kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk

Kevin Henkes on Babar
An excerpt from Kevin Henkes' (Lily's Purple Plastic Purse, Julius, Baby of the World) introduction to a new volume of the six collected Babar books by Jean de Brunhoff. I love to read about the books current authors read as children.
Sunday, October 29, 2000 10:31 a.m.

Review of The Austere Academy
Lemony Snicket strikes again! Book 5 in the Series of Unfortunate Events which befall the Baudelaire orphans finds Violet, Klaus, and Sunny enrolled at the Prufrock Preparatory School (motto: "Momento Mori"). Dire consequences ensue, but all is not lost. The Baudelaire orphans live to be passed into the care of yet another set of disastrous relatives and to have their fortune schemed after by the evil Count Olaf. (registration required)
Sunday, October 29, 2000 10:30 a.m.

Stomp Of Approval
I was privileged to meet Denise, the doyenne of SOA, on Friday. This reminded me to link to her today, because if Sundays weren't made for leisurely "hmm, what shall I read this week" musings, I don't know what their purpose is. This site is terrific: it's well organized, updated often, and filled with practical, reader-friendly reviews. Frankly, it's a bit dangerous for my wallet. And that's about the highest compliment I can dish out.
Sunday, October 29, 2000 10:29 a.m.

At Home With Bob Stanley
Saint Etienne mastermind's bachelor pad. And his excellent record collection. And my raging envy. Swiped from nylpm.
Sunday, October 29, 2000 10:26 a.m.

Neko Case & Kelly Hogan Tag Team Interview
So Neko Case and Kelly Hogan, queens of alt-country, played in Toronto last night, and for a mere $11, sweet & low nirvana could have been mine. But I had "responsibilities" like "attending class" and "food shopping" to attend to, so I passed. Not that I'm bitter. The next best thing is, of course, this hilarious tag-team interview that Neko & Kelly did with Well Rounded a few months back. They cover a host of fascinating topics, including Chris Gaines' dubious facial hair, a critique of urban planning in Atlanta, the reclaiming of the term "achey-breaky", and the great debate over who between them will play the Grand Ol' Opry first.
Friday, October 27, 2000 07:18 p.m.

Thang-Shakin': When to Say When
Nicked from Matt. Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew brought us the big booty video, and in so doing, opened the door to an entire movement of booty video connoisseurs and mavens. The recent popularity of videos like "Back That Thang Up" and the concurrent ascendance of stripper culture have brought booty videos to a new level of wiggliness. Which causes MTV excecs to wonder, how much booty is too much?
Friday, October 27, 2000 07:14 p.m.

Nepotism Rulz!
So, my extremely cool youngest sister has a wee Buffy blog of her own. You really should check it out. But hands off Mr. Boreanaz! He belongs to The Pook.

Perhaps one day, our other, equally extremely cool sister will go in for some web-based self-expression, enabling me to link to her brand of arty, straight-talking, hugely entertaining madness. She's visiting me in a few weeks; maybe I'll be able to talk her into doing some guest entries at kerplink. Think about it, My Little Printmaker!
Friday, October 27, 2000 07:13 p.m.

Hella Weenie
If you've never seen the 100% pure fun that is Radiskull & Devil Doll, you are missing out. Devil Doll is the Ad-Rock of Shockwave animation, and he & Radiskull kick out the jams, hardcore, baby. Here is but a small sample of their tight, tight science:

Like the wine to the women.. the women to the song... the Gene to the Simmons... I never get it wrong...

You just can't argue with that kind of brilliance.
Thursday, October 26, 2000 11:38 p.m.

Kevin Smith Rambles About His New Movie
Kevin Smith sure talks a lot. That's something I don't usually think about, seeing as how he always plays a quiet guy in his movies. But he could give me a run for my money, when it comes to yap-running. Whoo. Good thing he's so funny. Via linkmachinego.
Thursday, October 26, 2000 11:35 p.m.

Scary Jell-O Mold!
My paternal grandmother is famous for her creative uses of Jell-O. One of her more interesting creations involves pimento-stuffed olives suspended, like demon eyes, in green Jell-O. That recipe is a cherished family relic. The very thought of this salad is also enough to cause me to fall down with a serious case of the giggles. The link above is to an ad for a sweet Jell-O mold dessert in the same vein as Mama's savoury salad. Thanks, Dad, for the link!
Thursday, October 26, 2000 11:03 p.m.

More Ad*Access madness

Yardley's English Lavender
This ad is gorgeous and totally makes me want to buy whatever they're selling, and I don't even care for lavender, particularly. But what's the deal with setting the heroine of the ad in a location so clearly not England? It looks like Venice, maybe, or perhaps Cannes.

Cornelia is a Haughty Beauty
Yes, she certainly is. She wouldn't be out of place in a Lord Peter Whimsey novel. I don't know which type of ads I like better - these Art Deco-y austere black & whites, or the stencilled layers of flat colour (as in the Yardley's ad).

