A Free Man hatched up this appropriated idea for an Interview Project 2009 and it’s been quite the success! Never one to miss out on the fun, I came up with some questions for some food bloggers at He Cooks, She Cooks. The results of our exchange can be found here!
I just finished up a huge project today. I’d been working on it for days, using every spare moment all weekend. Now I’m wiped out and have to veg for the evening. Religulous is cued up in the DVD player and I’m checking out for the day. Hopefully I’ll have something cogent or amusing to say tomorrow…
Wikirank tells you what is currently popular reading on Wikipedia — a zeitgeist of one of the internet’s most popular references. I didn’t know about it until today, when I followed a link.
During my visit, I learned of Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a man who was on a business trip in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when Little Boy was dropped. He suffered severe injuries and after spending the night in an air raid shelter, he returned to his home in — wait for it! — Nagasaki, to convalesce. Man, it just wasn’t this dude’s week, because as I’m sure you know, Fat Man was unleashed upon that town on August 9, 1945. Yamaguchi is now 93 years old and a active anti-nuclear protester.
(I think the reason this man’s biography has suddenly become popular is because the Japanese government has only just confirmed that he is one of the few hibakusha to have survived both bombings.)
I’m on a Friday Creature hiatus again, due to a lack of photos. To make up for my dereliction, though, I’m going to attempt a long-overdue music post. My inaugural effort features the song that I’m likely to name, more often than not, if you were to ask me what’s the best song ever. First off, here’s the song, “All American Alien Boy,” so you can listen while you read along.
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It was 1976 and Ian Hunter had recently become a British tax exile in upstate New York and was all about immersing himself in everything that was cool about America: the vocabulary of this country, the things that informed our music, and what fed us as artists and workers and poets and people — all the things he had long loved from afar in England, while consuming so much music that was inspired by what the Brits were hearing coming out of places like St. Louis, New Orleans and New York. And meanwhile, way over in western New York, I was a sullen young teenage doofus, mining my brother’s record collection for stuff that made me feel cool. I was familiar with Hunter’s work with Mott the Hoople (more on that in a later post) and David Bowie, but All American Alien Boy was a surprising departure from his previous glam-rock extravaganzas, as its songs featured a host of very funky and jazzy American musical influences.
The album, which took its name from the song, is uneven at times, but it features some of Hunter’s best work, from the delicately sweet “Irene Wilde” and finger-wagging “Letter to Britannia from the Union Jack,” to the wide open “Rape” and “You Nearly Did Me In” (featuring the guys from Queen), the lilting “Apathy” and thoughtful “God Take 1.”
But “All American Alien Boy” was what really grabbed me. It was a moment in time that Hunter captured and recorded beautifully, with the help of some truly remarkable talent, in what I think was his first outing in a while without Mick Ronson. The song prominently features the incredible work of David Sanborn on sax, Jaco Pastorius on bass, and Aynsley Dunbar on drums. It runs over itself at times in a very exciting, swirling buildup to a cacophony of appreciation for all things Yankee. It is exhilaration, energy, celebration and euphoria all wrapped up into a blast of a song written and performed by a guy who is as much a fan of music as he is a talented musician. It was quite the thrill ride for that dorky little girl — and even now, it can send chills down my spine.
If you’re lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, you can still catch Ian Hunter up on the stage — usually in or around the great cities that lie on either side of the Pond. Here he is a few years ago, chatting it up with Craig Ferguson:
Layoffs hit at Disney World in Florida this week. They’re letting go some long-time, very loyal employees (including someone two people who are dear to me, unfortunately, which is how I came to hear of this news). This economy sucks more by the moment.
Someone tells me that Bob Lutgen, Herman Wang, Ron Clayton and Jamie Lackey have been axed at the paper. Has anyone else heard anything?
UPDATE: more here.
A mighty blow to a food market that is, frankly, already weak: BiLo files for bankruptcy. I think this is Chattanooga’s largest grocer. They are hoping to keep their stores open.
And this from Kelly and Blackwell of Caffeine (for those who haven’t been, this is one of the top sandwich places in town!):
We have made the decision to move Caffeine in with Blacksmith’s Bistro (our sister restaurant in St. Elmo). I know that this comes as a great shock to all of you who have been loyal supporters of us down on MLK, but due to the current economic situation and the recent raise in our rent at that location, the decision really became inevitable. We will have the same great quality and freshness y’all have come to expect from us, with most of the menu moving over as well. The hours for Caffeine’s Lunch @ Blacksmith’s will be Tues through Sat 11AM – 5PM starting March 31. So come down and see us at our new location in St Elmo!!!
This is sad news for us downtown dwellers, since the MLK location was so convenient. But their sandwiches are definitely worth the drive down Broad Street and in these tough economic times, I’m happy to hear they made a decision that will keep them in business!
I’ve found some interesting reading lately — things that haven’t worked their way into a post, but are worth mentioning nonetheless. Besides, it’s been a while since I’ve done a link roundup.
Here, at last, is one piece of good news in our global economic meltdown: Americans have less and less patience for the intrusive and divisive moral scolds who thrived in the bubbles of the Clinton and Bush years. Culture wars are a luxury the country — the G.O.P. included — can no longer afford.
What is relevant is that I have good insurance, which I obtain through my employer, and haven’t paid a dime out of pocket for my treatment. If I were among the 46 million Americans who are uninsured, I’d be looking at a huge hospital bill. No one should face financial ruin because of a mishap with a fork and an avocado. The way we ration health care now — according to the individual’s ability to pay — is immoral, and if higher taxes are needed to ensure that no one has to choose between health and bankruptcy, I’ll pay. That was my position all along, but now it’s personal.
What’s changed is that I also feel more strongly about the ability to make my own choices. I decided where I would be treated and, ultimately, what would or wouldn’t be done. I’m willing to pay for that, too.
Hello! I'm Alice, which is my real name (most of the other names here have been changed, though, to protect the innocent). I live in an almost-100-year-old house in downtown Chattanooga, TN with my first husband, G-Dog (who is from New Canaan, CT), and a cockapoo named Nonnie (the moniker comes from a Laurens van der Post book). We have one kid (that we know of) -- a daughter, Emmie, who plays a supporting role on the blog. She's off being a student, but she pops in often enough to keep things interesting.
I originally hale from Batavia, NY, a quiet little town in rural western New York. G-Dog and I met while attending college in Carlisle, PA, and then moved on to Chapel Hill, NC together before finally settling in Tennessee. Other places we've lived in long enough to have a mailing address include London and San Francisco.
This blog is about a lot of things -- the places I visit, things I cook, people I meet, photos I take, things I read, and -- of course, politics. I'm an unrepentant, arugula-eating, progressive, liberal, lefty, euro-loving, educated elitist and I'm looking forward to an administration that doesn't raise my blood pressure quite as often as the outgoing one did...
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