Sometimes Membership has its Priviledges.

Beck currently has 3 previews online at http://www.beck.com/preview/. Check it out. His new (still untitled) record is coming out in September.

Beck has always been a favorite of mine, ever since Mellow Gold came out when I was 18. Odelay is and always will be on my list of top 10 "Desert Island" records. It's a classic. I think at one point in my life it is safe to say I was obsessed with him. I have all his records, the majority of his b-sides (some on vinyl), CDs of him being interviewed, I drove to Banff especially to see his Fluxusist exhibit with Al Hanson (His grandfather), I practically got trampled seeing him play live in Vancouver, I have stickers, patches, t-shirts and I even have a signed plague-mount that says "To Rory, Best Wishes - Love Beck Hanson" (He knows who I am too). All the true signs of a completist fan. His last effort was disheartening for fans to say the least, but still I didn't mind it. (He was exploring new avenues.) So I'm super pysched about this new album and its mellow updated alt-country stylings. Sounds more like the "Acoustic Beck" we all know and love with an electric twist to keep things experiemental. It'll be interesting to see how mainstream audiences will receive it.

All this Beck talk has me thinking about something I heard last week. I was listening to the radio last Monday and heard "Pay No MInd" on Radio Free Nowhere. The DJ, Sean Marchetto, another Beck fan, was asking people 22 years and under if Beck was the voice of their generation or if they didn't really care about him and his work at all. It seems like the latter would probably be most true. Sean's off by about 5 or 6 years, Beck speaks to those of us who enjoyed the grunge/indie record/Seattle-Geffen explosion in their late teens. For me, it was an exciting time. It solidified my search for compelling and interesting music, beyond what was most easily accessible. It's why I'm such a music freak today and why I LOVE that my boyfriend is too. I guess I could say Beck is a nostalgic reminder of my own "coming-of-age". Beck definitely taught me Where It's At.

Me?

Yesterday the teller at my bank said to me, "Wow, you have great skin!" That's the best compliment I have ever received. EVER. Well... at least yesterday it felt that way. I was buzzin all day: being super productive at work, kicking ass on the tennis court during my lesson, making friends with the ever so sweet Kanika. All this despite my sore throat and hoarse voice. Today... I slept the majority of the day away sick in bed. Is this what is referred to as balance?