New Record Day XI

Here's what's coming out this week that I think is notable:

• Celtic Frost, Monotheist
  
• Les Claypool, Of Whales and Woe
  
• The Epoxies, Synthesized
  
• Junior Varsity, Great Compromise
  
• Morbid Angel, Altars of Madness
  

What records are you going to pick up this week?

Cassettes on My Floor

An exercise in indexing:

Cannonball Adderley, "Beginnings" (copy); All, "Allroy's Revenge;" Grayson Babcock, "Florida 1990" (copy); Bach, "Goldberg Variations (Aria and 30 Variations);" Basie and Zoot/Count Basie and Maynard Ferguson, "Big Band Scene '65" (copy); The Best of Newport in New York Vol. I (copy); The Best of Newport in New York Vol. II (copy); Dave Brubeck, "Time Further Out," "Time Out," and "Gone with the Wind" (copy); "Cannonball and Coltrane"/Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley (copy); Rev. Robert L. Cedar, Congregational Church, June 27, 1982; John Coltrane, "Giant Steps" and "My Favorite Things" (copy); John Coltrane, "A Love Supreme," "Live at Birdland," and "...and Johnny Hartman" (copy); Chick Corea, "Bliss" and "Before Forever" (copy); Chick Corea, "Friends" (copy); Chick Corea, "Walkman Jazz;" The Chick Corea Electric Band; Chick Corea Electric Band, "Eye of the Beholder;" >James Dapogny's Chicago Jazz Band, "For Real;" Miles Davis, "Bitches Brew" (copy); The Drifters, "Golden Hits;" Fully Celebrated Orchestra, "Live on Television;" Fully Celebrated Orchestra, "The Pursuit of Happiness;" Errol Garner, "Long Ago and Far Away;" Heath's Jazz Show: Feb. 10, 1994 (two tapes); Heath's Jazz Show: Feb. 24, 1994 (two tapes); Herman's Hermits "Greatest Hits;" Johnny Horton, "The Singing American;" Jodie Fosters Army, "Untitled/Mad Garden;" Ramsey Lewis Trio, "The In Crowd;" Branford Marsalis, "Random Abstract;" Branford Marsalis, "Renaissance;" Branford Marsalis, "Romances for Saxophone;" Branford Marsalis, "Trio Jeepy;" Branford Marsalis Quartet, "Crazy People Music;" Branford Marsalis Trio, "The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born;" Wynton Marsalis, "The Majesty of the Blues;" Wynton Marsalis, "Marsalis Standard Time Vol. I;" Wynton Marsalis, "Standard Time Vol. 3: The Resolution of Romance;" Metallica, "Kill 'Em All;" Eugene Mirman (copy); Modern Jazz Quartet/Thelonius Monk mix tape; Modern Jazz Quartet, "Europe in Concert" (copy); The Modern Jazz Quartet, "The Last Concert" (copy); Modern Jazz Quartet, "Longing for the Continent;" The Modern Jazz Quartet and Guests, "Third Stream Music;" Thelonius Monk, "Standards;" "Thelonius Monk's Greatest Hits;" The Thelonius Monk Quartet, "Monk's Dream;" Charlie Parker, "Bird: The Savoy Recordings" (copy); Charlie Parker, "Vol. 4: Round Midnight;" Red Book Dusties 45 mix; Sonny Rollins, "Saxophone Colossus and More" (copy); The Shadow Vol. II; The Shadow Vol. III; Timo Shanko, "Solo;" Joe Sibol, "Horoscope;" Will Simmons, "In So Many Words;" Spyro Gyra, "Point of View;" The Best of Art Tatum; Tchaikovsky/Mussorgsky/Rimsky-Korsakov/Borodin; The Wynona Riders, "Is Anybody Here?: Live in Mobile, Alabama;" The Yellowjackets, "The Spin."

Comics and Correspondence III

I also had a letter of comment published in the August 22, 2003, issue of Comics Buyer's Guide (#1553):

Chris Juricich's letter of comment in CBG #1551 raises an interesting issue that will probably be debated long after I'm gone.

While I've read comics since I've been able to read -- I'm 30 now -- and, while I've also collected comics, edited and published comics (all small-press), and even reviewed comics (mostly minis and self-published items), I've long been loath to "deal" comics. I've not once "speculated" on a given issue. And I leave free comics on the train and in public as part of the Free-Range Comic Book Project.

Selling comics (moreso on the con circuit than in a retail setting, perhaps) -- and publishing comics, arguably -- more often than not leads to the burnout Juricich details. And I find that I maintain my wonder and fascination in the storytelling medium by reading comics. The reviews I do are to alert others to little-known comics I adore as a reader. But the callousness and distance Juricich describes occurs because of ongoing exposure to the frustrating economics of comics, I'd wager.

