Last night was my second Elvis Costello show, a little more than 17 years after my first one. This year he's been touring with the Spinning Songbook, a huge wheel full of song titles. With the help of a lovely assistant, he brought audience members to the stage to spin the wheel and stay up there for a couple of songs. The lucky audience members could sit at the small bar (with stools made of real gold given to him by Rupert Murdoch, he cracked) with a cocktail or they could dance in the cage with or without the show's official go-go dancer.

Elvis is touring with a band that consists of two original Attractions -- Steve Nieve on various keyed instruments and Pete Thomas on drums and percussion -- and Davey Faragher from Cracker on bass. You could tell Steve and Pete had the songs in their blood after all these years, and Davey fits right in with the band. (All the original Attractions were with Elvis when I saw him in 1994, but he's long since fallen out with bassist Bruce Thomas.) They played a great selection that included most of my favourites, but with well over 30 years to choose from and about as many albums, a lot was bound to be left out. Still, the show was more than three hours long and there was no opening act! The set list for last night's show had only a few of the same selections as my previous show, those being the big hits that they probably play at every performance.

When in character as his alter ego Napoleon Dynamite (inspiration for the film character's name), Elvis was reminiscent of a vaudevillian master of ceremonies. The between-songs banter packed impressive ad-libbing skills and a quick, biting wit befitting his Irish ancestry. The last time I saw him he was not this interactive with the crowd and I don't remember him being so funny, although I always knew he had it in him. On at least two occasions the spin of the wheel didn't go quite the way he liked at the time, so he "helped" it along. "If I can't cheat in Charlotte, where can I cheat?" he quipped. I didn't mind because that's how we got to hear one of his most brilliant songs, "I Want You." Other favourites of mine that he played were "Alison," "Everyday I Write the Book," "High Fidelity," "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea," "Pump it Up," "Radio Radio," "Mystery Dance," and "Watching the Detectives," along with plenty of other great songs. Cover songs included "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love, and Understanding" (yes, it's a cover, originally by Nick Lowe) and "This Wheel's on Fire." He often inserted verses of other songs into whatever he happened to be playing at the time, meaning we got to hear a snippet of "Tracks of My Tears" among other things. Thanks to the skills and talents of Elvis and the Imposters, these songs all took on a life apart from the original recordings. Elvis sang with as much power and emotion as I've ever heard from him, proving once again that he has one of music's truly great voices. And then, of course, there's that vast and diverse songbook -- the word is overused, but I say this man's work is nothing short of legendary.

Pardon my gushing, but I can't get over the adoration I've felt for Elvis and his music since I was only four or five years old. He was the first musician I ever "knew." I've seen many artists play live and it's rare to find another with the sheer brilliance and showmanship of Elvis Costello. It had been too long since my last show due to circumstances I couldn't control over the years, but it won't be long before the next one if I can help it.

( Set List )

"Walk On," Aung San Suu Kyi!

Burma has released political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. U2 wrote the song "Walk On" in her honour and this performance is from a couple of months ago in Moscow. It seems a fitting time to post it.

Today I found this on Twitter and I'm telling everyone who I think might be interested. Tamara Cimmerian, singer for a band called KatZen, has fibromyalgia and the band has released a 3-song EP called Overcome. One-third of the proceeds will go to the National Fibromyalgia Association. It's only $2.97, available at iTunes, Amazon, and other online music stores.

I just bought and listened to it. The music is hard to fit into a genre, and maybe that's what I most like about it. There's only one band it reminds me of, and that was a local band that broke up over ten years ago (locals, I'm talking about Violet Strange). It's good, mid-tempo rock, obviously with female vocals, that uses chords and effects you don't hear everyday. There's something exotic and meditative about this music that I can't put my finger on after only one listen, but I like it. Right away, what strikes me is that the lyrics are powerful without being too literal. Any fibromite would probably be able to relate and hopefully those who don't have it will see a little bit of what we deal with by listening to her words.

