The brouhaha over Bob Dylan's recent <I>Rolling Stone</I> interview surprised me. Dylan cryptic, caustic, and cranky? What a shock. Has he ever held a straightforward interview where he kept on topic? Louis Menand reviews <I>Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews</I>.
The fabulous Nancy Friedman of <A HREF="http://nancyfriedman.typepad.com/away_with_words/"><I>Away With Words</I></A> points us to <I>BuzzWhack</I>'s "The IMglish Dictionary." IMglish, as in the instant message version of English, for those of us who lack fast thumbs or crackberries.
Sorry about that. Kelli and I flew off to Maine. We spent most of our time on Mt. Desert Island. "Desert," in this case, is pronounced "dessert" (with a French accent, if you like). It was good and quiet. We drove along the coast in our pathetic PT Cruiser (Touring Edition), from Portland to Bar Harbor, listening to the new <a href="http://www.tvontheradio.com/">TV on the Radio</a>. It starts off like a Sonic Youth song, but the drums change it all. And then the vocals change it more. Of the words I could make out: Hey hey, my baby / Won't you lay your hands on me / Mirror my malady / Transfer my tragedy. We decided that he really does sound like Peter Gabriel.
No, wait—what I meant to say was, nowadays everybody <I>thinks</I> they're speaker designers.
What do paleontologists do?<BR>
When they're in the field with their crew?<BR>
The digger when he's failing?<BR>
The geologist when she's glum?<BR>
The site carpenter who's wailing?<BR>
From nailing<BR>
His thumb?<BR>
When they're beset and besmirched<BR>
The folk most involved in research<BR>
However do they manage<BR>
To shed their weary lot?<BR>
Oh, what do paleontologists do<BR>
We do not?
One fan figured it should have taken two minutes, tops.
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And his mom, of course—and the upcoming movie. <I>The Virginia Quarterly</I>, which is rapidly becoming my favorite periodical, published Ellroy's afterword to the new edition of <I>The Black Dahlia</I>.
Damn straight! <I>Hic!</I>
<I>The Economist</I> tells us something we already know. <I>Wait a minute . . .</I>
<I>Yes, we speak of things that matter,<BR>
With words that must be said,<BR>
"Can analysis be worthwhile?"<BR>
"Is the theater really dead?"</I>