past few days digging around in the Jargon File / New Hacker's Dictionary as well as this hip-hop dictionary. I've also been skimming the Savage Love archives in search of bits of advice that illustrate Dan Savage's ethos but which don't use words like "cocksucker." (I'll be contrasting him against Dear Abby and "The Ethicist" from The New York Times Magazine—should be an interesting day.)

Also, if anyone knows of a good feminist critique of the scientific method, feel free to drop me a line to let me know about it. I'm considering using Donna Haraway or Sandra Harding, but something a bit more introductory might work better with my students.

Labels: subcultures, teaching

Sunday, August 25, 2002
8:57 PM
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Last night I talked to Rich about nihilistic suburban daredevils, as part of a larger discussion about the general way that team sports seem to be in cultural decline. It seems that the "extreme" sports which are on the cultural rise—skateboarding, mountain biking, surfing, snowboarding—all showcase individual performance rather than team performance.

This also fits in with another conversation I had last night, this one with K., about musicians. This year I've added a number of musicians to my circle of contacts: I met a bunch when I went to Minneapolis, and this past weekend I helped to bring some others to town, and I even had the opportunity to record with them briefly. I've also met a handful of people who run small labels or operate clubs. I've consistently been surprised at how friendly all of these people are, how willing they seem to be to make conversation with strangers, and how open they are to the possibility of collaboration or creative exchange. K. and I considered that much of this might have to do with the fact that playing music is traditionally a democratic, collaborative act.

I'm putting these thoughts into the "play" file.

Labels: play

Thursday, August 22, 2002
2:19 PM
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I was thinking today about the Vin Diesel vehicle XXX, which led me to think about a loose constellation of related material, such as extreme sports, MTV's Jackass, and amateur wrestling leagues.

Eventually this coalesced into an idea for a game. I've given it the working title Nihilistic Suburban Daredevils.

Labels: projects

Wednesday, August 21, 2002
12:15 AM
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All the shows are over. The bands played well, to capacity crowds, and they've departed. All visiting friends have made it safely back to their cities of origin. Life is returning slowly to normal.

Whew.

If I owe you a call or something, you should get it soon.

Labels: personal, projects

Tuesday, August 20, 2002
10:28 AM
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For some time now, Chris and I have admired the band Pelt. Their albums are weird fusions of drone, noise, minimalism and folk, finished examples of the kind of hybridity that we aspire to one day practice. We decided that we would really love to see them play a show. With the help of our rockstar / zine magnate associate Steve K., we contacted them and arranged for them to come up to Chicago.

I was enormously pleased to learn that the show just made Critic's Choice in the venerable Chicago Reader.

The listing will only stay up for a week, so I'll quote a bit here:

"Pelt [draws] listeners into a sexy and comforting den, conjuring lush and generous dronescapes where Tibetan monks converse magically with hillbilly sages via prayer bowls and banjos -- not such a strange idea when you consider that both cultures have had to adapt spiritually to the breathtaking and human-dwarfing scale of mountains. The trio's recent double CD, Ayahuasca (VHF), named for a psychotropic herb and dedicated to [John] Fahey, is a study in tasteful density: each of the long pieces pursues every tone to its logical conclusion, whether that be electrified raga, stark modern minimalism, or raptly channeled folkways. This is music I've been waiting my whole life to hear, and I don't think I'm the only one: these are fan-organized shows."

I don't often flush with pride, but now is one of those times. I hope to see some of you Chicago Raccoon readers at the Hideout on Saturday. Pelt's Jack Rose will play an acoustic set at Danny's on Sunday, with Scorces, a side-project of Charlambides.

Labels: music_commentary, projects

Friday, August 16, 2002
9:24 AM
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Spent the weekend out in Milwaukee, at Gen Con, the largest game conference in the world. Geeks of all ages and types were in attendance, making the visit worthwhile for people-watching value alone.

I spent my game budget for the year, naturally, purchasing trinkets like the three "catfight" decks from James Ernest's card game Brawl, and four tubes of mysterious and alluring Icehouse pyramids.

I had to pass on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer role-playing game, mainly because I don't know enough locals who'd be interested in playing. Too bad.

Labels: game_commentary

Tuesday, August 13, 2002
3:36 PM
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I hereby declare this chicken salad good. I wasn't sure that mango and mayonnaise would go very well together, but it turned out delicious.

The recipe seems pretty flexible—I disregarded all the measurements and just built it from the ingredients list. It turned out fine.

Oh, yeah, J. from Consumptive and V. from Stuttercut also both do cooking weblogs: Gohan Taberu and Hungry Tiger, respectively.

Labels: recipes

Thursday, August 08, 2002
2:51 PM
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One of the albums that's been in heavy rotation at my place this summer is Thuja's Ghost Plants.

Soundscape alchemist Loren Chasse gathers together recordings of drips, scrapes, and mysterious thrummings, and, from them, he creates an animistic universe which the other bandmembers populate with mumbling piano, primal percussion, and the jangle of strange strings. This album would make a perfect soundtrack to scenes of decaying industrial space and fecund nature, like those found in the film George Washington.

Interested parties may also want to check out the Jewelled Antler collective, of which Thuja's members are a part, or Hedge of Nerves, Chasse's newest solo album, which fuses the sounds of surf and fire with the surface crackle of old 78rpm records. I haven't heard it yet, but it is high on my list of things to order.

Labels: music_commentary

Wednesday, August 07, 2002
10:20 AM
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Hey, how about an MP3?

Number None hasn't gotten together recently, because my other half, Chris M., is currently traveling in Japan. I've been filling the time by creating little one-man sonic oddments. Here's a sampling: a sad and ragged bit I call "The Seacoast of Despair." (1.44 MB) Recorded direct to hard drive.

I'll keep this MP3 up for one week, and then maybe I'll replace it with a different one.

Labels: number_none, projects

Monday, August 05, 2002
3:11 PM
0 comments