Photo of the Day

Seattle, 2013 (after Saul Leiter, again)

Dear Santa

I know this won't apply to everyone reading this, but if you were thinking of getting something for me this Christmas, I thought I'd supply a few recommendations.  These are mostly books that I'd like to read, and a couple of DVDs I'd like to watch.  If you are expecting a gift from me, feel free to post your own wish list in the comments.

Books:
A People's Art History of the United States by Nicolas Lampert (Art)
Subversives: The FBI's War on Radicals, and Reagan's Rise to Power by Seth Rosenfeld (History)
My Lunches With Orson by Peter Biskind (Movies)
Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop by Bob Stanley (Music)
The Republic of Rock: Music and Citizenship in the Sixties Counterculture by Michael J. Kramer (History/Music)
The Window in Photographs by Karen Hellmen (Photography)
Moments That Made the Movies by David Thomson (Movies)
Architecture in Photographs by Gordon Baldwin (Photography)
The Beatles: All These Years Volume 1: Tune In by Mark Lewisohn (Music)
Blue Notes in Black and White: Photography and Jazz by Ben Cawthra (Music/Photography)
Bohemia in America, 1858-1920 by Joanna Levin (History)
Ready for a Brand New Beat by Mark Kurlansky (History/Music)
The Story of America by Jill Lepore (History)
The Democratic Surround by Fred Turner (History)

DVDs:
The Best of Fridays (TV)
The Monkees, Season 1 or 2 (TV)

This Made Me Laugh

Photo of the Day (After Saul Leiter)

Connecticut St., Buffalo 2013

Saul Leiter, RIP

Though I only discovered his work in the last year, Saul Leiter became one of my favorite photographers, and one who inspired me to try some things with my own shots.  Unfortunately, he passed  passed away this week.  You can read the New York Times obituary here, and see a nice slide show of some of his best work here.  I love the Leiter quote in the Times: "Seeing is a neglected enterprise."  Here's another: "Photographs are often treated as important moments, but really they are just fragments and souvenirs of an unfinished world."  Definitely one of the greats.

Photo of the Day

Tom & Sara (But Not the Usual Sara), 2008

Toonerville Thursday

Photo of the Day

Winter Festival, Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas 2013

Photo of the Day

Mezquita de Cordoba, Spain 2013

Toonerville Thursday

Photo of the Day

Below Akron Falls, 2013

This Week's Top Five List

As aired on Dr. John's Record Shelf this past Sunday, here is this week's Top Five List:

 

Photo of the Day

Chestnut Ridge Park, 2012

Playlist 131117

Below you will find a list of the songs played this week on Dr. John's Record Shelf.  You can also download a poscast of the program here.  Feel free to leave comments on the show below. 

The First Five Minutes, The Sadies

It's Always Summer, Corin Tucker Band

Cheer Up/Blues Ending, White Denim

Honest With Me, Bob Dylan

Mr. Sticks, Deer Tick

Babydog, Raincoats

I Dream of Bees, Bloody Hollies

The House of Blue Lights, Ella Mae Morse w/Don Raye

Born, Over the Rhine

Hot Sour Salty Sweet, Dirtbombs

I Know a Place, Jay Reatard

Hero Takes a Fall, Bangles

Blue Boy, Orange Juice
This One, Bevis Frond

By the Way, Rave-Ups

One in a Hundred, Gene Clark

When Doves Cry, Prince

Janie Jones, Clash 

I'm a Realist, The Cribs

Well Well Well, John Lennon

You Know, Laura Marling

Am I Wrong, Mikal Cronin

My Liver Needs a Lawyer, The Naysayer

1000 Miles of Confusion, Volebeats

For My Mother, Let's Wrestle

Hot Dog, Dale Hawkins

Turtle Dovin', Coasters

One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer, Thurston Harris 

So Long, Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs

Photo of the Day

Surfer, Santa Monica 2011

Photo of the Day

Emma, 2013

On the Street 10

Yet another set of street scenes shot during my travels over the past few months. 

