Hello Autumn! ***update: Chabon interview link fixed.

Another round of randomness…..

First music. I have been smitten by yet another band from Austin, TX by the name of Okkervil River. Their latest album is called The Stand Ins and is fantastic! Okkervil River along with Shearwater and Spoon make Austin a veritable indie music mecca. In an interesting promotional move for this album, Okkervil River asked friends of theirs to interpret each of the songs and be their “stand ins.” The results have been posted on YouTube for your enjoyment. Check out the one below by A. C. Newman of The New Pornographers along with Will Sheff of Okkervil River doing the killer pop gem “Lost Coastlines.” Others feature Bon Iver and many more.

Second is author Michael Chabon. He is one of my favorite contemporary writers and I just finished his latest work of fiction, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union. Set in an alternate history where a small section of Alaska, not Israel, becomes home to millions of displaced Jews after World War II, it essentially is a hard-boiled detective story told in a very unique setting. Reading Chabon is rewarding on many levels, with great characters, themes and bold command of language. I am very curious what the Coen brothers will do with this story, as I have heard they bought the rights to the book for adaptation on the big screen. I may do a more in-depth review/critique of the book soon. Chabon is also an eloquent apologist for ideas that this blog hold dear, namely embracing what others may call “low” culture and engaging it in a serious manner. This interview deals with this aspect primarily and is also one of the many subjects found in his latest work of non-fiction essays, Maps and Legends.

Happy watching, listening and reading!