Links

Stuff that I like--and you might, too.

Ain't the Internet great? Much too much to see and do. Here are some links to enjoyments, many in my neighborhood, that may or may not otherwise get noticed. Some level of satisfaction guaranteed!

(Broken link? Let me know.)

ART

Ashlar. Need a digital/web artist-animator? Look no farther. Well-informed T-Shirts will be back, too, with your help.
Jeff MacNelly. Late, great lampooner of Southern Virginia (“Shad plankin’, Tuesdee a week.”) and national politicos and caricaturist/illustrator, extraordinaire. Known more widely for the syndicated strip Shoe. He’s gone from us, but Susie, Chris, and Gary soldier on in his name.
Pat Oliphant. The other crazy Australian in media—who was here first; who’s actually won journalism awards; who hasn’t hijacked our electoral process; and who shouldn’t be deported.
Dan Piraro. Proprietor of Bizarro, possibly the best single-panel cartoon of the age.
R Todd King. Some of the most beautiful photographs of autumn and China you’ll ever see.
Scott's Mind. Attractive, intelligent digital humor in cartoon and interactive form. Don’t miss the “Evil Clown Generator.”

CAUSES

A.C.L.U. Who you gonna call when they come for you? Protecting your right to be loud and stupid in public since 1920. Accept no substitutes.
Habitat for Humanity. Best bang for your charitable brow sweat and buck. Find your local chapter and get to it.
Loaves and Fishes. Doing the Christian thing for our brothers and sisters on Sacramento’s streets, no questions asked.
N.A.A.C.P. Using the law to make our founding documents mean what they say for just a century. (Yes, everybody’s “colored”—I’m a nice shade of mottled pink.)
W.E.A.V.E. “Women Escaping a Violent Environment.” Founded in Sacramento by a guy, decorated Vietnam Vet and skillful politician who acted crazy to make a point, to protect women and children from real crazy guys.
Wounded Warriors Family Support. “Support our Troops” for real—put your money and your compassion where your magnetic decal is.

COLUMNS/POLITICS

Jon Carroll. Darned fine columns, indeed—and the subject of Rants #1 and 1A. (Not truly ”rants.”)
Molly Ivins. Gone, but never forgotten. Fired from the Rocky Mountain bureau of the New York Times for describing ritual chicken slaughter as “a gang-pluck.” Got better every day after.
Steve Lopez. The Jon Carroll of the City of Angels. There are similarities, but it’s like trying to compare an articulate, sensitive monk to an articulate, sensitive crime reporter.
Washington Monthly. The real “Capitol Gang.” Charlie Peters and his bunch have kept inside the Beltway straight and honest for decades.
Dan Weintraub. Other than NPR’s “senior” correspondent Dan Schorr and Greg Lucas, late of the S.F. Chronicle and blogging here, perhaps the last principled correspondent capable of independent thought.

COMEDY

Will Durst. Current-events and conscience-based stand-up at its finest—and his columns may appear in an independent publication near you.
Jim Giovanni. Impressionist-singer-songwriter who, incidentally, is inventive and hilarious. Catch him, then book him.
Jake Johannsen. Nth degree black belt of hilarioys non sequiturs and grand master of rapid-fire mental whiplash.
Kathleen Madigan. Visit her site and see her when she’s near you. You won’t regret it.
Paula Poundstone. Still the best of her gender at observational humor and riffing on fans unfortunate enough to call out an answer to one of her in-performance questions.
Ron White. Less of a standup comic than a short-attention-span storyteller. His lyrical drawl is the rhythm section for his spoken melodies of human imperfection.
Steven Wright. The guy in the corner of your eye in the subway who won't make eye contact and -- if you're not careful -- will kidnap you and entertain you in his basement.

ESSAYS

Roy Blount, Jr. King of the Dirt-Eaters and their sly, comfortable wit.
Jimmy Breslin. Godfather to every son and daughter of Eire born American and educated Catholic. "Mailer/Breslin '69 - the Other Guys are the Joke."
Barbara Ehrenreich. Friend of the working poor and enemy of cheerful cancer crusades—among other outrages.
Adair Lara. Former S.F. Chronicle columnist. (Bastards!) Find her wherever you can, such is the pleasure of her prose.
Timothy McSweeney. Dave Eggers’ intellectual and linguistic Pony Express station.
Planet Peschel. Sweet William -- Second Place in the Mark Twain hoo-haw. Hail fellow; good blog; fun fiction and reviews.
David Sedaris. The best and warmest humorist on two (wait--I think it's three, if he's back in Paris with Hugh, after Japan) continents.
Sarah Vowell. Violet’s voice in The Incredibles. Who knew Presidential assassinations could be this much fun?
Bailey White. This here’s the teacher you wish everyone could have in the first grade. Now she’s a full-time writer and commentator, which is even better.