As soon as you begin valuing a given issue as an asset possessing a return on investment, as soon as you begin determining what to publish -- or create -- based on what the mainstream market will bear, the wonder fades. Your motivation changes. You change.

I get a similar sense in "mainstream" comics journalism. Wizard appeals to younger fans and collectors, almost as Beckett does to card collectors. The Comics Journal aims at older, more thoughtful, perhaps literary comics readers in spite of its largely publisher-centric nature. CBG caters to an even older crowd, one that seems to comprise retailers and dealers, as well as hardcore, long-time collectors. And Comics & Games Retailer, well, the title says it all.

I read them all for different reasons, but I recently resubscribed to CBG for a couple of reasons. Oh, So? is one. As long as CBG supports ongoing reader-driven conversations about comics-related issues offline, I'm a fan. Two: Picks and Previews. Not enough people review comics. We get news, we get hype, but thoughtful commentary written by readers -- much less readers who are named and photographed -- is in short supply in print. And, lastly, Fred Hembeck. May he ever proudly wave! Like Scott Saavedra of the fanzine Comic Book Heaven, Hembeck is a creator who absolutely loves comics. As a reader.

So here's to the comics readers. Here's to the people who read comics, think about comics, talk about comics, and care about comics. Here's to the creators who make comics they need and want to make personally, not comics they have to make to make a living. And here's to the publishers and editors who shepherd challenging comics that pique interest, push buttons, and surprise.

God, I love reading comics. It's sad that some people forget how to.

To the archives with you, back issue!

Comics and Correspondence II

In tidying up my living room today, I came across the October 2003 issue of Comics & Games Retailer, in which I have a letter of comment published. In order to safely relegate it to the archives, here is that letter:

Don Allen's Quest for Success column in the September 2003 issue of Comics & Games Retailer raises an interesting issue. Is it true that made-for-trade-paperback storylines shoot monthly sales in the foot? Or is it true that the traditional periodical pamphlet format is increasingly ill-suited for the evolutionary emergence of longer-form storytelling?

I'd argue the latter.

Unless you publish comics featuring iconic, perennial characters with deeply involved and convoluted continuity that requires recapping what has come before for newcomers and return readers (a la the panties and capes cabal), monthly pamphlets make less and less sense. In fact, they make little sense at all.

Stories that are written to be longer-form books -- comic books, not graphic novels that collect a pamphlet-driven story arc, per se -- are unwisely released in periodical form. Too often, the monthly sales, if they decrease over time, spell the premature demise of the longer storyline and its resulting book. Think Alan Moore's 1963. When will that "lost issue" be published? Where's the 1963 trade paperback? Or consider Warren Ellis' recent work. Releasing Orbiter as a book makes sense. Serializing Strange Kisses, Stranger Kisses, Strange Killings, Strangle Klezmer, and whatever else makes less sense.

Allen's mainstream super-hero suggestions -- Marvel's Tsunami and the origin of the Fantastic Four -- are bad examples. Both were published by a company built on the monthly pamphlet format -- one, while it was establishing it. But, if you consider the recent illustrated novel Blankets by Craig Thompson (Top Shelf), which was not serialized -- or even Highwater Books' recent Marc Bell and Mat Brinkman collections, which draw on multiple small publications released over the course of four years or more -- it's clear that neither book will suffer from the material's prior publication -- or that peope skipped Brinkman's delightfully disturbing self-published short-run minicomics or Bell's appearances in various publications waiting for the collections. Instead, the books will sell better than any individual photocopied mini or edition of Exclaim! magazine -- in large part because of the fan (read: reader) base both creators established over time.

Similarly, Allen citing Dave Sim and Cerebus strikes me as ironic, especially given Sim's letter in the same issue. If Sim wanted to publish only books, he could. But, even though I'm not privy to his sales numbers over time, I'd wager dollars to doughnuts that the serialized issues do well enough on their own -- and that they help promote the phonebooks, which would probably not sell as well, were Sim not so consistent.

What's the solution? Save longer-form stories for book format. Market those to bookstores as well as comics shops. Serialize story arcs better suited to periodical publication. Market those to newsstands and comics shops. Or, as exemplified by Jason Little, creator of Shutterbug Follies (Doubleday), serialize online. His periodic Web publishing only helped the sales of his book, I bet. Especially given the story's acceleration, I doubt some people stopped reading online knowing the book had been accepted by a publisher. Instead, we kept reading and sighed in relief when the book was released and we could read it in one sitting. I expect the same sign in relief when Chester Brown's Louis Riel is collected. (It will be, right?)

