There is a company that will turn your cremated remains into vinyl LPs. That’s an especially strange and sobering thought for a Friday morning, so let’s move onto the shameless self-promotion before we get too deep into wondering what songs should be pressed onto those discs…
(“Don’t Fear the Reaper” seems a bit on the nose, doesn’t it? Of course, if you’re into 80s Wave, you have two versions of “Forever Young” to choose from, but that might be a little tasteless for some. “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode? “The Man Comes Around” by Johnny Cash? “Story of My Life” by Social Distortion?)
Right. This week’s RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD news:
Reading the adventures of Cade and Zach may cause some bleeding. You’ve been warned:
Thanks to Richard L. Powell, who sent the image of his blood-spattered copy of THE PRESIDENT’S VAMPIRE.
Bob Reiss has an awesome review of the audiobook version of RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD up at his site, The Guilded Earlobe. Thanks, Bob. (Once again, I am very lucky to have Bronson Pinchot narrating.)
Clark Isaacs at the Kingman Daily Miner says RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD is a “five-star book for all, not just fans of the vampire occult.”
A great review and summary of BLOOD OATH, the first book in the series, at Examiner.com.
And in other news:
I got to see Weezer this week at the Roxy. It was for a fundraiser for my daughter’s preschool, but I’ll take my cool points where I can get them. Of course, when Rivers Cuomo ran into the audience and high-fived my wife, I almost missed it completely, because, like an asshole, I was tweeting.
Still, I stayed out late and heard some great music. I loved the covers of Tiffany and Poison, and heard a song Cuomo wrote in Japanese that sounded like the prom theme of a high school where the kids fight giant monsters. And above all else, the band was incredibly kind to donate the time and effort.
Here’s my grainy, photographic proof:
Last week, I also was lucky enough to be invited to speak at the UC Riverside MFA program, held in Palm Desert, by Tod Goldberg. (Goldberg is one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met, and — perhaps not coincidentally — his stories are amazingly heartbreaking. Check them out and you’ll see).
I’d known grad school could take place at a resort with its own Splashtopia water park, I would have stayed in academia. I got to geek out over meeting Steve Almond and Geoff Dyer and finally, in person, my agent-sibling Jillian Lauren. I sat and tried to be as smart and funny as the faculty (did not even come within 100 yards of any of them). And then gave a lecture on the proper care and feeding of a monster and met a lot of sharp writers. With any luck, I didn’t damage too many of the students with my advice, because I would sure as hell like to go back again.