FICTION

Allison Brennan. Local gal; former pol. Makes mysterious magic while the kids are in school.
Patricia Cornwell. First in the forensic femme field; second overall only to Richard North Patterson.
Sir A. C. Doyle. The Prime Mover in crime fiction and hero to frustrated medical students ever since. If you’ve never had the pleasure, please try—if only to understand Jeremy Brett’s incarnation completely.
Clyde Edgerton. This professor and bluegrass picker brings the music of spoken Carolinian to your inner ear, out of the mouths of characters so endearing they could make the Sphinx smile.
Janet Evanovich. Stephanie Plum rules—over her fellow ‘Burgers, some of the most accessible and endearing characters who never existed.
Elmore Leonard. Mamet gives the gift of dialogue through actors’ mouths; Leonard scores conversational arias in your head.
One Story. Dedicated solely to the care and feeding of short fiction. Worth your support.
Oxford American. In the tradition of Faulkner and Welty, Southerners on Southerners.
Richard North Patterson. Most descriptive of the mystery genre and least damaged by a legal education.
Tom Wolfe. The master of colorful, evocative prose and a burrowing but contemplative style. (If you’re going to indulge an affectation, Mark Twain haberdashery is a sufferable idea.)

MEDIA

F.A.I.R. For Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Dogging the watchdogs; dirty, thankless job, and they do it well.
Grade the News. “Evaluating print and broadcast news in the San Francisco Bay Area from A to F.”
Media Matters. This bunch posts rapid-response items as well as longer research and analytic reports documenting conservative misinformation throughout the media.

MISCELLANEA

A Hundred Antidotes. The top 100 American speeches ranked by rhetoricians. Fight depression -- retreat here when somedbody mangles the language "on message."
Angry Kid. Ballocks! Bumcake! Jub up! Stew my foot and call me Brenda. Right tasty movies and piccies from Aardman Animation, ATP.
Bulwer-Lytton. “It was a dark and stormy night...” You’ve seen all the bastardized e-mails; view the original—it’s much better.
CIA Factbook. An astonishing array of information over a breathtaking range, brought to you by Your Friendly Neighborhood Spooks.
D-Bay. There are way too many things offered for sale online that are nobody’s treasure.
E-Sangha. Buddhism portal—gateway to all things Buddhist. Take a spiritual vacation!
Fuhgedaaboudit! Soprano-to-English lexicographer, with links to other swell stuff to better appreciate all expressions Italian.
Grammarama! Dr. Charles Darling has shuffled off this mortal coil but his legacy endures as the St. Bernard of the grammar and usage impaired. Contribute, so he may live on!
Jacquie Lawson. Amazing e-cards for scarcely a farthing—and Chudleigh’s free!
Mr. Lileks. Droll, extraordinary, and humorous arrangement of electrons.
Mullet Junky. “All business up front—party out back!” The subspecies and running commentary make it the solid anthropological contribution it is. Join the hunt!
Say it Plain. 100 years of great speeched by African-Americans, from Booker T. to Barak; a project of American Radio Works.
Chuck Shepherd. “News of the Weird”—oft imitated and electronically plagiarized, but never equaled. Topping up the irony tank since 1988.
Snopes. The premier site for sniffing out Internet hoaxes. Log on and search before you forward that tear-jerking (and already forwarded!) e-mail or link.

MUSIC

Blind Boys of Alabama. Honey, if the choir in my church sounded like this, I'd be there every damned day!
¡Bucho!. More tonal intrigue from Dig Records, the folks who brought you Jackie Greene.
CD Baby. Of, by, and for the Independent Musician.
Fairfield Four. A harmonius delight born again by T-Bone Burnett in O Brother Where Art Thou? When they call it out, a capella, what Spirit would dare refuse?
Indigo Swing. Johnny Boyd and the boys swingin’ in Baghdad-by-the-Bay. Reet ties, too!
Jackie Greene. This kid got game. As if to prove the notion of cosmic balance, he came in just about the time John Hartford was going out.
Steve Goodman. Composed “The City of New Orleans.” Before leukemia took him from us and the Cubbies, he, Jethro Burns, John Prine, and other partners in rhyme spread much ear-pleasing merriment here below.
Ben Harper. First saw and heard this young man in tribute to the Funk Brothers in Standing in the Shadows of Motown; then a young friend lent me a copy of There Will be a Light, with the Blind Boys of Alabama. Yowzah -- biracial; Orange County; old school. What a talent!
Jez Lowe & the Bad Pennies. Been through our town—Celtic folk conscious. Silky sweet and nettlesome.
Little Charlie & the Nightcats. If you’re searching for top-rail jump blues, you’re home.
Mick Martin’s Blues Party. The best damned radio Blues program, period, brought to you by KXJZ, 88.9 FM in the greater Sacramento area; Saturdays, 1-4 PM Pacific Time. (Kicks it with the Blues Rockers, too.)
Keb' Mo'. "Kevin Moore," to those of us who are of the pale persuasion. A disciple of roots Blues who reveres its prophets and traditions in a rich and most pleasing way.
Medeski Martin and Wood. Sound keyboard Karma plus out of New York City; real mind-expanders.
North Mississippi All-Stars. Cody and Luther Dickinson, sons of legendary Memphis musician/producer Jim, join Chris Chew to defy description and categorization.
Omar Shariff. This piano man owns and employs more fingers that Earl "Fatha" Hines, if that's possible.
Robert Randolph. From the House of God Church to your ears—RR and the Family Band will make you and your hair stand up.
Roomful of Blues. Eighteen albums later, these S.F. boys willstillkillya with their walkin’ blues and talkin’ horns.
Ralph Stanley. If you've any interest at all in old-timey music and the clarity and peace it can bring in these cluttered, cacaphonous times, start here. From the depths of the man's soul to your ears.
Sweet Honey in the Rock. Social justice served a cappella; finer, sweeter, and just as satisfying as home cookin’.
Matt Thorpe. Best British Guitar master you've never heard of. Instrumental solos to die for.
Trio I and II. Emmy Lou, Dolly, and Linda, on the same page in the same place at the same time--twice, released in 1987 and 1999. Angels set upon the Earth (and eye-popping supporting casts, too).
Cassandra Wilson. Gut-shuddering alto, head-smacking arrangements, and a cajon thrown in for good measure. Unbelievable.

