Apparently Rick Wright, the keyboardist for (and co-founder of) Pink Floyd, has just died of cancer.

Wright, who was unceremoniously dumped from the band by Roger Waters during sessions for The Wall, wrote and performed that classic track, “The Great Gig in the Sky”, for example, as well as providing vocals on tracks like “Time” and “Echoes”.

He rejoined the band following the departure of Waters, and if you want to see some of his more recent appearances, check out David Gilmour’s excellent live DVD, Remember That Night.

Folks, cancer sucks. Too many people in my life have been taken by cancer, and I bet anyone reading this has had similar experiences. Really, whether it’s slow or quick, it’s still a bastard.

Anyway, there goes any hope for a Pink Floyd reunion (unless they finally want to tour in support of The Final Cut…).

Here’s the trailer for the new Steven Wilson solo album:

I’ve cooled-off Wilson/Porcupine Tree a bit—I go through phases, and my current phase is DEVO—but I’ll still pick this up when it’s released.

George W. Bush isn’t Hitler; the latter at least managed to be a captivating public speaker—Bush doesn’t even have that much going for him.

Bush is the sort of person who is convinced he’s right despite the facts, not because of them. If need be, fabricate evidence to support your position because, after all, you’re right, and if the real evidence were in your possession, it’d obviously support your case anyway. This is Stephen Colbert’s “truthiness” in action.

So now we find out this:

Bush allegedly ordered the CIA to forge a handwritten letter from the head of Iraq’s intelligence service to Saddam Hussein that purported to link the Iraqi dictator to the ringleader of the hijackers who toppled the Twin Towers on 9/11, according to news accounts of Suskind’s new book, The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism. Such use of an intelligence service to influence domestic political debate could be an impeachable offense, Suskind writes.

The full post is here—watch the videos on that page at the least.

The most frustrating thing is the stubborn insistence by some people that Bush & co. did what they thought was best, blah blah blah. So? Many people commit evil acts while believing they’re doing good. I’m sure the 9/11 hijackers were certain of their righteousness as they murdered thousands of people, too. How is Bush any better?

Last night I saw DEVO, performing for the first time in Sydney in over 25 years.

Yes, DEVO, that gang of subversive geeks willing to mock everything sacred about American (and, by extension, Western) culture—those Spuds who preach that de-evolution is REAL!

Now, it should be noted that Monica and I always stumble into adventures when we’re out together. Sometimes it involves meeting Marcia Hines at the Police concert; other times, it involves the wheelchair dying on Enmore Road. If nothing else, it’s always an… interesting experience, and this night was no exception.

Firstly, at Mon’s suggestion, we didn’t park where I had originally intended. This (as you’ll see later) was a bit of luck.

As soon as we arrived, we had dinner at Cine, an Italian cafe in the Entertainment Quarter (formerly the Fox Studios Backlot)—pleasant enough, though nothing fantastic. The staff were very nice, however.

When we arrived at the Hordern Pavilion for the show, I made a beeline for the merch stand. I picked up a T-shirt, a poster, and (yes!) an Energy Dome (which was another bit of luck, but… oh, I’ll tell you later).

Anyway, the show…

eddy current suppression ring were the first act, a kind of geeky punk/garage rock band from Melbourne. Very good and they fit in well.

After that, we went in search of COFFEE! Yes, even Spuds need caffeination now and then. Unfortunately, we found none, but some guy offered to buy my Energy Dome from Monica, since they were now apparently sold out!

Next up was Regurgitator with a very fun set. Not much more to say about that, really, but they seemed to be in awe of the fact that they were supporting “the best fucking band in the world!” Mon was heaving during “I Will Lick Your Arsehole”, however—I have no idea why.

Finally, it was time for some De-Evolution! After the intro video, they got straight into a great set that hit all the highlights, including Booji Boy performing “Beautiful World”!!!

