July 8th, 2010 / 7:38 pm
Random

Two Things to Make It Rain

It’s warm out.

1. Commenter kirby pointed to this essay by Jim Rossignol about video games and architecture.

2. Bookstore Memory: I went to this bookstore in Appleton, Wisconsin years ago, and noticed a bunch of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion reviews in frames on the walls. A place of honor was reserved for one from Rolling Stone that was on the same page as a Bob Dylan review. I talked to the owner, and found out that she was the mother of JSBX guitarist Judah Bauer. She told me he had been really excited to see his band reviewed so close to Dylan because, even if he wouldn’t admit it to his punk rock/noise rock friends, Dylan was his favorite artist. “All the tapes in his room were labeled Honeymoon Killers and stuff, but they were all actually Dylan records.” She told me that story while I waited for my change—I was buying, I think, Dr. Sax by Jack Kerouac—and I’m 67% certain she was hoping if she dazzled me with rock gossip, I would forget she owed me for the $20 I had given her.

Got a bookstore memory? Comment.

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8 Comments

  1. Stephen

      My memory is that every time I go to Powell’s I leave frustrated by what they don’t have that I wanted.

  2. jonny ross

      love that performance.

  3. Stephen

      My memory is that every time I go to Powell’s I leave frustrated by what they don’t have that I wanted.

  4. jonny ross

      love that performance.

  5. Joseph Riippi

      Got a beautiful leatherbound edition of Vasari’s *LIves of the artists* at a house/used bookstore on Capitol Hill in Seattle some years ago with my fiancee. We sat and petted the librarian cats and talked art and Pearl Jam for an hour or so with the graying owner. He was a kind man. I remember little except how very KIND.

      We were back in Seattle again this past weekend and went to find that man and his bookshop and instead found the house boarded up with wet plywood. There was still a “Used Books: Open” sign to the side of what had been a door. It’s sad when people die, maybe sadder when you’re not sure if they died or not, and have no real way of knowing.

      Anyone in Seattle know the deal on that place? 15th ave, up near Victrola at the top of the hill.

  6. Tom DeBeauchamp

      You’re thinking of Horizon’s. That location closed awhile ago… maybe a year ago. He may have another normal-operating-hours location on Roosevelt.

      On tenth and Pike ish, in a basement under Neumos, he has teamed up with Recollection books who sell primarily anarcho-lefty texts. They operate on a whenever they feel like it schedule so you just have to get lucky with their hours.

      I’m not sure if they still have the cats.

  7. Joseph Riippi

      Got a beautiful leatherbound edition of Vasari’s *LIves of the artists* at a house/used bookstore on Capitol Hill in Seattle some years ago with my fiancee. We sat and petted the librarian cats and talked art and Pearl Jam for an hour or so with the graying owner. He was a kind man. I remember little except how very KIND.

      We were back in Seattle again this past weekend and went to find that man and his bookshop and instead found the house boarded up with wet plywood. There was still a “Used Books: Open” sign to the side of what had been a door. It’s sad when people die, maybe sadder when you’re not sure if they died or not, and have no real way of knowing.

      Anyone in Seattle know the deal on that place? 15th ave, up near Victrola at the top of the hill.

  8. Tom DeBeauchamp

      You’re thinking of Horizon’s. That location closed awhile ago… maybe a year ago. He may have another normal-operating-hours location on Roosevelt.

      On tenth and Pike ish, in a basement under Neumos, he has teamed up with Recollection books who sell primarily anarcho-lefty texts. They operate on a whenever they feel like it schedule so you just have to get lucky with their hours.

      I’m not sure if they still have the cats.