Stuff Les Likes
OK, in no order of preference, just as I think of them and in case any of this is of any interest at all to both of you.
I like reading about pretend Hollywood; give me a good Hollywood novel, anything from Day of the Locust to D.B. Weiss’s brilliant Lucky Wander Boy. But please don’t make me read about the real thing. I really and truly don’t give a fuck. There is one exception. Bill Kerby’s fantastic blog. And I don’t say this because he mentioned me once. He was there for all these stories. They are wonderful and he tells them well.
Heather Drain will make you want to watch a lot of movies you never ever would’ve, like, say, Gone With the Pope, because she writes so compellingly about them. (full disclosure – she also writes compellingly about Gleaming Spires: here and here.)
Speaking of Spires, check out Futurismo Records. They just re-released a beautiful vinyl of the first Spires album, Songs of the Spires. You can even get it in lemon-meringue!
Just one of my favorite writers. Kaaron Warren. So smart, so disturbing, and, sentence for sentence, so beautiful.
And someone else who just flat-out writes. Liz Armstrong. She will take you some places. I promise. Ask her about Misty.
And then, there’s Joanne Marlowe. She has two books of poetry out that are monstrously good. She might just be the Dorothy Parker of Hamilton, Ontario.
Oh, and Les’s favorite struggling actress, Dixie Perkinson – she’s hilarious.
All American High Revisited: a movie Les likes – and featuring some fine music in the trailer.
Les’s favorite “challenge yourself to think hard about very difficult things” blog is john-steppling.com.
And some music I like, in case you care.
“From the corner of Hollywood and Western,” the finest in Western Swing. Brilliant songs, perfectly played. Enough to make a sad boy want to dance.
Marvin Etzioni produced Moved to Duarte, but that’s not all he did. Start here – then ask him about Dave Prescott.
Cody Crump – I love this guy. Everything he does. Flat-out.
Johnette Napolitano – You should listen to everything she ever recorded, obviously, and buy her book, Rough Mix. (I don’t say this because she recently covered a Spires song, “While We Can,” or said nice things about Flight 505. It’s a mutual admiration society. You should, however, go to iTunes now and get your copy of said song and order the book. Both of you.)
My favorite pop star. Tyler Hilton. Find him here.
My other favorite pop icon – nobody writes a catchier pop song than Bill Lloyd – and nobody writes a smarter one either.
Jack Ladder. This is some fine music, right here. And I have no dog what-so-ever in this fight.
John Murry – Oh man, “Little Colored Balloons.” So good. Find him. Listen.
And Clem Snide and/or Eef Barzelay. How can you not love a guy who did an album of Journey covers. I’ve been looking for his cover of “In A Big Country” for a year now.
My favorite folk duo: Sailfish.
AND Dischinghis Kahn – Rockin Son of Dischinghis Kahn.
Watch this video all the way through. ALL THE WAY. It is the finest video ever made – and that includes the Jagger/Bowie “Dancing In the Street.”
