Since Carl mentioned James Poulos’ band Black Hi-Lighter below, I thought I’d post this video which has been making the rounds (or if it has not made the rounds, it should). It is an excellent (little rehearsed/bar band) performance of David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust.” James does a good Jagger slash Bowie slash Iggy Pop, with a backup up band which I think has a few members from Black Hi-Lighter in it.
Apparently, several bands got together one night in one club and performed the entirety of Bowie’s Ziggy album.
If this sounds self indulgent (which it need not necessarily be), consider that I just paid money to see the Flaming Lips perform the entirety of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. I would think James’ cohort offers the better value for your buck, but the Flaming Lips as Pink Floyd were pretty damn good too.
It didn’t hurt that for my dollar to see the Flaming Lips, Morris Day & the Time, Snoop Dogg, and Willie Nelson were also on the bill. Also, Los Skarnales played—a truly excellent Houston based Tex-Mex/ska band. There were other bands such as Two Door Cinema Club, the Avett Brothers, Erykah Badu, the Descendents, Starf***r, and others that I missed while standing in line to go to the bathroom. Or else I was too bored to listen and watch. After all, it was 95 degrees with equal humidity in the hot Texas sun. Nothing against these bands, but I’d rather be bored in the shade.
After the concert I felt like Danny Glover’s character in Lethal Weapon—“I’m gettin’ too old for this . . . ”
UPDATE: I guess I was the only person who knew the hand signals for the Time’s
C-O-O-L . On the of best days, even while I teach the Federalist Papers, I find myself mimicking this COOL posture in class. Lord, help me.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