NONFICTION

Jared Diamond. The Definitive Histories of Civilization for Dummies. (Not really; just broad, absorbing swaths packaged for your convenience.)
James Fallows. A conscientious journalist who documented in detail the damage commercial media are doing to our electoral and governance systems—and paid for it. He turns his thoughtful attention to other weighty matters in Atlantic Monthly.
Gavin Menzies. Wait a minute--the Chinese were here before Columbus? Pauly Walnuts will be really pissed now!
William Least Heat Moon. Off the beaten track, across the Great Plains, and following Lewis and Clark—the best word pictures you’ve ever seen.
Michael Pollan. The Botany of Desire. Wait—we may not be the dominant species on the planet? The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Wait! What they’ve been growing, packaging, and thrusting at us since Earl Butz isn’t good for us? An Eater’s Manifesto. Wait! Gramma was right about what I put in my mouth? This man must be discredited!
Cornel West. Conscience of the Ivy League; theologian; social activist—now hip-hop and spoken word recording artist. He and brother Clifton are the complete package.
Gary Wills. Just staring at his picture will make you smarter; reading him lengthens your view in a most accommodating way.

SATIRE

The Bobs. A Capella amazement! Though an estimable singing group, they are playful and ironic enough to fit better here, I think. Check out "Kill Your Television," lyrics composed entirely of bumper-sticker slogans.
Dead Dog Cafe. Provincial Canada’s Pythons—two Indians and a Caucasian; available on tape, if you look hard enough. "Stay Calm…Be Brave…Wait for the Signs!" (Sadly, the DDC’s fully-automated Authentic Indian Name Generator seems to have joined the Spirit in the Sky.)
The Goon Show. BBC radio comedy from Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, and Harry Secombe, which didst begat the Pythons.
Walt Kelly. I Go Pogo. What would have happened if Jonathan Swift had been born American in 1913 and could draw. I mean, really draw.
The Onion. The Daily Show for readers. There should be an emergency copy of "Our Dumb Century" in every household, in case of swelled chests or overinflated egos.
P. J. O’Rourke. The last, best example of a vanishing species: felicitus Republicanus cerebrum. Translation: the Smart, Funny Republican.
Monty Python. In case you (1) live in a cave and (2) can’t imagine what Jonathan Swift would’ve done with his time if he’d come along 60 years ago instead of in 1667.
Bill Watterson. Come back, Mr. Calvin and Hobbes—if only to sue the assholes who make those blasphemous rear window decals yourself, in person. (Syndicate pussies!)
Roy Zimmerman. Another area phenom (S.F.)--forte is sociopolitical satire in song. A logical and deserving heir to Tom Lehrer.

SPORT

Ancient Olympics. From the Persius Digital Library Project at Tufts University. Gateway to an athletic tradition that dates back to at least 776 B.C.
Thomas Boswell. The greatest baseball writer to ever touch the keys. If you haven’t yet loved America’s Pastime he’ll seduce you.
DecathlonUSA. Everything there is to know about the “World’s Greatest Athletes.” (You’re one of a kind, Zeke.)
John Feinstein. Welcome proof that you don’t have to be aggressive, loud, or devoid of conviction to be a sportswriter—and, by the way, what a writer!
I.A.A.F. A good window on what the rest of the world does while we’re so busy crowning ourselves “World Champions” in our insular pastimes.
Dan Jenkins. Everything of his that I’ve ever read is dead solid perfect—unlike life its ownself, Bubba, which is semi-tough.
Olympics. They truly are about realizing a dream—trading hard work and sacrifice for honor, and glory. Other than meeting basic human needs, they represent the best form of diplomacy.
Pole-ish People. Pole vaulters are the most fascinating subculture in sport, striving to master the single most difficult endeavor in athletics. Bubba makes you a believer from the inside out in two entertaining documentaries; you won't find better vault footage anywhere.
U.S.A.T.F. Worldwide, it’s called “athletics;” here, it’s “track and field.” Start here for real athletes, if you’ve grown tired of spoiled millionaires (including some sprinters under 400 meters).