Richard Metzger was the Boing Boing guest blogger
It was great fun posting here these past two weeks –really, you have no idea how much f'ing fun this is– and thank you to everyone who commented (except the dude who said I should be denounced for my "Marx was right!" post. Who died and made you Joe McCarthy, buddy?). I learned a lot from all of you (except for that guy). [Jacobian, the link to Kapitalism 101 was tres cool, thanks for that!]
I applaud my friends the Happy Mutants for their playful, yet purposeful entrepreneurial spirit –doing something you love and getting paid for it is a difficult and delicate thing to engineer– and the necessary cultural explorations they perform for the readers and that the Boing Boing readers reflect back to them. It's a job well done on both ends. Paraphrasing somebody or something: If Boing Boing did not exist, it would be necessary to invent it!
I'd say parting is such sweet sorrow and all of that, but you're actually not getting rid of me so darned fast. In fact, I'll be around every once in a while now moving forward as a correspondent for Boing Boing video, working with Xeni. This is very exciting news for me. There's already an interview with Douglas Rushkoff previewing his new book, "Life Inc" in the can ready to go and I posted an interview with Charles Hugh Smith here. I hope you'll give it some of your time, I believe Charles says some import things in these videos that you won't hear anywhere else.
I particularly enjoyed being able to discuss music that I love here. With the closing of many/most of the record stores in this country, the fine art of BS'ing about music tends to happen on music blogs now. If I was able to introduce a few of you to the joys of Yabby You, Tuxedomoon, Snatch, Jobriath, Faust and "The Scene" (and my last time here, PJ Proby, Brett Smiley and mini-skirted 70s minx, Jeannie C. Riley) I am filled with rock snob satisfaction. If any of you will be watching Jam, Nighty Night, or The Trailer Park Boys, on my advice, I'm happier still.
Speaking of BS'ing about music, a few weeks ago I was having lunch with BB pal Coop and we were talking about musicians or groups that we'd overlooked. My own list shamefully included Magazine and Joni Mitchell, who I now consider a god. Coop mentioned that Edwin Pouncey (AKA Savage Pencil) revered the music of Alice Coltrane above all else, and as I'd just watched Edwin on DVD the night before speaking authoritatively on Kraftwerk in a new documentary, I decided to follow up on that lead. Oh WOW. It was like having an orgasm in your head. I was blown away. You might be too, hopefully.
So here then is my final post for you fine people, a link to a radio/DJ set of Alice Coltrane's gorgeous, spacey. lushly feminine take on jazz. Timeless. Deep. Mystical. Unlike anything else. And what you'd be hearing if you were sitting right where I am sitting now typing these words.
A Tribute to Alice Coltrane with DJ Kirk Degiorgio
It's been a tremendous pleasure! Have fun Lisa and Steven!
Richard
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