I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: ARCHIE PELAGO-“Avocado Roller” (2013).

I’d never heard of Archie Pelago (get it?).  This is an instrumental that begins with lots of electronic percussion, creating  complex rhythms and beats. It’s funky, but mildly funky.  Then after about a minute or so, there’s some music thrown on top–layers of sounds that are interesting. Then comes a weird sax solo–is this suddenly smooth jazz?  Then we gets some voices and spoken word, all working to create an instrumental soundscape.

I can see this in a movie, although I wouldn’t choose to listen to it myself.

[READ: May 19, 2013] Bicycles Locked to Poles

I recall when this book came out from McSweeney’s and I remember thinking what a weird idea–a book of pictures of bicycles locked to poles.  I thought it sounded … I don’t know… weird.  So, when I saw it used for a penny I decided to check it out.  And indeed, nearly ten years later it’s still weird.

It is an incredibly audacious book as it is literally just pictures of bicycles locked to poles (and an occasional tree).  The book is broken down into four parts, although there is no difference between the parts–it’s just more pictures.  And there is no text at all.  Except for a chart on the front and back inside cover which shows what pats of the bike were left in the picture (an unusual index which could be useful if you were doing some kind of study of the state of bicycles left to poles, but something which is not terribly useful in this book).  Categories include: Frame, fork, front wheel–spokes, steering–grips, comfort–saddle, options–front basket.

At first the book seems kind of silly–ha ha pictures of bicycles locked to poles, but as you scan through the book, it becomes really sad.  You see bicycles with bent front wheels (why do people do that?), you see bicycles stripped of wheels and seats and some at the very end are barely even recognizable as a bicycle.  By the end of the book I felt very sad for all of the owners of these now pieces of garbage.

The author bio says that all of the pictures were taken in the East Village of New York City and that just speaks poorly of the East Village.  This turned out to be a very depressing penny spent.