Olivia Thirlby, Plus Rhyme

Vulture takes great pride in being “ahead of the curve” so to speak, as well they should: they do, and with sparkling, biting wit. But when they declared Olivia Thirlby your next big indie crush, I fear they were behind my personal curve. Ahem.

I’d like to add that Olivia Thirlby will soon become one of the most celebrated actors in America.

I wrote this in mid-December, mind you. Of course, I was approximately seven million months behind the truly plugged-in (Thirlby’s mom), but I’ll forcibly seize credit, with knives and tongs, nevertheless.

And yes, Thirlby does sound pretty rad, but there must be something wrong with her, e.g., perhaps she maims and murders tiny, defenseless animals for laughs. Though I suppose this is also called “hunting,” and I’ve considered giving it a shot (drumroll), inspired mostly by Northern Exposure.

Olivia Thirlby,
where the squirrels be?
Are those squirrel carcasses I see?
Shame on you!

I’m feeling very loosey-goosey after a fairly full week. Tomorrow I’ll make the trek home, after two stolen weekends, to buy shirts, commune with the Salams, and generally TCB (“take care of business,” or so I’m told by my younger, with-it comrades). “TCB” makes me think of “TCBY” for obvious reasons.

I have a lot on my mind, and a lot I’d like to share with you. For example, Jay Reatard: brilliant! Who knew! The Blood Visions album begins with a strange surf rock quality, grows steadily manic, and soon you find you’ve worn a hole in your sock after nearly rocking yourself to death. At my age, this feels a little like a heart attack. I don’t recommend it. The new British Sea Power: rockin’ (roll!). This is the BSP album I’ve been waiting for. By that I mean that I am a philistine, and this one is excellently hooky.

And they’ll both be at SXSW this year! This year I plan to write you regular dispatches, and to give you the skinny on various shows. Last year I was too busy enjoying myself and lying on the floor in a stupor. In return for my diligence, I’d be grateful for tips along the lines of, “Mongoloid Berrybalm is sick! They sound like a cross between Tilly and the Wall and Toxic Sludge getting murdered by a chainsaw!” I’m already excited, dudes. It’s embarrassing.