6 Links

A Serious and Sober Fellow
Photograph by gwen.

1. Sober? You may be able to rent a room on MLK Way in Oakland: The above popped up in the MLK BLVD pool this week, courtesy of gwen.

2. So, I had a post the other day about the latest psychology research on the link between music preferences and self-identity. On a related note, I read several references this week to debates at a sort of rock-critic convention, where apparently there was some argument over whether Stephin Merritt is a racist because he says he doesn't like rap. This sounds so idiotic I can't believe that it's actually something people are spending time on. Anyway, Zoilus tries to draw some redeeming value from the ruckus by arguing that "the patterns in our tastes ... have a lot to say about our identities. ... That's why people ask each other what kind of music they like when they're, say, on a first date." This echoes what that research contended. And it's a fair enough point, as long one remembers that when you ask someone about their musical preferences, and make judgments about the answers, those judgments might say more about you than they do about the person answering your questions. Anyway, I've already said my bit, for now.

3. "Cartoon Tunes: Capturing Music in Comics," May 9 - October 15, 2006, at the Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission Street, San Francisco. Co-Curated by the multitalented Marc Weidenbaum.

4. And three links from NPR's Jazz Fest coverage. First, a piece on Juvenile. This wasn't nearly as good as it could have been, but it's somewhat interesting to hear. I tend to find most discussions of New Orleans hip hop pretty frustrating. I might have more to say about this later.

5. Next, pretty good piece about Nicholas Payton, and the dominance of the trumpet in New Orleans; this has fascinated me for years.

6. Finally an all-purpose roundup, noteworthy here because toward the end there's a little of Trombone Shorty introducing "St. James Infirmary Blues" (which he refers to as being about 100 years old), and just a hint of the version he played, which sounded almost Latin. Nice. I'd love to have been there for that performance ... among others.

Actual number of links in this installment of 6 Links: 9 (plus picture links).