tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58834232011-04-21T11:03:49.162-07:00I, CarriganRecreating what is yet to be createdjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comBlogger731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1109611542002280702005-02-28T09:25:00.000-08:002005-02-28T14:19:58.340-08:00They're a family! They're a family! Originally uploaded by Caffrin. I was at a salon in Greenwich Village this weekend, visiting a friend. I noticed this line of three nearly-identical pairs of Ugg boots near the front of the store. My first impulse was to say something snarky to my friend and to snap this photo. The store's owner noticed me looking at the shoes, smiled and said, "Look, they're a family!" In CSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06385392795135074792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1107885436959912292005-02-08T09:13:00.000-08:002005-02-08T09:57:16.960-08:00Favorite things???? I'll show you favorite things....
1) The Sun Room. On Sunday, when the sky was a vivid blue, light reflected from the ripples in the pool displayed matching white-on-white ripples on the ceiling of the Sun Room as we read peacefully. It doesn't get much better than that.
2) Music, in its remarkable variety, and its mystical power to calm and relax. As we read, I listened johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1107530137980813012005-02-04T09:11:00.000-08:002005-02-04T07:17:06.676-08:00A few of my favorite things.
1. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. one of Bright Eyes' two new albums. It's a few notes shy of perfect (never thought I'd say this, but it's possible that an album can have too much Emmylou Harris), but as John C. wisely summarized, there's no question that Coner Oberst is a real talent.
2. Sudafed Sinus Allergy. The only thing that's kept me functioning this week.johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1104029432710247872004-12-25T18:50:00.000-08:002004-12-25T18:50:32.710-08:00Nana sent the Foo Dogs, who have been assigned to guard Pamela. Elizabeth and Chris P. are with us in spirit.johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1095260389792548802004-09-15T07:34:00.000-07:002004-09-15T09:06:38.983-07:00Bad Moon Rising
There is no doubt now that Hurricane Ivan will hit the Northern Gulf Coast, almost certainly at Mobile. The expected track of the storm shows a leisurely drive up I-65 from Mobile to Birmingham, then a slight right turn to take I-59 toward Chattanooga.
Pat C's house on Dauphin Island is in grave danger, and he has prudently evacuated to Sheila C's condo in Mobile. We can follow johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1093667427824937102004-08-27T21:30:00.000-07:002004-08-27T21:30:27.823-07:00August, 2003. Sue C. A. stands before the imperiled sassafras tree, when Nana C., Richard C., Candy C., and Sue C. A. visited the Madrid Bend to see our ancestral estate. johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1093667079317034252004-08-27T21:24:00.000-07:002004-08-27T21:24:39.316-07:00July, 2003: Fireworks in Bradentonjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1093666996302900472004-08-27T21:23:00.000-07:002004-08-27T21:23:16.303-07:00January, 2004 - the JimFest, with hummingbirds on Catalina Islandjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1093666636847810252004-08-27T21:17:00.000-07:002004-08-27T21:22:12.110-07:00
The Pacific Northwest, Labor Day, 2003. I declare, Vancouver is a great place to visit.
johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1093665514543355022004-08-27T20:58:00.000-07:002004-08-27T21:34:38.876-07:00
Summer, 1983 or 1984?, The Hudson Duplex, Orange Beach, Alabama - the mega-reunion on the beach. Grandmother O'Grady and unidentified children
johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1092201576602898282004-08-10T22:03:00.000-07:002004-08-10T22:19:36.603-07:00Memorable Excursions III
It was the spring of 1987. The clan had just watched a spring training ballgame between the Cards and the Mets game at the beautiful Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Exiting the stadium, we five stepped out onto the streetcorner to find Mookie Wilson, still in uniform and signing autographs for but a smattering of fans.
