You know, "Bigmouth Strikes Again" has got to be one of the bestest of the best songs ever made by humans. Seriously, I started dancing at work, and I wasn't even trying to.

I love love love love love the new MP3 CD player that I purchased for myself last week with the small bits of birthday cash I received (thanks dad!). Seriously, I've made two CDs so far: one of all country/bluegrass/folk stuff, and one of English rock music (and stuff that sounds like it should be English, a la Interpol). I put it on random at work and feel the hours slip by. Amazing. My English mix consists of:

• Belle & Sebastian: If You're Feeling Sinister
• The Cure: Boys Don't Cry
• Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights
• The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead
• The Smiths: Louder Than Bombs
• Ride: Nowhere
• Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque
• Swervedriver: Mezcal Head
• Oasis: (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
• The Stone Roses: The Complete Stone Roses (minus that stupid backwards song)
• Radiohead: OK Computer

Oooh. Oooh. I'm hating life right about now, since not only am I missing the free Steve Earle show on Saturday, but I'm missing the whole dang Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate park. Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, free show. Damn, damn damn!

I've been on a major Nick Lowe kick this week, listening to all the albums I had downloaded over a year ago (but never listened to). I still can't tell though if I like him more in an Elvis Costello sort of way, or more of a Huey Lewis sort of way (it's a battle in my head), but I do know that I like (most) of his songs.

Yesterday while walking around Santa Cruz I picked up that the Steve Earle live album, Just An American Boy, and oh a whim checked to see if they had the Rockpile album used for cheap. As luck would have it, they did, and it included a 45 of Lowe & Edmunds doing Everly Brothers songs. Right on, right on. Check out "When I Write The Book" 'cause I finally updated the MP3 of the week.

Also, I found out today that Steve Earle is playing a free show in Golden Gate Park...*the day I leave for tour*. Ugh, just my luck. I guess the live album will have to keep me company while on the road.

Stuff From Last Week I Forgot To Mention:

• Radiohead were very good. A couple slow portions in the set, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. However, what was up with the *gangs* of cops walking around the parking lot making sure that nobody was drinking? What is this, Footloose? Jeez guys, lay off and let me enjoy my forty-ounces in peace. Lots of other people were at the show and they wrote about it more than I did.
• Communiqué demos are going well, and should be wrapped up by tomorrow. We're also going on tour (yes, again), this time through the southern part of the country, including Floria (which I've never been to before), then up to New York for CMJ 2003. Busy, busy.
• Went down to Watsonville last night to see a band of Santa Cruz all-stars perform the White Album from beginning to end. Very cool, actually, if not a bit corny at times, and the modern dance troupe had to go. Still, the band was very, very credible and it was really kinda cool to see songs that weren't meant to be performed live, well, performed live. The creepiest thing though was that the piano player guy looked a lot like George Harrison from far away, and the guy who sang all the Paul McCartney parts looked exactly like Pete Townshend. Very odd.
• The A's clinched a playoff spot last week, and the Giants are in there as well, and I'll be on the road for all of October. Very cruel. Thankfully, we have ESPN radio in the van. I won't forget my headphones this time.