rainy day music admiration redux rudux redux redux redux.

what happens when you pair a progressive music virtuoso and an israeli pop star? yep. you get blackfield. this is one of those songs I wish I wrote.

rainy day music admiration redux rudux redux redux.

such a melancholy to this performance. this song always reminds me of the James Joyce story "araby" particularly the a capella bridge.

rainy day music admiration redux rudux redux.

there's no voice out there like Grant Lee's. and that staggering lyric: "we water like a dead bouquet, it does no good, does it dear?"

rainy day music admiration redux rudux.

something very gorgeous about old Floyd. this song is endearingly delicate in its romanticism of the post-60s freakouts of the Syd days.

rainy day music admiration redux.

this will always be my favourite track from OK Computer: the intense build-up chills me skin, mates.

rainy day music admiration.

very impassioned performance of a truly heartbreaking work.

monkeys gone to heaven.

like most people on a sunny afternoon, I often think about historical figures:

on June 11, 1948, Albert, a rhesus monkey, became the first ever monkey astronaut whilst riding a V2 rocket. unfortunately, he died of suffocation during the flight.

he was followed by Albert II, who became the first monkey into space, by passing the kármán line! though he survived the flight, he died on impact.

next came Albert III, who died at 35,000 feet when his V2 exploded.

Albert IV, on the final monkey V2 flight (... yes ... wait for it ... ) also died, upon impact.

after the V2s, aerobee rockets were used: as were the Alberts.

Albert V died in a parachute malfunction.

Albert VI, along with 11 mice crewmates, became the first animals to survive rocket flight: yay! but, yes: 2 hours after landing, Albert VI died.

and what about monkeys not named Albert that met similar low fates?

1. Goliath: died in an explosion of his atlas rocket
2. Scatback: lost at sea after landing
3. Bonny: took on the first multi-day flight (june 29 - july 8, 1969), but died within a day of landing

moral of the story: it might be safer to be a bonafide cult hero.

scared skinny: putting fear in the fatties.

it's no secret that america is sinking. here's some quick population facts:

• 305,529,237: U.S. population estimate for Jan. 1, 2009
• 2,743,429: Population added since Jan. 1, 2008
• 8: Estimated number of seconds between births in January 2009
• 12: Estimated number of seconds between deaths in January 2009
• 1: Estimated number of immigrants added to the population every 36 seconds in January 2009

but beyond the myriad millions sauntering about, there is a certain heavy tread of foot with those unable to gallop or traipse: yes, we are truly heavy, america. and I ain't talking "the hollies" heavy.

really, though. who am I to judge? I'm a 35yr old former model who's BMI calculation (28.4 thank you) almost matches my ACT score.

so yeah, you got it: I'm the perfect person to judge. I've crossed the threshold. I've aged like DeNiro at the end of Raging Bull.

and I blame the media. I do. because nowhere anymore do we find commercials such as this. and I dont care that he's a fuck-up. the dude still creeps me out. enough to make me turn off the tele and not think about pizza. he reminds me of this fella. and all that does is make me want to sprint in various directions far from the tele, or kitchen, or anywhere of the sort. I'm gone, man. like a flock of seagulls.

c'mon, tv: bring some scary to the tele, and I promise we wont have ridiculous statistics like "the percentage of obese or overweight children is at or above 30 percent in 30 states."

o, revolver: a shooting star.

for me olde mate, the Libertine. lucky were we indeed.

fuck you, goo.

so I have just a little complaint about stupid band names: why do they exist?

exhibit 1: the goo goo dolls.

the trio picked the current name out of a True Detective ad for a toy called a Goo Goo Doll. "We were young and we were a garage band not trying to get a deal. We had a gig that night and needed a name. It's the best we came up with, and for some reason it stuck. If I had five more minutes, I definitely would have picked a better name" John stated.

well fuck you John. because patience is a virtue.