Been a while since I featured SPC ECO here, so enjoy “Ray of Sun” off The Art of Pop. With the lack of guitar this may be more possibly classified as dreampop.
Shoegazer Sunday: SPC ECO’s “Ray of Sun”
August 25th, 2024Trailer For Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis
August 21st, 2024The new trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s new film Megalopolis just dropped. I’ll let you take a look at it before commenting further.
Is it just me, or does that look like pretentious crap? Sumptuous pretension crap, but pretentious crap none the less.
Nor is the Wikipedia entry any more encouraging. “The film was a longtime passion project for Coppola, who wanted to make a film drawing parallels between the fall of Rome and the future of the United States by setting the events of the Catilinarian conspiracy in modern New York. ”
Snip.
“An accident destroys a decaying metropolis called New Rome. Cesar Catilina, an idealist architect with the power to control time, aims to rebuild it as a sustainable utopia, while corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero remains committed to a regressive status quo.”
Yeah, I think a Roman parallel and an architect who cans stop time is a conceit too far.
Also, I’m not exactly thrilled by the “Coppola is a genius and the critics were wrong!” intro. The Godfather was hailed by almost all at the time as a classic and won Best Picture. Apocalypse Now got somewhat more mixed reviews, but was an Oscar nominee (losing to Kramer vs. Kramer), and John Simon was notorious for hating just about everything. Bram Stoker’s Dracula? I don’t think anyone looks back on that as a classic of cinema, or even vampire cinema, though opinions about that seem to have improved a bit as well. I noticed Jack and Twixt didn’t get mentioned…
Update: Evidently, some of those critics quotes are made up.
“It’s a major award!”
August 19th, 2024All my hard work as a writer has finally paid off, and I’m now the grand prize winner of a major literary award.
Chosen from over 6300 submissions to the 42nd Annual Lyttonaid, Lawrence Person of Austin, Texas has risen to the top of our (steaming) pile to take the crown:
She had a body that reached out and slapped my face like a five-pound ham-hock tossed from a speeding truck.
Our champion is a published author, blogger, and of course, book lover extraordinaire. Congratulations to Lawrence and a hearty thank you to all the creative (if demented) Bulweriers who kept us chuckling again this year.
Top of the world, ma. Top of the world…
Library Addition: First of S. P. Somtow’s Valentine
August 5th, 2024This is another item from that third major Zelazny purchase that I’ve finally gotten around to adding to my library.
Somtow, S. P. (AKA Somtow Sucharitkul). Valentine. Gollancz, 1992. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, with a signed bookplate laid in. Second book in the Vampire Junction trilogy (and I already had a first of Vampire Junction, also with signed bookplate laid in). The Gollancz edition precedes the U.S. edition by about six months.
Library Addition: Inscribed Milton Berle First Edition
July 29th, 2024Not my usual collecting vector, but a signed Milton Berle/Bob Newhart lot came up for auction that I was thinking of putting a lowball bid on. When I did comps on Bookfinder, I found that all the signed Berle firsts comped out at over $100…except this.
Berle, Milton. Milton Berle’s Private Joke File. Crown, 1989. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight age darkening to spine and at top front, 1/4″ closed tear at top rear, slight bend at head and heel, and slight blind-side foxing, otherwise quite nice, inscribed by Berle: “To my friend Jim!!/One of the Really great Story tellers. best wishes/Milt/9/1/89.” Massive 642 page joke book. Bought for $15.87 plus shipping after Biblio discount, which is less than the original cover price of $24.95 (though knowing Crown, this could have been an “instant remainder” sold at a considerable discount).
Library Addition: Signed Philip Jose Farmer PBO
July 23rd, 2024A signed Farmer PBO at a bargain price.
Farmer, Philip Jose. Cache from Outer Space b/w The Celestial Blueprint. Ace Double, 1962. First edition paperback original (no statement of printing on copyright page and price of 40¢, as per Currey), a Very Good copy with 3/16″ abrasion at head, moderate spine creasing, wear at head and heel, and trace of wear at points, signed by Farmer. Ed Emshwiller. Currey, page 183. Brizzi, Reader’s Guide to Philip Jose Farmer, page 66. Bought off eBay for 99¢ plus shipping.
Library Additions: Two Signed Lansdale Firsts, One Lettered
July 22nd, 2024Two more signed Lansdale firsts, one I got him to inscribe to me at his signing at Book People here in Austin on Friday, July 19, the other a lettered edition I was previously unaware of that I bought directly from the publisher.
I didn’t scan the traycase because the design is identical to the book.
Reminder: Through it’s sold out from the publisher, I still have copies of the signed/numbered edition of Dark Kin available at cover price.
In addition, Joe also signed the few books I had by him that he hadn’t already, including Apache Witch, The Gonzo Tapes, Mule Tales and Cody’s Army.
Library Addition: Signed First of Neil Gaiman’s Chu’s First Day of School
July 18th, 2024I don’t have signed firsts of all Neil Gaiman’s children’s books, but I’m closing in on it.
Gaiman, Neil, and Adam Rex (illustrator). Chu’s First Day of School. HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2014. First edition hardback (“First Edition” stated and numberline ending in “1”), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, signed by Gaiman. Illustrated children’s book about a Panda, and a sequel to Chu’s Day, which I don’t have. Bought for $30 off eBay.
Note: This is just slightly too wide for my scanner, so a sliver of the right side of the book is cut off in the scan.
Library Addition: Signed First of Jack Vance’s The Seventeen Virgins
July 17th, 2024I already had a first of The Seventeen Virgins, but not a signed first.
Vance, Jack. The Seventeen Virgins. Underwood/Miller, 1979. First edition chapbook original, a Fine- copy with one wrinkle to top corner and slight fading along spine, signed by Vance. Hewett, A58. Cunningham, B.70a. Chalker/Owings, pages 430-431 (where they note that only 400 were produced, not the 600 stated). Supplements an unsigned copy and the signed, limited hardback edition of The Seventeen Virgins & A Bagful of Dreams. Bought off eBay for $32 plus shipping.
Library Addition: Michael Swanwick’s The War With The Zylv
July 5th, 2024Another Dragonstairs chapbook.
Swanwick, Michael. The War with the Zylv. Dragonstairs Press, 2024. First edition chapbook original, #50 of 100 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy. A story based on the piece of art used as the cover.
I will have copies of this available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.