If it is true that there was a pen in johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1091849085230299682004-08-06T20:24:00.000-07:002004-08-06T20:24:45.230-07:00Whereas this William Carrigan surely is related to usjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1091848926688380082004-08-06T20:22:00.000-07:002004-08-06T20:37:59.073-07:00
William "Rough" Carrigan, who managed and played catcher for the Boston Red Sox, is supposedly not related to us, but the scowl and the jaw and the intensity are so much like my father that I have to wonder
johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1091848499165430492004-08-06T20:14:00.000-07:002004-08-06T20:14:59.166-07:00back in the Tiny Kingdomjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1090882130083021462004-07-27T20:47:00.000-07:002004-08-06T15:41:39.643-07:00The Honor Roll of Memorable Family Excursions
Nominations are now open for the Honor Roll of Memorable Carrigan Family Excursions. To be eligible, an excursion must include at least three Carrigans, and must entail at least one overnight stay. My opening nominations:
July 3-5, 2004 - St. Louis - a three-generation event involving Redbirds, fireworks, and Fair St. Louis. Participants - Sheilajohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1086272285382688772004-06-03T07:10:00.000-07:002004-06-03T07:18:05.383-07:00Sweet Home Alabama
Time to reconsider City Stages, young ones: Ruben Studdard, Kid Rock, Loretta Lynn, Al Green, My Morning Jacket, Kanye West, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ralph Stanley, Shelby Lynne, Fuel, Live, Fountains of Wayne, Los Lonely Boys, Chris Robinson and the New Earth Mud, Drive by Truckers, The Aaron Neville Quintet featuring Charles Neville, Keb' Mo', George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelicjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1085543523016881462004-05-25T20:27:00.000-07:002004-05-25T20:52:03.016-07:00The IC Consumer Review – Audi A6
As St. Valentine’s Day approached in 2001, we were in the final stages of negotiation to buy a new car to replace the beloved Stodgemobile. The leading contender, and eventual winner, was the Audi A6, in dark blue with tan interior and Bose sound system. Audi provides several engine options as well as allwheel drive, but we chose two-wheel drive with the 2.8 johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1084211680162288882004-05-10T10:35:00.000-07:002004-05-10T10:54:40.163-07:00Mother's Day Weekend
Nowhere was Spring more alive and beautiful than in the Tiny Kingdom this weekend. Trees have fully leaved out, with a vibrant spring green hue; although most azaleas are past their peak, there are still flowers everywhere. Skies were clear, the days were warm but not unbearably hot, the water in the newly reclaimed pool was crystal clear and invigorating (i.e., cold enoughjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1083251146257371322004-04-29T08:05:00.000-07:002004-04-29T08:10:03.513-07:00So I Saw This Opening Band Last Night.
Went to the Empty Bottle last night to see Deerhoof, a San Francisco-based bunch of guitar freakos with cute haircuts. As usual, the E.B. was packed, smoky, and about 25 degrees hotter than a person like me finds appropriate. And also, as usual, there was a member of Wilco in attendance. Oh, Chicago--the crumbs of celebrity we'll gratefully accept from johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1083249475567132872004-04-29T07:37:00.000-07:002004-04-29T08:16:33.390-07:00Prodigal Son and Daughters Briefly Contemplate Homecoming
-----Original Message-----
From: Carrigan, C. S.
[mailto:CXC]
Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 9:23 AM
To: Johnny C.; LDC
Subject: Oh, if only.
The City Stages lineup for this year, three magic words:
Studdard.
Skynyrd.
Jacket.
It's about time that festival got cool again.
Catherine C.
