Love of the Common Zan

maudnewton: “Vassar was identified with a slightly flamboyant...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:35:08 -0400

“Vassar was identified with a slightly flamboyant kind of avant-gardism.” Mary McCarthy, in 1974, remembers the “typically progressive mentality” of Vassar girls during the New Deal era, when she was in school there.

The most hilarious part about this is that in the late 90s, everyone at Vassar dressed exactly like the Vassar Girl at 1:30.

"I love “Bite my veins, cigarettes, and big eyes” mostly because it sounds like something..."

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:54:31 -0400

“I love “Bite my veins, cigarettes, and big eyes” mostly because it sounds like something I would have read in a zine written by some superweird and glamorous girl a very long time ago, like 1999. I would have read that sentence and spent the next few days or weeks of my life being obsessed with that girl and trying to write like her, walking around Boston feeling so electrified by this new world in which you can command someone to bite your veins, cigarettes, and big eyes - and maybe he’ll even actually do it. That’s what I value most about girl poets like Alex Chilton, how all this wild and insane and beautiful shit you never even thought of before suddenly seems so hugely possible.”

- Strawberry Fields Whatever: I Got Alex Chilton’s Name Written On My Body Forever

(Really this should be posted on the old Tumblr, but it’s still kind of just this strange shrine and I don’t quite know what to do about it.)

I stumbled across Elizabeth Barker through Twitter while doing my weekly Todd search (yes). She’d posted a tweet about both Todd and Alex and it was like NO WAY this woman gets me. Maybe this woman is me. But obviously her own person, and someone who gets tattoos when she feels something weighty and important and significant. I like that she called Alex a girl poet. I like that she got his name tattooed on her because as she says “I just love Alex Chilton so much and he makes everything in my life so much sweeter and wilder.” I like that she’s not shy about talking about what he means to her.

How all this wild and insane and beautiful shit you never even thought of before suddenly seems so hugely possible explains so perfectly how I feel about the past three years of my life and I’m so glad those words exist and that this woman exists all the way across the country and aren’t we all lucky to find the things that mean something to us when we need them to most? And talk about it? And shout about it? And mark ourselves forever with the name of it?

Hey, that’s our bathroom (and our Springsteen). (via Chris...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:25:48 -0400

Hey, that’s our bathroom (and our Springsteen).

(via Chris Glass)

MVI1516 (by Andy Morin)

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:59:00 -0400

MVI1516 (by Andy Morin)

chrisglass: Trivia Team Heavy Metal Parking Lot I was...

Wed, 29 May 2013 10:20:00 -0400

chrisglass:

Trivia Team Heavy Metal Parking Lot

I was waaaayyyy into this. It was almost like discovering big hair was my calling. Even bought some Doublemint Gum and Designer Imposters to put in my leather purse.

Thanks to Chris for the photo.

And I HAVE to note that Tom rigged that boombox so it actually played music. His entrance was one of the most spectacular things in the world.

“Nice! Tape decks!”

“Yeah, but only three of them are working.”

(via Chris Glass » Team Heavy Metal Parking Lot)

I knew they were remodeling, but since the sign was still there...

Wed, 29 May 2013 10:11:00 -0400

I knew they were remodeling, but since the sign was still there even though the building is not, I was hoping the sign was there to stay. It appears that’s not the case. This is one of my favorite sights in our neighborhood; it brought a little tear to my eye to hear that no matter the ultimate fate of the sign, it’s going away.

(via Chris Glass » Saving the Arby’s sign)

thebluthcompany: Arrested Development season 4...

Sat, 25 May 2013 10:37:05 -0400

thebluthcompany:

Arrested Development season 4 clip.

BEES?!

For J. Who’s my B.

Who Tar

Sat, 25 May 2013 10:29:04 -0400

badkidsjokes:

knock knock
who tar
pb
pb who
i love your butcheks lol
funny

Better than Saturday Morning Cartoons.

The New Daft Punk Album by The Alan Parsons Project I have no...

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:11:32 -0400

The New Daft Punk Album by The Alan Parsons Project

I have no idea why everyone is talking about Steely Dan; the only comparison they need to make is this one. Track for track.

In case you missed it on Instagram, here is the caterpillar I...

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:59:58 -0400

In case you missed it on Instagram, here is the caterpillar I found that looks like Albert Einstein. (via zanmcquade on Instagram)

allthingseurope: Parnu, Estonia (by kalleahtola) Don’t I...

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:57:06 -0400

allthingseurope:

Parnu, Estonia (by kalleahtola)

Don’t I know it. And love it.

“Paul C? Who is Paul C?” “Could it be that guy we met in the...

