Glastonbury 2009

So much has been written about how the original Woodstock Music Festival has never been equaled as a rock and roll spectacle, that it's possible to lose sight of the fact that these kinds of giant festivals continue to happen, forty years on.

Perhaps the modern festivals lack the world-class collection of talent that the original Woodstock had, and maybe they're not quite so large.

But based on the evidence provided by these photographs of Glastonbury 2009, which concluded last week in the United Kingdom, it looks like festival promoters have figured it out how to do it right.

RIP, Golden Girl

Farrah Fawcett died today, from cancer.

She was 62.

I bought the poster, too.

Despondex - A Medical Breakthrough!

FDA Approves Depressant Drug For The Annoyingly Cheerful

The BlackBerry As Cartoon Thought Bubble

At business meetings, I use my BlackBerry to take notes from time to time. This frequently elicits disapproving looks, and after reading this article in today's New York Times, I think I can begin to understand why.

"'You’ll have half the participants BlackBerrying each other as a submeeting, with a running commentary on the primary meeting,' Mr. Reines said. 'BlackBerrys have become like cartoon thought bubbles.'

"Some professionals admitted that they occasionally sent mocking commentary about the proceedings, but most insisted that they used smartphones for legitimate reasons: responding to deadline requests, plumbing the Web for data to illuminate an issue under discussion or simply taking notes."

I'm probably not going to stop taking notes on my BlackBerry in business meetings, because it is more efficient for me to do so, and I think it's only a matter of time before it is no longer seen as a distraction.

Diana Krall - "Fly Me To The Moon"

Diana Krall used to be a hotel-bar piano player in Boston, during her student days at Berklee College of Music.

She's come a long way.

Suburban Rap

While the location here is Arlington VA, the message applies to many American towns:

Just Manny Being Manny

Manny Ramirez, still serving his 50-game suspension for using banned substances, paid a visit to his teammates in the LA Dodgers clubhouse the other day, in violation of MLB policy, and had a typical Manny comment:

"I didn't kill nobody, I didn't rape nobody, so that's it," Ramirez said. "I'm just going to come and play the game."

Boston fans, in the Comments section of the Boston Globe, of course had some pointed reactions to this:

"I didn't kill nobody, I didn't rape nobody"
The man child puts it all into perspective for us. Manny, we are fools to judge you..... you moron.
Posted by jdub June 10, 09 06:37 PM

I wonder how much the LA fans like the whole "Manny being Manny" show now. Total "We told you so!" moment.
Like my ex-Wife....we had some good times, I have some great memories...but she's someone else's problem now.
Posted by Chris June 10, 09 07:13 PM

There's gotta be a couple of unsolved murders and rapes in L.A....since you brought it up Manny...where were you?
Posted by Artiepus June 10, 09 07:41 PM

Defense lawyers everywhere should take note of that for their clients:
"Your honor, I stand here accused of stealing a car so I could sell drugs. But yo, check it out. I didn't rape nobody. I didn't kill nobody. So that's it."
Posted by JimR June 10, 09 08:03 PM

Obey Shepard Fairey - Supply And Demand

I recently visited the Shepard Fairey "Supply And Demand" exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

Though his name may be unfamiliar, I suspect that his viral image of Barack Obama will not be:


I first became aware of Shepard Fairey in the early Nineties, when his “Obey Giant” images began appearing on buildings, bridges and a wide range of other urban architecture in Providence and Boston.

After my exposure to the breadth of his work, seen and considered in a museum setting, I’ve concluded (with many others) that Shepard Fairey is this generation’s Andy Warhol, only better.

His images of Rock And Roll people were one of my favorite parts of the exhibition.

Here's cover art he did for the recent Led Zeppelin reissue:


And here’s Debbie Harry:



Learn more about Shepard Fairey here.

Showtime's "Nurse Jackie"

"This show tells us what anyone who has ever stayed in a hospital already knows: that nurses, not doctors, are the cornerstones of the patient experience. More to the point, it keeps up with the speed of everyday life. The sorts of moral dilemmas that would take up an entire episode of "Grey's Anatomy" - organ donation, assisted suicide - pass by here without a blink. Characters make their choices, then move on. This is a show about consequences, not actions." (Joanna Weiss, Boston Globe)

iPanic Apps

HOLLY BRUBACH, FOGELSON-LUBLINER
New York Times

Mow The Lawn! - Part Two

In the interest of equal rights, here is a recent Gillette commercial for men:

Eight New Ways You Might Be Insane

"Midnight snacker? Compulsive shopper? Bitter? The new edition of the mental health bible may classify you as having a psychological disorder."

Constantino Diaz-Duran in The Daily Beast. (Forwarded by my friend Donna.)