Electric Guest – "Troubleman"

This one's been running through my head for the past couple of weeks. Here's a live version from their KCRW session. (It's good, but I prefer the stronger harmonies on the studio version.)

The Aristocrats

I read a great deal of fantastic stuff on the internet tubes I rarely get around to linking, apart from my Mike's Blog Roundup stints at Crooks and Liars. (Limited blogging time, alas.) Without slighting the many other excellent pieces I've read so far this year, this post by Jonathan Schwarz at A Tiny Revolution is absolute fucking perfection, and wins the internets for the day, the week, and possibly the year. It may sound grandiose, but the best comedy and most biting satire depend on truth, and really can be transcendent. This piece might not hit all readers as hard, but I know some people who will really appreciate it as the pure distillation of a certain something, especially if they get the references and know the story (and comedy tradition) behind ATR's name. (It's explained in a link on the sidebar, and also see this post. Wheels within wheels, man.) The Emperor's New Clothes isn't just a fairy tale; it remains the eternal ethos of the ruling class. For folks who sometimes feel like members of the endangered sane staring at naked emperors, it can often also feel like they're taking crazy pills. We might not be able to save the world, but there's a great deal to be said for a few well-placed, artful "fuck you"s to the appropriate people and sharing some warmth and laughter with our comrades along the way. Viva the blogosphere. Bravo.

Update: Driftglass, who not incidentally has been one of David Brooks' sharpest critics for years, wrote a similar post back in 2007. I believe that's called prescience or something.

Update 2: David Dayen (D-Day), who's done some standup comedy, also referenced "The Aristocrats" in a post, although in 2009 and with a different approach.

Elton John – "Rocket Man"

One of John/Taupin's best songs, and supposedly partially inspired by a Ray Bradbury short story.

Ray Bradbury (1920–2012)

Ray Bradbury has died, at the age of 91. He was a prolific and highly influential writer of speculative fiction (he preferred the term "fantasy" to science fiction), and one of the most enthusiastic advocates for public libraries the world has ever seen. Especially as he aged, he had his cranky, curmudgeonly side, but whenever he talked about stories, his face lit up and he became a little kid, full of wonder, excitement and the joy of imagination. Every book he described reading was in his telling the best book ever, every film he remembered seeing was the most wonderful movie ever. His enthusiasm was infectious. I heard him speak several times, once to a packed crowd at my local public library (he was a long-time Angeleno) and a few times introducing adaptations of his plays (which friends of mine appeared in). Even though the productions didn't make a lot of money or even lost it, he loved the theater, just as he loved the movies and the written word. He didn't have the money to go to college, so he got his education by going to the library constantly and reading voraciously. He also rented a typewriter for a dime an hour at the UCLA library to write what would become Fahrenheit 451. He knew how special libraries were, and the magic of getting lost in a story.

His physical ailments as he aged became considerable (he had a stroke in 1999, was diabetic and used a wheelchair and braces), but once he got going, he became an animated, inspiring speaker. Not all of his work is great, and he eschewed revisions, preferring to move on to the next thing. He generated, by some counts, 27 novels and over 600 short stories, in addition to dozens of teleplays and scripts. The number of pieces adapted or derived from his work bump that number up considerably. Bradbury's work, a staple of junior high and high school curriculums, was surely the introduction to science fiction and fantasy for many a young reader. With Bradbury, it's the gems, the extensive corpus and the general inspiration that matter. His greatest work is among the best in the genre and will last long after him: Fahrenheit 451, "The Pedestrian," "A Sound of Thunder" and the stories that make up The Martian Chronicles. Film adaptations of Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes remain the most memorable, but the TV series Ray Bradbury Theater adapted 65 of his short stories fairly successfully, and the "Bradbury 13" radio adaptations are quite effective.

The obituaries and remembrances abound: his official site, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post (which also has photos, video and a set of favorite quotations from him), i09, Locus, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, driftglass (who uses a Bradbury line on his masthead), Blue Gal, Tom Levenson at Balloon Juice, Lance Mannion with that very funny and NSFW Bradbury tribute video, and NPR pieces one and two. Local NPR station KCRW has some great material, including videos and remembrance from Joe Mantegna, biographer Sam Weller, and Steven Paul Leiva, who organized the 2010 Ray Bradbury Week out here in L.A. There's also a 1960s video profile of him. The Week collects some quotations, and Boing Boing has video of him reading his poem, "If Only We Had Taller Been." And don't miss Mark Evanier's remembrance: "Ray Bradbury gave me all that time and encouragement. I can't waste that."


(My signed copy of Fahrenheit 451.)
I wrote more about Ray Bradbury and Fahrenheit 451 in 2008 for Banned Books Week, when, in supreme irony, a parent sought to prevent high school students from reading the book. (I also asked the question: if you were going to memorize a book to save it for posterity, which book would you choose?)

I'll probably update this post as I find other good pieces. If you wrote something on Bradbury, feel free to write me or link it in the comments. Regardless, his best work will endure and his spirit will be missed.

Here's Bradbury thanking his fans on his 90th birthday, and advising that 'the essence of life is love':




(One of the blog's past "Read" posters.)

Update: Here are some more posts on Bradbury, from Crooked Timber (with a good thread), P3, Thinking Aboot, Chicago Guy and Neil Gaiman.

Primary and Recall Elections 2012

California, New Jersey, Utah, South Dakota, Montana and New Mexico have primary elections tomorrow.

If you're a California voter, you can get the official voter information guide here. Some candidate statements and analysis is included (Orly Taitz' is both disturbing and hilarious). The Smart Voter site also has useful information on all the various elections, particularly the overlooked ones such as judicial positions. Because of California's new open primary rule, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will face each other in November. In some cases, that means the race will essentially be between the same candidates twice. That's the likely scenario in my congressional district, the newly-redrawn California 30th, with two incumbent Democrats squaring off, Howard Berman and Brad Sherman. Which Way L.A.? had them on as guests back in April (along with two Republican candidates). It also ran an election show tonight.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin is holding recall elections, most notably of Republican Governor Scott Walker, but the other elections are important, too. As David Dayen points out, turnout will be key: "one must acknowledge that no public poll has shown [Tom] Barrett in front [of Scott Walker]. That argues strongly that Walker will be able to hold on. He goes into Election Day a small favorite." Walker's Koch backing and anti-labor stances make this a significant election, but Walker's rich backers have given him a three to one spending advantage. Kay at Balloon Juice has more about the expectations game.

In any case, if your state is up tomorrow, make sure you vote!