Chicago, IL
johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1082442491406869112004-04-19T23:28:00.000-07:002004-04-19T23:32:15.450-07:00Don't Call It A Comeback, It Won't Be Here For Years
At work this evening I checked out a new internet radiostation, fcuk.com. The station is operated by British clothier French Connection and comes off as Radio Disney for the boys who want to look like Kate Moss and the girls who want to punch them. The sound was tinny, but the music was pretty good. In addition to some britpop I didn't johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1081747012605244672004-04-11T22:16:00.000-07:002004-04-11T22:20:45.750-07:00Response to a reader's comment
Regarding the California quarter suggestion (see The Union Forever, Part Three) that Zorro is intrinsically Californian, an alert reader suggested that Zorro could have been elsewhere in Spanish Colonial North America. I admit a blind spot on this issue, particularly overlooking the possibility of Zorro in colonial New Mexico. Stiil, the California John Muir/ johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1081745604962678442004-04-11T21:53:00.000-07:002004-04-15T18:16:06.733-07:00LET'S ALL GO TO THE MOVIES
I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with very few preconceptions. That is, I didn't have any idea of the plot or anyone starring in it. How did it happen that I saw a film about which I knew almost nothing? Well, I seem to recall Cathy C. giving it a thumb's up, and it started 25 minutes before the other films I might have wanted to see, and I was short on johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1080712507527261342004-03-30T21:55:00.000-08:002004-04-01T10:42:33.186-08:00The Union Forever, Part Three
Good news: The series of commemorative state quarters has given each state an opportunity to send its mini-resume to the nation. A state could say, “this is something that makes us special” (e.g., Indiana’s Indy 500) or “this makes us proud” (e.g., New York’s Statue of Liberty).
Bad news: the model for attempts to combine dignity with a positive impression on a johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1079507992860336972004-03-16T23:19:00.000-08:002004-03-16T23:24:56.640-08:00The Tao of Willie Munchright
Post-Supersize Me , likesay, directly or indirectly precipitating McDonald's decision to axe supersized meals, making fun of the Golden Arches is just yeah, yeah, yeah, yawn and why bother. I mean, the bar's been raised so high, where else are we at the IC going to be able to take it? Besides, if we've learned anything from popular culture over the last ten years, johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1078927692157140622004-03-10T06:08:00.000-08:002004-03-10T06:11:20.640-08:00Tribune and Sun-Times Endorse Obama; I, Carrigan Gives Him the Hat Trick
Several loyal readers have noted my absence from these cyberpages in recent weeks. It's true, it's true--I've been off traveling this fair country on business, sleeping in grain silos and drinking "those fancy beers my father knows I like" in bars in Atlanta strip malls. But the billable hour has to be put to rest, if johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1078619725363580412004-03-06T16:35:00.000-08:002004-03-06T16:44:48.123-08:00Better late than never
Martha Stewart's public image of gracious hospitality overshadowed a meanness of spirit well known to Carrigans since the kosher salt incident many years ago in Birmingham. Arrogance and selfishness are not crimes, but the Domestic Diva's assumption that the law applies only to those who are not famous seems to have been mistaken. My compliments to the prosecution.
Lawjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1078441137147145682004-03-04T14:58:00.000-08:002004-03-04T15:01:58.013-08:00The Leadership Secrets of Elmer Fudd
Faced with a serious challenge to baseball's image, Commissioner "Bud" Selig took strong action to restore public confidence. Selig recently sent a directive to all 30 teams, telling them to decline comment on the BALCO case "specifically" and performance-enhancing drugs "generally."
Like his mentor, Selig sees the importance of a stealthy approach in a johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1078242255831893282004-03-02T07:44:00.000-08:002004-03-02T08:09:39.263-08:00The sound of one shoe dropping...
Imagine my surprise as it is reported that some baseball players were "supplied" with steroids. Imagine my surprise that the players continue to deny that they ever "knowingly" took steroids.
As John Smoltz said candidly, it's up to the ballplayers themselves to demand real drug testing.
And lest it appear that I am disappointed only in the ballplayers johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1077555535910941632004-02-23T08:58:00.000-08:002004-02-23T16:28:18.623-08:00The victory lap is running a little long...
Johnny C. deserves credit as a new star in the firmament of rock journalism, but six days is plenty long for his victory parade. Obviously, our Chicago correspondent has been hibernating, so it seems to be up to Birmingham to stir up some activity. Hence:
HAS BASEBALL GONE CRAZY, OR HAVE I?