Marie Earle's Salon Another ad, along the lines of Cornelia & her haughty beauty, but with a New York feel.
Thursday, October 26, 2000 08:55 a.m.

VW Ad Index
Of course, the "Pink Moon" ad is here, but there are some older ones, like the "Mr. Roboto" ad, and some that I've never seen, like the black-and-white animated ones. Now that traditional commercial jingles have been replaced by snippets of actual songs, and advertising campaigns develop fan bases, it's smart business for companies like VW to archive their ads & provide obsessive viewers with information on the music behind them.
Thursday, October 26, 2000 08:52 a.m.

Referral log wierdness: someone came to kerplink looking for "porno Heloise." Just thought I'd share.
Wednesday, October 25, 2000 11:23 a.m.

The French Have Fun. And I Have Guilt.
Warning: self-indulgent brooding ahead.

Favela Chic is apparently the new, Frenchified Ghetto Fabulous. Favelas are the hillside slums of Brazil, which are both very foul and prone to mudslides. So Favela Chic would be the coolness of the shantytown, magically transported to the 11eme Arrondissement. Now, I can't argue with the greatness of a party where the DJ is "concocting [an] aural collage that mixed disco hits like "Mr. Big Stuff" with "Dueling Banjos" and "Louie, Louie" in a Spanish version, and Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender" and fragments of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, all laid over a propulsive samba beat", but basing a nightclub scene on an aesthetic of poverty just seems kind of, well, wrong.

Now I feel like a big old hypocrite. Because I get my boogie on when I listen to American Ghetto Fabulous artists like Juvenile and Hot Boyz, and I love L'il Kim's insane fashion sense, and David LaChappelle's souped-up, trashy-glam photographs totally send me. But show me a comparable aesthetic that's detached from my own frame of reference and I get all huffy and holier-than-thou. Does this mean I have to give up my love for Cash Money Records? Or do I just have to get a little stepladder, climb up it, and get over my over-privileged self? And does being over myself make it ok for me to enjoy something that's based on other people's poverty, without having experienced it myself? Or is it not about making it ok (whatever that means), but just seeing it for what it is, and living with the contradiction?

I want to be at the party described in that article. I want to dance to AIR's and Dimitri from Paris' sets. I want to drink those caipirinhas. But it all seems so sordid, underneath the drool-inducing coolness. And you know what my problem with it is? None of it is happening in Brazil itself. This is in Paris. The partiers don't know what it's like to live in the conditions in the favelas. They're not rising above soul-crushing poverty to feel some joy through dance and music and mind-altering substances. They're doing all those things after working at Vogue Hommes all day. That's a distinction worth noting. But who's to say that actual favela residents don't throw wild, forget your troubles, come on get happy parties themselves over there in Sao Paulo?

Then again, do we really need some kind of aesthetics police? Do actual ghetto and favela residents have to give their consent for others to enjoy Ghetto Fabulousness and Favela Chic? I'm still conflicted on this one. I want to enjoy my bling-bling without inner turmoil, but the irritating, goody-goody angel of social responsibility is making it hard. Maybe I'm framing these questions in a way that's guaranteed to give me guilt no matter how I answer them. Anyone else have thoughts? Feel free to share. I would definitely welcome some cross-blog discussion. We're never short on opinions.
Wednesday, October 25, 2000 08:37 a.m.

All OutKast, All The Time
An unofficial OutKast blog, named for their new album. Apparently, Josh was foiled in his attempts to acquire Stankonia, as its release was pushed back a week. How often does that happen at the last minute? How annoying for fans.
Wednesday, October 25, 2000 08:34 a.m.

Yes, Yes, a Thousand Times Yes!
Wherever You Are, on Phil Spector-produced 1960s girlpop: "life seems almost laughably tragic, yet incredibly simple, in all these songs. Not for them post-millennial nihilism, alienation or just plain moaning (no offence to Thom Yorke)." It is a little-known fact (unless you went to high school with me) that as a junior in high school, I was a member of the chorus in my school's production of Leader of the Pack, the Ellie Greenwich musical. Greenwich and her writing partner/then-husband Jeff Barry, wrote many of those laughably tragic songs - "Da Do Ron-Ron", "Chapel of Love", "And Then He Kissed Me", "Be My Baby". Somehow, in spite of the endless choir rehearsals (during which I was routinely upbraided, and was even kicked out of a number - "Baby, I Love You", if memory serves - for giggling in the corner with my Partner in Epistolary Crime) I emerged from the experience with an even deeper love & respect for these songs. And yes, Ronnie Spector (now, happily re-married to someone thoroughly un-Phil-like) is indeed a complete goddess.
Wednesday, October 25, 2000 08:33 a.m.

Pop Has Freed Us
I am so in love with Papas Fritas. Today is a perfect day for them, too - all grey and misty, with a light rain. If I didn't have class, I'd stay inside all day with Buildings and Grounds on constant repeat, with a cup of tea by my side and a stack of correspondence to catch up on. You can hear their enchanting & unpretentious music if you click on that linky up there.
Tuesday, October 24, 2000 12:23 p.m.

