Yes. I'm Back.
Be careful not to drown in all the inevitable confetti.
(Pause for elation/annoyance/confusion.)
So Why "The Gash?"
I decided to pick a blog name based on the first song that popped up on my Ipod Shuffle. That song, unfortunately, was "War, What Is It Good For?" The next song was "Lightnin' Hopkins" - Cool, but it's the R.E.M. song and I would anger the four people who found out about it, thinking this to be a page dedicated to the legendary blues guitarist (or basketball player, whatever he is). Finally, this song from the Flaming Lips' masterpiece Soft Bulletin came up. It fits. This is The Gash, baby.
BTW, I'm still "Andytown." "The Gash" is "Andytown"'s new blog.
Why did I stop blogging?
No comments. The global village I had envisioned turned out to consist of mainly two of my former students and three people who I could no longer have a conversation with because they'd already read it on my blog. That and I got bored. Any wonder why I'm still single?
Also, I tried the myspace thing and got thoroughly creeped out. Rarely a day passed when some "eighteen year old" "girl" from "Jackson, Tennessee" didn't want me to watch her webcam. Also, one of my friend's wives starting haranguing me about how much I used it, when I did not in fact use it very much.
Why did I delete it?
I'm not sure . . . I still maintain that I didn't.
Why did I start again?
Why the hell not? Although, mainly I'm going to use this as an online forum for some writing ideas. Not to say that you're going to read my Great American Novel (which, by the way, I'm writing: a new development - actually I'm writing the precursor to my G.A.N. This is more of my breakthrough novel. Melville did it.), but I got the idea talking to my friend Kyle Wells, who is much much smarter than me, and often gives good advice that I don't take, because I assume I'll screw it up somehow. Kyle told me he thought it was a good idea to have some kind of online journal. Him being a pastor-in-training (and soon to be a really good one, I'll bet), and me being a professor-in-training (and probably the kind who hands out "A"s the way guys outside strip clubs hand out fliers), it makes sense to try to write a little bit about the things you are studying/reading/thinking about.
Also, Ralph Waldo Emerson did it. And I'm obsessed with him. Blogging is the new journalling. Don't worry. You're not going to read in here about how I didn't get enough love from my parents.
But no movie reviews? No rant about the state of standup comedy? No vivid descriptions of spam I've received? No pointless youtube links? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Just not as much of it.
I expect "The Gash" to be a more serious endeavor - generally more contemplative, thoughtful, creative, polished, edited, and personal.
Therefore, I expect to have even fewer readers than I had before. All this to say, I'm no longer pandering for comments. No more "hey, tell me whats on your Ipod?!" followed by an embarrassing shame on you letter for not participating in Hands Across the Internet.
Enter at your risk.
But first here's what I've been up to:
MOVIES WATCHED IN THE THEATER (since August):
THE BLACK DAHLIA (sucked)
HALF NELSON (a little overrated, but good)
THE DEPARTED (awesome, I can't say anything that hasn't already been said, just an awesome flick)
LITTLE CHILDREN (not as good as the book, but thoughtfully and artfully done)
DYING TO SEE:
MARIE ANTOINETTE
THE FOUNTAIN (Maybe; it could be really pretentious)
MOVIES NETFLIXED (since August) (full disclosure):
THE FRENCH CONNECTION II
WHY SHOULD THE DEVIL HAVE ALL THE GOOD MUSIC?
BRICK
INTERIORS
PRISON BREAK (started watching it, lost interest about episode five)
KICKING AND SCREAMING (Noah Baumbach, not Will Ferrell - I loved it, as did I love)
MR. JEALOUSY (His underrated second feature)
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: UNDER REVIEW
THE SENTINEL (Worst movie of the year; a soulless action movie that will be a permanent black spot on Michael Douglas's career. He should hope noone watches it)
THE SMITHS: UNDER REVIEW
LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN (Loud, trashy, manipulative, illogical, stupid, derivative . . . I loved every minute of it. Seriously)
TAP (Best tap dancing cat burglar movie ever made. Period.)
METROPOLITAN; BARCELONA; THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO (I will blog about Whit Stillman at some point. This "trilogy" is masterful.)
ENTOURAGE: FIRST SEASON (Great stuff)
BOOKS READ
... Actually I only finished two Richard Yates novels: THE EASTER PARADE and A GOOD SCHOOL. I'm about halfway through a biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Rusk, and two thirds of a book about "queer theory" (the reimagining of male friendships through a modern eye) by Caleb Crain called AMERICAN SYMPATHY. It's really compelling. I've been skimming through two other biographies: one on Jazz legend Charles Mingus, the other on the aforementioned Mr. Yates (blogpost to come).