As Carrigans everywhere are no doubt aware, the National johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1077090387038270652004-02-17T23:46:00.000-08:002004-02-17T23:49:05.810-08:00Just Allow Me This Short Victory Lap
Though it has been hanging up on this site for the past week, looking like the Christmas tree that nobody can yet bear to drag to the curb, please grant me the indulgence of this follow-up to my last post.
I was not particularly familiar with the circumstances behind the Steely Dan win a couple of years ago, though I don't remember it selling too well. johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1076223281180071692004-02-07T22:54:00.000-08:002004-02-08T10:13:04.170-08:00Why OutKast Will Win The Grammy Award For Album Of The Year
As once noted by entertainment industry insider Chuck D. of Public Enemy, the Recording Academy's annual awards program has known a less than stellar reputation among both musicians and fans of popular music. Nevertheless, the Grammy Award telecast draws high ratings each year, mystifying its viewership with honorees who seem, at firstjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1075969279230210612004-02-05T00:21:00.000-08:002004-02-05T07:02:02.483-08:00I, Carrigan's Favorite Song of 2004 To Date
If high school cheerleaders taught me one thing, it was to BE AGGRESSIVE!!! BE-E AGGRESSIVE!!!. If they taught me a second thing, it was to GO BANANAS!!! GO GO BANANAS!!! Judging by "The Rat," the lead single off of the second LP by New York's The Walkmen, I wasn't the only one who got the message.
"The Rat" brings you "hard" "rock" that speaks johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1075612825357611022004-01-31T21:20:00.000-08:002004-01-31T21:22:40.873-08:00Our Old Kentucky Home
Where do we come from? Not a simple question, but for now, a simple answer.
For about one hundred years, our foreparents lived in a geographic peculiarity known as the Madrid Bend. Soon after the most severe earthquake in U.S. history, the Watsons established farms there, which have been in the family since about 1820.
Last year, when I spoke to a lawyer who practices johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1075236591557695872004-01-27T12:49:00.000-08:002004-01-27T12:56:18.013-08:00Building momentum
The Howard Dean campaign seems to be gaining traction toward the hearts and minds of the "guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks." In an apparent overture to the WWE constituency, comedian/ pundit Al Franken attacked a man heckling Howard Dean.
News accounts indicate that "Franken emerged from the crowd and charged one male protester, grabbing him with a bear hug johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1074662027270579602004-01-20T21:13:00.000-08:002004-01-25T20:54:42.640-08:00Howard Dean's Southern Strategy
Wow, it hurts to admit that I was so wrong about the guy. Sure, even after he gave a hint last year with his, ''I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks,'' he seemed the earnest candidate with an unshakable core of True Believers - maybe a little too far left to win - the McGovern for the 21st Century, or even johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1073965142051349872004-01-12T19:39:00.000-08:002004-01-12T21:51:10.293-08:00The Union Forever2
We recently shook the I.C. mailbag and uncovered a letter from Chicago reader Jason R. The well-coiffed lad, while generally positive in his remarks on the site, disputed our Birmingham correspondent's review of the state of Virginia's commemorative quarter. See The Union Forever, originally posted 10/21/03. To wit:
"I take issue with the C grade given to VA's quarter. johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1073716021404184042004-01-09T22:27:00.000-08:002004-01-09T22:27:21.660-08:00What Ruben Studdard means to me
First, understand that I am not a fan of "reality" shows of any kind, and I was extremely resistant to American Idol. The TV promos I had seen for it emphasized Simon's sarcasm, and made it appear to be focussed on meanness. At the end of the first season, I was vaguely aware that some people wanted Kelly, and others wanted Justin, and I simply couldn't imagine johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1073693659852066482004-01-09T16:14:00.000-08:002004-01-09T16:35:35.463-08:00So you want to start a Book Club.
