So I am listening to The Postal Service. I thought I had gone to see them in Perth. But Myke tells me that was Idlewild. I am not sure where I got the CD from. Probably a copy from Sam or something. The album is called ‘Give Up’. And it is brilliant.
I know this may sound weird coming from someone who exclaimed to fact of Motley Crue’s immanent late-2005/early-2006 world tour visit to Sydney, but these Postal Service dudes are cool.
It may be too overtly ‘cool’ in a stressed-denim-witty-t-shirt-converse-runners-just-woke-up-haircut-retro-80’s sort of way for some people — for people like me. Almost. By deploying the loaded ‘cool’ I am gesturing towards associated discourses in a knowing, but enthusiastic non-ironic way. Sure it is an utter disgrace that is gets soiled-by-association through being part soundtrack on the OC, but I don’t give a fuck — makes me want to hit somebody for associating it with such a smug piece of shit TV! — but, really, I don’t care. Whatever. It is ok, because it is cool.
(Subpop? What the fuck is subpop? I want a job inventing popular culture neologisms. That would be subcool. And then get a pay raise to invent neological combinations. That would just be insidiously ithurts subcool, like, totally, man.) Via amazon.com:
“With Jimmy in L.A. and Ben in Seattle, the two simply mailed tracks back and forth, collaborating via (you guessed it) the United States Post Office.”
How awesome is that shit? I thought for a second they were total freaks and, like, were into Kevin Costner movies, but then, taking an Actor Network Theory angle, you know, I realise that it is infact the network enabled by the mail service which allowed them to colloborate and produce the CD. The band is an actor network. Boom boom. Yes, but I am in love, love like in terms of repeat-repeat-repeat! Love. Subcool.
Anyway. On Keith Windschuttle (re: Negri visit). Windschuttle may be a historian, but is he a philosopher? What does he know about Negri’s value to philosophy? Sweet fuck all, I gather. Going by his logic, we should never help anyone who has been implicated in ‘terrorist groups’, such as supporting the old regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, let alone let them come to Australia. Oh no! Subshocktastic! That unfortunately scratches Donald Rumsfield off the list. Oh well. Subpolitical. What a terrible fuckin shame that is…
I hope I never meet Windschuttle. He seems a bit stupid, even sublogical. It is funny that he mentions Dirk Moses in his column as he was the unit coordinator for the history unit that Sam tutored in.
On another note! It looks as though my material science PhD friend, Matt, may be going to the academic bright lights of Cambridge for a post-doc. Very exciting!
Also, Helene has gone home today. We had good fun while she was here! Still trying to find the energy to write up a report on the karaoke. I will miss her. Subhappy.
Hi Glen
Yes, I gave you the Postal Service last May. It is about time that you started listening to it!
Dirk Moses has long criticised Windschuttle; they have been in argument for quite a while over aboriginal bits and pieces. Dirk does comparative holocaust history, Windschuttle does denial. Sometime in 2003 Windschuttle accused Dirk of brainwashing his students with leftist hogwash politics. When I taught for him we called it necessary conversion. Whatever the case, the pettiness of it all is enough to put me off ever aspiring to be an Australian historian.
Matt is a success. I won my first travel grant today, which means that the US govt is paying for me to go to Italy for the summer. The best use of its funds I have seen so far. To celebrate I went to an anti-war rally and met the riot police. Good thing I look like such a non-revolutionary middle-class girl, they left me all alone and conentrated on the cubans and anarchists instead …
I am sorry that Helene has gone home. That was a short stay.
Samantha.
hi sam,
err, thanks for the CD. It is good. Sounds better with a good shiraz.
well done on the travel grant. I am very proud
I thought my last month had been something of a riot. Though, it doesn’t compare to an actual engagement with the riot police.