My work has yet, alas, to make it to the New York Times. But I’m glad to report one of my songs is currently mentioned in a New York Times blog, “Paper Cuts: A Blog About Books.” That’s a start. I got an e-mail yesterday from a writer named Bill Peschel who has a new book out with a title nearly worth the price of admission: “Writers Gone Wild: The Feuds, Frolics, and Follies of Literature’s Great Adventurers, Drunkards, Lovers, Iconoclasts, and Misanthropes.” In an e-mail, Peschel explained that he compiled a suggested mix tape to go along with the book, and a web search turned up my song, “I Never Slept With Allen Ginsberg,” from the “Saint Stephen’s Dream” CD I did some years back with Bob Webb (under the band name “garagecow ensemble).

“With the book being a collection of stories about the highs and lows in the lives of writers,” says Peschel, “it seemed appropriate to suggest a mix CD of songs inspired by writers. Here’s the roster I came up with.”

1. “Edgar Allan Poe” / Lou Reed

2. “Raymond Chandler Said” / Michael Anderson

3. “I Never Slept With Allen Ginsberg” / Garagecow Ensemble

4. “John Allyn Smith Sails” / Okkervil River

5. “Mercy Street” / Peter Gabriel

6. “Sylvia Plath” / Ryan Adams

7. “Bukowski” / Modest Mouse

8. “Lorca’s Novena” / The Pogues

9. “Hemingway’s Whiskey” / Kenny Chesney

10. “The Cult of Ray” / Frank Black

11. “Hey Jack Kerouac” / 10,000 Manaics

12. “I Got Laid on James Joyce’s Grave” / Black 47

I was, of course, delighted to be invited to such a fine party, as well as being introduced to one of the finest song titles ever: “I Got Laid on James Joyce’s Grave.” Now, that’s pop music. P.S. – The Times blog misspells Ginsberg’s name in my song title. Welcome to 21st century online editing.

The managing editor of my newspaper called me away from my Saturday sofa a couple weekends ago to cover the arraignment of comedian Andy Dick, arrested in Huntington for being a Dick. According to police reports. The bizarro animated piece above on Dick’s arrest comes from one of the coolest action news teams on planet Earth.  Adult Swim re-posted this animated piece by NMA News (or Apple Action News) in Taiwan.  Note the accurate Marshall University flags outside the club. Quality work. And they read the police report pretty closely. You’ll have to sit though the “My Little Bastard” iPhone ap ad, which is vaguely entertaining once, sort of excruciating a 2nd go-round. You could YouTube search NME’s other stuff including their equally strange and absorbing Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien piece. There’s also a dramatic re-enactment of the Transgressions of Tiger Woods. I wish my local ‘News at 11″ station was this good. And this much fun.

P.S. ~ As you’ll see when you click on the story link above, you can no longer link to my full story, just the first few paragraphs on the story’s comments page as it has disappeared behind the Gazette online library’s ‘read it in 7-days or fork over $5‘ pay wall. Welcome either to the future – or the death – of local online news links.

Don’t you some days feel like you’re the guy in the red shirt picked for the landing party? Now, you can dress for it by joining the Red Shirt Society.

Help desk support back in the Middle Ages soon after books were introduced, taking over from scrolls. Too funny. Originally taken from the show “Øystein og jeg” on Norwegian Broadcasting in 2001. With English subtitles, which somehow makes it funnier.

Snowstorms (ice storms, floods, lightning, volcanos etc.) are Nature’s way of reminding us she’s still the HMFIC.

PHOTO | Indoor Cat Looking Out | MoltoMediaWerks 2010

Country road. WestVirginiaVille | MoltoMediaWerks | 2007-ish | Click bigger

The sun drops down on Upshur County. Or maybe it’s Summers County, West Virginia. I was coming back from the mountaintop lair of a sculpture-making friend of mine a few years ago. | The sun was like a fried egg on the horizon. Had to consult with my camera. | A late afternoon rain painted the country road off to the right the color of Saran Wrap.