Looking for clues

My first exposure to Robert Palmer (1949-2003) came, fittingly, on early MTV: his clip "Looking For Clues" (1980) was a staple of the fledgling network. The song is a funky romp about something or other and features some fine falsetto singing by Palmer. The video uses camera trickery to show Palmer leaping about on building blocks and toy pianos. Entertaining stuff, this clip, though hardly indicative of the panache he would bring to the video form only a few years later with "Addicted to Love" (1985), a clip I recall finding delicious at the time.

If you can find the album "Looking for Clues" is on, Clues, I recommend it. Palmer does some freaky dystopic disco-synth shit with Gary "Cars" Numan.

R.I.P. Robert Palmer. Edward Said, too, though I confess I never finished Orientalism. Bad grad student! Bad grad student!

My own private Patriot Act

Can anyone recommend a way to record phone conversations? I know there are various devices and whatnot--wondering which is the best.

Man in White

I have dreamed about Johnny Cash three or four times since he died. The most striking time came a few days ago, when I was deeply involved in trying to memorize words to songs my new band, El Segundo, is playing. In my dream, I asked Johnny how he remembered the words to all those songs, and he replied, "I imagine that Jesus is singin' along with me."