Lance Conzett

“Libra” by Don DeLillo — I didn’t love DeLillo’s clipped stream-of-conscious prose in White Noise but it really worked for me in Libra. Every page feels seedy and conspiratorial, with brilliant flashes of insightful convergence before they drift away into the darkness. (18/80)

It would be very funny if these investors just bought it to make an even bigger scrapyard. Imagine the beautiful views of Truckasaurus coming over the pedestrian bridge.

Always get a little thrill when I see a local band in Pitchfork. 🥲

“Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe — Surprisingly readable for being written in the 1700s. Occasionally thrilling but clearly written before active voice was invented. (17/80)

“The BFG” by Roald Dahl — This was Katie’s childhood copy, which I fished out of a box from the attic when we moved. Obviously delightful. (16/80)

lmao the cheapest Paul McCartney ticket at The Pinnacle are $1400 for a nosebleed bench seat, get outta here

I had the exact same experience at the Nashville show, except it was “Pass the Hatchet.” Bunch of mind readers, that band.

Generation A by Douglas Coupland from the waiting room of a car dealership service center.

“Generation A” by Douglas Coupland — I don’t think I’m cynical enough anymore to dig Coupland, but I do think he stuck the landing well enough that I might like this more on a re-read. (15/80)

A large format paperback with a picture of someone’s feet (from the shins down) mid pogo, making it look like they’re floating. The title of the book is along the side: “Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records - The Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small.”

“Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records” by John Cook — Fun little oral history about a specific moment in indie rock history (including a great Lambchop chapter). I couldn’t help but laugh at the “Superchunk retires” chapter when they’ve put out five more records since. (14/80)

A paperback book of poetry titled “The Trees The Trees” with a floral pattern on the front cover.

“The Trees The Trees” by Heather Christle — A lovely volume of poetry that I bought because @themountaingoats.bsky.social posted about it once and that guy’s got taste. Effective and evocative, down how Christle physically compresses her thoughts against each other. (13/80)

Following local news on here is wild because you’ll scroll through 30 harrowing posts about the protests in LA and be met with a random story about Walmart cakes

“Congo” by Michael Crichton — Jurassic Park made me such a Crichton kid that I clearly remember reading Timeline at Boy Scout camp, but I somehow never got around to Congo. Congo reads like a David Grann adventure, until it reads like a pulp thriller. Loved it. (12/80)

Big fan of Ilford Delta 3200, but I’m almost always shooting in low light situations so the more reactive film probably isn’t super necessary for most people

I just stumbled across a Soundcloud page with most of beloved (to me, at least) Nashville screamo band Oliver's Army's discography and I'm so excited to revisit these songs soundcloud.com/user-5611743...

Master & Commander (but maybe that’s more like a 𝔇𝔲𝔡𝔢𝔰 ℜ𝔬𝔠𝔨 movie)

If my editors couldn’t bully me into using fewer em dashes, AI truthers don’t stand a chance

A book titled “Designing the Invisible: An Introduction to Service Design”

“An Introduction to Service Design: Designing the Invisible” by Lara Penin — I’m convinced that business books can be condensed into a single 1200 word blog post and this, while lovingly designed and occasionally insightful, does not beat those charges. (11/80)

A leather bound edition of Anton Chekhov’s Plays. The book is red, with ornate gold detailing.

“Greatest Plays” by Anton Chekhov — From my “I’ll buy any leather-bound book if it’s cheap enough” phase. Surprisingly relevant plays about bourgeois complacency, artistic jealousy, and suffering for a better future. (10/80)

It’s still unclear what Henry Rollins is building in Nashville. Is it a museum? A venue? A community center? All of those things? Something else entirely? Sounds like it’ll be another year before we know for sure.

I dare you to find a headline that better sums up Nashville in 2025 than this

The book Dilla Time sitting on a folded out record sleeve of Pharcyde’s Labcabincalifornia, on which J Dilla produced several tracks as Jay Dee.

“Dilla Time” by Dan Charnas — A truly phenomenal biography of J Dilla. Charnas doesn’t just tell Dilla’s life story, he explains music theory in a way that dummies like me can grasp and effectively shows how Dilla changed the very concept of musical time forever. (9/80)

There’s a scene in this that made the guy sitting next to me whisper “oh shit, the thing” to himself and I laughed out loud. I’m in the middle of reading the phenomenal J Dilla biography by Dan Charnas and in it, Charnas vividly describes the evolution of musical time and how Black artists in America changed the very feeling of music—away from European music tradition and into something new, something that swung. You don’t need to have that particular bit of musicology in your head to love Sinners, but it immediately deepened my experience with this movie.

Watch JEFF the Brotherhood, Snooper, More Play at Exit/In Before ‘The Day the Music Stopped’ screens at the Belcourt, check out performance footage from a legendary 2022 run of shows

Ahead of a screening of indie-venue doc 'The Day the Music Stopped' at the @belcourttheatre.bsky.social, check out full-song performances from a stellar 2022 run of shows at Exit/In.

I have photos in this documentary! If you missed it at NaFF, catch it at the Belcourt on Monday.

A few shots from @recordstoreday.bsky.social last weekend at Vinyl Tap:

- Nashville mayor @freddieoconnell.bsky.social (DJ Public Transit?)
- The legendary @robynhitchcock.bsky.social
- Instrumental soul band Mount Worcester
- Delightfully snotty pop punks Winona Fighter

A paperback book of Total Chaos, written in graffiti style text.

“Total Chaos: The Art & Aesthetics of Hip-Hop” edited by Jeff Chang — An Olympic swimming pool of ideas about the contradictory and confrontational nature of hip-hop, some of which hit like lightning bolts. But man, heads really did hate 50 Cent in 2005, didn’t they? (8/80)

Is there anything better than the serendipity of going out of town and discovering that a really sick show is happening down the road from where you’re staying?

As much as PTA just isn’t one of my guys, I can’t wait to see this on the biggest screen possible.

Commit to the bit by drafting a person not participating in trivia on the other side of the bar to your team

The book Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon. The cover is awful, the book is good.

“Wonder Boys” by Michael Chabon — My second Chabon of the year, loved it. Has the silly madcap vibe of some of Telegraph Avenue, but with a clearer focus on how we (and especially creative people) get in our own way. Maybe the worst book cover I’ve ever laid eyes on tho. (7/80)