I’ve always felt that we weren’t doing David justice having him be another blog on the bloated and confusing donewaiting.com site… so after some talking and domain buying, David has set up shop on his own site… Please point your bookmarks to houstoncalling.net.

Good luck, David. You’ll always be in our hearts…. At this rate you’ll be the mayor of Houston in about 8 months.

One might be Dan. The Other might be Kyle. They might both be Dan.

Many more examples found here.

I heard Bob Barker is going to be hosting this new game but I can’t confirm it yet.

Despite these brief moments of success and a slew of other minor hits, Hazlewood managed to stay well below the radar throughout his career.

By the 90’s Hazlewood had gained a whole new cult following thanks in part to Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, who began reissuing Lee’s records on his Smells Like imprint. At least that’s when my friends and I (and surely countless others) really began digging into the mysterious world of records like Cowboy In Sweden, an album recorded while he left the U.S. for Europe so that his son could avoid the draft, and Requiem for an Almost Lady, where Hazlewood introduces each song with a brief glimpse of its theme. Each and every record he did had its own unique charm and no-bullshit attitude. Not bad for an Oklahoman boy (b. 1929) who considered retiring from music in 1964.

Hazlewood was the original psychedelic cowboy. His music and spirit will undoubtedly continue to affect those who look a little left-of-center for inspiration. R.I.P. Lee.

Here’s a sneak preview …

My interest in the show lies solely in the fact that one of the artists that makes up the cast – Kim Saigh – used to be a very good friend of mine. Many stories could be told about hanging out together at the Akron Agora, Flash Gordon’s, Peabody’s, etc., etc., in Cleveland watching the up-and-coming hair metal bands of the time (and all the local bands hoping to make it big … The Fashion Police, Outta the Blue, Fatal Charm) but I’ll save those stories for another day.

Things happen, people move on and next thing you know, 15 or so years have passed you by. I can remember the last time I saw Kim – we were both at a Pitchshifter/Stabbing Westward show at the Grog Shop in Cleveland … must have been around ‘95 or so. Then, lo and behold, Kim finally joins the Internet Revolution and sets up a MySpace page, emails are exchanged, and I find out she’s moving from Chicago to LA to be part of some new TV show.

So, while it might be a little impersonal, I’m really anxious to catch up with Kim even if it’s watching her on TV (the show started filming in May, from what I’ve been told). I’m just hoping she drops a reference to Spread Eagle or Willie D at some point during the upcoming season!

Between the closing of Lime Spider and Little Brother’s in Ohio, we’re at Red Alert Alpha 1. Shit is getting bad. Details here.

Neil Young’s concept album, “Greendale”, is going to be published as a graphic novel by my favorite comic company, DC Vertigo. Newsarama interviews “Greendale” comic writer Josh Dysart about the project. A highlight:

NRAMA: Is Neil Young directly or indirectly involved with this project? Do you have his endorsement?

JD: Absolutely. He is directly involved. I pitched him my take. We got notes back from him. I even met his whole family-his son and daughter, his wife, and of course, the man himself. (Crosby, Stills and Nash were also there, but now I’m just namedropping… heh). He’s a wonderful, wonderful person-when I met him it felt like he’d been in my life forever; which, through his music, I guess he has.

NRAMA: Will there be characters from Young’s album/ film involved in your project?

JD: Yup, characters and situations but there’s a story-telling element in the Greendale art book that didn’t really make it into the film or the album. So, that’s what I’ve focused on for the graphic novel. We’re not just stringing the stories from the album together. It will be very different from the previous incarnations of the material. A little bit traditional Vertigo, a little bit Dysart, a whole lot Greendale.

Full interview here.

10/15 COLUMBUS, OH Basement
10/16 CINCINNATI, OH 20th Century
10/17 LOUISVILLE, KY Jim Porters
10/18 INDIANAPOLIS, IN Birdy’s
*10/19 CHICAGO, IL Schubas Early show- Nada Surf only:
10/20 CHICAGO, IL Schubas
10/22 ST. LOUIS, MO Gargoyle Club
10/23 NASHVILLE, TN Exit In
10/24 BIRMINGHAM, AL Bottle Tree
10/26 TAMPA, FL State Theatre
10/27 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL Cafe Eleven
10/29 ATHENS, GA 40 Watt Club
10/30 ASHEVILLE, NC Orange Peel
10/31 CARRBORO, NC Cat’s Cradle
11/01 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA Satellite Ballroom-UVA
11/02 BALTIMORE, MD 8 x 10