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





2002/07/04

I'm heading out to Detroit in a few minutes, so I won't be able to get to the new updates until this weekend. I've been apartment hunting and writing all week, so things have gotten a little behind. Look for a breakdown of Much Music Spotlight's Weezer episode, a feature on Milwaukee's Summerfest and probably a CD review or two a few days from now.
posted at 07:58


Today is the 4th of July or, as the Patriotism Police refer to it, Thursday. This is the day we, as a culture, pretend to celebrate the signing of a centuries-old essay about freedom and liberty while actually celebrating jingoism, social oppression and the revocation of whatever rights have been revoked since the previous year's fireworks display. Three years ago I wrote that Independence Day was a worthless holiday and today it's more true than ever. This is supposed to be about our independence from England, right? And who's America's only staunch ally in the War On Low Approval Ratings? Yeah.

Back when we were still allowed to oppose virulent nationalism, Bobgoblin put out their one and only album, The Twelve-Point Master Plan; after its release the band broke up and mostly reformed as the Adventures of Jet but they left the political bent of Bobgoblin behind. The record's best track, "Standing Up (To the Voice of America)", is a screed against the materialist desire machine and the culture that runs it. The record was released by MCA in 1997 and if you think that could still happen now, well, I envy you your naïveté.
posted at 07:56



2002/07/01

At the next secret meeting of the Straight Men Of The World, I'm going to recommend that Sophie be given a plaque or something in recognition of her years of service as a double agent. This week, she continues the thankless job of explaining What Women Want and also declares most of humanity to not be worth the hassle.
posted at 10:10


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