Sunday Morning! “This is Memorial Device” by David Keenan

Rufus F.

Rufus is a likeable curmudgeon. He has a PhD in History, sang for a decade in a punk band, and recently moved to NYC after nearly two decades in Canada. He wrote the book "The Paris Bureau" from Dio Press (2021).

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3 Responses

  1. Saul Degraw says:

    I saw the Magnetic Fields perform on Tuesday night. This was my first concert since October 2019. The venue was about 40-50 percent full and I don’t know whether that was just people staying away because of COVID or because Tuesday night is a very strange time to go out and see music. Probably both especially for a band like the Magnetic Fields where a lot of fans are likely to have school aged children (the audience ranged in age from early 20s to 60 something). There were a few incidents of people learning to be out in public again including an argument over cell phones. For those who don’t know, recital might be a better word for a Magnetic Fields show than concert. Stephen Merritt expects his fans to sit down and behave.

    In terms of reading, I am currently reading a pandemic/climate change/science fiction novel called How High We Go in the Dark called sequoia nagamatsu (the novelist does not believe in capitalizing his name, I don’t get this particular tick in e.e. cummings, bell hooks, or anyone else). It is a decent read but I don’t fully buy the full pandemic and what the disease does which seems to be a bit of turning organ X into organ Y).

    For film, I rewatched The Age of Innocence last night and it stands up as Martin Scorsese’s best movie.Report

    • Rufus F. in reply to Saul Degraw says:

      Ya know, I would like to see the Magnetic Fields, but I’m still iffy on concerts. We did a few shows in our basement record shop to stream online, but that was maybe 10 people tops down there. I realize everything’s opening up and I’ve gotta get back on the horse, but I mean the other thing is I’m living in small town Ontario where there’s not a lot of shows I care about happening anyway. Especially with venues closing permanently during the pandemic.

      On May 22nd, I’m moving to the tropical island of Manhattan (East Houston, specifically) and I suspect I’m going to get back to seeing live music very quickly. But that’s only 3 weeks away.

      Glad you reminded me about the Age of Innocence- I heard the same thing recently and I’ve never seen it. I’ll try to watch it this week.Report

  2. Slade the Leveller says:

    I was introduced to Super Furry Animals by a dear departed friend whose musical judgement I absolutely trusted (both huge fans of XTC). It helped that the show was just a couple of miles from my house. I had never even heard of them before that show, and walked out hooked. I saw them every time they came through Chicago before they, sadly, called it quits. As a consolation, the singer, Gruff Rhys, is a prolific solo artist and tours frequently.

    The best music book I ever read was David Mitchell’s Utopia Avenue. The eponymous band provides a device for a tale of Swinging London, and has a really sweet ending.

    I just finished Emily St. John Mandel’s new book Sea of Tranquility. Definitely a standout author of the early 21st century. I can’t recommend this book more highly.

    I picked up a copy of Ellington at Newport this past weekend. The closing tune, Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue, is just unbelievably outrageous. The band really cuts loose on a theme introduced early in the show, and the crowd goes absolutely bonkers for it. The energy is palpable.Report