TRAVELLED TO
New Orleans
New York (went to Game 2 of the NLCS Playoffs!)
THOUGHTS ON THE NEW DECEMBERISTS ALBUM
It's great. More like their old stuff, not as many hooks as PICARESQUE, but great. And just in case you thought it was a phase, I'm more obsessed with Steely Dan than ever.
THOUGHTS ON THE NEW LOST SEASON
I'm hooked. Remember that Season two didn't get kicking until around episode eight. Also, I've enjoyed the trashing, incredibly self-serious STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, which might get cancelled. And the last three OFFICE episodes have been as good as any that have been on yet. They're really catching their stride.
UPCOMING:
Very little other than a paper about Macbeth and one about the teacher/student relationship between R.W. Emerson and Walt Whitman.
REMINDER:
check out FILMSPOTTING
It's still one of my favorite hours of the week, even if its interspersed over the course of ten car trips.
And also check out Joey Pensak's blog.
I don't expect your comments.
Early notices on this blogpost:
"THE GASH is so insignificant we're not even going to make a snarky comment about it" - Pitchfork.com
"THE GASH is like eating a delicious batch of cookies, only to find out that you live in a mental institution, and you have just swallowed twelve tongue depressers" - The American Medical Association (tm)
"THE GASH is a deathtrap. Do not live there under any circumstances." - The American Tenants Association
"This fiscal season, THE GASH shows little to no chance of making a profit." - Forbes Magazine
"Well, at least he's doing SOMETHING." - Andytown's friends and extended family.
Be careful not to drown in all the inevitable confetti.
(Pause for elation/annoyance/confusion.)
So Why "The Gash?"
I decided to pick a blog name based on the first song that popped up on my Ipod Shuffle. That song, unfortunately, was "War, What Is It Good For?" The next song was "Lightnin' Hopkins" - Cool, but it's the R.E.M. song and I would anger the four people who found out about it, thinking this to be a page dedicated to the legendary blues guitarist (or basketball player, whatever he is). Finally, this song from the Flaming Lips' masterpiece Soft Bulletin came up. It fits. This is The Gash, baby.
BTW, I'm still "Andytown." "The Gash" is "Andytown"'s new blog.
Why did I stop blogging?
No comments. The global village I had envisioned turned out to consist of mainly two of my former students and three people who I could no longer have a conversation with because they'd already read it on my blog. That and I got bored. Any wonder why I'm still single?
Also, I tried the myspace thing and got thoroughly creeped out. Rarely a day passed when some "eighteen year old" "girl" from "Jackson, Tennessee" didn't want me to watch her webcam. Also, one of my friend's wives starting haranguing me about how much I used it, when I did not in fact use it very much.
Why did I delete it?
I'm not sure . . . I still maintain that I didn't.
Why did I start again?
Why the hell not? Although, mainly I'm going to use this as an online forum for some writing ideas. Not to say that you're going to read my Great American Novel (which, by the way, I'm writing: a new development - actually I'm writing the precursor to my G.A.N. This is more of my breakthrough novel. Melville did it.), but I got the idea talking to my friend Kyle Wells, who is much much smarter than me, and often gives good advice that I don't take, because I assume I'll screw it up somehow. Kyle told me he thought it was a good idea to have some kind of online journal. Him being a pastor-in-training (and soon to be a really good one, I'll bet), and me being a professor-in-training (and probably the kind who hands out "A"s the way guys outside strip clubs hand out fliers), it makes sense to try to write a little bit about the things you are studying/reading/thinking about.
Also, Ralph Waldo Emerson did it. And I'm obsessed with him. Blogging is the new journalling. Don't worry. You're not going to read in here about how I didn't get enough love from my parents.
But no movie reviews? No rant about the state of standup comedy? No vivid descriptions of spam I've received? No pointless youtube links? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Just not as much of it.
I expect "The Gash" to be a more serious endeavor - generally more contemplative, thoughtful, creative, polished, edited, and personal.
Therefore, I expect to have even fewer readers than I had before. All this to say, I'm no longer pandering for comments. No more "hey, tell me whats on your Ipod?!" followed by an embarrassing shame on you letter for not participating in Hands Across the Internet.
Enter at your risk.