Welcome to the twenty-first century, mes amis--like metrosexuality and Ugg boots, book clubs are but one of the latest fads for the young urban professional. I, being as I am (at the moment at least) still decidedly y-u-p and a slave to everything that's ever been cited in the Shaw Report, am currently a member of TWO book clubs. Apparently I can't get enough johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1073370591424947212004-01-05T22:29:00.000-08:002004-01-05T23:30:04.503-08:00Hang the DJ
I spent about four hours at work this afternoon listening to a new rock radio station here in Los Angeles. Though the station just launched a week or so ago, and there are no DJ's (or advertisements) as of yet, the on air bumpers refer to it as "your independent station, Indie 103.1." One could reasonably infer this means that either the station is independently owned, or that it johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1073286914962640762004-01-04T23:15:00.000-08:002004-01-04T23:15:33.996-08:00Make Me Laugh
One topic that's always interested me, though I've never found any sort of book on it, definitive or otherwise, is the history of the joke. How did jokes get started/lowest form of humor/prop comedy through the ages/what always works/never works, etc. Surely there's some fantastic book out there like this, but I've never seen it. An Amazon search turns up nothing but a dozen or johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1072858172039208482003-12-31T00:09:00.000-08:002003-12-31T00:09:49.846-08:00Tonight We're Gonna Party Like It's 1999
2003's candle burns short. Procrastinate as you will, the time to make last minute New Year's Eve plans has arrived. Fear not, fear not, however. IC is here to help, with roadmaps to strategic revelry designed to shame you as you watch Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve in your sweats and try to stay awake for Ashanti.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Each johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1071548609940909612003-12-30T11:23:00.000-08:002003-12-30T22:03:31.503-08:00Black Box Reporter
The Black Box is an unlabeled compilation CD submitted for review without identification of songs or artists, without any explanation, promo or spin. The reviewer is to react to the music, not to expectations. These comments are made in that spirit. However, I must admit that I recognized some of the songs from albums that I own, and other artists were recognizable to me. johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1070866064870793232003-12-07T22:47:00.000-08:002003-12-08T22:44:05.820-08:00I, Carrigan's Top 10 Albums of 2003
10. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak
Lyrics for grad students, melodies for 10 year olds, and Thin Lizzy riffs for you. U.S. blues from the new indie Springsteen.
9. Jay-Z - The Black Album
Did you know: this is Jay-Z's last album, Jay-Z used to sell drugs, and Jay-Z thinks Jay-Z is really terrific? If you've listened to even a minute of johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1070581538678824182003-12-04T15:45:00.000-08:002003-12-04T15:45:49.300-08:00The Modern Age
Apparently, it is now possible to acquire from Sears a device that will copy VHS tapes to DVD.
If that be true, there will be quite a few classic FSU football games and episodes of Alias and Remington Steele on DVD later this month.
Archivist Carrigan johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1070239389490987312003-11-30T16:43:00.000-08:002003-11-30T16:43:19.116-08:00Good Housekeeping
Would like to apologize from my recent absence. I have been having some trouble with my home internet, which I believe has mostly been solved. Also, I have no idea why our links on the righthand side of the page are doubled up. To my eyes, the code looks the same as it always has. If any other bloggers are reading this and have solved this problem on their pages, I wish johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1069515340867941302003-11-22T07:35:00.000-08:002003-11-22T07:35:48.163-08:00Coming Attractions
As I write this, I am being blown away by the extended dvd version of The Two Towers. A full review will follow, but the theme will be, as good as the theatrical version was, the extended dvd is so much better that I ALMOST hesitate to see the theatrical version of Return of the King. ALMOST. In fact, the Return of the King trailer is currently in my 10 best of 2003.
Theodenjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1069137299444550892003-11-17T22:34:00.000-08:002003-11-18T05:46:21.703-08:00Even More Reviews of Three Second Excerpts of Popular Music
Fast Out of the Blocks: songs that let you know where they're going:
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire! :01-:03 Was there ever a stronger beginning than, "YOU SHAKE MY NERVES AND YOU RATTLE MY BRAIN"?
