Salutor

Muxed Up Mix Tape

Hmmm. Decided to try out Muxtape, (another) service for uploading and posting MP3 mixes. At the moment it does not work in Firefox (at least in the Windows version of Firefox), but it seems to work fine in IE. It is also badly in need of help from a designer.

Take a listen to my mix, or subscribe (rss).

Lucienne Boyer

Parlez Moi d'Amour [buy it]
A friend just wrote to ask about a song that appeared (several years ago) on a mix-CD that my wife and I gave to friends who attended our wedding reception. It was "Parlez Moi d'Amour," a wistful, sentimental tune from the 1930's.

Have I mentioned that I am working on a new business venture? It's exciting. Stay tuned.

Thanks, Billy

[I actually intended to post this a couple of years ago, but better late than never]

You can now listen to the terrific song composed in my honor, at my lovely wife's request, by Billy Sugarfix (of Evil Wiener and It's Carrboro) fame:

Click here to download Stephen Fraser, the song

Radiohead's classic 10 years later

Courtesy of the tasteful Mr. Powazek, here's a tasty link for music lovers of a certain age... a tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer 10 years later commissioned by on-line music mag Stereogum and offered (at least for now) as a big, fat, free download:

OK X: A Tribute to OK Computer

Standout is David Bazan's cover of Black Cloud.

Life ongoing

Before bed. Watch disc 2 of the third season of Deadwood, the most densely written, brilliant television series ever produced.

Going to bed. Trying to explain to Kim what Edward Tufte is all about and why I have requested the book Beautiful Evidence for Father's Day. Also just finished reading a very funny NYT piece on sperm.

Leaving the house. Lula clambers  up into my lap in order to roll her "googly guy"-- one of those sticky, stretchy, rubber hand toys -- through my hair. Eye-level with her diaper, I note aloud that she needs to be changed. "Noooo," she says, eying me mirthfully. "I'm not poopy. I happy, Papa."

On the way to work. Hear a duet on WKNC between Lucinda Williams and Flogging Molly, a band that invites comparison with the Pogues in their heyday. My college days.

At work. Wondering if I should buy an iPhone next month.

Listening to: The Shins

I just bought "Wincing the Night Away," the new album by The Shins. You can hear one of several NPR reviews of the album here. Not entirely sure of my verdict yet, but it includes at least a couple of terrific songs.

Despite its presence in the overexposed soundtrack of the somewhat silly movie "Garden State" (written by the seemingly likable Zach Braff) I do really love the Shins song "New Slang" from the last album. It reminds me of the most wistful early work of Paul Simon, like "Only Living Boy in New York" (which you can hear on Last FM). Apparently I was not alone in making the association since that lovely and, until 2005, rarely played song was also used in the movie soundtrack, propelling it into a the risk zone of over-playdom. As one grows older and no longer requires a ready supply of wistful, somewhat obscure, songs to include in mixed tapes to woo women, I suppose that becomes less of a concern.