Being pretty ignorant of ‘zine culture, I didn’t know what to expect from Canzine 2003 today – I went a) for something to do, and b) because if nothing else, I knew Five Seventeen and Claire would have tables there and I could at least stop by and say hello. I honestly wasn’t expecting what I found – three large halls and two floors filled with ‘zine publishers and readers. It was bedlam, but very cool bedlam. I ran into far more people that I knew than I expected, I guess Canzine was the ‘thing to do’ today. I would have liked to have picked up more items than I did (a grand total of three, including the free ish of Broken Pencil I got with admission, 517’s latest Tape-Gun and a little squarebound comic I bought pretty much at random – Wag #9 if you must know), but I was pretty overwhelmed with everything that I didn’t really stop at many tables to inspect their wares. Next year, perhaps. It’d be neat to participate, there was a very cool vibe about the whole event. Maybe I’ll make a print version of this here blog? So retro! So 20th century!

I’ve done another cull of the CD collection to sell off stuff I never listen to. This time there’s around 40 items, mostly vestiges of my Britpop days. I don’t know what I can get for them – I’ll post a list soon if anyone wants anything. Then I’ll do eBay and when nothing else seems to be moving, I’ll just haul em down to the stores and get rid of the rest there.

I’ve started watching the BBC miniseries for Neverwhere, the television adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s first proper novel. I’m only one episode in so far (there’s six), but despite the charmingly cheesy BBC production values (think Doctor Who – not that bad, but same ballpark), it’s not bad. I don’t remember boo about the book so I should be able to judge the show on its own merits rather than comparing it to the source material.

The Chicago Sun-Times talks to Steve Earle up the documentary film/album Just An American Boy. Link from LHB.

I don’t think I’m getting any sicker (knock wood). God willing it will stop with the scratchy throat, and my cough never really went away from the last cold, so… back to work tomorrow for me! Yay.

np – Superchunk / Cup Of Sand

Kill Bill, Volume 1 is probably the bloodiest movie I’ve ever seen. There’s geysers of the stuff, spurting everywhere, as Uma Thurman’s “The Bride” nee “Black Mamba” cuts a swath of bloody vengeance across America and Japan. It’s something else. I’d say that the spurting looked pretty silly, but that’s a very relative statement given the absurd violence of the film. But if you’re into the ultra-violence, it’s a sharp and stylish action film – finally a Tarantino film I actually like. Uma kicks major ass and looks good doing it. My only real complaint is the splitting of the film into two parts. You greedy bastards – people are quite capable of sitting through a three hour action film, thank you very much.

My vacation is now pretty much over, and I think I’m getting sick (from standing outside the Skydome box office Wednesday for three hours in the bitter wind, I bet). I can’t take any days off for being sick though, because they will think I’m the biggest lazy scammer in the world. And they’d be half right.

Attention K-Records fans – Dub Narcotic Sound System were in a single-car accident on October 15 and both Calvin Johnson and Chris Sutton have been hospitalized. They have set up a fund to help cover the expected significant hospital bills. They are also organizing some benefit shows to help defray costs.

So I installed the Windows version of iTunes yesterday, because it’s new and shiny and I am a sheep. However, it likes to sort the mp3s by their information tags and guess whose collection is sorely lacking in information tags? Yes, William Shatner’s, but also mine. And as yet I can find no way to list my files by filename, which is how I had them sorted previously. So iTunes simply lists much of what I have as ‘artist – title – album’… not very useful. Anyone have any ideas on how to get around this short of going through each song individually and labelling them?

Kids say the darndest things. EGM introduces todays youth to the video games of yesteryear, with comical results. Little scamps, someone should take them behind the woodshed and beat them with a switch. Just like the good old days.

Jewel is a dirty girl. Dirrrrrty.

Graig offers his thoughts on this weeks Radiohead show.

Largehearted Boy has some links to new Wilco mp3s, both live and studio.

np – The Delgados / Hate

I feel dirty. I ended up with an extra ticket to last night’s Death Cab show, and there was no one looking to buy at the door. The only offer I got was from a scalper who offered me $10 (face was $15) to get me out of there, lest I undercut him on a single sale. I was all ‘no way am I letting a scalper get this ticket, I’d sooner give it away’, but 5 minutes before showtime and no one to even give it to, I buckled and let him have the damn thing. I hope he got screwed. Or eaten by hyenas. Or screwed by hyenas. And then eaten.

Got inside and checked out the merch table, nothing eye-catching and with our mighty dollar it’s probably cheaper to order straight from Barsuk. The Long Winters started things off right on time and were goofily charming, mixing a number of Cancon-approved covers into their set to try and win us over. I think most of the crowd was sold when the keyboardist took off his trucker cap and revealed a fine head of Art Garfunkel-approved hair. Dude. The Winters were pretty good but I didn’t feel compelled to buy a CD, partly cause I’ve been buying so damn many lately. Sorry boys, but something’s gotta give.

Nada Surf were a complete cipher to me. I got Let Go because I heard a lot of good reviews – and it is good – but besides that, to me they were nothing but the guys who did “Popular”. I didn’t know who they were, what they looked like… nothing. So it turns out they’re a pretty mismatched looking 3-piece with a ultra-dreadlocked bassist doing his best to look rock’n’roll cool, a die-cut skinny, shaggy-haired indie-boy singer/guitarist and a pretty normal looking goofy drummer. Why goofy? Well at point, he had this whistle, and… never mind. Their set was alright, though something seemed off the whole way through. Matthew Caws’ delivery may have been meant to sound yearning or earnest, but it came off as more tired or lazy. There was distinct lack of energy from the band – maybe they weren’t happy about going from headliners on their own tour to playing second fiddle to their higher-profile labelmates? I do not know.
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Lots of random bits today:

Some exciting news from the Velvet Crush camp, at least for the two or three of us remaining fans. Paul Chastain and Ric Menck are working on an all-new VC album for release next year and will be touring in support of it. There’ll also be a reissue of The Ballad Of Ric Menck, the compilation of Ric’s non-VC material, in late January and a limited edition live Velvet Crush bootleg called Shitty Bootleg.

Mike Heidorn’s liner notes to the Columbia/Legacy reissue of Uncle Tupelo’s No Depression are a really worthy read, and the photos of high-school aged Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy are priceless.

Then and now – there are some great shots of Wilco’s September 19 hometown show in Chicago here.

After a couple high-profile opening slots, Ottawan alt.country chanteuse Kathleen Edwards headlines her own show at the Phoenix November 26.

Matthew Sweet is coming back to Toronto, but not in an outfit to get excited about. This time it’s as part of the kings of milquetoast, The Thorns. November 18 at Lee’s Palace if that’s your bag, baby.

Here’s an interesting approach to composition, at least in the realm of pop music. Jason Pierce refused to teach the band the songs on Amazing Grace before recording.

Death Cab’s merch guy is keeping a blog whilst on the Transatlanticism tour. I will encourage him to say nice things about Toronto tonight.

I cashed in my free CD card at Second Spin on Under The Milky Way: The Best Of The Church. The Church is one of those bands that has always seemed to be one of those bands that, on paper, I’d love, but I’ve never heard one note of em. Guess that’ll change shortly.

np – Nada Surf / Let Go