TWO FROM THIS IS NOT A COMPLIMENT

Last Saturday, I mentioned that I had gotten a nasty cold. I eventually found out why it was so nasty: I've actually got the flu. In fact, two thirds of the LSU campus population seems to be dealing with this--it's intense, with coughing, stuffed head, sore throat, fever, and it's highly contagious; I've infected two people myself that I know of, including my poor wife Becky.

Anyway, I'm still spaced out and in pain, so blogging is more of a chore than usual. That's why I'm referring you over to my buddy Mike's blog, This is not a compliment. He's on a real tear lately; I think he's made a commitment to go daily, and he's posting some weird and cool stuff.

For instance, he seems to have started a new feature called "Eno blogging." Personally, I've loved and hated Brian Eno since I was in high school, and I love that he generates such contradictory passions within me. Lately, I've become more interested in Eno, especially his early stuff, since I saw the Todd Haynes film Velvet Goldmine a couple of years back--Haynes uses at least a couple of Eno songs prominently in order to give some real life to the glam-rock fantasy. And, surprise surprise, Mike managed to find a site that, for a limited time only, is offering free downloads of four previously unreleased Eno tracks from the early 70s. It's good stuff.

Another cool curio Mike has discovered is that the comedically brilliant Harry Shearer, something of a hero to me, is taking over Talking Points Memo, a well read, left-leaning, political news blog, for a week or so. It's already gotten funny.

And if that doesn't shake your tree, just go to This is not a compliment and scroll down. I'm sure you'll find something weird. Or cool. Or political.

Okay, time for more cough syrup.

UPDATE FOR HARDCORE ENO FANS: I can date the moment when I went from simply loving Eno to hating him as well. It was the spring of 1986 when I became very angry that I had paid actual money to buy the early ambient experiment Discreet Music. I mean, I really love his heavy-mellow, ethereal, space-synth sound and all, but you gotta admit, Eno's pseudo-intellectualizing about ambient theory is much more interesting than actually listening to ambient music. What stirs hate within me is how snobbish music fans actually buy the bullshit, and pretend to themselves that ambient music is brilliant. What stirs even more hate is the ego-boost I know Eno gets from his small army of upturned noses. And what I hate the most is that I love Eno in spite of my hate for him.

That man ruined U2, I swear to god.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$