But first here's what I've been up to:
MOVIES WATCHED IN THE THEATER (since August):
THE BLACK DAHLIA (sucked)
HALF NELSON (a little overrated, but good)
THE DEPARTED (awesome, I can't say anything that hasn't already been said, just an awesome flick)
LITTLE CHILDREN (not as good as the book, but thoughtfully and artfully done)
DYING TO SEE:
MARIE ANTOINETTE
THE FOUNTAIN (Maybe; it could be really pretentious)
MOVIES NETFLIXED (since August) (full disclosure):
THE FRENCH CONNECTION II
WHY SHOULD THE DEVIL HAVE ALL THE GOOD MUSIC?
BRICK
INTERIORS
PRISON BREAK (started watching it, lost interest about episode five)
KICKING AND SCREAMING (Noah Baumbach, not Will Ferrell - I loved it, as did I love)
MR. JEALOUSY (His underrated second feature)
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: UNDER REVIEW
THE SENTINEL (Worst movie of the year; a soulless action movie that will be a permanent black spot on Michael Douglas's career. He should hope noone watches it)
THE SMITHS: UNDER REVIEW
LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN (Loud, trashy, manipulative, illogical, stupid, derivative . . . I loved every minute of it. Seriously)
TAP (Best tap dancing cat burglar movie ever made. Period.)
METROPOLITAN; BARCELONA; THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO (I will blog about Whit Stillman at some point. This "trilogy" is masterful.)
ENTOURAGE: FIRST SEASON (Great stuff)
BOOKS READ
... Actually I only finished two Richard Yates novels: THE EASTER PARADE and A GOOD SCHOOL. I'm about halfway through a biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Rusk, and two thirds of a book about "queer theory" (the reimagining of male friendships through a modern
TRAVELLED TO
New Orleans
New York (went to Game 2 of the NLCS Playoffs!)
THOUGHTS ON THE NEW DECEMBERISTS ALBUM
It's great. More like their old stuff, not as many hooks as PICARESQUE, but great. And just in case you thought it was a phase, I'm more obsessed with Steely Dan than ever.
THOUGHTS ON THE NEW LOST SEASON
I'm hooked. Remember that Season two didn't get kicking until around episode eight. Also, I've enjoyed the trashing, incredibly self-serious STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, which might get cancelled. And the last three OFFICE episodes have been as good as any that have been on yet. They're really catching their stride.
UPCOMING:
Very little other than a paper about Macbeth and one about the teacher/student relationship between R.W. Emerson and Walt Whitman.
REMINDER:
check out FILMSPOTTING
It's still one of my favorite hours of the week, even if its interspersed over the course of ten car trips.
And also check out Joey Pensak's blog.
I don't expect your comments.
Early notices on this blogpost:
"THE GASH is so insignificant we're not even going to make a snarky comment about it" - Pitchfork.com
"THE GASH is like eating a delicious batch of cookies, only to find out that you live in a mental institution, and you have just swallowed twelve tongue depressers" - The American Medical Association (tm)
"THE GASH is a deathtrap. Do not live there under any circumstances." - The American Tenants Association
"This fiscal season, THE GASH shows little to no chance of making a profit." - Forbes Magazine
"Well, at least he's doing SOMETHING." - Andytown's friends and extended family.
posted by Andytown | 7:17 PM
4 Comments:
Thanks for the plug, Andy; very kind indeed. I am happy to see the direction your blogging life is moving, if, in fact, it is moving there.
I only have two small critiques. First, you gave the wrong link to my blog www.blueandwonder.blogspot.com. Second, your lists were so long that i burnt my english muffin. That is just a reminder that your blogging really does effect people's lives.
andy,
i check blogs daily. keep it coming. visit mine, it is about life on the road. woo! good times.
Playing with patty griffin this weekend at a folk festival. i might pee my pants.
1. I wrote off Slevin for all the reasons you said you liked it. Oh well. I'll still never see it.
2. I'm glad you watch Entourage. The show makes me smile, and so do you.
3. The Crane Wife is the best Decemberist album. It moves me unlike any new album that has come out in the last 3 years.
4. In the vein of books read, Cunningham is my hero. I'm almost done with the Hours at the moment, and though I haven't been quite as captivated by it as I was by A Home at the End of the World, this guy rocks.
5. At least you're doing something.
- Joe
yo andy whats up this is your buddy stoney. i like your blog and look forward to checking it weekly, monthly, whenever you update it---ly? i was surprised tho that you didn't list U2 in your favorite music. whenever i chilled w/ you that was who you always talked about. whatever talk to you soon. peace out
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