Johnny Paycheck, Take This Job and Shove It, :01-03 Defiance, independence, a sense of departure with no turning back.
ZZ Top, Vivajohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1068667678506966342003-11-12T12:08:00.000-08:002003-11-13T09:46:48.406-08:00More Reviews of Three Second Excerpts of Popular Music
Neutral Milk Hotel, "Untitled" 1:37-1:40 (Merge)
The penultimate track on Jeff Mangum's career-defining (and, lamentably, probably final) album is, perhaps, the very exemplar of musical catharsis. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a beautiful record; it is honest and strange, sickening and redemptive, but above all, it is intensely and CSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06385392795135074792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1068615071851899652003-11-11T21:31:00.000-08:002003-11-11T21:31:16.593-08:00Has Michael Feinstein lost his Mojo?
Took Phyllis and Jim to see Michael Feinstein Sunday night at the Alys Stephens Center. It's a beautiful venue, good acoustics, good sight lines, comfortable and attractive in an elegant and understated way. The audience was what you'd expect, mostly middle-aged and older, wearing what you'd wear to court, or a funeral. Woodstock it wasn't. The Man johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1068567837040152182003-11-11T08:23:00.000-08:002003-11-11T08:24:01.823-08:00A Salute To Veterans
Once again, Veteran's Day gives an opportunity to remember the sacrifices made for our country. As prone as I am to flippancy, I'm dead serious about this. Remember those who served - especially quiet heroes like Jim Walch. Jim served in three wars; he mastered horses, mules and motorcycles in the cavalry, then flew light planes and helicopters. Yet there is no kinder, johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1067931166484750032003-11-03T23:32:00.000-08:002003-11-03T23:32:49.206-08:00And So It Begins, This Love
How to describe the buzz that's building for this Carrigan blog? In just our first month of operation we've received hits from coast to coast (theoretically), and as far away as Brazil (actually). And kudos? Natch. In her mash note to the IC, the radiant Renee D. of San Francisco, CA gives a shout out to the new blue background, noting it brings "life and energy" johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1067448889845109242003-10-29T09:34:00.000-08:002003-10-29T09:46:46.870-08:00Planting the Flag, part deux
If the theme is to be carried out, we shouldn’t overlook the Jills, or the Pills. Stretching a bit farther, there’s more of a gospel music sound from the Dills, and who could overlook country music's the Gills? Apparently, although the hills are alive with the sound of Ewan McGregor's music, it's hard to find a group called the Hills. The Mills Brothers also seem tojohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1067410630349636312003-10-28T22:57:00.000-08:002003-10-28T22:57:11.166-08:00Planting the Flag
I was running through the new pack of flashcards the other day. The Kills? Uh, supposed to be good, I think. Maybe a two-piece? Dunno. The Chills? From New Zealand, I think, can't really place them. The Stills? Totally stumped. The Thrills? Wait. That one I know! They're four or five young guys from Dublin, supposedly lived in California for a while, sound like thejohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1067237143590080112003-10-26T22:45:00.000-08:002003-10-27T21:44:59.876-08:00Product Placement
For better or worse, it is becoming increasingly apparent that everything that has ever been broadcast on television will be available on DVD within about the next seven months. Although music videos haven't been absent from the DVD arena, most of the collections on the market are devoted to single artists. With Bjork and the Beastie Boys as notable exceptions, few of these johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1067216591380428452003-10-26T17:03:00.000-08:002003-10-26T17:03:12.340-08:00Hello. Is It We You're Looking For?
