Good morning good morning. Hello howdy hi how are you? What is this? Thursday? God, what a relief. Been a super busy week, had a big important day job meeting yesterday, spent like five days preparing for it. Was very stressful. But all went well, all went well. And the rest of this week should be pretty smooth sailing, fingers crossed, famous last words, all the usual American caveats.

Got to sleep in it was amazing. I woke up after as much sleep as I wanted and I was laying face up in bed, fully spread-eagled like I was making snow angels or something. Extraordinarily comfortable way to sleep. It was so nice. Nine and a half hours. That is how much sleep I need these days to not wake up pissed and annoyed about waking up. That is too much sleep!

Right after that the plumber called — I had forgotten about him and he was at the door. I went to get the door and found that Roy the Cat had gotten into some cabinet and found some thing to eat and puked all over the entry way. So I had to make the plumber gingerly step over a bunch of cat puke. Welcome!

N.B. I was incorrect yesterday when I said the new Iran agreement didn’t include tolling on the Strait. It does. So it looks like my predictions are pretty f’n solid. Yay me.

Would like to take a moment to well-wish Rob Crow of Pinback and a zillion other bands who has to stop touring because of tinnitus. Man. Tinnitus might be one of the most terrifying ailments I can imagine. My sympathies. Doubly so when music is your fucking career. Get well, Mr. Crow.

Unpopular opinion: The new Snapchat glasses don’t look too bad? I mean, they look kinda cool in a New York Moscot kind of way? I don’t hate them? I mean, I hate all smart glasses but if they were just normal glasses, I think they would be kinda cool? It also helps a lot that Evan Spiegel is, let’s face it, the hottest of the tech CEOs. Everyone on the internet says they are the worst, though. I mean I am not gonna be a Snapchat, or Evan Spiegel, or smart glasses defender, but I do think that guy is pretty consistently underestimated, god help me.

It’s interesting when you see one of these internet pile-ons these days. I feel like they’ve changed a bit. I feel like everyone’s awareness of the larger meta-information environment changes and shapes things. Ten years ago I woulda had kind a good time saying something contrarian on Twitter like “cmon man those new Snapchat glasses don’t look it that bad,” and had a bit of fun mildly trolling people but also sort-of believing it. But now, what’s the point? I’d just be arguing with bots.

Though I guess lots of people still love arguing with bots. They argue with the bots publicly and try and make it look like they have a following and people care what they have to say.

So many bots. It’s all bots, all the way down. Everyone should stop arguing with bots.

I wonder if the UK Social Media law will impact bots.

I really gotta read the text of that law.

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Listening to Angine de Poitrine this morning. There are finally affordable, mass-marketed final editions of their two albums, VOL. I and VOL. II. The tenth pressing of VOL I! Jane likes them. We are having fun. She likes their funny polka dot outfits. Who doesn’t. Are they any different than dozens of bands I have been listening to for thirty years? Aside from the costumes? That make them infinitely more famous? No not especially but I do love good math rock and weird time signatures and what not.

Last night Jussi kindly baby sat for Emma and I and we went off to a rock music show at the glorious and legendary Cat’s Cradle. It was Squirrel Flower and the Beths and they were both very good. Squirrel Flower did a solo electric guitar thing, which is a thing I, as a rule, do not love, though I am starting think I might only dislike it when dudes do it (sorry Ted), but no that is not quite right because I also do not like it when Torres does it. But I did not mind it with Squirrel Flower, her voice is so good. It was just great. She is from the Boston Music Scene, though after my time. I wanted to find her after the show and tell her how much we liked her and that Emma and I are also from the Boston Music Scene and then ask her if she had heard the song “Boston Music Scene” by Don Lennon. That did not, alas, happen.

Next up was the Beths who are playing two sold-out shows at Cat’s Cradle this week. Man I love it when the Cradle does this for me, just me, instead of booking the show at the much-larger Ritz an hour away. They are building a new larger venue across the street — the dudes at the door told me a while back it should be open this fall. I am somewhat familiar with building inspectors in Orange County so I wish them luck in their optimistic projections. That will be great, though. The Ritz gets the bulk of the shows I want to go to that aren’t at Cat’s Cradle. Well, and Motorco in Durham, but I like that place and it’s too far away. I digress. I thought the Beths would have a younger crowd because they are new and maybe they did up front but back in the back where Emma and I hang out it was all old people. So many old people. Very different from the scene in the back at the last show we went to, Haute and Freddy. Not a single corset or sequin in sight.

The Beths are very, very good at banter. Beth did the “Hello Carborro!” thing and then asked if we were in the research triangle, and talked a lot about the research triangle and then asked “Is anyone here doing research?” and like half the audience cheered. That was great. Yay research. Also they have a schtick where they go in a circle and introduce each other one-by-one and then they talk a little bit about your town. They talked a lot about our recent Stanley Cup win and a recent New Zealand cricket win and how we a cup for the winner but they get a ceremonial mace and which would you rather have in a fight. Also Kudzu. A lot of Kudzu talk. We have a lot of Kudzu around here.

We got tired and left before the encore which means we did not get to hear our favorite Beths songs because we are normie Beths fans who like the singles but still. Great show. No complaints.

I learned yesterday that Alan Sparhawk from Low is in a Ween cover band and I am losing it. This is too much for me. My mind is blown. I need to see this band. Legit might fly to Minnesota to see Alan Sparhawk’s Ween cover band. Except the show is tomorrow. And I am probably, age and energy willing, going to see Robyn Hitchcock tomorrow.

I have a very long history with Ween. I mean, like, from the beginning. Like when you could buy hand-made VHS tapes of Shimmy Disc videos with Ween and Kramer getting high in Jamaica. Like pre- God Ween Satan. I guess, like… through the country album? And then I sorta petered out. And then I went to a Ween show like 5 years later at Avalon in Boston and it was like a Dead experience now and the place was packed with kids and it was super confusing and freaked me out and I… don’t think I’ve gone and seen them since. I should. I should.

I wonder how big Ween would be today if they toured. Would they play… amphitheaters?

Emma, Jane and I had a talk about the new Olivia album yesterday. We all like it, but it is clear this is going to be the album Emma listens to on repeat for months. Jane said when she likes a new album she likes to listen to it for a few weeks. I said two or three listens is enough for me. But not Emma. So lately when we drive anywhere we are listening to only the new Olivia album. It is a lot. I like a lot of it but I am ready to listen to something else. I mean, I hope the songs I love on it — about half the album — become part of my permanent rotation and I will, for the rest of my life, be happy when one of them comes on. And they really are catchy AF. Anyone else notice the melody in Me + U = <3 is the same as My Bloody Valentine’s “When you Sleep?” We’ve all noticed this, right?

Also I just learned that Loveless is not on streaming at the moment. Weird.

Jane is very excited Jussi is visiting she loves Jussi so much. Sean arrives tonight. Nick and Meghan this weekend. It is Jussi’s birthday this weekend. We are all going to see a bunch of 80’s bands in her honor. It is going to be great. I am excited to see friends. Jane is excited. She likes summer. She has been snuggling in my lap during every one of my very important morning work calls this week. Which has been slightly distracting but also amazingly cute and cuddly and… you know, when you’re stressed at work, being able to hug a cute 8 year-old really does help. They should let them free-range at offices I’m sure it would go really well.

No playlist for you today. Instead perhaps we should all listen to Don Lennon and his masterpiece “The Boston Music Scene.”

Ahh, Don. Miss you so.

All right well it is much later than usual thanks to the sleeping in and the plumber so I will leave you now with apologies. Until tomorrow, fine friends.