So the Top 5 songs run is nearly over and we are moving on. I say nearly over because Colmus sort of placemarked his Top 5 this evening with an email saying it was coming tomorrow, complete with mp3's. I suppose this will pass, and there is a chance of an HSV Top 5 coming as well. Is this true? Anyway, I have this great list from Jenny, and I have been wanting to get it up here, so now is the perfect time and it should offer a break from these Top 5 songs (although they too have been great). I don't know about the other chumps around these parts, but I will be commenting on this list next week.
I didn't have a personalized picture of Jenny because I don't take pictures of anything, but I stole both of these off her facebook page (technology!). I've included a picture of what Jenny looks like, but also of her diorama entitiled "Twin Peeps" submitted for this, which I think is awesome. I hope you won a major award, Jenny. Anyway, I know Jenny through Mike because I have known Mike a long time. She is amazing and has to be the coolest librarian anyone knows. Even if you don't know her, she would be the coolest librarian you knew if you did. Also, I doubt I have told her this, but she has one of my favorite laughs of anyone that I know. This list re-motivates me to check out new things. Strangely, for a librarian there are very few books included. Very few meaning none. Whoa! Here. We. Go.
Jenny says:
Just to keep things fresh, I won’t repeat any other recommendations that have already been made, even though I love Murakami and Junot Diaz and Lost (among lots of other stuff mentioned). So here are my never-before-seen-on-this-fine-blog recommendations:
Music:
Janet Weiss: I thought about making this one “Sleater-Kinney” since she drummed for my favorite band, but Janet’s awesomeness can’t be contained by one band. I think S-K are sometimes seen as being riot grrl leftovers from the 90s, but they made really catchy, loud, smart rock and roll. Recommended albums: One Beat, The Woods, Dig Me Out. Janet’s in another great band, Quasi, with her ex-husband Sam Coomes. Recommended Quasi album: Field Studies. Also drums with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks.
Palomar: I first heard Palomar at a live show at the Talking Head and I thought “Damn, the sound in here sucks.” Three women singing delicate harmonies over sometimes loud guitars was too much for the crappy sound and acoustics. Thankfully, the Ottobar has done them better since. Recommended albums: Palomar III and All Things, Forests.
Movies:
Clue (1985): This is a childhood favorite that I’ve probably seen 20 times b/c I made my parents rent it constantly. I LOVE it—it is so gloriously cheesy and the ending(s) are ridiculous, but how could you not love a movie that features Jane from the Go-Gos, Martin Mull, Tim Curry, and is based on a board game? Answer: You can’t. You can’t not love it.
Dead Man: A Jim Jarmusch film (1995) featuring Johnny Depp going on a bizarre spiritual quest with a mysterious Indian named Nobody in a 19th century gold rush town. They run into Iggy Pop in the woods. Weird stuff happens.
Bande a part (Band of Outsiders): For a while Mike was on a kick of renting obscure old French and Italian movies, resulting in me taking many unplanned naps on the couch. This one (Godard, 1964) rules, though—French teens/20somethings try to rob someone and flirt with each other. Most of the time they hang out talking, smoking, and dancing in cafes.
TV:
Mad Men: A Manhattan advertising agency in 1960. It’s hard to believe it’s the same country: unbelievably chauvinist men, women whose only power is their sexuality, and everyone smokes and drinks all day long. Jello molds and life’s disappointments abound. It’s an amazing show.
Comedy:
Mike Birbiglia: The comedian of choice for adorable nerds—he doesn’t really swear or talk about anything remotely vulgar, but manages to be hilarious nonetheless. He was a year ahead of me at my college, where he won “Funniest Act on Campus” with a passionate ode to Carlos, his bouncy ball from when he was a kid. Recommended album: Two Drink Mike.
Activities and Websites:
Letterboxing: I am on a never-ending treasure hunt of finding hidden packages from strangers in trees, under rocks, and in streetlights all over the country. In letterboxing, you carve your own stamp and you find other people’s stamps. You leave your stamp in their hidden notebook and put theirs in your notebook. Go to www.letterboxing.org to find out more!
Camping/Hiking: Toasted marshmallows, crackling fire, pretty hikes…what’s not to like? Maryland has lots of good places, too. Recommended: Susquehanna State Park, Catoctin National Park, Gambrills, Billy Goat Trail outside DC, Harper’s Ferry area (www.thetreehousecamp.com).
GoodReads (www.goodreads.com): Track what you’re reading and what you want to read, and see what your friends are reading. Get on it! I want to see what you’re reading!
6 comments:
I thought about adding books, but it was getting too long! I read a lot, I swear...
man i miss the recommends list! yay. great list jenny.
*i am planning to do a songs list, cept i got busy with my iphone last night. it'll come tonight.
CLUE is great! Although, it falls into the category of 'if you didn't see it in your childhood I think you might've missed the boat'.
Yeah I concur that Clue is great!
This letterboxing thing sounds intriguing.
And I might sign up for goodreads as that sounds fun too except it seems to take me half a year to finish a book these days.
All Things, Forests...Clue...Mike Birbigaboo. All things, great!
But not as good as that Mad Men. There's another one that I thought I wouldn't care for, but then it turned out to be pretty amazing.
Also, Mad Men keeps popping up on my netflix queue so it'll prolly be my next tv series once i finish with the last season of 6 ft (I know, I know -- I'm real late on that bus).
And it also takes me half a year (or more, this damn Middlesex) to finish books these days but that doesn't stop me from using goodreads. Just think of it as a much much slower networking site than facebook or twitter...which I find refreshing.
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