Photo of the Day

Maria & Joseph, 2009

Toonerville Thursday

Photo of the Day

Near the Coliseum, Rome 2008

This Week's Top Five List

I'm not sure if I'll continue to post the separate Top Five Lists, now that I'm providing a link to full weekly episodes of Dr. John's Record Shelf.   If you'd like to see the individual Top Fives continue here, please let me know in the comments.  Anyway, here's what we aired last Sunday:

Carnival Shots 2

Here is the second set of photos taken last summer at one or another of the fairs I attended (I think mostly the Niagara County Fair, but one or two might be from the Eden Corn Festival or Tonawanda's Canalfest).

Photo of the Day

Akron Falls, 2013

Playlist 131110

Below you can see a list of the songs played this week on Dr. John's Record Shelf.  In addition, you can download a podcast of the episode here.  The podcast will be available for about two weeks (after that I need to make space to load a new episode).  Feel free to leave comments here on any element of the program. 

Down Down the Deep River, Okkervil River

Bad As We Can Be, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Who Have I Become? Best Coast

Rat Farm, Meat Puppets

Got It, Gringo Star

In the Wilderness, Those Darlins

This Can't Be Today, The Rain Parade

Love Is Only Sleeping, The Monkees

Rain, Lori Saunders

I'll Be Coming Around, Bottle Rockets

Pretty Persuasion, REM

I Can See Clearly Now, Johnny Nash

Bright Brown, Tandy

Reasons for Silence (Ed's Song), Delgados

Anxious, Housemartins

I Threw It All Away, Bob Dylan

Thanks a Lot, Ernest Tubb

I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl, Nina Simone

Taxman, Beatles

After the Gold Rush, American Ambulance

Brazil, Geoff & Maria Muldaur

Sixty Second Interval, Vapors

The Garden of Earthly Delights, The United States of America

Girls! Girls! Girls! Liz Phair

Talking In Your Sleep, Romantics

What Do You Want Me to Do, Pointed Sticks

The Promised Land, Chuck Berry

Shakin' All Over, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates

Words of Love, Buddy Holly & the Crickets

The Girl Can't Help It, Little Richard

So Long, Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs

On the Street 9

More photographs shot on the streets of the various towns I've visited over the past few months.

I Like This

Photo of the Day

Bells at San Juan Capistrano Mission, 2010

Photo of the Day

Cousins, 2012

Toonerville Thursday

I Like This

Carnival Shots

These were all taken at the Niagara County Fair this past summer.  Kind of a variation on the street shots I've been posting recently. 

Photo of the Day

Subway, Madrid 2013

Photo of the Day

Terrapin Point, Niagara Falls 2009

Record Shelf Playlist & Podcast 131103

Below you can see the playlist for last night's edition of Dr. John's Record Shelf, which was a tribute to the memory and legacy of Lou Reed.  And you can click on these two links to hear actual podcasts of the broadcast: Part 1; Part 2. You may need to establish an account at PodOmatic to hear the podcasts, but all they ask for is an e-mail address and a password, so I hope that minimal effort is worth your while.

Rock and Roll, Lou Reed

Head On, Jesus & Mary Chain

Oh Sweet Nuthin' Velvet Underground

Last Night on Earth, Lee Ranaldo and the Dust

Sweet Jane, Cowboy Junkies

What Goes On, Velvet Underground

Isadora's Dancers, Elliott Murphy

Venus, Television

April Fool, Patti Smith

Life on Bleecker Street, Willie Nile

White Light/White Heat, Velvet Underground

Whole Wide World, Prissteens

Rip Her to Shreds, Blondie

Personality Crisis, New York Dolls

New Sensations, Lou Reed

Hey Mersh! Moe Tucker

Rebel Rebel, David Bowie

Heroin, Velvet Underground

Kool Thing, Sonic Youth

Street Hassle (Waltzing Matilda/Street Hassle/Slipaway), Lou Reed

Dirty Blvd., Lou Reed

I Want the Angel, Jim Carroll Band

Cold Metal, Iggy Pop

Pale Blue Eyes, Velvet Underground

I'll Love You Until the End of the World, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Lost in Space, Luna

Walk on the Wild Side, Lou Reed

Rock'N'Roll, Velvet Underground  

Photo of the Day

Centurions, Rome 2008

Happy Birthday Sally!

Best wishes to my sister Sara. I hope you got to spend a little time outdoors today, as I know how much you enjoy that!