Things I talk about too much at this site: Joe Lansdale, George Saunders and that band from Chicago. To quote one of their songs, "I don't care anymore." Because Wilco will love you baby.

I am a total fan-boy with these guys I know. People ask me what I think of the new album. What the hell do you think I think? It's brilliant. But that is what I am probably going to always say.

Still, Spin magazine has already called it one of the best albums of 2009. So it ain't just me.

I was listening to the new album in the car yesterday and was really struck by "You and I." This is the Wilco experience for me - not really liking certain tracks the first few listens, and then they grow with subsequent listens, and then they explode with meaning. A friend of mine who likes the band says the same thing happens to him.

Anyway, "You and I" is one of those rarities. There are lots of love songs, break up songs, getting back together and splitting up again songs. Phil Collins wrote the best divorce album of all time, "Face Value" (Can you feel it in the air tonight). I get chills just remembering all the times I listened to that haunting album.

But the rarity of You and I is that it talks about a long term relationship. The lyrics are simple:

You and I
We might be strangers
How ever close we get sometimes
Its like we never met
But you and I
I think we can take it
All the good with the bad
Make something that no one else has, But
You and I
You and I
Me and You
What can we do
When the words we use
sometimes are misconstrued

Well I won't guess
Whats coming next
I can't ever tell you're
The deepest well
I've ever fallen into

Oh I don't wanna know
Oh I don't wanna know
Oh I don't need to know
Everything about you
Oh I don't wanna know
And you don't need to know
That much about me

You and I
We might be strangers
How ever close we get sometimes
Its like we never met
But you and I
I think we can take it
All the good with the bad
Make something that no one else has, But
You and I
You and I
You and I...

So many parts of this song resonate with me. When the words we use sometimes are misconstrued - and you are the deepest well I haver fallen into.. and we can take the good with the bad...and...and...and...

oh forget it. Just go buy the damn album. Now.

Hemingway once wrote a story in just six words ("For sale: baby shoes, never worn.") and is said to have called it his best work.

This, of course, got me thinking about twitter. Is it the art of telling short short stories (measured in characters, 140, still more than Hemingway got). Someone related to me called twitter dumb because it was akin to updating your Facebook status. Hmmmm.... it feels different somehow. Maybe it's because all you get are those short bursts of prose, maybe a link, and no accompanying photos, vids, stats, quizzes and all that other flotsam, jetsam, and bullshit that comes with FB. Just the words ma'am. I like that.

Now someone I am married to said that twitter was stupid - and didn't feel the need to compare it to anything. Just that it was stupid. Really stupid.

She might have a point.

Still, as you might have guessed by now, I do have a twitter account. Strangely enough, I run into people who read the damn thing. This culminated in one of my tweets being mentioned in the newsletter for the Winnipeg Folk Fest. They collected the best (or was it the only?) tweets regarding the Fest. Mine was amidst performers like Stephen Page and members of Hey Rosetta. I wrote, sorry, tweeted:

"First shift at Winnipeg Folk Fest - check. Two to go... then party on. But I do kind of like the volunteering."

Okay, so it doesn't compete with Hemingway. Or even come close to a great one from Margaret Atwood.

"Longed for him. Got him. Shit."

Wired magazine pubbed a bunch of these back in 2006.

Or if you want to read my masterpieces you can follow me on twitter.

cterlson

Welcome back faithful readers - woofreakinhoo once again rises from the ashes. I had a great conversation with a couple of friends from Africa who said, yeah, they read the blog. And what gives?! (Well, they said it nicer than that).

So I take up the blogging baton... torch... flaming stick? And begin again.

For starters a big woofreakinhoo for a new story that I placed with Slow Trains Literary Journal. As soon as I found out they had a special section for baseball stories, I knew I had to send them something. Not sure what it is about that sport, but I do love writing about it.

Go here to read, "On a Wire."

Go team!

I am coming close to the launch of my new website - which this blog will link to. There will be some changes to the woofreakinhoo of old (of yore?) I plan on talking about both illustration and fiction here - both things that are very woofreakinhooable.

Okay - well, it's not really over Gracie. Not just yet. And I feel lame saying... hey, just kidding! The blog is still going. So what about a reunion tour (getting together with myself. Or maybe getting myself together.)

That's me above with Ronnie Wood.

But I am revamping my terlson.com site and I will be linking to this blog. So, like I am saying at the other place, just over yonder in cyberspace, stay tuned. More to come.

Oh yeah - and I have a new hunk of fiction up soon at Slow Trains Literary.