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New clip over at the Beacon. Or, rather, a clip with just a couple days' age. It slipped onto the page without my knowing it, that naughty clip.

Coffeehouses and computers.

Write about you know, they say.

The Verizon EnV phone is coming off the market. Not a surprise, as I seemed to go through much of their stock. My fourth version of the model was dunked in water today, compliments of my soccer team. (Roster changes are forthcoming.) The replacement phone, a Samsung R2D2, or some such, will not arrive until Tuesday. Assuming that most folks reading know me and have some reason to be in touch, please use the old electronic mails to contact me in the short term. Danke.

Seven of 24 hours will soon be spent with CDs. Not bad.

Molly's: Tonight, 10 - 1.

Royale: Tomorrow, 6 - 10.

Bloc Party, anyone?

New DJ gig. For three weeks. Playing the oft-discredited (but so prolific in my collection) compact disc format on a dual CD deck.*

Thursdays: June 5, 12, 19
Molly's
816 Geyer, 63104
314-241-6200
www.mollyslounge.com

* With scratch capability. Wicka-wacka.

So, yeah, the alluded-to pieces for the STLBeacon.com are up. One on the St. Louis Actors' Studio, the other on the West End Grill and Pub. They're here.

Always nice to have new outlets. Yes.

Yo, it's June. Wow.

Classic rock, STL AOR: I've been kinda quiet about this project for a little bit, but it's as good a time as any to mention that I'm working on a documentary about St. Louis AOR bands Mama's Pride and Pavlov's Dog (with a pinch of Head East in the stewpot, as well). The director and co-producer is Mike Steinberg and Jon Scorfina will be the associate producer and all-around tech support(er). We'll have the film done by the end of the calendar year, with generous financial support from CALOP, which has spawned so many local films. While I wouldn't have believed this a few years back, there really is a thrill listening to say Steve Scorfina of Pavlov's Dog, or Pat Liston of Mama's Pride, as they play their decades-old tracks in the comfort of their own homes. A treat, actually. Updates to come.

Reality show, "Deadliest Catch": Five crab boats, working choppy seas. Greenhorns getting yelled at by... everyone. Crab "pots" coming out of the sea empty. Crew members sleeping at any hour, in seemingly any physical position. The first couple segments of "a" confused the hell out of me. A reality show. About crab fishermen? Yup. And it works. Thank you, Discovery Network.

Book, "The Cult of the Amateur": Though I don't agree with big chunks of the premise, an intriguing and up-to-date reading on blog culture is found with Andrew Keen's provocative "The Cult of the Amateur," which rails against our instant, hyper-culture and the very form we're writing in/reading at this moment. More than a cranky, Andy Rooney-styled rant, the book dissects something that many of us probably muse on: the dumbing down of American culture. And Keen's thought is that blogging plays a role in that general, civic stupidity. Worth the read.

English football team, Hull: Truth be told, I am getting just a bit tired of the English soccer giants like Man Utd., Chelsea and even Arsenal, a team I greatly admire thanks to Nick Hornby, as much as the squad itself. My team in the Premiereship next season, though, will be Hull, a side that climbed into the highest ranks of English soccer thanks to a goal by a 39-YEAR-OLD by the colorful name of Dean Windass. Good for him. Good for Hull City. Good for all 39-year-olds. Good for those of us looking to a find an underdog team to support in 2008-09.

52nd City call, "Food": So, yeah, the 52nd City magazine you've been seeing is undergoing a transition. And, yeah, the next issue will be different. The good news is that our blog had its busiest month ever, with three of the five major tracking points at new highs. The other news is that we could still take some "Food" contributions for the next issue, with pieces due, oh, let's say today. But for you, we'll go a few extra days. I'm planning on writing about fish, as in eating fish, as in eating fish for the first time in 20 years. Just need to get past that psychological hurdle, is all.

Blog, B.E.L.T.: I don't think I've ever pointed towards Toby Weiss' B.E.L.T. blog, which I should've done some time back. It's neat. Go there. By the by: it's not about belts.

Band, The Knife: Was just turned onto this Swedish group and I'd be hard-pressed to attempt to explain their sound. I can say that their track "Lasagna" gets caught in my head for hours-at-a-time, which is nothing to complain about.

St. Louis lore, "The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery": This story was captured in a film of the same name, a 1959 joint that starred Steve McQueen. Who, apparently, spent a good chunk of his time hanging out in Gaslight Square's The Dark Side. But I digress. Channel 9's "Living St. Louis" recently did a nice overview of the story, available via streaming video here. Clink the link and scroll down to Bank Robbery. Ah, streaming video.

Night Ranger classic, "When You Close Your Eyes": So the terrible storm that struck during Night Ranger's set at the Rib America Festival was a real drencher. But it also stopped the group from plucking the real classics from the catalog. (They were rained out while playing the theme song to "The Secret of My Success." Did not know they did that song. Or that such a song existed.) Among the tracks not played, "When You Close Your Eyes," as perfect a piece of '80s pop-metal as you could reasonably want.

Articles, STLBeacon.org: A month back, I noted a fandom for the STL Beacon, and within a day/two, I wound up with an assignment for the new online news source for St. Louis. Love when that happens. The first pieces I'm doing for the site aren't live today, but should be tomorrow. A piece on the St. Louis Actor's Studio and an affiliated sidebar on the West End Grill and Pub. Check back obsessively here.

Flickr user, Greening08: I gotta say, this flickr user needs some views and some contacts. My understanding is that lots of pics will be uploaded real, real soon. But there's a bit to start you out today.

Things to do, The 48 Hour Film Project: Next weekend is the 48HFP. For days, I thought it was this weekend. But it's not. It's next weekend. Byron Kerman writes about it at the STL Mag site. And we'd invite you to dip into the ridiculously deep pool of films collected at 48.tv.

Drinking, not: So, like, despite spending some reasonable amount of my waking hours in bars, I'm not going to be drinking for the next three-six months. Long story, don't ask. If you see me drinking, please feel free to needle me, though not with real needles, since I'll bleed to death. Thanks, in advance, for smacking that Bud Light Lime out of my hand. I felt silly ordering it, anyway.