Hayden, your best route to Jonathan is Eliot. I think he shares the Melville love (that didn't sound right...) so you three could bond over that. Give me a little warning next time you're coming to NY & I'll try to convince Eliot to come up & we can all get together. His mother lives here, I live here, Jonathan lives here, his wife's best friend lives around the corner from my girlfriend -- it's not a tough sell. Did I tell you I got the xword software? Dying to try it out

Eliot & I have bonded over the love of the Great Whale Book. I'll definitely let you know next time I'm headed to NYC, but got no idea when that might be.

Oh, yeah - USE that xword software, my man. Can you have something done by April 1?

I can try. Next few days are busy, but GF's going out of town after that so I'll have some time. Is there a theme for the next issue or should I use the default "hayden's obsessions"? Oh, and this is a longshot, but prospective FIL loves crosswords & me, & I'm working on a puzzle for his birthday, so maybe I can get a customized graphic for it.

Wow, that would be extraordinary.

The theme we're tossing about for the next issue is "labor issues, as related to various aspects of pop culture." Problem is that the number of related articles we have right now is 2. Writers! We need writers!

Labor issues? There seems to be a bunch of stuff going on in the UK in terms of 20-years-after-the-miner's-strike navel-gazing, but I can't point you to anything in particular.

Hec! OMG! The mag's been getting more and more SF subscribers lately. Obviously, they evangelize.

The theme we're tossing about for the next issue is "labor issues, as related to various aspects of pop culture."

I'm sure someone has thought of this, but would something on Buffy's money/job problems in S6, centring on "Doublemeat Palace," fit the bill?

Galaxie 500 Captures 'Youth' On DVD

Seminal alternative rock trio Galaxie 500 will be celebrated with the double-DVD set "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste (1987-1991)," due June 29 via Plexifilm. The collection sports more than three hours of live performances culled from eight different shows, including two full concerts from London and Atlanta. Also features are music videos for "Tugboat," "When Will You Come Home, "Blue Thunder" and "Fourth of July."

Cool!

Coincedentally, my iTunes is playing a Galaxie 500 song ("Sorry") it selected at random.

Also coincedentally, on my way to the train this morning I stopped to look at a '59 Galaxie 500 parked on the street. '59 was the first year for the Galaxie 500, and it's IMHO one of the most beautiful cars of the era.

Seminal alternative rock trio Galaxie 500

I loved Galaxie 500's music, and I'm even friends with all of them, but I never understood how a band who's entire oevre was borrowed from the Velvet Underground's third album could be called "seminal."

Of course, I'm the guy who didn't think the Pixies were seminal either, so feel free to ignore me.

Was poking around the High Hat and noticed this Modern Lovers article, which I thought bicyclops might be interested in as he included "Pablo Picasso" (Cale version) on his Frankenmix. Loved the Lounge Lizards tune, too. Marc Ribot is great on it. Saw him once & it was awful. Just him and some screeching, writhing Japanese guy; I think it might have been the guy John Zorn used on some of his albums. Anyway, as bad as that was that's how good "Big Heart" is.

The theme we're tossing about for the next issue is "labor issues, as related to various aspects of pop culture."

Okay. I'm drawing a blank, but okay. Did come up with one non-theme clue/answer that I think you'll love. Clue: Peckinpah's advice to the drummer? Answer: Ride the high hat. Yes, I'm aware of the inaccuracy, but it's about the play on words, not the finer points of drumming.