I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: ENORMODOME-“The Way We Burn” (Tiny Desk Contest Fan Favorite 2016).

Last week, a Tiny Desk Contest winner was announced. This week, All Songs Considered posted ten runners up that they especially liked.  Last year, Enormodome made it to the top ten runner ups, but sadly, they did not this year.

However they did make a fan favorite vote and I like the song, so there.  Last year their concept was awesome—they played in the office of the mayor of Flagstaff (where they are based).  This year, they took their desk outside and set it on fire.

Enormodome is just two guys, a guitarist and drummer and they get a big rocking sound out of their tiny set up.  They’ve got a fuzzy guitar and lots of high hats to keep the song from ever sounding spare.  And both guys sing–often in harmony–so the songs stay interesting.

The song is a kind of heavy classic rock—a big catchy riff, and a wonderful chorus.

Beyond the flaming desk, the video is fun to watch–there’s circus performers everywhere and lots and lot so fire!   Which makes sense given the title of the song.

Check it out:

[READ: February 21, 2016] “Late”

I really enjoyed this story.  I thought I’d read a lot more by Millhauser, but I see that I’ve only ever read a few short pieces by him.  Well, after this I’ll have to read more.

Because Valeria is always later, the narrator tells her to arrive at a restaurant an hour earlier than he wants to eat.  He figures, if she’s 35 minutes late for a 6 o’clock dinner, she will actually be 25 minutes early for a 7PM dinner, which is when he wants to eat anyhow.

However, he doesn’t want her to arrive on time and wonder where he is, so he arrives at the restaurant a little before 6 to secure a window table with a view of the front door.

He orders a coffee and tells the waiter that he is awaiting somebody.

He waits and waits.  Valeria is always late.  But even he gets mad when at 6:30 she hasn’t shown up.  Even if he knew she’d be late, and is still technically early for when he wants to eat.

When 7PM comes and she is an hour late, he is beside himself, but he argues that she can still show up and they can eat around when he wants to.

Meanwhile, the restaurant is filling up, he is drinking coffee he doesn’t want and he’s felling bad about hogging a table.

Just how long is he now willing to wait for Valeria?  She is always late, but she has never been this late.  Is she injured or in an accident?  And now he’s getting hungry but he was supposed to eat with her, so should he eat or not?

There’s really only one logical conclusion to the story, and I love the way Millhauser toys with it as far as he can.