Tag Archives: Spectacle with Elvis Costello

A Million Miles Away

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Right now I am watching Glenn Beck. I always wanted to see this car wreck of a show. Right now some puppet is calling Jimmy Carter an anti Semite. Really couldn’t take much of it, played Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel which is a nice palate cleanser.

I knew that Glenn Beck was an asshole, but wow, what a big asshole he is, or has.

Today has been an overcast day, gray clouds and considerably cooler. Autumnal weather. Got an email inviting me to see a taping of Spectacle with Elvis Costello at the Apollo Theater with Nick Lowe as a guest so I decided to invite my brother Brian, knowing that he would get a kick out of it. It’s next Thursday, September 24 at 7:00 and we have a plan.

Last night was a good night. Juan stopped by for a little while and just like old times he assumed his place on the couch, me in front of the computer and Bill, for a bit of a change was in front of his Mac doing some homework.

Juan and I watched the last three episodes of True Blood. He calls it goth, I don’t go for his bait. Also calls True Blood fans ‘Fang Bangers’. Still I resist the bait. It was good to see Juan, looking so handsome.

He’s invited me down to Trenton, what’s best for him would be a Monday. I just have to check which Monday that would be.

Been a quiet day today. Got a text from Casey Chasm, they were going to induce labor for Mrs. Chasm who is due to have her baby today. I hope everything will go as they hoped. They will make great parents I’m sure. I think life is working out just fine for them up in Vermont.

Tonight I might just watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I ordered it from the library and it came in yesterday. It’s the deluxe three disc set. The theatrical version, the ‘Special Edition’ which features the inside of the mother ship that looks like a parking garage and the director’s cut.

It’s from the Ridgewood library and it’s due back next week, so I had better get cracking. I’ve seen the first two versions and I’m not sure what the director’s cut will entail so maybe I will watch that.

I heard from the wonderful Jared Nickerson. He’s putting together a benefit for someone at McSwells in December and asked me to DJ for it.

I agreed to do it and I’m looking forward to it. Just bringing an iPod, no more lugging crates of records around. Not with my back. I’ll bring the Nano as a back up. Just another thing to look forward to.

Bill has class tonight, Juan is back in Trenton and I’m here with Close Encounters ready to go. A mellow night and I am fine with that. I have to gather a few of these entries and mail them up to my friend Jane up by Woodstock who has no internet.

That should give me a chance to go back and review the things I’ve written and send her the best, or what I think is the best. What do you think is the best? Any suggestions?

Tell Me What You See

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This has been an odd day. Nothing bad happened, at least not yet. It just started out on the wrong foot, leading to a day of missteps. I woke up, tried to contact Julio to see if he and Stine wanted bagels. No answer. I called Stine instead and she said no, they were going out. That was no problem.

I went to the bagel shop where there is never a line anymore. It used to be there would be a line out of the store onto the sidewalk, but hasn’t been like that in a few months.

I asked Jeff, someone who’s been working there for ages, a week or so ago if it’s been slow and he mentioned that I had just missed a rush. I didn’t believe that since there is hardly anyone in there when I’m there. Denial or just putting forth the company line?

I’m convinced they don’t like me in the Bagel store. One guy in particular doesn’t like me, I can tell. When I moved back to Hoboken almost 7 years ago, I started getting my bagels on Washington Street. A few weeks later I saw this particular guy on the street with his kids and as I passed I said hello. He gave me the stink eye in return. I figured with the hundreds of people he sees each week I was lost in the shuffle.

After that I saw him again and once again said hello and once again I get the stink eye. One time I gave my order at the counter, something like 3 sesame, and 2 poppy bagels. He gave me 3 and 3. I mentioned that it wasn’t what I ordered and he got all uppity. So ever since then it’s quite frosty between us.

I do try to support small businesses, but in Hoboken, the small business owners don’t make it easy and show very little gratitude. Next to the register is a container for tips. Knowing that some of the staff have families to support I sometimes leave my change in the container. Sometimes I get thanked, and other times like today with me and Frosty the bagel counter person I get nothing.

I think next time I go in I will wait for Frosty to be waiting on another customer. And if I hear Jeff say to a new customer, ‘You know those bagels will make you thirsty, you sure you don’t want something to drink with that?’ I’ll go postal.

That basically set the tone for the day. I went out once after that and it just seemed so weird that I decided not to go out again until tomorrow. But I did go out, hoping to run into the Chinese dude who usually sells bootleg DVD’s at the barber shop at 4:00PM on Saturday afternoons.

I didn’t see him and I wasn’t going to go hang out in a barber shop if I wasn’t getting a haircut. I was hoping to get a $5.00 DVD of Slumdog Millionaire. Oh well. The only Academy Awards movies that I’ve seen are Milk and The Visitor, and Wall-E.

Maybe I’ll do a live blog during the awards tomorrow, or rather write about it as it happens and post afterwards. That seems more likely since I don’t think I’m equipped for live blogging.

Last night I caught up on what I had DVR’d. Spectacle with Elvis Costello. 1st up had guests She and Him, Jenny Lewis and Jacob Dylan. All very good and enjoyable and that Jacob Dylan sure is cute, and he sounds like Bruce Springsteen I think. Imagine growing up being Bob Dylan’s kid, how strange that must be.

I have a newfound love for Jenny Lewis, though Juan has been hyping her up to me for a while now. And She and Him, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward were good enough to make me think about getting their record.

Then I watched what I guess is the season finale for Spectacle, this time hosted by Elton John who interviewed Diana Krall and had her husband, Elvis Costello come out opening with a song and singing with Diana and Elton at the end.

Geez, I swear Diana Krall is like so many women that I know, at least in the way she talks and her mannerisms. I enjoyed her, but sometimes it was like watching my niece Corinne on TV. If only Corinne played piano. She was very entertaining, Diana Krall and I think she’d be worth checking out as well.

After that I watched the 11:30 Simpsons who had Stephen Sondheim on, writing a song for Krusty the clown. And Bart was in therapy and really getting a lot out of it, even though 5 sessions were mandatory as punishment for a school prank.

I almost stayed up to watch Conan O’Brien’s last Late Night show but since I was recording it I figured I would watch it today. Which I did do, watch it today. Unfortunately it ran long and as Conan was summing up his 16 years hosting the show it got cut off.

So I watched that on NBC.com, and posted it on my Facebook page, as well as Conan releasing Abe Vigoda back into the wild, since ‘Pa’ said he wouldn’t be able to take him to Los Angeles where he will host the Tonight Show.

Though I didn’t watch Conan that often since it was on past my bedtime, I will miss him. But I should be able to catch some of the Tonight Show with Conan . I’m 6’2” and wear a size 12, Conan is 6’4” and probably wears a larger shoe, and I can only hope Jimmy Fallon could fill those shoes.