March 6, 2008
Anyway....Back
to being able to do stuff on this site after a concatenation of
technical challenges. Lots of new interviews linked to over on the
runner interview page. In the
print world, look in the May issue of Running Times for a story
I'll have on coaching legend Jack Daniels. Learn about his brother
the CIA agent, his tour of the Jack Daniel's distillery, perhaps
even a thing or two about running.
Dec. 15, 2005:
Annual Top Ten CD Acquisition List
As per
usual, CDs acquired, not necessarily released, this year, ranked
in order of repeated listening pleasure. The links to CD titles
usually lead to a site where you can sample the music; the links
to artists' names usually lead to that artist's site.
Bonus
feature: In the past year, I've found good to excellent, free,
legal downloads of at least one song by the following artists I
didn't know of at this time in 2006. You should be able to track
them down via The Hype
Machine.
Aloha;
Beach House; Black Tambourine; Darker My Love; Dead Meadow; The
Go Find; Julie Ocean; Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden; The Lodger;
The Lovetones; Mas Rapido!; New Ruins; Orange Peels; Perspex Whiteout;
Relay; The Sheds; Uncut; and The Vandelles.
This
is the first of what will become near-weekly audio interviews at
RunningTimes.com. Thoughts,
comments, reflections? Send
them to me.
July 30, 2007
Steve
Holman knows all. In light of Alan Webb's stellar summer, check
out this excerpt from an August
2002 interview I did with Herr Holman:
Frankly,
the expectations that [Webb] will be a factor in 2004 are a bit
premature. Realistically, to be a factor for an Olympic medal
in the 1,500 meters means that you can run consistently in the
3:29-3:30 range, demonstrate success not only on the European
circuit but also in multiround international championships and
demonstrate tactical savvy in a variety of race types. A guy will
get lucky once in a while in tactical race, but that's not the
standard of a contender. Webb certainly has the tools and the
potential, but it's rather optimistic to think that it's going
to happen in less than two years. And if it doesn't happen in
two years, he shouldn't be viewed as a failure. And if he thinks
college was a tough adjustment -- homesickness, burnout, injury
-- college is a trip to Disneyland compared to the pro circuit.
I'm
all for settings high goals and dreaming big, but in the next
few years, I would rather he focus on building his skill set,
gain experience, learn patience, find a way to navigate the enormous
internal and external expectations, and gear up for the 2008 Games.
July 18, 2007
Maybe
you heard recently that Homeland Security Chertoff had a "gut
feeling" a terrorist attack on U.S. soil is imminent. What
does that mean? I called up Chertoff and got him to describe his
new bodily function threat assessment matrix. It's below, from least
to most threatening:
Heard from
guy in coffee shop something might be up.
Have a
hunch, but can't put my finger on it.
Something
smells fishy.
Gut feeling.
Can feel
it in my bones.
Arm just
blown off by suicide bomber.
June 21, 2007
Interview
with ab fab alto saxophonist Mike
DiRubbo.
Coincidental
confluence: It seems that I'll have the cover stories on the September
issues of Runner's World and Running Times. What's wacky is that
both stories were assigned several months before Rodale bought RT.
One story is a profile of Anthony Famiglietti, the other a tips-ahoy
training piece. Can you guess which one is for which mag?
June 5, 2007
If immediate
gratification is your thing, avoid book publishing. I learned yesterday
that the second edition of Advanced Marathoning
has a manuscript due date of April 1, 2008, and a publication date
of April 2009.
May 28, 2007
I'm proud to have played a minor role in the release of alto saxophonist
Mike
DiRubbo's new live CD. So proud, in fact, that I urge you to
buy one or two or 32 copies.
Listen
to it and buy it at CD
Baby or on the site of Cellar
Live, the label it was released on.
April 11, 2007
I recently
enjoyed a bout of severe vertigo. In case you're wondering, it feels
sorta like this:
March 18, 2007
January 24, 2007
I'm
testing whether I can post YouTube videos with this clip of me singing
lead with Sloan.
January 5, 2007
Can
someone let me know whether Led Zeppelin is cool or uncool or post-cool
or whatever? In the meantime, this
video of John Bonham soloing on "Moby Dick" is amazingly
ridiculous or ridiculously amazing or something like that there.
The part where he uses his hands!
December 13, 2006
Why,
hello there. It's been a while. You look great! Have you lost weight?