As you may have noticed, you may now email the editorial staff here at the IC by clicking on the link to the right. Alternatively, you may email us directly by shooting it to icommacarrigan@yahoo.com. Please understand that any emails we receive may posted, in whole or in part, to this site as our whims dictate. We make no guarantees as to whether or not johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1066950120744848942003-10-23T16:02:00.000-07:002003-10-23T18:36:36.460-07:00Review of "The Union Forever" Review
Actual critique or thinly-veiled son-to-father hostility? Our reviewer can't seem to decide what he's aspiring to in this one-off of a posting. It's also usually considered helpful when a reviewer can claim some degree of knowledge of his subject. If John C. "can't quibble with the evals too much" (and apparently can't be bothered to spell out words of CSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06385392795135074792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1066839351808429002003-10-22T09:15:00.000-07:002003-10-22T09:17:34.876-07:00Build your vocabulary
The word of the day is "feckless"
Derived from a Scots word, "feck", meaning effect. Calling a person feckless is to describe him as ineffective, with pejorative overtones of sloth, incompetence and general undependability. In the South in my youth, we would have called such a person "sorry" (meaning useless and morally weak, rather than filled with regret). That usagejohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1066795428929792962003-10-21T21:03:00.000-07:002003-10-21T21:06:05.696-07:00The Union Forever Review
"Tokens of pop culture"? Tokens, yes, but I think the general idea is these are our actual culture. Superfluous use of the word "rock" to mean "succeed" (as is the style of the day, apparently. Eve is pretty and she has some nice songs and the pawprint tattoos are cool, but does she does not capital R "ROCK.") Plus marks for the scope, I don't know any active coin johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1066792919160912282003-10-21T20:21:00.000-07:002003-10-21T21:15:35.330-07:00The Union Forever
Uneven in eye appeal and message, the commemorative state quarters are ubiquitous tokens of pop culture. Predictably, some rock and some don't. A first review:
Delaware: C+ Has nothing happened in Delaware for 225 years? And if you need to explain the the horseman is not Paul Revere but Caesar Rodney, the first President of Delaware, he's a bit too obscure
New York: Ajohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1066339529275075472003-10-16T16:25:00.000-07:002003-10-16T16:30:37.566-07:00Well, it's true that we love one another.
Little more than two weeks into the online chronicling of All Things Carrigan and we decide to go and get all "political" and "thinky." No fair. Now that the Cubs are out of the series I was really hoping to start using the blog to champion my many other interests like music, the law, and successful new FOX television shows starring people who never CSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06385392795135074792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1066345840138548872003-10-16T16:10:00.000-07:002003-10-16T16:10:40.176-07:00I can tell that we're going to be friends
My heart goes out to Chicago. Cindy Greene explained that it was "an Eeyore kind of day" as the entire city moped around; and it was hard for the normally ebullient Jim MacPherson even to get up this morning. Cathy C. has the right idea - look forward, don't look back.
Tonight, John C. and I will face each other across a vast and treacherous gulf. Hejohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1066315707562631442003-10-16T07:48:00.000-07:002003-10-16T07:50:02.873-07:00"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
George Santayana
"Hate the Game" of one-sided smart-ass pseudo-philosophy? From a blogger? Excuse me while I plan the funeral, because irony truly must have died, at least on the Left Coast.
The "Game" rocks, and blogging confirms that. The quintessence of freedom of speech is the right / duty of those who have opinions to sayjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1066275087951683402003-10-15T20:31:00.000-07:002003-10-15T20:31:27.763-07:00Don't (Just) Hate The Player, Hate The Game
In his recent post here on the IC, Rod McKuen, er, "Law and Order" Carrigan of Birmingham, AL, called out Rush Limbaugh for being "mean-spirited." (Also in "I, Carrigan's" continuing quest to bring you all the cutting-edge water cooler conversation of 1992, I just heard of this new band from Seattle that you should check out. TOTALLY going places.)
johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1066235318008772752003-10-15T09:28:00.000-07:002003-10-15T09:28:40.356-07:00I'm Looking at YOU, Green Turtleneck Guy.
