If anybody’s wondering what to get me for christmas, I think a fifth series of A Bit of Fry and Laurie would be ideal.  I realize I’m getting to this a little early, but I figure if somebody can make that happen, Stephen and Hugh can start writing it maybe next week, and then film it over November, and by the time christmas rolls around it’ll be all ready to go in Region 1.  So can somebody make that happen?

Although I gotta say I’m really enjoying watching Stephen Fry in America also.  It is a very good show.  So perhaps as an alternative, somebody could buy me a second TV so I could watch House and Stephen Fry in America simultaneously, and at least pretend I’m watching a fifth series of ABOF&L.  I guess that’d work as a contingency plan.  You know, just on the off-chance the Series Five thing isn’t workable for whatever silly reason.

–Eric

You may have noticed that I’m sometimes only able to blog once or twice a week.  This is because of the rigorous quality control standards all my thoughts are subjected to.  Yes, here at Eric Summer’s Brain, ltd. (A wholly owned subsidiary of AOL-Time Warner-Microsoft-Chrysler-Proctor & Gamble), every idea my brain thinks of is subjected to a thorough vetting process (including distemper and parvovirus shots, spaying, bath, and grooming) and a rigorous 40-point inspection (including oil change, wiper blade maintenence, transmission fluid check, tire reinflation, and a complimentary wash and wax).  This means that while some thoughts don’t make it to blog status at all (howdy, WordPress!) and are humanely euthanized if they don’t live up to our exacting standards, those that do reach blog proportions have been maximized and optimized and fully certified for your enjoyment.  It’s just one of the ways we here at Eric’s Brain, Ltd. are working for you, the consumer (do not read Eric’s blogs on an empty stomach or while operating pregnant medium-to-heavy machinery–your mileage may vary).

Eric’s Brain: The Future is ME!

–Eric

I’m going to use this blog to make a request of our dearly beloved Mike TV.  Mike, since you live in the bay area, how’s ’bout popping over to Incanto, Chris Cosentino’s meat-centric restaurant, and eating there?  Then you can tell me all about how good it is.  You know, since I don’t live there and I really wanna eat that food.  In fact, I’ll extend my offer: anybody who lives in Chicago can go eat at Rick Bayless’s Frontera Grill and report back to me on the food.  Similarly, for anyone in New York, feel free to eat at Wylie Dufresne’s wd-50 and report to me.  Keep in mind it’s a molecular gastronomy restaurant, so there’ll be all sorts of sous vide-ing and liquid nitrogen-ing going on.  And for my part, one of these days I’ll go eat at Suzanne Tracht’s Jar restaurant, and post my findings here.  I can say this: I ate at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant here at the London, and it was the most magnificent food I’ve ever had.  Ah, food…

Why am I hungry?  I just ate lunch.

Also, somebody go get Felicia Day and bring her to me.  You know, just to…talk.  She plays violin, so the two of us would have a lot to…talk…about.  Felicia Day likes overly verbose, overeducated viola players in little indie rock bands, right?  RIGHT?

 –Eric

BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!  BLUETEETH ARE FOR ASSHOLES!

Just thought I’d share that.  Stay tuned for my upcoming blog in this helpful advice series entitled “Just a Quick Word of Advice About Backward Baseball Caps.”  Thank you.

–Eric

So, yesterday goes in the Recent Really Good Days Hall of Fame.  First, I took the day off work, which would probably immediately qualify it as a finalist.  In the afternoon I had an amazing steak sandwich with pomegranate sauce at Auntie Em’s in Eagle Rock.  Really, this was the king of sandwiches.  The steak was perfectly cooked, not overdone like you usually get with a steak sandwich, and the sauce was sweet, and it was on a really good ciabatta roll… Gawd-DAYUM that was a great sandwich.  And I’m something of a sandwich aficionado, so you can trust me when I proclaim on its greatness.  The heirloom tomato soup was very nice too.

Then I lounged around and watched hours of archival interviews with George Carlin.  It was really fascinating stuff (George Carlin is one of my all-time heroes), and he talked about his entire career from his childhood through his start in radio, all the way through his books and HBO specials.  If you like cracking open the brains of artists as much as I do, here’s a youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFOC72DRPWY. 

