Happy Valley News Hour

Time for another edition of the Happy Hoedown!

I’ve been listening obsessively to Austin’s The Black Angels ever since Pandora had the good sense to slip one of their tunes into regular rotation on my station. Thanks Pandora Radio Robot Programmer!

The Black Angels just finished a tour, and I am bummed that I missed them a few weeks ago in Boston. Here are their remaining tour dates. But you’d better hurry (and live in Texas). The first song I ever heard by TBA was “Sniper at the Gates of Heaven,” so that’s the first one I’ve posted.

Next is a lugubrious cover of Iggy’s “Now I Wanna Be Your Dog” from Bonnaroo 2007 in Manchester, TN. This is a staple of their live show. There are cleaner versions of this song around, but this one seemed to capture something essential about seeing them live. This clip comes closest to recreating my experience at most shows I see, from the vantage point to the overheard conversation at the beginning of the clip.

From the cutups at Something Awful comes a sampler of the wonderful new magazines that are populating our newsstands these days. Geez, the industry sure is becoming niche-oriented. See more here. Part Two is here.

Source: Canned Macabre at Something Awful’s Photoshop Phriday

Source: InfinEight at Something Awful’s Photoshop Phriday

After a hastily planned roadtrip forced him to sleep two nights in his car, John Gowans, a UMASS sophomore, feels he can really identify with the new film, “Into the Wild.” The 2007 movie, directed by Sean Penn and based upon the book by Jon Krakauer, tells the true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsh), who abandoned his comfortable, middle class life to embark on a bare-bones journey across America. His aim was to lead a more authentic existence, free of possessions, entanglements and the material trappings of the modern world. His journey lasted nearly two years and ended in Alaskan wilderness, where he died from starvation after eating inedible plants.

“I can relate to the dude, is all I’m saying,” John Gowans said recently of Chris McCandless. “What he went through, I mean, it’s not something you can appreciate unless you’ve experienced it yourself. The isolation, the loneliness, but also the incredible feeling of freedom.”

Last weekend, Mr. Gowans embarked on an impromptu roadtrip with his roommate to visit his roommate’s girlfriend in upstate New York. “We were up drinking and we just said, you know, screw it, and we hopped in my car and we hit the road. Just like that. No packing, no nothing. We stopped at the ATM and then we got some Subway and some beer and also some munchies, but other than those four or five stops it was just get in the car and go. It was total freedom, not unlike Chris’ trip by kayak down the rapids of the Colorado River and on into Mexico.”

When they arrived at the girlfriend’s apartment, however, there was no room for John. “She had a one bedroom place, right? And besides, three’s a crowd. So I’m like, ‘Don’t worry about me, I’ll sleep in the car.’ The girlfriend was totally wigging out. ‘Sleep on the floor, sleep on the floor,’ she was saying, but I’d just seen ‘Into the Wild’ and I guess it rubbed off on me a little bit.” So John curled up in the backseat of his 2004 Toyota Camry for what turned out to be a long and memorable night. “The mercury dropped below 55 degrees that night, and all I had was my coat and a goosedown quilt that the girlfriend had lent me. And there was this dog that wouldn’t stop barking. But I stuck it out, just like Chris.” Not just that night but the next one as well, since the roommate wanted to stay another day. In all, John spent two nights sleeping in his car.

“And I’ll tell you something, that Grand Slam Breakfast the next morning tasted that much sweeter, knowing I had earned it, just like I’m sure that moose up in Alaska must have tasted pretty good after Chris shot it and dressed it and cooked it and ate it. It’s not something you can fake. You’ve got to live it.”

Photo: Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsh) peers from the bus that became his home in Alaska, not unlike the 2004 Toyota Camry that became the home of John Gowans for two nights last weekend in upstate New York

We here at HVNH are, of course, big fans of the lovely ladies over at Variety Shac. So mosey on over and check out their stuff.

Their shorts are here. No, not those shorts. These shorts.

Here’s one of my favorites, Book Club.

According to this new report from some government group called the NEA (Nationally Endowed Americans), Americans like u and me are reading less and less and less these days. In the report they say it like this is a big terrible thing but IMHO what the report doesn’t pay attention to is that Americans really don’t need to read as much as they used to like in the olden days. Like for instance now we have the Internet (where u are right now!) and where all u need to do is to click in order to see the most awesome stuff such as naked ladies, killer games, hilarious videos and also informations. Another thing we have now is movies, and what the report doesn’t mention is that by now pretty much all of the great books have been made into movies, such as Battlefield Earth or the Scarlett Letter. Or for the Bible there is The Passion of the Christ. Now there is even the new movie Beowulf, which I guess is based on the oldest book ever written, so there’s another one u can cross off your list. (Spoiler alert: Despite the title this movie is not about a wolf.) Also if people want to learn about history then most historical-type events of any importance have been made into movies at one time or another. Like for instance Pearl Harbor is about an event from World War Two or Mel Gibson’s The Patriot is about a war from the olden days fought with muskets. Or if u are curious about the daring exploits of astronauts u might try The Right Stuff or maybe Apollo 13. So in conclusion don’t listen to these Endowed folks who are all up in arms — we’re doing just fine without books, thank u very much.

Is me, or does it start to reach some sort of mad rhythm about halfway through?

For the record, the guys at TPM report that each usage is unique — no repeats.

From William Tracy at 23/6, the new satirical news site from the Huffington Post, come 11 not-so-harsh interrogation tactics for use in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, and any number of secret CIA prisoner sites.

My favorites:

1. Replace regular showerheads with super-low-pressure eco-friendly showerheads. Pretend old showerheads have to be ordered from factory in Tucson.

2. Play cassette tape of Telephone Line by Electric Light Orchestra. Stop tape before chorus.

5. Offer to loan detainee VHS copy of Tootsie, tape over last twenty minutes with 2002 Grammy Awards coverage.

6. Stock interrogation room mini-fridge with Vitamin Waters. Make some arbitrary rule about how they’re for “interrogators only.”

8. Two words: Evan Almighty.

9. Convince detainee to stay out and continue drinking at bar even though he knows he has a big interrogation in the morning.

10. Schedule February interrogation during Lost.

Here are the rest.
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And here are a few of my own:

12. Mall walking.

13. Promise Quizznos; deliver Rallys.

14. Get detainee all excited about trip to the beach this weekend, then on day of trip change destination to pool at Motel 6.

15. Issue detainee orange jumpsuit that doesn’t breathe, has frayed cuffs, and fits snugly through the thighs and buttocks.

16. Require that detainee become conversant in details of Ellen’s dog controversy.

17. Keep changing his Sleep Number without telling him.

18. During rendition, fly detainee coach on America West. Refuse to credit miles.

Nothing funny today, just Tim Eriksen singing two songs in the Holyoke Range here in Western Mass.

First, “Amazing Grace,” Western Mass Style.

Next, the haunting “Every Sound Below.” Filmed on Mount Pollux, if my eyes don’t deceive.

Tim’s webpage is here.