Blues on the Ceiling Wednesday, October 22, 2003

I'd call it a wine-dark sky this morning if that wasn't pretentious. Last night, my second anniversary, which I spaced my way through: I left the office with work undone and an apology unaccepted. The story's still not done, and my "please forgive me" is still hanging in space, waiting to get grabbed and answered, like a trapezer at the height of a swing.

But wonderful to spend time with Mrs. WTJ, even foggy time. A nice dinner, and a great drive home, wherein we discovered a new favorite song, Noel Coward's "I've Been to a Marvelous Party." Impossible to describe, overwhelmingly gay (in both senses) and uncoverable. It's Noel Coward distilled, it's champange in a slipper. Come on over; I'll play it for you.

To wildly juxtapose, another new favorite is Ben Vaughn's record "Mono USA." Vaughn's an amiable low-fi rockabilly loner (his web site describes him as a "free-lance bum") who's probably most famous for writing the theme to "Third Rock From the Sun." I knew his stuff from a couple of wonderful solo albums, uneven but interesting, lots of surf-y stuff with woodpecker guitars, froggy blues, bomp-da-bomp choruses. He recorded one album in the back seat of his Chevy, if that gives you any better idea. Anyway, "Mono USA" is his covers record: A range of stuff, from classic surf tunes to Fred Neil to Nancy Sinatra to Lobo (!). And it's one of the most gorgeous things I've ever heard. Completely unpretentious, wholly listenable, tough to get tired of. It's like finding a diner that you can go back to every day. Out of print but easy to find. Recommended without reservation.

His web site also contains one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

@ 8:09:00 AM,

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