Vinyl Me Please
The author, Caitlin White, gets so much right here and misses so much. As with every “best ___ in [state]” you’re going to necessarily miss things – that’s really the point of these things, to spark disagreement, engagement, conversation. And, yeah, I’m taking the bait (though I’ll try hard not to make this longer than the piece itself). Her perspective echoes the nascent crush I’ve had on SoCal for some time now (It’s been a while, SoCal, I need to come visit!), which gives me all the feels and combined with her rationale for Amoeba being in the heart of Hollywood… I get it. I truly do. But California is enormous. She gives props to Amoeba in SF and Berkeley, but it’s lip service from someone who never went to the Telegraph Avenue store and then gotten a slice at Blondie’s (RIP) – Ah, I’m doing what she did, co-mingling location with the store itself and with memories. Okay, well, I also always liked Rasputin better as a music store (Fat Slice, too, FWIW). But beyond that, what about the mom-and-pop record stores that are hanging on by the skin of their teeth? In Santa Rosa we have the (appropriately named) Last Record Shop which is magnificent and a real treasure of a record store. I’m sure you could probably point to your favorite record store not named “Amoeba”. Okay, getting off my soap box now. And the article is definitely worth a read.
Now that we’ve got that highly-charged political link out of the way, how about gun violence?!
Washington Post
Okay, let’s first agree that any school shootings are too many, full-stop. We may disagree on measures to stop them (which I’m not even going to talk about), but the reason I’m linking to this article speaks to a problem that is larger than school shootings (if that’s even possible) which is how we choose our facts. Reaching for the “18 school shootings in 2018” fact that has been echoing through social media since the most recent (I hate that I even have to put that qualifier on this) Florida shootings is easy, as it’s an incendiary statistic. But, as the article points out, it may not be accurate. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to cast aspersions on Everytown For Gun Safety or their rather transparent criteria. But if your goal is to reach people whose minds can be changed on this issue, including a middle-of-the-night suicide in front of a school that had been closed for six months seems disingenuous, even if it meets the letter of their criteria. Opposition to any gun control measures will hone in on this particular instance and use it to discredit the entire endeavor – it’s a well-honed tactic, and, mark my words, will be wielded if there is any real discussion about this.
New York Magazine
“When rescuers found Nathan Carman after seven days at sea, his mother had vanished without a trace. But his past was about to resurface.” Reads like a twisted novel… only this happened.
Black Panther The Album Music From And Inspired By
Going to see Black Panther tonight and I’m SO excited! The soundtrack came out a week ago and is fantastic. Kendrick Lamar is featured on most tracks and has at least bit parts in the rest. Initially Lamar told director, Ryan Coogler, he’d definitely contribute a track or two, but then Coogler shrewdly showed Lamar an early cut of the album and Lamar instantly decided he’s all in. Lamar’s albums tend to be dense, powerful epics, but owing largely to the soundtrack format and his collaborators this soundtrack showcases Lamar at his most accessible. All that said, it’s still hip hop and rap, so if that’s not your forte then so be it. But if you are, it’s fantastic.
Happy Death Day
Late to the party on this one, Fern and I finally got around to heeding the suggestions we watch it. So much fun. The horror isn’t bad – there are a few jump scares, but it traffics on established horror movie tropes so you’re likely to see them coming.