Anywho,
here's the annual year-end, only-Scott-cares music list. Usually,
I bloviate about the ten best CDs I acquired in the previous 12
months, regardless of when they were released. But because I'm feeling
even lazier than usual, I'm going to limit this year's list to CDs
that I'm pretty sure were released this year. (Yes, I could look
at the discs to be sure; as I said, I'm one lazy hibernator these
days.) I've included links to sound samples so that you can skip
my words and get to what matters.
In
descending order of repeatedly giving pleasure, we have:
Bears: Bears
See the Aug. 15 entry below for the heartwarming tale of Stacey's
and my discovery of this pop gem. Nearly four months later, the
disc holds up amazingly well, despite our attempts to play it into
the ground. As my brother, who I sent a copy as a birthday gift,
puts it, "perfect flowing little pop songs." This is one
of those recordings that sound instantly familiar, not in a boring
way, but in that where-have-you-been-all-my-life way. Plus, the
band members seem like downright decent people, as evidenced by
the lead singer taking time to e-mail me some of his leading musical
recommendations. My recommendation? Do yourself and the band a favor
and pay the measly $7 that the band charges to mail the disc to
you.
The Battle: Live at Smoke: Eric Alexander and
Vincent Herring
Faithful readers will know that I love Eric Alexander's playing.
Jazz, of course, is meant to be heard live, so it's great to have
an hour-plus of Eric in concert. The scary thing is that his co-saxophonist
on this gig, alto player Vincent Herring, matches if not outdoes
him on some songs. This is intense but foot-tappable stuff.
Nature
Heart Software: Pia Fraus
I have a soft spot for dream pop or whatever you want to call it.
You know, that early-90s, My Bloody Valentine-influenced, distortion-washing-over-pop-songs
sort of thing. These Estonian tykes know exactly what they're doing,
and I think this is my favorite of the three discs of theirs I have.
Stream
two songs from the disc (plus two earlier ones) on their
MySpace page.
Hmm,
that's not much of a list. Here are some CDs released in previous
years that I acquired this year that have made this vale of tears
a happier place. Have I mentioned that I'm feeling especially lazy
today? Go find your own damn links.
The
Golden Band and
Know By Heart: American Analog Set
Human
Spirit: Mike DiRubbo
Night
Song : Mike LeDonne
Perambulation:
David Hazeltine
Joyspring:
Harold Mabern
Here
are some CDs that came out this year that I haven't listened to
enough to include in the first category, so for now we'll give them
an honorable mention:
It's
All in the Game: Eric Alexander
Pink:
Seekonk
I
Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass: Yo La Tengo
Finally,
here are links to free, kosher MP3s of songs I happened upon this
year that I like, albeit not enough to get the CD on which they
appear, which I realize is supposed to be the point, but they offered
them, and it's rude to not graciously accept gifts. When I'm feeling
more motivated, I'll try to track down links for all of them. In
the meantime, see what you can find at The
Hype Machine.
Robert
J: 13 Ghosts
This and That: Acid House Kings
Beauty of the World: Alaska
Another Sunny Day: Belle and Sebastian
Black Car: Black Tambourine
Leave Behind: Bright Coloured Lights
The Soft Attack: The Daysleepers
My Summer with Ghosts: Doleful Lions
Teacup: Doveman
How Does it Feel: Elle
Cardinal Points: The Essex Green
Love is Blinding: The High Violets
Come Down Slowly: James William Hindle
On Your Floor: Kicker
Cha Cha Cha: The Little Ones
Perfect Day: Rick Menck
Something in You: Orange Peels
A Window: The Radio Dept.
Context: Relay
Bicycle Thieves: Saloon
The Clandestine: She, Sir
Green to Red: The Sky Drops
House Fire: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Cathedral High: St. Christopher
Moving On: Starlet
Mediocre
drumming back story: The song is "Do I Dare," recorded
in 1989, and one of 11 songs on "Friends of the Young and Cynical
Ectomorphic Mr. Douglas," released by The Mooncalves in 1991.
It's the only song on the CD that features my C- minus drumming
(and, yes, tambourine playing).
Let
me be perfectly clear that, no matter what, my drumming on the song
would have been mediocre, because, well, that's what I'm working
with. But there were a few further impediments to coming off all
Neil Peartish or Elvin Jonesesque that day. For starters, The Mooncalves
at that point were really a guy who graduated from Franklin
High School a year before me. I'm pretty sure his official name
is Stephen Myers, although at that point he was going by Stefan,
and last I heard, calls himself Breadfoot
these days. (No, I don't know why, either.) He and I were working
at the Harryman House,
and he would tell me how he was recording songs piecemeal as he
could save enough to pay for studio time. I mentioned that I play
drums in a very basic manner, and he invited me to come to the studio
the next time he was going to record. So, excuse #1: Before going
to the studio that day, I had never played with "the band,"
in part because there was no band to speak of.
