The Vinyl Detective

If you’re a fan of British TV sci-fi, you’ve probably seen several episodes of Dr Who written by Andrew Cartmel.  Now he’s gone full geek at right angles with a new mystery series, The Vinyl Detective.  Our unlikely hero is a jazz aficionado who ekes out a living buying and selling rare vinyl recordings, and lives in that peculiar subculture of collectors and traders who haunt thrift shops, estate auctions, and jumble sales.  Having dwelt there for a few years myself, Cartmel’s characters and places ring pitch perfect, with plenty of arcane background knowledge–both real and fictional–to back up the stories.

First outing is Written in Dead Wax,  which establishes the major characters

and the sequel, The Run-Out Groove proves that the first novel wasn’t a fluke.

The third effort, Victory Disk, is expected in May 2018.  Don’t miss it.

Bob Dylan and the Nobel Prize

Everybody’s got an opinion on this one, and here’s a doozy:

The Nobel Prize is in fact the ultimate example of bad faith: A small group of Swedish critics pretend to be the voice of God, and the public pretends that the Nobel winner is Literature incarnate. … Mr. Dylan may yet accept the prize, but so far, his refusal to accept the authority of the Swedish Academy has been a wonderful demonstration of what real artistic and philosophical freedom looks like.

Bob Dylan could not be reached for comment.

Tip from Maggie’s Farm.

KRTU meets Photosynth

I had an opportunity to hang out with the gang at KRTU, my favorite radio station, this morning.  During some Standing Around Looking Foolish time, I took the opportunity to try out a cool new toy on my Windows Phone, Photosynth.  Here’s the KRTU control room:

Good for what ails you

Naw, it can’t be that simple.  But it is.

Tip from American Digest, where vanderLeun almost learned this too late.

Update (16 February).  “Everyday I’m shuffling” probably isn’t the key to longevity.  Not unless you do it LMFAO-style.

So you think you can dance?

Check this out:

Tip from American Digest.

…and this!

Tip from The Corner.

Got your Flight Plan yet?

Frank Serafine, the son of a old friend and colleague, is looking for backing via KickStarter for a new album.  Check him out.

Update (19 July).  Frank made his goal!  Now he owes me a song.

Got the blues? Maybe you need…

…a yellow ukelele and some happy feet.

Beats the Hell out of all this snark and evasion we’re getting from our Intellectual Betters, and all that drab crap the Fashionistas are hawking.

Tip from The Parkway Rest Stop.