In my glass coffin I am waiting

[sovay]

In which cosmic balance is restored. On the fair side of the scales, today has been a day of serious music acquisition: Regina Spektor's Soviet Kitsch* and PJ Harvey's 4-Track Demos, as well as her Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea and Uh Huh Her (courtesy of the very cool Matthew Cheney). I've also picked up a copy of Pablo Yglesias' fabulous ¡Cocinando! Fifty Years of Latin Album Cover Art, which is exactly what it sounds like—with fascinating commentary—and Poppy Z. Brite's Prime. All to the good. And in return, the universe has gifted me with some kind of virus complete with headaches and high fever, so I'm going to sleep. I wonder what kind of dreams a steady feed of PJ Harvey before bed will produce?

*Regina Spektor opened for the Dresden Dolls when I saw them here at Toad's Place in February. While she didn't intrigue me nearly as much as the Dolls when first I encountered them (Ig Nobel Awards Ceremony, 2002), I was still left sorry that I hadn't bought any of her albums afterward. Turns out one cannot purchase either regina spektor or Songs by regina spektor from amazon.com, but Soviet Kitsch is alive and well and receiving very nice reviews indeed. And indeed "Carbon Monoxide" and "The Flowers" catch rather burrlike in one's head, and I'm waiting to see what else sticks. Moral of the story? Go to more live concerts.

And a silly quiz for the road . . .
(Cut for general depravity and the Second Viennese School.)


You are Lulu from 'Lulu', by Alban Berg. You are
truly elegant and enigmatic, with a hypnotic
stare capable of trapping just about anyone who
crosses your path. You live a fast, dangerous
life, and prefer exotic day jobs, like lion
taming. Unfortunately, you are also on an
increasingly dire downward spiral, into a
confusing world of psychosis, prostitution and
murder. Despite the attempts of many of your
lovers to make an honest woman of you, you will
find yourself responsible for several untimely
deaths, and you are probably already a dab hand
with strychnine and a pistol. However, you will
remain loved dearly by many people right until
the end (including some who will find new and
exotic means of committing suicide out of an
all-consuming passion for you), and will
therefore remain utterly and notoriously
unforgettable. You will die in grotesque
technicolour at the hand of Jack the Ripper,
who you will make the tragic error of picking
up in an alley.


Which Heroine from Opera are you?
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Comments

[sovay]

Thanks! Me, too . . . How did you hear of Regina Spektor? I wouldn't have known her from Eve before the Dresden Dolls show.

[sovay]

Well, the experiment was a success. I really like this album. And it permits me to identify most of the songs I heard her perform live: "Carbon Monoxide," "The Flowers," and "Poor Little Rich Boy," and then a couple with guitar accompaniment that aren't on Soviet Kitsch. I think those three, "Us," "Your Honor," and "Chemo Limo" are probably my favorites now. I need to see if there's somewhere online I can pick up her earlier albums now.

[gwynnega]

I wonder what kind of dreams a steady feed of PJ Harvey before bed will produce?

Those should be fairly thrilling dreams...

[sovay]

Among other things, I dreamed about an alternate universe in which Dionysos delivered the mail and the conventions of written language—orthography, vocabulary—were just different enough to cause me problems with the morning paper. I wonder if I can blame that on her?

[gwynnega]

In any case, those sound like interesting dreams. It would be kinda cool if Dionysus delivered the mail...

[sovay]

(Rather than Hermes, in our own universe, I think.) At the very least, it would be a lot easier to ship liquor . . .

[spectre-general.livejournal.com]

Ugh... I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling unwell. You had better be sleeping, for once! I hope you'll be feeling better in time for tomorrow's madness.

Also:


You are Brunnhilde from 'Die Walkure', by Richard
Wagner. You are brave, forthright, headstrong
and believe yourself virtually infallible. You
are physically strong and, despite your vaguely
masculine features, you are probably quite
attractive. You consider yourself to be above
the indignity of a heterosexual marriage-plot,
and instead pour your lifes energies into
pursuing truth, justice and freedom, whilst
wearing heavy-duty protective clothing.
However, your belief in your own self-worth
often gets you in to trouble, and when
threatened with severe punishment by the
patriarchal establishment, which you had
hitherto sworn to destroy, you will collapse in
a wailing heap. You will find it somewhat
disappointing and emasculating to be rescued by
your true love, even if after a painfully
protracted period of time. However, you will
outlive just about everyone, and thereby take
your revenge on the men who have hitherto ruled
your life. Ho-jo-to-ho, sister!


Which Heroine from Opera are you?
brought to you by Quizilla


Sweet.

[spectre-general.livejournal.com]

Erm... also, as it is not evident in my post, this is Ainsley. This posting restriction of yours (while not unwarranted, of course) is going to force me into getting a Livejournal account yet.

[sovay]

It's all part of my not so terribly secret plan . . .