Things that make me happy
Whilst in San Francisco to get my copy of BLACK DOSSIER signed, I was asked by Ian (Brill of the Building fame) about what makes me happy lately. He knows that I'm usually grumpy and prickly about Things In General, so if something makes me happy, it must be pretty good.
Here's a few of those things, and some that occurred to me later:
THE DEEP BLUE GOOD-BYE by John D. MacDonald. Beautiful prose, engaging story and smarter than it has any right to be.
SHINE ON ME by The Prisoners. This tiny single (three songs) packs so much epic goodness in that there ought to be a law against it. Driving, melodic, swirly organ (thanks to James Taylor), biting songwriting (perhaps not as clever as Paul Weller, but Graham Day knows what the hell he's doing.) it came out several (maybe ten) years ago now, but it never fails to put a smile on my face.
THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST - the film, that is. Wow, just wow. I love the album to pieces, but this performance blows the recording out of the water, and not just because Bowie is on fire, but because the Spiders are as well.
THE WOODEN SHJIPS - monster psych like you like it.
JOHN CARPENTER - watching a good deal of his output right now. Really, there aren't any losers in his films up to the nineties. THE THING, THE FOG (of which the best parts are all last-moment additions put in when the original cut didn't deliver), ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (audacious to say the least), THEY LIVE, THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (which I really should watch again.)
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN - Duh. Why is Superman Superman? Read and learn. I wish that Batman was delivering the same zing, but it isn't.
DEBATE - Superheroes are not hard. If you think so, you're probably doing it wrong.
THE ISOTOPE - James is a king among men. Who else could actually sell me on WORLD WAR HULK? He gets it, and talking comics with him makes the trip into the city worthwhile. Even if parking in his neighborhood is an exercise that would test the patence of a Zen monk.
KEVIN O'NEILL - If I was a good blogger, I'd scan the sketch of Nemesis the Warlock that I had done. He makes the new LEAGUE book shine, particularly the fine erotica of the Fanny Hill subsection. Sublime.
LA FIESTA - A local taqueria that stands head and shoulders above the rest. And coming from San Diego, I've got relatively high standards in that regard. Carnitas with enough roasting to make them a little crispy yet succulent. Prepare my bypass surgery, stat!
KING FOOT SUBS - A kimchi beefsteak? Yes please.