Jonathan Coulton

Last week was so computery, I wanted a little palette cleanser this week, so you’re getting a nice simple all-acoustic number. This song is based on a memory I wish I had – none of this actually happened, but it is cobbled together from the many tiny bits of kindness and desperation and longing that come with growing up in a small town. I was always into older women in high school, and there was a time when they all seemed so tall and big and wonderful – especially the dangerous ones. The ones who were “built for speed” and who maybe had a certain reputation, but really they were just fun to hang around with. And if you were a skinny freshman in a social situation that was way over your head, they would take care of you, and drive you home in their dark, fast, dangerous cars.

I give you: The Town Crotch

And not to ruin a nice moment with something crass, but if you enjoy Thing a Week, you should feel free to donate whatever you think it’s worth so far to me through Amazon or Paypal. I will not object.

Our “podcast” is posted here on the PopSci site (for now, on the front page, under the picture of the yellow indy car): Best of What’s New 2005. Listen if you dare.

John Hodgman and I are just this moment working on a podcast for Popular Science from the Best of What’s New show at Grand Central Station – technology innovations, shiny things, robot mops, etc. This will be posted tomorrow AM on the PopSci site, so check it out. There is a small theme song by yours truly.

In the meantime, here is a video of girls with pork chops on their heads and a lizard who terrifies them: Meat Hats (via BoingBoing). God bless you Japan.

This week, a little laptop music. I’ve been in airplanes and hotels all week, so everything had to happen inside my computer, which made for an interesting challenge. The vocal track is from some voice over work a friend of mine did for a TV show, cut up and arranged in Ableton Live. I added some loops, recorded a little guitar, and mixed it all on my Plantronics USB headset (all you audio engineers out there are cringing right now). I must tell you, for most of this week I despaired of getting to a place where this was in any way interesting. Then somehow in the last 24 hours the vocal track started to be “about” something, though I can’t say what. Sisters. Suspicious, fighting sisters. And someone goes to a mall.

Here is the song: Sibling Rivalry

Sorry for no postie, I’ve been traveling with Mr. John Hodgman doing book stuff. Chicago and now Boston. Last night we appeared on a public access cable show called NightBeat, or maybe NiteBeat, here in Brookline. It was live TV, and it was very strange – I was a little spooked by all the cameras, but I pretended like everything was cool so I’m sure I came off really smooth. I have a tape, which I will watch in private someday when I am very brave.

Today I’m doing a phone interview with Jimmy Diggs on a show called Daily Noise about Baby Got Back and maybe other stuff. That’s 1:30 EST, and you can listen at any number of internet stations – check the site for details.

And of course, tonight is the Little Gray Books lecture about Brookline, to be held in Brookline, when I will sing a song called “Brookline.” At which point the universe collapse in on itself.

This week’s thing coming soon…