50 for now

One of Jonathan's many solo albums, Superfluity . Cover art by Richard Gann . Recently I asked Jonathan Segel to share his thoughts about libraries, reading, and children's literature. Jonathan is a multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the violinist of my all-time favorite band, Camper Van Beethoven . He also played with the legendary Mark Linkous in Sparklehorse .  Camper Van Beethoven photo by Jason Thrasher. Jonathan is second from the left.   It would be difficult to overstate how important reading is to me, both as a person and as a musician. I’ve been surrounded by books my whole life long, at home and in both the public and the school libraries. Books are essential universes to explore, especially as starting points for one’s own creativity. So many songs have direct or indirect inspiration from literature (or non-fiction, why not!) Lyrical writing may not exactly be prose, but when you read perfect prose, surely it can inspire lyrici

Since this year's summer reading theme is "Libraries Rock," I am trying to make a book-themed concert poster using createlineup.com .

For over ten years I had a blog called Forty Forever. I wrote about music, everyday life, family, books, and other stuff. Since I am no longer in my 40's, and because I can't remember my old password, I decided to start fresh with this new blog I am calling 50 for now. The only regret I have about abandoning the old blog is that there are a few typos I am not able to fix. Oh well. Here's to a new decade! Here are some pictures from the day I turned 50.  (Don't ask me why I thought I was going to be 40 forever.) I was staying with family in southern California. I woke up early, found a comfy lounge chair in the backyard, and promptly fell asleep. When I awoke, my Aunt Antonia had breakfast waiting for me. There's nothing like eating fruit fresh from the vine with people that you love. I highly recommend it.