Besides, I, for one, won't be surprised when Joey Manley and Modern Tales begin to publish books. That will be a banner day, indeed.

P.S. Sidenote to Sim: If you do decide to publish Cerebus hardcovers, print short runs and charge up the nose. And, yes, a phonebook of lettercols -- or multiple books -- dating back to the beginning would be welcome.

From the in Box: Supply My Soundtrack!

I love my friends. Media Dietician Daigo Fujiwara says:

You have to check out my favorite punk band from Japan. They are called the Blue Hearts. That symbolizes my highschool years. I can temporalily put them up on my server for you to download.

And he did. Thank you, Daigo.

From the in Box: Supply My Soundtrack!

Media Dietician Alan Topelson says:

A Mexican songwriter you should check out: Julieta Venegas. All her stuff is available on iTunes. Her singles have been catchy. Also, a Spanish band that's hit big in the Spanish-speaking universe that I like is La Oreja de Van Gogh. Their last album is one of my faves, upbeat and super catchy. They have a new album I'm still chewing over, and I think I like it a lot, too.

Downloading. Keep 'em coming. Goal: An iPod full of non-English new music.

From the in Box: Supply My Soundtrack!

Media Dietician Hiroyasu Ichikawa recommends the pianist Hiromi Uehara.

Listen up, the world is playing.

I just downloaded Uehara's new Telarc release "Spiral."

Supply My Soundtrack!

This afternoon, I became extremely frustrated that most of the music I listen to is from North America or western Europe -- and in English. So I started to scour the Net -- and iTunes -- for tips on tunes from other countries in their native languages. It's relatively easy to learn about modern music around the world online. It's also relatively difficult to find freely downloadable MP3's of said music online.

So: Today's Media Dietician challenge. If you live in a "foreign" country -- or know a lot about popular music from same -- please send me song files or CD-R's. I will provide a mailing address upon request and reciprocate with a trade mix. Help me add to what I found today: French pop (Camille), German hip hop (Pal One), and Japanese post rock (Margaret Drawers).

I'll sure appreciate it! And foreign bands and labels -- consider offering your wares via iTunes or Myspace so it's easier to track down local -- and local language (I'm less interested in global music in English) -- tuneage. I will also trade cheaply available American CDs as trade for any local CDs sent in by Media Dieticians.

Let the swap commence!

Music to My Ears LXIX

I just made an iMix based on the music mentioned in Jay McInerney's novel Bright Lights, Big City.

People I Like

A recent list of people I appreciate.

Agree or disagree?

Discuss.

From the In Box: On Being Phoney

Brett Warnock just emailed me to say that, telco mergers aside, we should speak out against eliminating network neutrality.

I agree.

On Being Phoney

I recently "upgraded" from my old Cingular service and phone -- nee AT&T Wireless (At least they forwarded the URL; check that out!), pre-merger -- to the new and "proper" Cingular service to change my plan and get a new, "more feature-rich" phone. So far, it's been nothing but trouble.

For one, apparently no one can send me SMS messages. I was able to have my girlfriend, who's on another network, send me one -- one! -- but since that single message, three separate friends (including her) have been unable to SMS me. Bothersome. We like to SMS.

Two, I used to be able to easily email pictures taken with my phone to Flickr. It turns out that that is no longer the case. Because Cingular sends pictures as "multimedia messages," I'm guessing that they're not image files and that I'll have to find a workaround or hack.

And three, which kind of makes sense, my girlfriend, who's on another network (remember?), can't forward me voicemails. That's less worrisome but indicative of the larger ill.

What's worrisome is that the phone rep I dealt with when deciding to pursue this upgrade persuaded me that there'd be little or any feature loss with the changeover. Similarly, the plan seemed more competitive in terms of price and data options. I've yet to be able to access the Net via this phone.

What's more worrisome is that this is a "merger." Apparently, telco mergers are merely acquisitions of customer bases with the intent to either maintain one set of no-longer-supported features and plans -- or "upgrade" them to already-existing and non-complementary or -comparative programs. Kind of like magazines buying the subscriber lists of defunct magazines and sending them the "new" title -- as Sci-Fi Magazine recently did with Cinescape (per Brett Warnock's letter, albeit largely positive, in the June issue of Sci-Fi).

Having called Cingular's closed-for-the-day support line and posted to their online forums, I'm hopeful for a solution -- but if any Media Dieticians can offer insights and ideas, I'll be thankful. That's better than hopeful.

I want to get SMS's. And I want to email Flickr pictures from my phone.

Help me, Cingular.