Hiatus Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry

Well, don't say I didn't warn you. I'm going to be in California for the next month or so, and while I will be able to check my e-mail and I will try to keep abreast of comings and goings in this here blogosphere, I don't anticipate spending too much time, if any, doing actual blogging. If I do, I'm sure the blogging updates page will tell you.

In case you care (not that you do) my mother is undergoing a rather serious operation and I'm going home for a while to help out. Nothing more, nothing less.

So, while I wanted to finish "Travels With Larry," unfortunately I will have to leave off for the time being. When I return I anticipate picking up right where I left off... which, all things considered, might just be a good thing for Larry, since by then the initial buzz of his first press "blitz" will have worn off across the blogosphere and he'll probably be anxious to hear people talking about him again. So, we'll pick up with the next chapter when I return. Even if the rest of the books in my AiT pile suck (which I doubt) I expect to spend quite a bit of time mulling over Warren Ellis' "Come In Alone" collection and Mr. Young's "True Facts" pamphlet/digest, so expect some good and meaty blogging when I return.

In other news, I'm supposed to pass this along to you, courtesy of the Larry Young Delphi Forum: "Hawaiian Dick" is being made into a movie. Better yet, instead of just another in a long line of Hollywood options, this seems to be actually moving forward, 'cause it looks like they got a star attached, Mr. Johnny Knoxville. (I'll hold off on any jokes about the dubious nature of Mr. Knoxville's stardom - he seems to be getting good advance praise for his work in that forthcoming Graham Parsons psuedobiopic, so I'll withhold judgement - stranger things have happened!)

The trip to the Larry Young Forum is worth it if only to see the James Kochalka pirate illustrations. Does this mean anything? I only ask because AiT/PlanetLar is probably the only serious indie publisher who hasn't published anything by Kochalka...

So, that's it for a while. I'm pretty tired now because the Wife and I just got back from seeing Einsturzende Neubauten in Boston. Great show, just fantastic. If they're in your neck of the woods, you should definitely check them out. I am tempted to say you can't really "get" them unless you've seen them live, but I won't... suffice it to say that The Wife, who has been listening to them for longer even than I, came away with a new respect for what they do after seeing them bang away on their metal instruments in person. And Blixa Bargeld is surprisingly very funny... I don't know what exactly I was expecting but a ten minute stand-up bit about being stuck in the Chicago airport for two days was not it. A splendid time was had by all.

Oh, one last thing you might like to hear. I was having a conversation with Larry Young over the e-mail, and the topic of the next "Astronauts in Trouble" book came out. I won't give anything away, but I will simply say that I think dropping the whole "astronaut" motif and going with "mimes" is a dicey proposition... "Mimes in Trouble" just does not have the same ring to it. And I think everyone who sees Larry Young in any capacity at any point in the future should point out to him that mimes are just not a good idea, and he should be ashamed of himself for thinking otherwise.

So, that's that. If you need me, drop me a line. Catch you on the flip side.