And finally, I concluded the day with a great concert.  Nate (of The Hunting Accident [the newest band in the prestigious and illustrious Square Tire catalogue (check them out immediately!)])  and I went to see Robyn Hitchcock play at Spaceland.  Frigging spectacular.  His new band (the Venus 3, featuring Peter Buck of REM on guitar) is amazing.  They played a bunch of my favorites, including “Vibrating” and “Luminous Rose” from Globe of Frogs, “Ole! Tarantula,” “Madonna of the Wasps,” and “Queen Elvis.”  They even played a couple Soft Boys songs!  SO good.

In conclusion, why can’t every day be like yesterday?  I’d consider it a big step forward if every day just included that steak sandwich.  I’m gonna work on that…

–Eric

Remember how I mentioned I was gonna get an internet radio show?  Well, I have one now!  It’s on live Sundays at www.isgoodradio.com.  Don’t worry if you can’t catch it live; they’re downloadable as podcasts on http://ericthecynic.podomatic.com. And the RSS feed is http://ericthecynic.podOmatic.com/rss2.xml, whatever the hell that is.  It’s fun!  I play a lot of Square Tire stuff, and a lot of stuff from our old Mr. T’s Bowl and Kiss or Kill scenes, and say a lot of words in between.  So that’s that!  I have two posted as podcasts already, and a third on the way (whenever I get to editing it).  And Episode IV, tentatively titled A New Hope, happens this Sunday!  So tune in and see what my speaking voice sounds like, since I hardly ever use it in public…

–Eric

The other day I was driving home from work, and I got stuck behind what was ostensibly an ice cream van.  The sign on the back said:

WARNING!  AND

CHILDREN CROOSSING

Which made me think a little.  First of all, it was amusing that there was just a general “WARNING!”  Just “Be careful in general!”  But in addition to that, I was apparently supposed to beware of children that may be “croossing.”  It seemed pretty obvious to me that “croossing” is some abbreviated new youth-slang for “crucifying.”  As in, “Jimmy stole my lunch money, so we’re totally gonna crooss him at recess.”  And the ice cream truck was right; if there are bands of children running around crucifying people, I think I’d probably do well to steer clear of them.  In addition to just generally being careful.

This advice was tempered a little by the appearance of the van itself, which looked less suited for ice cream sales than for kidnapping.  I have a feeling the back of the van was probably just filled with buckets of chloroform.  Then again, maybe the van was outfitted to round up and imprison roving underage crucifixion gangs, in which case, thanks, frightening ice cream van!  You’re doing a public service.  And I will be careful.

–Eric

I figured out what all the portents were harbinging.  Apparently the dark forces of the universe were all just trying to tell me my car was low on radiator fluid.  So I put some in, and everything’s fine. 

Also, yesterday, I saw a swarm of blue two-headed bees.  Turns out they were just trying to tell me to read the Buffy comics, which I did.  What nice bees!

–Eric

Every weekday at noon, when I go outside for my cigarette break, an old woman dressed like a jehovah’s witness strides purposefully up the hill.  At the same time, a younger woman on a bicycle circles the parking lot twice while texting on her phone.  What do these mysterious harbingers portend?  And more importantly, what do these mysterious portents harbinge?  There must be some sort of connection, but it eludes me…

–Eric

Howdy, WordPress.  Today I am pleased to report that I got my Don Hertzfeldt DVDs in the mail!  Hooray!  And now I will use Don Hertzfeldt’s website, bitterfilms.com, as a corollary in my demonstration of why iTunes and Amazon suck. 

Don Hertzfeldt, first of all,  is one of my favorite animators.  And he operates in a manner very similar to the one we use–that is to say, he only sells his animation through his own website.  No iTunes, no Amazon, no nothin’.  And here’s why independent artists should do that:

1) iTunes takes half the profit whenever they sell anything.  HALF!  And they operate entirely digitally!  It’s not like they have some enormous iTunes warehouse where they have to keep stuff.  All it requires is memory.  And computer memory is practically free these days.  So how is it fair that the place that stores stuff and the people who Make the Stuff get the same amount?  Answer: it is not fair.

2) Amazon… Well, here’s a story about Amazon.  My friend Adam Marsland released his album Go West (which I played on) simultaneously on his own website and on Amazon.com.  When Amazon found out how many people were buying the album through Adam’s website, they immediately dropped the price of his album by three dollars, and then five!  Just so people would buy it through their site (where he gets less of the money and they get more of it) and not his (where he gets all the money and they get none)!  That is some sneaky, underhanded shit.

THAT is why we’re not selling our stuff through websites like that anymore.  And I’m pretty sure neither of those sites even have the courtesy to buy you a drink laced with rohypnol before they do what they do.

–Eric