Interview by Simon Armitage, as published today, is found here.

edit, having read it: oh, why the nationalistic pap…why? Idiocy.

The first Elliott Smith retrospective compilation-album, woo! I’ve compiled it on Spotify here, so click that to hear what isn’t out in the shops yet.

From killrockstars:

AN INTRODUCTION TO ELLIOTT SMITH
On November 2nd Kill Rock Stars will release An Introduction to… Elliott Smith on CD and 180 gram vinyl. This album features fourteen tracks compiled from all seven of Elliott Smith’s albums: Roman Candle, Elliott Smith, Either/Or, XO, Figure 8, From A Basement on the Hill, and New Moon.

An Introduction to… is, as the title suggests, intended as an introduction to one of the greatest songwriters of our era. We hope this will enable new generations to learn about Elliott’s music by providing a pathway for people to delve more deeply into his immensely satisfying catalog.

1 Ballad of Big Nothing – from Either/Or
2. Waltz #2 – from XO
3. Pictures of Me – from Either/Or
4. The Biggest Lie – from Elliott Smith
5. Alameda – from Either/Or
6. Between The Bars – from Either/Or
7. Needle In The Hay – from Elliott Smith
8. Last Call – from Roman Candle
9. Angeles – from Either/Or
10. Twilight – from From a Basement on the Hill
11. Pretty (Ugly Before) – from From a Basement on the Hill
12. Angel In the Snow – from New Moon
13. Miss Misery (early version) – from New Moon
14. Happiness (single version) – from Figure 8

And now I’m on my way home and I’m listening to Patti’s “Horses” and I’m really lovin’ it and there’s a brisk, lukewarm wind tugging at my hair. I just finished Chuck Palahniuk’s “Snuff” and I’m happy for having read it; it was really funny and made me want to puke at the same time. Loads of little stories rolled into one, plus one-liners.

Tonight belongs to Mia and me.

It seems like forever ago that the sun last shone. Summer’s being slowly yet harshly pelted away by raindrops and I can’t help but yearn for our coming trip to the United States. You’ve got that right, Mia and I are going to visit the US of A again, come autumn. I’m really, really looking forward to it. We plan to travel around Texas by car.

I’m settling for no tears, but hell to the yes to the Texan sun! Our Texan friends have all extended their warm welcomes as far as living-arrangements and debauchery is concerned.

Taking my regular, solitary lunch-walk around a lake called Trekanten is solemn. My headphones drown out most other sounds, and as such, I’ve walked around with Magnetic Fields ringing in my ears. Listening to their “Holiday” is fun. I’ve heard them a lot since re-discovering them for good at the start of this year, and now their eccentric and special sounds are everyday to me, in a sense. It’s like listening to Super Furry Animals a lot, so much that you discover they’re suddenly the norm and you wonder why all artists don’t incorporate screaming, grand vocal harmonies, 303s and a tank in their music.

Speaking of which, I’m itching to see “Inception“. I had high hopes for “Shutter Island“, but that film kinda fell through, like a shattered and strange version of the newer “Cape Fear“. I know very little of “Inception“, but word-of-mouth from friends is promising. I love knowing as little as possible about most films I desire to see, which probably sounds insane. I just want to find out by myself.

It may be raining, but I’m not in the least unhappy. I’m looking forward to spending the evening cooking a fancy dinner, curling into the sofa while sipping tea. Autumn isn’t that bad after all.

Oh yes, I’ve discovered “Laguna Beach“, which is life after before “The Hills“.

I’m impressed by the quality of the show, and reminded of what squabbles and trifles that surrounded high-school when I was there. Also, it’s bisarre to note that Kristin mentally hasn’t aged at all. Lo is the real magic. She’s like a weird pixie, who sometimes may look confused but often in conversation suddenly erupts through a zen-like sentence, e.g. “Eat your Pink Berry and enjoy life!”

The second season is (so far, I haven’t watched it all) weaker than the first, notably because Lo and Lauren aren’t much in it, but I’m hoping for more lively – as opposed to only drama – stuff to happen. I quote Will Sheff:

And this film we once saw was reviled for it’s flaws
But it’s flaws were what made us have fun

Every morning, lunch and late afternoon I walk next to a lake where I work. Ducks and children everywhere, human and ducks alike. The ducklings grow up quickly and show little fear as I bend down to photograph them.

Their seemingly innocent behaviour strangely reminds me of a book that Mia and I are reading now, “I huvudet på en seriemördare” by Sven Å. Christianson. There’s a passage we read yesterday where the author comments on a TV-series called “Ondskan” (=”The Evil”) where the host, Hasse Aro, intertwines stupidity and a mighty propensity to find “evil” to be what causes people to kill. And also personality disorders. Yes, he is that stupid (and not naïve, as he should definitely know a lot better, having produced TV-shows on crime for decades). “When you’re killing, you’re ‘Asperger-John’ and when you’re lying, you’re ‘Psychopath-John’”, he says to one of his poorly cut-up interviewees. What a gyp; the persons supposed to be bad are really just caught in the scissors of the production-company. Sure, they’ve committed crimes, but damn Aro and his cohorts to hell.

Still, my thoughts linger with the ducklings, surrounded by “Hunted By A Freak” by Mogwai.

We then left to go out, but as DN has some issues with schedules, Bonden Bar was closed when it should have been open, so we left for Kelly’s instead, which used to be a really shitty place and today is…a really shitty place. We laughed it and its crowd off and went to the hotel bar at Scandic Malmen instead. Mojitos and a Pimms Cup were ingested, after which Mia, Maylinn and myself left for a nearby park where we laughed our heads off to using the swings, a train and a gigantic swing. Mia and Maylinn looked knocked-out in it and I pushed the swing to great heights as our heads spun and throats went dry from all our laughing. It was absolutely brilliant and was also partially filmed; you guessed it: those films will see public exposure later than the nazi gold. I remember Maylinn trying to launch herself into a swing designed for children; as Mia filmed the ordeal of Maylinn trying hard to get out of it while she swore opulently, I laughed myself into a ball while trying to begin to try to help out. Loads of pics were snapped as the night was late and the air was soft and lukewarm; I only wore a vest and that lasted me throughout the night.

All in all: great evening with loads of dancing and to top it off I awoke this morning to having left my camera Bog-knows-where; fortunately enough, it was left at Maylinn’s.

Interesting facts for you

This morning’s celebration: ANTM S01-marathon on TV.
Ambition level: to shower some time soon-ish
Love: Mia and Blixa
Love 2: the Pirates are coming over this evening
Need: pizza and a magic wand to turn me and the apartment into pristine shape

Lady Gaga, Morrissey and Justin Tranter.

They rule. “Surfing The Void” will be out 2010-08-23.

…or Trail of Dead with raccoons?