The Weekly Town Crier
Let the Town Crier cry for you. He’s trained for this, he’s developed lung capacity and the ability to yell lots of stuff while walking and ringing a bell; talents which do not come easily nor without much sacrifice. You have to want to be a Town Crier: you have to want it! Fight for it! Don’t give up the dream of a bunch of links on a Friday! Some things are just worth fighting for. I’m not sure if this is one of them. Welcome to the Weekly Town Crier, where I present to you some of the things that caught my eye this past week. Enjoy.
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Read as Nepal reviews its recent decision to strip a young girl of her “living goddess” status.
Read about the NBA’s potential problem of crooked refs.
Read about a top cellist hanging up her bow to become a paramedic.
Browse the week in photos from Yahoo.
Read about the death of Tammy Faye Messner, formerly Tammy Faye Bakker.
Read about the woman who may face criminal charges for kissing a painting.
Read about professional poker players facing off against a computer.
Read as WFAA Dallas/Ft. Worth reviews the recent Fort Worth Jandek performance (I opted to go see Bill Mallonee, formerly of the Vigilantes of Love the next night instead and I’m glad I did because I had the distinct privilege of witnessing one of the most powerful musical moments I have ever experienced in a song by opener Doug Burr [visit his website], one of my new favorite artists, but back to Jandek):
It felt like a mistake. Back when he was a hermit, the weird secret of Jandek was intoxicating. But now that he’s here, standing onstage for all to see, Jandek is no longer Jandek: He’s one more performer trying to entertain us with his music, and not doing a very good job at it. To put it bluntly, Jandek is among the worst singers on earth.
Browse as the Columbia Dispatch profiles the “Jazz 20 you should know.”
Read as the Guardian Unlimited examines Harry Potter’s actual literary legacy.
Read as Christianity Today ponders about the “whisper of Christ” in the Potter series.
Read this Christianity Today piece which wonders what Jonathan Edwards might have thought about the Harry Potter series.
Read this Books & Culture piece which urges us to pay attention to the band The Arcade Fire.
Read the LA Times piece profiling the growing house church movement.
Read about the students who claim in a lawsuit that the creator of Facebook actually stole their idea.
Read Christianity Today’s review of the new Rocket Summer album Do You Feel.
Read Pitchfork’s review of the recently reunited Crowded House’s new album, Time on Earth.
Read Rolling Stone’s report that Joni Mitchell has officially joined with Paul McCartney in signing to Starbucks’ Hear Music label.
Read as Randy Johnson hints that his MLB career may be over.
Read about Florida’s attempt to solve many “cold cases” by giving prison inmates playing cards.
Read about the CO professor who was recently fired, but not for his comments likening 9/11 victims to Nazis.
Read about congress’ recently proposed “luxury” tax on cigars.
Read about the Ft. Lauderdale Mayor who is angered by public homosexual sex and has said: “we will not accept this activity in the name of being inclusive or tolerant.”
Read about the San Antonio pastor struck dead by lightning.
Looking for an idea for your next date? Try “Dinner in the Sky.”
Reminisce about when the Yips met the telephone.
Read Pitchfork’s review of the latest album from Austin band The Gourds, Noble Creatures.
Wonder whether Oscar the Cat can really predict death. Or maybe he’s actually a killer cat?
Read as Justin Taylor points us to the new iPhone optimized ESV website.
Read about blues singer Etta James who is in stable condition after being hospitalized for complications following abdominal surgery.
Read about iPhone sales falining to meet some expectations.
Read as Obama says that “sex education” for kindergartners is the “right thing to do.”
Pray for the family of Ray Ortlund, Sr., who recently went home to be with the Lord.
Read this piece which claims that Japanese women and Icelandic men live the longest.
Read as Curt Schilling says that “Barry Bonds’ and Mark McGwire’s refusals to address accusations of steroids use are tantamount to admissions.”
Posted in Misc.
July 27th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Ballmer shoots, he scores!
Also, you gotta tell more about:
July 27th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Hey Bill Mallonee!!!
Glad you got to go. I have listened some to this Doug Burr fellow. He seems like someone great to see live. Was Bill still on top of his game? Man the last couple of times I have seen Bill Mallonee he has reminded me why I love music so much, and what words and melodies can do to the soul! He is truly someone from the singer/songwriter genre, except without all the cheese. I would love to see him with a full band sometime. The last couple of times it has just been him, a guitar, a harmonica, and cowboy boots on a tile floor for percussion. His wife does plays some on keyboard and sings harmony, but I would still love to see him get to rock out with the power of a band behind him!
kyle
July 27th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Kyle and Jim:
Kyle, It was just Bill and his wife. As you said, she played keyboards and sang harmony on some songs, but he was really good. He’s one that just sings his heart out and, as cheesy as it might sound, he’s the real deal. I do have to say that I was less than impressed about his choice of words on ocassion (which prompts all sorts of other thoughts about language and its use, but that’s neither here nor there), but as you know, the music speaks for itself. I’m certainly glad to finally have seen him live and I’m glad I chose that over Jandek!
Jim, in order to elaborate on my comment, let me set things up for you. The concert was at a place called Bend Studio in Dallas. It’s a Yoga studio by day and they host what they call “Intimate Evening” concerts by night. The venue seats a maximum of 80 people but there were only about 30 there for this show.
The opener, as you know, was Doug Burr, whom I had never heard of prior to that. It was he and another guy who alternated between guitar and keyboards. The one song that I have in mind is called “Graniteville,” and its’ about a true story that happened in a true town called Graniteville. There is a railroad track that runs right through the town and one night, in the middle of the night, there was a train wreck and a chemical spill. The chemical could not be detected but was deadly, so many people died in their sleep and the song was about trying to wake people up and warn them.
So with all of that in mind, the intimate venue, the backstory to the song, you can see how the setting was just right for a powerful chorus like: “Wake up baby, there’s a train coming. Don’t you know how much I love you?”
It was just one of those moments that reminded me why I love music so much, where everything about the moment seems tailor-made for that song by that singer in that venue.
If you can’t tell, I was thoroughly impressed by Doug Burr. He’s got a new CD coming out any time now on Velvet Blue, and I can honestly say I’m very excited.