If It's Tuesday, You Must Be Reading Spoilers
Come and get 'em, Buffy watchers. You know, every week, I renew my vow not to read spoilers. And every week, I make a damn liar of myself. How am I supposed to resist when I have no willpower, and the mouse seems to select the white text all by itself? I should probably stop making with the promises, promises I know I'll never keep. And the cheesy 80s music references disguised as deep thoughts? They should go, too.
Tuesday, October 24, 2000 10:20 a.m.

Os Mutantes: Kings of the Wacky Swim Cap
Here's a great resource for all things Os Mutantes, the most out-there Brazilian band of all time. Their sound was highly influenced by American rock, and was therefore very controversial with Brazil's military regime of the late 1960s-early 70s. Some of their music has held up beautifully and still sounds fresh and innovative, and some of it is frankly irritating. Thanks in part to Beck's adulation and reissues on the Omplatten and Luaka Bop labels, they're enjoying something of a renaissance. You can listen to a few tracks from the greatest hits album, Everything is Possible!, at the Luaka Bop site.

It's nearly impossible to underestimate Os Mutantes' posthumous cred. Example: this quite possibly apocryphal story about Kurt Cobain's pilgrimage to meet Arnhaldo Baptista, the band member who, I believe, developed schizophrenia.

If you're not so interested in Brazilian psych-rock, but think that maybe Milton Nascimento or Caetano Veloso are more for you, I highly recommend The Wonders of Brazilian Music. This is the main site maintained by the author of the longer Os Mutantes article linked above. It's an excellent resource, with photos, discographies, links, and reviews of every major Brazilian musical artist for the last 30 years or so.
Tuesday, October 24, 2000 10:15 a.m.

Amen, Sister! And Maybe I'll Give Them a Listen.
whatsername perfectly sums up my profound irritation with OK Computer in this entry. She also reports Radiohead's recent performance on SNL blew her mind. Which means that I can't pass judgment on Kid A just yet. Fine, fine, I'll listen to it before I spew crankiness about it. I still hate OK Computer, though. With the fire of 1,000 suns. But am I going to get rid of my copy? Hell, no. The obsessive librarian collector girl within will never allow such a thing! Remove items from the collection? The very idea makes one faint.

Please join me in congratulating whatsername and Hellsbelle on the launch of neat-o.com! Check it out, folks. It's sure to rock your socks, I guar-awn-teeee.
Monday, October 23, 2000 10:11 p.m.

I Will Never Doubt Again
I owe Elliott Smith an apology. Last night, I mocked his predictable plugging of a new EP by the Minders. I should know better than to snicker at the wisdom of a man with a Ferdinand the Bull tattoo. I did some Napsterizing of the Minders last evening, and Elliott's quite right. They're lovely. They have a delicious, melodic, British Invasion sound that will delight your ears. If you dug Belle & Sebastian's "Legal Man" single this summer (and really, how could you not frug your ass off to that groovy shit? Back off, Sisqo, because B&S wrote the real Thong Song!), you will love the Minders. Actually, you'll probably like them even if you've never heard (or if you hated) "Legal Man." They're that good.
Monday, October 23, 2000 11:15 a.m.

Gwen Likes Track 8s
Not 8-tracks, silly! Well, maybe she does like 8-tracks, but that's not what this entry is about. She has a strange & inexplicable affinity for song 8 on lots of CDs. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has a thing for certain track numbers. I have a thing about Track 1s and 2s.

And Gwen, I'm totally feeling you on the issue of not being able to pore over the CD insert card anymore. It's not the decadence of it so much as I just don't care as passionately as I used to. I'm lazy about song titles and session musicians these days. I don't attach myself so thoroughly to bands or singers anymore. Does this mean I'm growing up?
Monday, October 23, 2000 11:07 a.m.

Selling Kid A
I thought this Open Letter complemented Gwen's recent diary entry, linked above. I don't like Radiohead (there, I've outed myself), but because I'm a big sap, I love stories about how really different kinds of people are brought together by music. It's also interesting to read about the commodification & sale of Big Artistic Statements. I have a somewhat horrifying vision of the massive display of Kid As in Reckless Records. I'm sure that record stores all over Radiohead-loving nations look much the same. Which is wierd to think about, too: lots of you could be listening to Radiohead right now, and right now lots of other people, with whom you have nothing in common, could be doing the exact same thing. That's such a banal observation, I know. But it wierds me out, in a thrilling sort of way.
Monday, October 23, 2000 10:59 a.m.

Together at Last!
Your hip-hop's in my Heidegger! Your Heidegger's in my hip-hop!
Monday, October 23, 2000 10:57 a.m.

Ben Affleck: Git or Charmer?

If you're looking for the entry that Kathleen linked to, you can find it here. If you just want to read the article that inspired the question, you can go here instead.

Polls will be open til late Wednesday.
Monday, October 23, 2000 10:51 a.m.