While I'd love it if everybody would buy this EP in order to support the cause of researching an illness that is widely misunderstood and whose sufferers are often derided as "lazy" "whiners," I also want to stress that the music is good. It's something I think my friends might like regardless of its association with a "cause." This isn't really issue-oriented music, even though the lyrics are about Cimmerian's coming to grips with her illness and overcoming it (hence the title of the EP being Overcome). For three bucks, it's also a good way to find a band you might not have heard of before.

ETA: KatZen official site

Happy International Left-Handers Day!

Too bad I don't have an appropriate icon to use with this post. Instead, I shall use Dumbly-dorrr in all his badassitude, because we sinistrals are indeed badasses.

I grew up on the news with Walter Cronkite, as I'm sure many of you did as well. Even though he was 92 and had been ill, that doesn't make the news any less sad. May he rest in peace.

It shocked me to hear that Michael Jackson had died when I read it a few hours ago -- I thought it was just some Twitter joke. Say what you will about what became of Michael Jackson in later years, but he was truly something extraordinary during his prime. Apart from his incredible dancing and his many hits, let's not forget that he's the one who broke the colour/race barrier at MTV, which I think proved to be one of his most influential achievements. I think that he was never allowed to be a child and it completely ruined him in later life, but I hope he found peace before he passed and that his loved ones can be strong in their time of sorrow.

Star Trek was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Every role was perfectly cast, especially Spock. There were moments that made me cry followed immediately by comic relief, giving me the impression that the writers were flipping the switch on my emotions in a way I didn't mind at all.

The moment depicted in this icon made me giddy with delight, since it reminded me of the first time I saw the new Spock. In fact, there were several Spock moments that had me just as giddy, but I don't want to give them away for any other big Spock fans out there who haven't seen it yet. I applauded the names of Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy in the end credits. Zachary Quinto, you have made at least one new fan today!

In other words, even though the trailers made it look like The James T. Kirk Show, it's really not. All the familiar characters get their due.

It was true to the Star Trek universe that came before it, but fresh and appealing to those who haven't been big fans. The biggest praise I can give is that I absolutely would love to see a new series of movies starring this cast.

This is a poem by the great Langston Hughes, who would be proud today.


I, Too, Sing America
by Langston Hughes


I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

This is the cover art for U2's forthcoming album, No Line on the Horizon. It could just as easily have been a Joy Division album cover. I love its stark simplicity. Given how their previous album art has matched every album's sound (in my opinion), this really suggests things about the album's sound... things that I like. :)

( Click here to see. )

David Bowie is 62 years old today. Happy birthday to Bowie!

These announcements always seem self-important to me, but maybe people really do like to know... I just deleted about 20 journals from my friends list. Most of them were long, LONG dormant journals, but I also deleted journals from my list if I felt that we never connected, that we grew apart, or if we never commented to each other's posts. It's not personal. I simply don't have as much time to read LJ as I once did.

Studs Terkel, author, activist, historian, radio host, and one of my favourite people, has died. He was 96 years old.

If you intend to vote a straight ticket for any party in North Carolina, then you must still indicate your choice for president on your ballot. In other words, don't check the box for "straight ticket" and expect that your vote for president has been cast.

You should be told this when you're at the polling place - or it should at least be printed on the ballot, if nothing else - but I wanted to say it in case there's anyone reading this who doesn't know. Please, if you know anyone who's voting in North Carolina for the first time, be sure to let them know about this bug "feature" of the ballot.

Oh Tricky, how I adore thee.

Knowle West Boy is out and I'm listening to it as I write this.

