Homebound

Long roadtrip winding down. I hit South Atlanta after 8 hours on the road, just at sunset. The car smells faintly of body odor and cold french fries, the tongue has a flat and bland taste from sipping melted ice.

South Atlanta isn't home, but it is. My radio stations are clear, the skyline is lit on the horizon. It's my city, if not my neighborhood. The sun is a golden koi on the horizon, contrails from the airport are dark purple, crisscrossing overhead. 8 hours of nonstop music has tickled my muse.

(no subject)

Alternative music is my thing, and like the Christmas ghosts of Dickens, 2002 gave us the deaths of Alternative Past, Present, and Future.

Alternative Past is the death of Joe Strummer, founder of The Clash, of still undetermined cause. I was a senior (for the first time) in college when Rolling Stone picked London Calling as the album of the 80s. None of us agreed with that...but none of us disagreed too strongly, either. We were relieved it wasn't Thriller or Born in the USA, that Rolling Stone picked art over sales and pop impact, yet all of us had other favorites. Looking back, London Calling, and the follow-up Combat Rock, did (intentionally or no) symbolize the 80s. From punk to reggae to pop to even a bit of hip hop rap, pieces of The Clash's experimentation spun off into 80s and even 90s sound.

Alternative Present is the death of Layne Staley, from Alice in Chains, of chronic massive drug abuse. Alice in Chains rode in on the coattails of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, but was one of the few grunge bands from the late 90s still together and tweaking out a living.

Alternative Future is the death of Dave Williams, from Drowning Pool, of heart problems (perhaps related to drug and alcohol use, but not directly so at the time of his death -- toxicology was negative.) Drowning Pool was in the middle of the Ozzfest festival at the time, touring after their first alternative hit "Bodies." If they had continued in the same vein, they probably would have fit right in the current alternative subgenre of loud, pounding, moshing rock, right on the coattails of Godsmack and Disturbed.

Christmas Dinner

I usually cook a big dinner for my family for Christmas. This year, no pictures as I had to cook for 10, and it was a job. Theme this year was International Fusion -- I took staples from a bunch of different cultures and regions and arranged them together. If you're interested in the details...

( Feed Me )