schrödinger's dog

Weird Fishes

Radiohead did a "Live From the Basement" segment on VH1 last year. I don't get VH1, or virtually anything, on my cable plan, but most of the songs from the show are posted on YouTube.

My favorite of the bunch is Weird Fishes/Arpeggi. Close behind that are 15 Step, Bodysnatchers and Nude.

Highly recommended for Radiohead fans. It's a well-filmed, intimate concert. Some of the clips have high-quality options. Click on the "HQ" icon if you see it and if your CPU is reasonably fast.

I found these videos only because I was looking at an interesting video of the Grammy Awards rehearsal of two members of Radiohead (Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood) performing 15 Step with members of the USC Marching band. Unusual.

Jim on 03.13.09 @ 09:25 PM ET [link]

Coffee Break French

Coffee Break French has some excellent free audio French lessons available. The lessons are 15-20 minutes each and are fairly informal, rather than just the "repeat after me" format of some language tapes. The teacher stresses correct pronunciation and interacts with a real student in the studio.

The strange part is that the teacher is Scottish. As an American it sounds really strange to hear his brogue followed by (presumably) correct Parisian French.

I've been listening to these lessons on my lunchtime walks. My French is very rusty and I'm starting the lesson set near the beginning. But it's a stimulating way to spend a few minutes during my walks. The lessons are available on their website or through iTunes.
Jim on 03.07.09 @ 04:33 PM ET [link]

Sideways

Weird Fishes

Coffee Break French