Excuse
#2: The song basically didn't exist before we got to the studio.
On the drive to the studio, Stephen/Stefan/Breadfoot sort of hummed/sang
it for me while strumming an acoustic guitar.
Excuse
#3: Before perhaps my strongest excuse, let's recap: I was going
to be recorded playing drums for a song that didn't yet exist with
a band that didn't exist. So we get to the studio, and guess which
part of the song will be recorded first? That's right, the drum
track. S/S/B reprised his auto serenade from a room elsewhere in
the studio while I listened on headphones and played along, imagining
a guitar solo, coda, etc. We did this twice. In the spirit of the
spontaneity of jazz, I suppose, he wound up going with the first
version.
Well,
that seems like enough butt covering for now. The next time I'm
really unmotivated to work, maybe I'll relate how the CD got its
name, or how one night I damaged my left hand and right hip playing
tambourine with The Mooncalves once they actually existed as a band.
September 13, 2006
The
short video clip on this
page is hilarious. The
site it's on is worth visiting frequently.
Don't
tell anybody, but over the next year, I'm going to write a book
with the working title of On Solid
Ground: What It's Like to Be a Runner, thanks to the appearance
in my life of some amazingly supportive people.
From
the res ipsa loquitur department comes this excerpt from a World
Marathon Majors teleconference yesterday:
Q. Haile,
you've been one of the biggest stars in this sport for a long
time, on the track and now in the marathon. There's a need for
you to focus on the work you have to do, the racing you have to
do. One of the reasons this World Marathon Majors was put together
is to raise the profile of the sport, which means you have certain
public relations responsibilities, need to meet with the public,
mingle with the public, cooperate with reporters. Do you understand
that's an important aspect of your job as it were or do you find
that to be a distraction from what you're really trying to do?
HAILE GEBRSELASSIE:
I don't understand your question. Could you repeat? I'm so sorry.
August 15, 2006
Hello
all (i.e., both of you who check this page). Apologies for not updating
this updates page more often. For someone who doesn't really have
a job, I sure have been working a lot lately. (Even odder, for someone
who has been working a lot lately, I sure don't have the checking
account balance to show for it.)
Unfortunately, after an extensive, intensive, weeks-long cost-benefit
analysis, I concluded that, for now, I need to hold off on further
interviews with Mainers about their
work. If you've enjoyed them and want to see more, let
me know, and maybe we can work out something where you pay off
my mortgage and I get back to entertaining you by interviewing taxidermists,
oncologists
and the like.
On
the musical front, here's a heart-warming series of events: With
some birthday money, I bought CDs by American
Analog Set and Pia
Fraus from Tonevendor.
When the order arrived, it included a charming postcard for a band
I hadn't heard of, Bears. I was successfully manipulated by this
ploy, and went to the band's (borderline-unreadable-on-my-browser)
site, which led me to their MySpace
page for samples. After a few listens, I decided theirs would
be the CD to get Stacey for her birthday. Meanwhile, Stacey sees
the postcard, which I subsequently used as a thank-you note for
her haircut
services, and she commented on its cuteness. A few days later,
she sees in the checkbook register a notation reading "Bears
Paypal," surmises that it has to do with her birthday, but
doesn't piece it together with the postcard. A few days after that,
the CD has arrived. A few days after that, before shutting off the
iPod for the evening, I put on their song "Stay." From
the other room, Stacey asks, "What's that? That sounds interesting."
I dont' enjoy deceiving her, so I give her an early birthday present.
To summarize: Bears self-titled CD=good stuff, and it's only $10,
postage included.
June 6, 2006
Fast-Women.com.com
interview with Benita
Johnson.
June 5, 2006
Fast-Women.com.com
interview with Kate
O'Neill.
Article
on runners and medical check-ups starting on p. 49 of the July issue
of Runner's World.
As of later this month, I'll be contributing several articles a
month to Uta Pippig's
site.
May 20, 2006
I simplified
the home page by removing links from there to pages that are getting
a tad long in the tooth. The pages are still on the site, and available
via the miscellany page.
May 12, 2006
Mensracing.com
interview with Craig
Mottram.
May 8, 2006
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with an
oncologist.
April 11, 2006
Mensracing.com
interview with Benjamin
Maiyo.
