Muy Malkmus on the solo tip.

Photo by me!

Last May we saw Stephen Malkmus play an acoustic solo set at Old Town School Of Folk Music that quite honestly featured songs I never, ever expected to hear performed live. Due to the wonders of the modern digital age, some kind soul uploaded the entire set for free to the Internet Archive, so you don't have to track down a bootleg cassette tape, or finagle some complicated trade for 3 Phish tapes and good Dead show for 3 indie performances of dubious quality plus Malkmus, or something like that.

So now you can enjoy this fantastic set as well!

And while we're talking Malkmus, if you missed my recent review of the Pavements movie, you can still check it out here.

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A random hike through my morning brain.

I don’t know about you but I’m still getting my bearings. The last couple of years have held so much change (from the personal to the international) that I know I am a somewhat different person. Though I often wonder if I’m just returning to the core person I’ve always been; the one that somehow managed to survive despite being pushed into the background over the years. Whenever I am confused as to why when I meet two people at the same time, one person immediately likes me as a human while the other can’t stand me, I have always reckoned that the one being nice to me sees the painfully nice guy buried deep inside all the protective layers I’ve accumulated over the years. Then again, I have grown to believe that the layers of protection I built up were pretty easy to see through or bypass for most people, when they wanted to.

Does any of that make any sense?

I am really trying to get back to a more regular cadence of public writing, because I think it was that constant process that helped keep me tenuously tethered to the world in the more out-of-control periods in my life. These days there's no drama and therefore no more out-of-control periods, and if anything I worry I keep too much in my head, mistakenly keeping it to myself because I don't think I can get it exactly right, and I fear being misinterpreted.

But isn't fear of misinterpretation built into the core elements of writing? You're always taking a chance you'll look like a fool or worse, any time you try and write something honestly. And while I can certainly bend words to my will, I continue to be driven by honesty in my written output, so I'm always putting my neck out there. And in recent years I think I was rightfully cautious as I decided how I wanted to proceed.

I'm getting there. And as always, if you're reading this sentence right now, you haven't a clue how appreciative I am of your existence and that you'd spend a few seconds/minutes with me in your brain, hopefully helping both of us feel a little more seen in this world.

Yes, the latest is a pretty super 'Superman' movie.

I have found all the cinematic versions of Superman enjoyable in different ways. But this latest Superman stands a very good chance at becoming my favorite version. It’s the first to truly tell the story using the wilder and more playful (and in moments, more emotionally effective) lens of the comics, instead of trying to make a comic book story more “realistically” cinematic. 

No spoilers here, but I will divulge it’s also just a really good dang time in the theater. Our showing was packed and it makes me so happy so many people are seeing a movie with a strongly positive overall message that also just feels good to watch together.

P.S. It was an impulse purchase and ridiculously expensive, but I do not regret, not one whit, picking up this adorable Krypto popcorn bucket. Now I just have to decide whether he lives in my office at home or downtown.

How could anyone say no to this?!

Goin' mobile (within reason).

I bought a car a few months ago, so for the first time since 2009 I can get around the city (and suburbs and other states and countries and who know where else) in my own vehicle instead of relying on public transport, or another person’s car.

I hadn’t planned on buying a new car. The one time I could’ve really used one was during the pandemic, and goodness knows I am really hoping a situation like that doesn’t arise again in my lifetime.* But an opportunity from a long-trusted friend presented itself and I was able to purchase their used car for a fair price. I’ve never owned a new car in my life, but this is the closest to “new” I’ve owned thus far … and the car is already 14 years old.

I debated the purchase in my head, weighing all the pros and cons, and all the fears the responsibility of ownership of an item that requires a constant influx of money just to keep insured and full of gas, with mountains of potential dough going out the window should the vehicle require anything beyond those two things. But I got over my doubts, and the benefits really did outweigh my concerns, so I bought it.

I was worried it would impact my step streak, but I’m still walking as much as I ever had. Bt it has had one unexpected benefit I couldn’t have foreseen: I’ve completely stopped ordering food or groceries for delivery. Which means my snacking on impulse deliveries has dropped to almost zero, which has been pretty terrific for both my wallet and my waistline!**

Another unexpected outcome? I am loathe to lose a good parking space when I get one right on front of my house, which also reduces frivolous trips in favor of still getting most of my errands done on foot.

But as the weather gets nicer, I will happily lose those great parking spots on a regular basis in favor of driving out to different forest preserves and such to really widen the terrain of pretty hikes and fun excursions this summer! I've already starting knocking a few long-held to-visit spots on my list and am eager to pick up the pace.

Vroom vroom and zoom zoom indeed!

*Though the way things are going, I’m feeling less secure that will in fact happen. But I'm trying to keep it positive today, m'kay?

**In the “healthy, I feel better” sense. I am far less concerned with the vain reasons for reducing one’s waistlines these days. However, owning a car and discovering that Whole Foods carries all the "good" and "rare" Jeni's Ie Cream flavors has caused me to exhibit more self control in this area than I would have expected.

A quick sidebar to boogie down to.

Christine and the Queens and Cerrone photo by Thomas Spault

This song's been out for a spell, but I hadn't heard it until the EP it'll be on showed up in my email a few days ago. My bad! Otherwise I'd've been blasting this song from Disco legend Cerrone and the hypnotic Christine and the Queens all summer long (instead of, y'know, 4/5 of the Chicago summer)! It's light and sprightly while keeping a heavy beat anchor that will meld with your limbic system to promote positive grooves into your brain and brighten your day whether you like it or not. Me? I like it!

Snag the song through the Bandcamp player below, or get the full Catching Feelings EP when it's realized July 4.