October 2006 Archives

NOT TO BE KILLED

New Joe Strummer biography by Chris Salesicz just out in UK from HarperCollins, FSG will release it stateside next spring... But it's already gettings raves from the Times and Guardian, and I'm gonna get me a copy when I head over November 7.

BRUSH WITH FAME

My sister texted me about being behind Steven Colbert in a rental car line last week, asking what she should say. Naturally, I knew exactly how to handle it:

1) Hey I loved you in 40-YEAR-OLD-VIRGIN!

2) Your show's great but give the telethon a rest!

3) Hey it's you! Is it true you like spectral sushi?

4) You know those crop circles in Europe? I did those.

5) You look so much shorter in person! You look so much thinner in person! You look so much funnier in person!

6) Colbert, you're the best mole Fox News ever had...

7) Steve! O'Reilly called... he wants his tie back.

8) How did that nasty Florida paternity suit work out?

9) I'm so sorry Mr. Colbert -- we have a car waiting for you but Abdul came to work with his padded vest again. May I take that for you?

10) Loved your GOT MILK ad!

No decent thoughtful reviews of Studio 60 yet, but since Sorkin's morphed into pure brand, a pure product of the medium that's his subject, a revolving mirror's not much more interesting than a revolving door. Sarah Paulson was that Deadwood creampuff, and she's oh so fetching but the concept is she's "comedy gold" and Harriet hasn't been yet (the closest she's come has been her Juliet Lewis). How else is somebody gonna make that whole "Christian with a heart of gold" thing work? Perry is growing on me, but all that male banter goes right down the shooter.

Mourning the loss of SNL is a MUCH better subject than the redemption of the networks, even though Amanda Peet's eyes project all the way to the late great planet Pluto. And the network exec with a heart of gold is pretty way-out concept. Still: "You knock my socks off"?!?!?!?! Go rent Sports Night, which ranks right up there with Larry Sanders.

GEORGE HARRISON LINE ONE

Like everybody else, I'm a Lichtenstein fan. But you scroll down a few of these and you start to scratch your head: where is the line? Is it the captions?

DROP YER WAD

Just back from Poster Art in Rochester, New York, filing from Spot Coffee on East Avenue. Pre-empted a visit to the House of Guitars. Long live the Record Archive. "C'est evident!"

Stewart at the Wang center last Friday night, first show, mostly brilliant, including two savvy pop jokes. 1) After the Y2K crash, the whole world devolves back to... (gasp!) 1982! "No! I can't run like the wolf again!" 2) Why don't Jews and blacks get along? Both oppressed minorities, blacks came up with the Blues, Jews complained without music. Except his grandmother wrote a blues: "There's a Draft In Here." The B Side? "Now It's Too Hot." The guy is having a sweet moment, incredibly relaxed, he already had a bucket of Foley jokes.

NOW AVAILABLE AS A PDF

LEARNING THE GAME
Or, How John Lennon Learned to Stop Worrying and Love His Inner Geek
Perfect Sound Forever link
Grab the pdf here