April 7, 2006
Mensracing.com
interview with Brian
Sell.
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with a marine mammal rescuer,
and oodles o' cute photos of seals, here.
March 24, 2006
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with a stand-up comic who lives
on my street, here.
March 16, 2006
Mensracing.com
interview with Adam
Goucher.
March 9, 2006
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with the maker of Portland's best
burritos, here.
And
I know you've all run out and bought the April issue of Runner's
World, which includes my usual kind-hearted, completely selfless
effort at helping fellow runners.
Feb. 23, 2006
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with the owner of an art-film
movie theater, here.
Feb. 9, 2006
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with a guy who works with bucks,
here.
On the radio this morning I heard Sen. Trent Lott defend his use
of earmarking funds for Mississippi because "those bureaucrats
in Washington" ignore his state when administering federal
funds. I checked, and he's right—there are a whole two other
states that get more in federal funds per federal taxes paid than
Mississippi. I'm not the first to note the irony that most of the
states that, like Mississippi, get
more in funds than pay in taxes are from the get-the-guvmint-off-my-back
ilk.
Jan. 30, 2006
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with author Hannah Holmes, here.
Jan. 6, 2006
From today's New York Times. Competent people replaced by ideological
loyalists? What's the concern? USA! USA!
"General
Vines said it is too soon to gauge how well Sunni Arabs, Shiites
and Kurds will succeed in forging an inclusive government that protects
all citizens of Iraq. 'As the government forms, if we see indicators
that there are purges of competent people to be replaced with ideologues
in the security ministries, that would be disturbing," he said.
"If competent commanders were to be replaced by those whose
main qualification is an allegiance to a sect, that would be of
concern to us.'"
Jan. 4, 2006 Clara
is now even more famous. See p. 18 of the February issue of Runner's
World.
Dec. 28, 2005
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with Portland's version of a "High
Fidelity" character, here.
Dec. 14, 2005
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with Christmas tree farmers, here.
Dec. 14, 2005:
Annual Top Ten CD Acquisition List
As per
usual, CDs acquired, not necessarily released, this year, ranked
in order of repeated listening pleasure.
1.
Out of the Shadow—Rogue
Wave
One reason why: The drums at the beginning of "Nourishment
Nation."
Have a listen: Nourishment
Nation
2. Emblems—Matt
Pond PA
One reason why: "Don't keep appointments/With disappointment..."
Have a listen: Graves
Disease
3. Several Arrows Later—Matt
Pond PA
One reason why: Includes a song called "Emblems," and
I've never come across a bad CD by a band I like that has a song
named for the band's previous CD.
Have a listen: Several
Arrows Later (fragment thereof)
5. Wailin'—Reeds
and Deeds
One reason why: Eric
Alexander didn't release a solo record this year, and Maine
law requires that I include something he plays on in this list.
6. 12!—Sonny
Stitt
One reason why: Maine law also requires that this list include at
least one disc made decades before e-mail became the main form of
human communication.
7. Someday My Prince Will Come—Great
Jazz Trio
One reason why: This was the last recording Elvin
Jones played on. We should all be that energetic and powerful
at age 75 (or 41, for that matter).
8. The Lines They Get Broken—Metropolitan
One reason why: It's impossible to listen to "Here or There"
without succumbing to either the up-and-down "Yes, yes, keep
on rockin'" head shake or the side-to-side "No, no, don't
stop the rockin'" head shake.
Have a listen: Homeroom
10. Descended Like Vultures—Rogue
Wave
One reason why: The first CD is so great that this has to eventually
appeal to me more than it does today.
Have a listen: Publish
My Love
Music Bonus: Top
Twenty Free, Legal MP3s
I started
putting MP3s on my laptop only in August. An alphabetical listing
of finds from releases that are not (yet) part of my collection.
(In one case, the song led me to buy the CD, but it's already in
the sell pile. I'll leave you to guess which one.)
I just recently found your website and I can't tell you how much
I enjoy your articles on running.
Especially those articles concerning the truth about runner elitism.
You've really captured the frustration that so many serious runners
feel when confronted with some of the more detrimental attitudes
held by a few too many casual runners. I currently live in Arlington
and your articles about or related to running events in the DC metropolitan
area, are all the more interesting since they are so geographically
significant to me.
