Sophie Says Sooth (2002.09.02): "Avoid graduation at all possible costs. This may sound crazy now, but by the time you're out of school for a year you'll know exactly what I'm talking about and you'll really start to miss caring about back-to-school sales. Enjoy this time while you can."

Sophie Says Sooth (2002.08.26): "When you call your children unexpectedly, do not express concern if they were out until 4, 5 or 6 AM. They are now the masters of their own bedtimes. If someone of the opposite sex answers the telephone at 7 AM on a Sunday, say nothing."

Sophie Says Sooth (2002.08.19): "It was once required that ten witnesses be present at a marriage ceremony to outsmart jealous demons. (I don't know who really thought this would work but let's play along for the sake of the story.) Bridesmaids dressed similarly to the bride and groomsmen's attire resembled the groom's in an attempt to confuse the spirits who wanted to harm the couple."


Silverchair / Diorama: "Musically, it is one of the best of the year. Rich orchestrations sweep across beautifully arranged songs, a feat quite remarkable for a band unaccustomed to such complex string and horn work. This is due, in part, to help from the legendary Van Dyke Parks, whose resume boasts such names as U2 and the Beach Boys."

Miniviews 2002.08.02: "While reining his noodling tendencies way in for the two Guided By Voices records released by TVT, his side projects exploded. The Fading Captain series, home to numerous collaborations and throw-away 7" singles, has probably had a release or three just since you started reading this piece."

Miniviews 2002.07.28: "If John Lennon and Yoko Ono had been in little-known power pop bands, then decided to do a record together with John's brother and a pseudonymous drummer for a Spanish label you've never heard of, Double Fantasy would've sounded a lot like Sound It Out."


San Diego Comic-con 2002: Part 1: "A lot of it sounded like standard conspiracy theory bullshit; I would like to believe him about the income taxes, though. Apparently it has something to do with the improper ratification of the 16th Amendment and taxing our privilege of earning money."

"Glamour Hose": A 14-piece photographic series from Natalie Meyer


"Pixel Worship": A new short narrative work from Aaron Veenstra





2002/04/10

Better-late-than-never update today: it's new fiction! "Pixel Worship" (née "Electric Church"), my first completed work from the Prefixsuffix writing group, is a brief examination of parenting, social construction, freedom of information, ramifications of omnipresent technology, etc. It's a blast.
posted at 17:41


2002/04/09

New today: Jesse Baker breaks down the newly collected History of the DC Universe and an old new feature debuts: Song of the Week!

This week brings about the eighth anniversary of Kurt Cobain's body being discovered and the massive public wake that was held for him. This week's song is the Blake Babies' "Nirvana," from what had been their farewell EP, 1991's Rosy Jack World. The song was written by Juliana Hatfield after hearing Nirvana's debut LP, Bleach, and was released about three months before Nevermind broke the band into international stardom. It was later re-recorded for Hatfield's solo debut, Hey Babe, and is a staple of her live shows.
posted at 13:10



2002/04/08

It's a new day at etchouse.com and a new column comes with it. Today brings the long-awaited debut of our advice column, Sophie Says Sooth. Sophie, our in-house advisor for years and years, is a licensed and bonded soothsayer as well as an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church, so you can be sure that her advice is tip-top. If you've got nagging questions, unresolved issues or just cat-killing curiosity, don't hesitate to send your queries to sophie@etchouse.com.
posted at 10:42


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