Friday, August 12th, 2005

Live Through This

I have just finished reading Chuck Klosterman’s Killing Yourself To Live, which has had the unfortunate effect of making me think that the horribly insignificant minutae of my life and mundanity in general are not only profound and probably overflowing with great cosmic significance, but that it’s worth writing about at length. Don’t worry, it will pass. Though billed as a document of his road trip to the death-sites of famous rockers, it’s really a document of the state of his love life with occasion music-related musings or analogies thrown in for relevance. Though it’s self-absorbed and narcissistic (As he’s the first to admit, thus pre-emptively diffusing that path of criticism), it’s still a reasonably amusing and a quick read, if not especially of great consequence.

According to the listings in NOW, there’s some sort of release party for the book taking place at the Horseshoe on August 31 at 6pm – I don’t know what that means, though I doubt Klosterman will be in attendance. Maybe everyone there will get to stand up and talk about their exes and how their past relationships relate to the lyrics of Def Leppard’s Hysteria. And finally, I am befuddled that New Line has optioned the book for a film. Does the world need what would essentially be a Klosterman biopic? No. No it does not.

That official Belle & Sebastian biography is now out. As much of a long-time fan I am, I wonder how interesting a read it would actually be? The band used to be legendarily reculsive, but since Dear Catastrophe Waitress, they’ve been positively chatty with the press (their interview with The Big Takeover a couple years ago is essential reading for fans). Either way, Largehearted Boy seems to have enjoyed it.

Some more shows – The Bauhaus reunion tour comes to the Kool Haus November 17 and Doves make good on their promise to return with a show at The Docks on September 30. I’ve said my peace about the Docks. Whoever does go, have fun.

Glide brings us the story of how Calexico and Iron & Wine’s sordid musical tryst came to be and how it birthed a bastard EP named In The Reins, out September 20.

Despite releasing new albums with The Posies and Big Star, Jon Auer tells Billboard he’s still very excited about the release of his solo debut Songs From The Year Of Our Demise, which has been shelved for an eternity now but will finally be seeing release early next year. Or so they’d like us to believe.

Laura Cantrell tells Paste about her great-aunt Ethel.

Sloan talk to Chart about tennis.

TVgasm comes up with a point-by-point argument why you, or anyone you know, should be watching Veronica Mars. They forget the best reason – Kristen Bell is the hotness. Via Soaring With Eagles.

You have to love what turns up on the internet… screenplays for Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and the Warchowski brothers. Via Rich Johnston at CBR. And somewhat surprisingly, contrary to all previous reports, Katie Holmes will apparently be returning in the Batman Begins sequel. Hopefully as cannon fodder.

np – The American Analog Set / Promise Of Love

By : Frank Yang at 8:23 am
Category: Uncategorized
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  1. fs says:

    Chuck Klosterman is going to be at the Horseshoe doing a reading and its free to go.

  2. angryrobot says:

    Sufjan, Sufjan! Where are you Sufjan?

  3. Ryan Waddell says:

    BOOOO Katie Holmes! BOOOOOO!

  4. J. Herzog says:

    Glad you liked the book Frank. I pretty much agree with you–Klosterman’s an entertaining read, but stack him up against someone like Lester Bangs and he’s pretty weak tea indeed.

  5. Courtney says:

    I just finished this book, and I really enjoyed it. However, I think I would enjoy the story less as a movie.