One
complaint, your website currently has a pumpkin
that says NO W on it. Why I ask? From your writings I can tell
that you are a true runner, a runners runner, why would you even
want to associate yourself with political biases. You do know that
many of the runners that read your articles are probably as far
right as you are left but instead of separating your political voice
from your runner's heart, you mix the two, alienating an entire
segment of the running community that feels just as passionate about
this pure sport as do you. If you're going to be a political pundit
fine, just separate your brilliant running articles from your politics
so that those that share only your views on running can do so with
good conscience.
Bert
J. Rodriguez
Bert,
Thanks
for writing and sharing your thoughts. Of course your comments don't
fall on deaf ears. If there's one thing I'm an absolutist on, it's
the need to always be open to weighing others' opinions.
I guess
the best response I can give you is that my site is that--my site,
a personal site, and the fact that I write about running is just
a small part of who I am. In addition, I think you would agree that
I
hardly keep personal matters out of my writing, so a photo of a
pumpkin hardly is an aberration. I bet a lot more people are alienated
by our shared views on elitism than by a given photo.
That
said, I'm changing the home page photo today, now that it's all
of 22 degrees here today, and Halloween already seems a long time
ago.
Thanks
again for reading and writing.
Scott
Scott,
Thanks for the reply, all I have to say to that is fair enough.
I may not agree with your politics but I have not disagreed with
any of your articles on running. I don't think you've written one
that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. Take the following quote form
your aritcle "Syzygy" for example, it's so incredibly
true. "How can you care about the weather when your day consists
of moving from one shelter to the next, from house to car to office,
and back? How can you enjoy an easy chair if you haven't worked
hard? How can you long for bed when you've never been fully awake?"
I sent that article to a few of my running buddies.
I'm glad to see you changed the picture on your website, even though
I'm a dog person. Keep on writing and I'll keep reading. Happy Thanksgiving.
Bert
Dec. 3, 2005
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with a violinmaker, here.
Nov. 25, 2005
Now
that's what I call police brutality! From the Nov. 25 edition of
the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Sentry:
"Police arrested a Michigan man after assaulting his live-in
girlfriend by dragging her across the motel room, according to reports."
Nov. 19, 2005
Latest
Making a Buck in Maine interview, with a wine distributor, here.
Nov.
3 , 2005
I would say something about style over substance, but that implies
some sort of substance. Your government at work. (My favorite part
is the rolling-up-the-sleeves bit.) Brownie,
you were indeed doing a heck of a job.
Interview
with South Portland resident/creator of sitcom "Martin"
here.
Oct. 21, 2005
First
installment of new non-running-related venture with new Portland-area
publication here.
Seems
that summer might be coming to an end, at least at Jordan Pond
in Acadia National Park. Photo by Stacey
Cramp.
Oct.
7 , 2005
"... I know her well enough to say she's not going to change,
that 20 years from now she will be the same person with the same
philosophy she has today."—President Bush, speaking
on Oct. 4 about Harriet Miers
I'm sold. I was afraid he had nominated one of those people
who let new experiences and new ideas affect them.
Courtesy of David Mead comes this quote, which suggests Dubya doesn't
read a lot of Alexander Hamilton:
"To what purpose then require the co-operation of the Senate?
I answer, that the necessity of their concurrence would have a powerful,
though, in general, a silent operation. It would be an excellent
check upon a spirit of favoritism in the President, and would tend
greatly to prevent the appointment of unfit characters from State
prejudice, from family connection, from personal attachment, or
from a view to popularity. He would be both ashamed and afraid to
bring forward, for the most distinguished or lucrative stations,
candidates who had no other merit than that of coming from the same
State to which he particularly belonged, or of being in some way
or other personally allied to him, or of possessing the necessary
insignificance and pliancy to render them the obsequious instruments
of his pleasure."—Alexander
Hamilton, from Federalist No. 76
Sept.
30, 2005
Hmm, maybe we should reconsider the wedding anniversary trip to
Mount
Desert Island.
Sept. 22, 2005
Links to several running-in-Kenya articles on the article
index page.
Sept.
10, 2005
This one deserves a listen solely on the strength of the band name
and song title.
Sept. 2, 2005 This blogger
is matching contributions, up to $2,000, to hurricane-relief efforts.
Sept.
2, 2005
I've recently had reason to join the 21st century and start accumulating
MP3s on my laptop. Here are some nice discoveries I've made. (All
are free and kosher legalwise to download.)
Sept.
1, 2005
R.I.P., Monthly Mishmash. I'm switching to a whatever/whenever schedule
for miscellaneous updates (interesting correspondence, fun photos,
biannual original thoughts, etc.). Monthly Mishmash archives will
remain at the bottom of this page.