Best Buy had it for $9.99 (though the sticker said $12.99). It's also $9.99 at iTunes, but I figure a physical copy is worth 71 cents, at least. ;)

If you enjoy Tricky's music, then you probably already want to get it. I've been a fan ever since I saw him play at Tremont in... uh, 1998 or so, and I was chomping at the bit to get this. I'm still on the first listen so I can't review it properly, but so far I'm inclined to place it somewhere in the middle of my personal ranking of his albums. Maxinquaye will probably always be tops (it's one of my top 10 albums of all time), then I'm inclined to rank them more or less like this: Nearly God, Angels With Dirty Faces, Pre-Millennium Tension, Vulnerable, Blowback, and Juxtapose (I'm not including the EPs I have). That's not an established lineup, mind you - it depends on my mood at the time. Lest that sounds like I'm not digging the album, I must say that Tricky's worst is still pretty damned good in my book.

Hahaha! There's a fantastic cover of Kylie Minogue's "Slow" on here!

Paul Newman died last night at home in Connecticut, aged 83. May he rest in peace and may his family and loved ones be comforted.

Alaska passed a law (please note article far pre-dates Sarah Palin's national fame, so this isn't some new attack) in 2000 forbidding the police from charging victims of sexual assault for forensic rape kits. During Palin's mayoral administration, Wasilla was charging the victims money and local politicians bitched about how it would cost taxpayers more money if they didn't make the victims pay for it themselves. Her police chief - as in, she hired him - was a vocal opponent of the statewide law that would prevent them from making rape victims pay for their kits. The first article is from her local paper, a real paper, established in the '40s.

*wordless yelling of garbled rage*

You know what? I'm not filtering this. In fact, I'm making it public. If you don't like it, you know how to scroll.

North Carolina has a couple of interesting statewide elections of its own going on this year, particularly the race for U.S. Senate (Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole faces an unexpected level of challenge from NC General Assembly member Kay Hagan, a Democrat). I'm also happy to report that both major party candidates for U.S. Senate are women, which I believe is a first for us; one of the gubernatorial candidates is also a woman.

Here are some links pertaining to NC political races. I tried to include as many links about the Libertarians as possible, but there's less to go on in both cases. I've decided to make this public so that I can refer non-LJ-having friends to it, but it's behind a cut so that those of you who aren't in NC can more easily scroll past it. I present these links without commentary - this is just a resource, but of course it's not an exhaustive list, 'cause I'm not made of all the free time in the world. ;) In other words, there's a lot here, but Google is your friend!

( Linkarama! )

Don LaFontaine, the famous movie trailer voiceover artist, has died of an unspecified illness at age 68.

Country singer/actor Jerry Reed has died of complications from emphysema at age 71. I grew up hearing his music, seeing him on Solid Gold and in movies like Smokey and the Bandit, and I'll always remember him fondly.

There's No Place Like 127.0.0.1

I need it because it's so cool, and so perfect for at least three reasons I can think of immediately (it's Oz, I'm very much about "there's no place like home," and I'm geeky enough to get the joke). :)

Happy International Left-handers' Day! Woop woop!

This is very sad news. :(

He and Bernie Mac (R.I.P. to him as well) (side note: I once interviewed Bernie Mac for the UNCC newspaper) worked together on a movie called Soul Men, also starring Sean Hayes and Samuel L. Jackson. Let's hope this is not another "cursed" movie. D:

I hope this works! :) I can hardly wait to see it!

I got this from bloodcicle  , who got it from somewhere else. I've seen a couple others posting something similar. This is a great band and they're good people, and I hate to see that this has happened to them.

The Prids were in a serious accident in their van while on tour on their way to LA. Please take a minute to donate whatever you can, even a few dollars helps. They're currently in Fresno, CA and need your help to get home and pay their hospital bills!

There were 6 of them in the van (the 4 bandmembers + their 2 friends). Everyone except their friend Chris has been released from the hospital. They are waiting for results (MRI? X-ray? not sure) and he may have spinal injuries.

David has 6 staples in his head, a broken collar bone and broken ribs.
Mistina suffered a concussion.
Joey broke his ribs.
I'm not sure what Maile went through.
Kristen came out with the least injuries but is pretty banged up.

They are currently looking for ways to get home.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

You can send them money via paypal to donate@theprids.com