Through crime and crusade, our labor it's been stolen

[sovay]

Because Hanscom hasn't held an air show in years, I have no idea what the hell passed over my parents' yard behind the unrelieved overcast except that it sounded like a heavy bomber, but not a modern one: an air-shaking piston-engined roar like who ordered the Flying Fortress, which were not to my knowledge even tested at the base. It suggested lost psychogeography and worried me.

Japanese Breakfast's "Picture Window" (2025) came around again on WERS as I was driving this afternoon. The line about ghosts and home keeps resonating beyond the pedal steel guitar.

I see we will be celebrating the Fourth of July out of spite this year. So go other holidays. Af tselokhes, John.

Comments

[lauradi7dw]

Consensus on the Lexington email chat list was that the planes yesterday were on their way to some sort of military funeral, unrelated to the military planes that will do a flyover for the Pops concert tonight.

[sovay]

Consensus on the Lexington email chat list was that the planes yesterday were on their way to some sort of military funeral, unrelated to the military planes that will do a flyover for the Pops concert tonight.

Good to know. It was loud, sustained, and I hadn't thought we were quite at the carpet-bombing stage yet.

[asakiyume]

Love your icon--I need to look for a poster of that.

[lauradi7dw]

https://powertotheposter.com/posters/abolish-ice

[asakiyume]

Thank you!

[asakiyume]

I like "heart breaking like a punch card" in that song. Also: you heard it on the radio, but my first experience of it is as a music video, and the story in the music video is a much stronger flavor than the gentle, kind of wistful lyrics and musical presentation of the song on its own. Did you watch it? It's visually well done, I thought! Glad it had a happy ending.

It suggested lost psychogeography .... I'm ready for times and places to start getting confused any moment now. Just another thing to have to survive -_- (but I'm glad in this case there was a reason for what you heard).

[sovay]

Did you watch it? It's visually well done, I thought! Glad it had a happy ending.

Yes! I loved the night-saturated look of it, too. In general, I don't link music videos without watching them because occasionally it turns out that I like a song and cannot say the same of its video.

.... I'm ready for times and places to start getting confused any moment now. Just another thing to have to survive -_- (but I'm glad in this case there was a reason for what you heard).

I have felt that we are living through a twentieth-century remix for almost a decade now, but in the stupidest of ways. I want some variety.

[chanter1944]

Lost psychogeography - sounds like you might have elements at your metaphorical door in a subjective minute. :)

[sovay]

Lost psychogeography - sounds like you might have elements at your metaphorical door in a subjective minute.

It's a regular hazard around here.

[thawrecka]

The latest Japanese Breakfast album really is so good. Every lyric grabs me right in the chest.

[sovay]

The latest Japanese Breakfast album really is so good. Every lyric grabs me right in the chest.

Recommendation taken. Someone at WERS loves it enough to have played most of it and I really should just listen to the rest.

[thawrecka]

You should! It's rich with references, too, and has a really gentle sound while talking of really haunting stuff. I feel like I need to recommend Leda to you.

[sovay]

I feel like I need to recommend Leda to you.

"The ocean in view, I'm thinking of all the Grecian gods / The men they all played to get what they want / A crashing of waves, a sculpture of Leda and the swan."

[gullyfoyle]

It suggested lost psychogeography and worried me.

Sounds like someone's in a Ballardian mood, but who isn't?

[sovay]

Sounds like someone's in a Ballardian mood, but who isn't?

Often.

[gullyfoyle]

Thanks for the link; I quite liked that. But I felt more of Fritz Leiber in your story of a (mostly) living city than of ol' J. G. (That's okay by me, as I prefer Fritz, and I hope that's okay by you too.) By total coincidence earlier today I finished reading the story "Tom Kelley's Ghost" (Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction July 2001 (I'm catching up)) by Steven Popkes whom I take must be a neighbor of sorts of yours since he founded and remains in the Cambridge SF Workshop. That story takes place in, under, and near Boston, and I think you might enjoy it. All this Bostonia helps make up a bit for my having to miss Readercon this year.

[sovay]

Thanks for the link; I quite liked that. But I felt more of Fritz Leiber in your story of a (mostly) living city than of ol' J. G. (That's okay by me, as I prefer Fritz, and I hope that's okay by you too.)

It's fine by me: I read Leiber before Ballard, although I hadn't read any recently when I wrote that story. I put most of my feelings about Boston as a city of water into it. I'm glad you liked it!

By total coincidence earlier today I finished reading the story "Tom Kelley's Ghost" (Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction July 2001 (I'm catching up)) by Steven Popkes whom I take must be a neighbor of sorts of yours since he founded and remains in the Cambridge SF Workshop.

We've shared panels at Arisia and I was actually invited into the workshop in 2020, although my health prevented! I'll look for the story. I do not believe I read that issue.

That story takes place in, under, and near Boston, and I think you might enjoy it. All this Bostonia helps make up a bit for my having to miss Readercon this year.

I shall try to think of other supplements. Most of the Boston-set movies I know best are not contemporary.