The setlist, by memory:

1. “That’s Good”
2. “Going Under”
3. “Peek-a-Boo!”
4. “Girl U Want”
5. “Whip It”
6. “Secret Agent Man”
7. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
8. “Uncontrollable Urge”
9. “Mongoloid”
10. “Blockhead”
11. “Jocko Homo”
12. “Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA”
13. “Gates of Steel”
14. “Devo Corporate Anthem” (on video)
15. “Freedom of Choice”
16. “Gut Feeling”
17. “Beautiful World” (performed by Booji Boy)

I really was not expecting a Booji Boy appearance last night—it was bloody amazing.

The boys only played for about 75 minutes with no encore, but that has to be the best show I’ve seen so far. Seriously. I’ve been a Devo fan for many years, but this has pushed me into the “hardcore” territory.

(The Toto show is probably on par, actually, but Devo are still fresh in my mind…)

After the show, we got coffee (finally!) at Gloria Jeans. (It should be noted that Monica was basically holding me up with this coffeehouse expedition, possibly due to watching one too many episodes of Friends, though I did gladly go along with it because my Spud-sense told me there was good reason to….)

It wasn’t until about 50 minutes after the show that we were actually making our way back to the van—the spot Mon had chosen—when…

There they were! Devo were just leaving the Hordern. The two Bob’s were signing some fans’ stuff, so, of course, I had to stop and join in.

I had a chat with Bob 1 and got him to sign my poster and Energy Dome (through the fence, no less). Then I met Mark Mothersbaugh and he signed my Energy Dome, too! Yes, the Energy Dome that was already sought after before being signed by the Mothersbaugh boys.

So there you have it: Monica’s coffee-house dithering and parking eccentricities got me to meet Devo. How often can you say that???

Photos

Devo on stage

Booji Boy

Bob 1

Mark Mothersbaugh

UPDATE! Bonus (Bad) Bootleg Video (but not by me)

Secret Agent Man

Uncontrollable Urge

Mongoloid

Jocko Homo

UPDATE 2! John Larkin has a great overview of the same show here.

I’m loving the Mudcrutch album—it’s solid throughout and a real grower. It’s a definite change of pace to something like Highway Companion, however, which means its sound may initially be a surprise to some listeners, though definitely a pleasant one.

Anyway, here’s the EPK for the album, just to give you more of a taste. Some of the clips are from the outstanding documentary Runnin’ Down a Dream, itself something worth seeking out.

As a sample of the new no-man album schoolyard ghosts, here’s the promo clip for “truenorth (edit)”, excepted from the second part of the 13-minute epic “truenorth”. (The third part is actually my favourite, but this is still a nice introduction to the no-man sound.)

One of the more bizarre reunions happening at the moment is Tom Petty’s reforming of his old band Mudcrutch (complete with Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench) after so much success under his own name, with and without the Heartbreakers.

The new Mudcrutch album (and, incidentally, their first — they never even completed an album the first go ’round) is about to be released. Here’s the first video:

I was considering David Lynch’s type based on his movies. He’s definitely some kind of NT, and his films don’t seem busy enough to be that of an ENTP (what I’m now calling the “kitchen sink effect”), so I was pretty much down to INTP or INTJ. (Really, The Straight Story is so slow that it’s almost inconceivable to consider it the work of an Extravert of any kind.)

Then it occurred to me: his means of completing Mulholland Dr. was the ultimate Ni perspective shift. Basically, he took a 90-minute TV pilot and reinterpreted it as a dream sequence within a larger film. (This is the “spin” of Ni I was referring to earlier.) It’s no wonder he was so well-suited to translating Frank Herbert’s INTJ epic, Dune, to the silver screen.

Whereas Ne catches ideas and associations from the unconscious as they float to the surface of the conscious mind, Ni goes deeper, plunging right into that dark well of dreams and symbols. Have a look at the video below to see what I’m talking about:

Note how Lynch contrasts Ni with Ne — this is very instructive for anyone wishing to grasp an Ni take on the differences between the two functions.