Back home in Chicago now for a week or so to get the family moved into our new place....

   For the umpteenth year in a row, I missed the Fuji Rock Festival this summer.  It sounds like it was a gas.  Unfortunately, Imawano Kiyoshiro had to cancel his scheduled appearance due to poor health, but Flower Travellin' Band did their psychedic acid rock reunion thing, according to the Daily Yomiuri.   

    Meanwhile, the Southern All Stars, masterful hitmakers since the late 1970s and my wife's favorite band, are going on hiatus for a couple of years.  Their send-off concerts earlier this month were a huge success, it would seem. 

    Director Toshio Lee's new film, Detroit Metal City, sounds interesting.   The hero is the lead singer of an enormously popular death metal band who in his heart of hearts wants only to be a soft J-Pop idol.

   I've had a bit of personal good news in the midst of the gloomy past few weeks.  Earlier this summer, for the first time in several years I sent out a couple of short stories to literary journals to see what would happen.  On this, my 47th birthday, I've just learned that one, "Invasive Species," will appear in Avery Anthology #4, out later this year. 

   Finally, here's an audience video of Ray Davies' appearance with The Kooks at the V Festival in England a couple of weeks back (NME's story on the event is here).  The Kooks recorded their latest album, Konk, at Ray's studio (Konk Studios, of course), and at V they played the old Kinks' classic, "Victoria."