TAKE ME TO THE CIRCUS.

My Brit-hater friend , who shall remain nameless per her request, texted me this morning to tell me that Brit's tour bus was parked in Dallas. I wanna go dammit!

While my b-fri Kat Marshall dances it up at the concert, I'll be schlepping steaks and lobsters to rich legislators and lobbyists who publicly denounce Ms. Spears but still secretly dream of doing the nasty with her.

I hate my life.

Theresa Andersson Sees Dead People. OK, just one dead person...

For more of Theresa Andersson, check out bbook.com

"There were a lot of ghost stories where I grew up in Sweden and it used to freak me out as a kid but I didn’t think much of it. When I first moved to New Orleans, I was living in a slave quarter, which is the back house from the bigger, main building. A voodoo priest lived across the courtyard from us and every night, I would see her walk around the rooms with sage as the sun went down to chase out the bad spirits. One night, I was upstairs on my futon and I was still awake, my eyes were wide open and from around the corner came this very large, totally black shadow in the shape of a man. It came towards me and it jumped—throwing itself at me. I sat straight up and screamed for my life and then it evaporated. I couldn’t sleep after that. It was not a friendly presence at all. Maybe there’s something to the sage. Maybe the she chased them over to me. "
On the first and only time Andersson saw a ghost.

Justice Records at SXSW

A really blurry picture of Justice Jamail, guitarist for The Manichean and son of Randall Jamail, CEO of Justice Records.

For Randall Jamail's interview with Blackbook, click here.

Randall Jamail is the son of Joe Jamail, legendary litigator (there are TWO statues of Joe at UT Law) and BFF with Daryl Royal and Willie Nelson.

Jason Reece of ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead on SXSW

See the article on Blackbook Magazine.

Plus more:
RR:If I was a shitty band and I was coming to you for some guidance, what would you tell me?
JR: Quit while you’re ahead. Unplug your musical equipment, sell it on eBay and work in a normal job like everyone else.

RR:Where is this coming from?
JR: It’s that oversaturation of mediocrity. The bands that I like and see, I’ve discovered by accident. It seems like SXSW is this ridiculous, debaucherous, crazy, drug-fueled, alcohol-fueled party. It’s fun but does anyone really watch the music?

You know, Trail of Dead was once an aspiring band.
JR: I guess that makes me an asshole for saying that but that’s how I feel. But the cool thing about SXSW is that it’s great to have that sort of party, festive atmosphere.

The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of SXSW.

Dave Grohl, frontman extraordinaire and overall awesome dude, was spotted chowing down some fish tacos at Wahoo on Rio Grande. Joseph Gordon-Levitt also sated his appetite at an Austin eatery located a few blocks east of Wahoo. This establishment, while known for their prime seafood (no more than 72 hours between boat and plate) does not serve fish tacos.

Fritz Lamb

Towards the end of his long life, we started calling Fritz our “grumpy, old man,” because he had the appearance and outlook of a grumpy, old man. He had a gray beard and his black beady eyes looked at you accusingly, like he knew that you were up to no good. We heard his shrill bark more and more, especially in the mornings when he would bark by our bedside until we reached down and scooped him up, only for him to bark at us again when he needed to get down a few minutes later. It was annoying. I would roll over and glare at him before putting him down. But now that Fritz is gone, I feel terrible for being so mean to him, for not understand what it’s like to get old, to not be able to do the things you used to do.

My favorite memory of Fritzy was of him jumping up on my bed in the mornings and snuggling with me. He would come after the family had already started waking up and after he had breakfasted in the kitchen at the other end of the house. I could hear his approach two rooms away. His nails clacking against the hardwood floors as he raced to the room I shared with Melanie sometimes seemed like a figment of last night’s dream, in my half-awake state. On his morning runs to our bedroom, Fritz would gain enough momentum to open our door. I’d hear it bang open and then he would land on my bed with a thump, uninvited. Sometimes he’d land at my feet and I’d move my legs to make a little hollow for him. Sometimes he’d land right on top of me. On those mornings, he’d march right up, real close until I could smell and feel his doggy breath on my face. I’d open my eyes and see two black marbles staring at me. On those mornings, I’d put my arms around him and we would sleep a little longer, spooning.

He didn’t always snuggle with me. There were two twin beds and sometimes he would choose the other one. It never made me jealous when he chose Mel’s bed over mine because we both knew that he truly belonged to Judy. We were just lucky that she knew how to share.

SXSW: Day 4 (1 for me)

Lets blame my lack of enthusiasm for SXSW on the weather. Unlike Austin City Limits Music Festival which is localized in one spot, SXSW is a creature with tentacles reaching over downtown and into South Austin. This means that attendants must brave the elements as they go from one venue to another. I don’t know if y’all have been watching the Weather Channel, but for the past week, the entire state of Texas has been unseasonably cold (in the forties!) and rainy, a combination that’s not conducive to waiting in lines, not even for the next hottest musical import from Norway.

Actually, rock stars and those aspiring to become one won’t hit the stages until the latter part of this week. The first half of the festival is films and interactive*. However, my weather person predicted sunshine throughout the duration of the festival so nothing should bar me from hanging with Norway’s finest musicians. Whether it’s for a film, a band, or for some guaranteed interaction, I’ll be waiting in line with Torchy’s tacos in one hand and a refreshing beverage in the other.**


*I’m not quite sure what “interactive” entails. I think Google has a booth or something.
** Ian Moore is the shiz...especially his newest shiz.