In the spirit of calling out men behaving badly, I have to express a little self-righteous anger towards the Cubs "fan" who interfered with a foul ball in the bottom of the 8th inning last night, thus paving the way for the most demoralizing twenty minutes I've had since a partner I work with informed me he'd just finished his "usual total rewrite" of CSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06385392795135074792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1066175104057208562003-10-14T16:45:00.000-07:002003-10-16T15:39:52.370-07:00Well, OK, Rush Limbaugh IS an idiot.
My beef with Rush Limbaugh is NOT his inability to live up to the moral standards he espouses. The charge of hypocrisy, perhaps applicable, is so overused by the chic and fatuous as to lose its impact. In Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson incisively pointed out that that hypocrisy is the only accusation that the "non-judgmental" can make.
To be fair, I'll johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1065908405993312442003-10-11T14:40:00.000-07:002003-10-12T20:34:55.516-07:00Reviews of Three Second Excerpts Of Popular Music
The Strokes The Way It Is 0:15-0:18
While bashing his kit to an aggressive, up-tempo rock beat, Strokes drummer Fabrizio Morretti simultaneously works in an almost arythmic flutter on the kick drum that sounds like a sample, but is not. How can one man be making all this incredible noise?
Moretti's drumming was once memorably described johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1065583971732723992003-10-07T20:32:00.000-07:002003-10-11T12:52:40.920-07:00Political Thriller
Today my firm hosted a client seminar at the Century Plaza Hotel. Coincidentally, California's celebrity gubernatorial candidate had reserved the Century Plaza's ballroom (allegedly the largest in town) for his victory party or concession speech. One of the other attorneys and I decided to head into the ballroom (designated as "press only") and check things out at about 4:15johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1065526661578552992003-10-07T04:37:00.000-07:002003-10-07T06:49:07.500-07:00Gotta love the playoffs
With a tip of the hat to the Cubbies, we turn now to the Boston Red Sox, dear to the hearts of Carrigans since player-manager William "Rough" Carrigan led them to two World Series titles. Affection for the Bosox is bittersweet and often painful, as the Curse of the Bambino has dashed hopes again and again.
Yet hope springs eternal. Last night, the Red Sox prevailed in johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1065484208950985362003-10-06T18:46:00.000-07:002003-10-11T12:49:05.220-07:00Catherine Feels Affection for Alex Gonzalez
Today I saw a dog walking on just its two front paws. I saw a comet blaze through the midday sky. I saw a crowded El car’s passengers moved to tears by one man’s search for the beautiful girl he’d met on the train but lacked the courage to ask out. But none of these events can compare to what I saw last night. The Chicago Cubs, my newly-adopted CSChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06385392795135074792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1065450906388788062003-10-06T07:35:00.000-07:002003-10-06T07:35:06.220-07:00School of Rock
All future generations looking for the archetype of the passionate rocker can leave Val Kilmer's The Doors and Dennis Quaid's Great Balls of Fire on the shelf at Blockbuster as they head straight for the embodiment of the rock obsession in School of Rock.
Jack Black stole High Fidelity from John Cusack by playing the music-obsessed loser. Well, it's safe to say he has laid johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1065157070641229902003-10-02T21:57:00.000-07:002003-10-04T13:19:58.420-07:00Doubloons - the cornerstone of 21st century investment strategy
Face it -- conventional investment advice is suspect. People who sell stocks tell you that stocks are a sure thing; people who sell real estate tell you that real estate is the way to go. Have you noticed that people who sell insurance can find ways to describe insurance as an investment? Not to mention anyone dealing in "johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883423.post-1064992369378106722003-10-01T00:12:00.000-07:002003-10-11T12:47:15.033-07:00Prologue
I find myself endlessly fascinating. Early in my high school years I used to fantasize that leagues of photoshopping cherubs monitored my every move, cataloged my every quip, airbrushed my every blemish for a weekly magazine about my life.
The graphic design was stunning. The pages contained not just minute details of my comings and goings, but editorials on upcoming decisions in my johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517881540246412215noreply@blogger.com