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:57:25 -0400

“Paul C****? Who is Paul C****?”
“Could it be that guy we met in the airport?”
“Yes! Beardy guy from Kentucky!”
“…”
“Mike E*****?”
“The wood guy?”
“Yes! Hmm. Sean? Sean. That’s all it says… Sea….SUBWAY SEAN!”

Listening to J transfer his accounts to his new phone is the best and strangest window into his world.

There were only two moments in this year’s Eurovision...

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:15:12 -0400

There were only two moments in this year’s Eurovision worth mentioning: Romania’s entry (give it at least until 00:40…), and this medley of songs from last year’s winner, Loreen. The fact that this woman can’t win Eurovision every year makes me endlessly sad. Almost as sad as the fact that her songs aren’t on the radio all the time here.

She is a superstar. The best gift Eurovision has given the world since ABBA.

Last night I was in my car and flipped to a radio station that...

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:47:00 -0400

Last night I was in my car and flipped to a radio station that was playing the end of a fun. song, followed by Smash Mouth’s cover of The Monkees’ “I’m A Believer.”

It made me realize: fun. is pretty much exactly the band you’d get if The Monkees covered Smash Mouth.

I wanted to be her so bad.

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:41:29 -0400

I wanted to be her so bad.

A List of Things I Meant Note in Charley and Edie Harper’s...

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:35:37 -0400

A List of Things I Meant Note in Charley and Edie Harper’s House (But Didn’t)

What radio station the little boombox was tuned to in Charley’s studio.
What books had bookmarks in them and where. And why.
What they kept on their bedside tables.
What the ceilings were made of. How they cleaned the tops of their windows.
Where Edie preferred to sit: outside or in; upstairs or down.

A List of Things I Did Note

The bits of shell and rock and wood collected in a planter near the doorway.
The rubber waders and fishing net, empty and unused, leaned up against the rear of the house.
The plants and tools resting on a wooden shelf out back, tools for poking in the dirt, excavating.
The look on Edie’s face in her portrait hung next to Charley’s in the downstairs gallery: knowing, confident, appreciating, discerning.
The glass ornaments strung from every window: ladybugs, birds.
The lids to ice cream pots used by Charley for paint palettes.
The sketches of cardinals on tracing paper pinned to the underside of his shelves.
The cushioned bench next to the window within arm’s reach of the desk in the studio; how easy the window looked to open and let the breeze in.
The low branches visible just outside, good for watching how birds flew, and perched, and landed.
The framed reminder above the stairs to his studio basement: “Be Sloppy.” (It was J who pointed out the one below it, the one we presumed was Edie’s reminder: “You Are.”)

(From this. Predictably.)

Kevin is right, as usual. My teen agrees. It was almost like a...

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:00:29 -0400

Kevin is right, as usual. My teen agrees.

It was almost like a grand public art project, or a new kind of spirituality. A cheerful, willing confrontation of the self.

Platypus

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:27:19 -0400

badkidsjokes:

what did the doctor say to the platypus?

sir you are in quite a pickle

This is currently the Tumblr that cheers me up like no other.

My very talented cousin directed this video for my very talented...

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:58:55 -0400

My very talented cousin directed this video for my very talented brother and his band. (Celebs!)

ollymurs: i dont wanna go to college i wanna go to concerts Awwww! 1994 - 1999. (I promise you: if...

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:11:18 -0400

ollymurs:

i dont wanna go to college i wanna go to concerts

Awwww! 1994 - 1999.

(I promise you: if you go to college, you WILL get to go see The Bluetones.)

Love of the Common Zan

maudnewton: “Vassar was identified with a slightly flamboyant...

"I love “Bite my veins, cigarettes, and big eyes” mostly because it sounds like something..."

Hey, that’s our bathroom (and our Springsteen). (via Chris...

MVI1516 (by Andy Morin)

chrisglass: Trivia Team Heavy Metal Parking Lot I was...

I knew they were remodeling, but since the sign was still there...

thebluthcompany: Arrested Development season 4...

Who Tar

The New Daft Punk Album by The Alan Parsons Project I have no...

In case you missed it on Instagram, here is the caterpillar I...

allthingseurope: Parnu, Estonia (by kalleahtola) Don’t I...

“Paul C****? Who is Paul C****?” “Could it be that guy we met in the...

There were only two moments in this year’s Eurovision...

Last night I was in my car and flipped to a radio station that...

I wanted to be her so bad.

A List of Things I Meant Note in Charley and Edie Harper’s...

Kevin is right, as usual. My teen agrees. It was almost like a...

Platypus

My very talented cousin directed this video for my very talented...

ollymurs: i dont wanna go to college i wanna go to concerts Awwww! 1994 - 1999. (I promise you: if...

“Paul C? Who is Paul C?” “Could it be that guy we met in the...