HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! w/CARDS & MUSIC!

Hope to see you at the Valentine's Day show at the Cafe Racer this evening (see post below) but whatever you do, have fun. Today you have license to be a romantic! Here are some classic vintage valentines from the days of yesteryear to put you in the mood...and some music to turn on your lovelight.

First, the classic Victorian valentine. This bespeaks a heart-shaped box, a difficult fastened bodice, and a special kiss on the river bridge. Oh, dear! Froggy went a-courtin, and all that good old-fashioned repression masking unbridled lust! In these days, they even put pants on piano legs. Perish the impure thought!


A half a century later, this valentine is from a pack of 32, with one card for everyone in class. This is the 1950s, the world has gone only halfway to hell, but true love competes with atom bombs and science fiction and hot rod cars -- not to mention rock and roll. On the surface, it's all golfing with Ike, but even that kind of heavy sedation can't kill the urge to merge, as long as you save it for marriage. You have a secret admirer!


The present day. This is the future you dreamed about, but not quite. Unless you dreamed of being a couch potato glued to reality TV. Our hearts may be a little smaller, but our asses are growing to elephantine proportions, and we can barely reach the remote without wheezing out of breath. Give this special "Veal-entine" to trendy vegans, or any friend stuck on a diet! No box of chocolates for these folks!

And now for some special Valentine's Day music, courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio. Click here.

BREAKING NEWS

Harold Pinter, famous English playwright, is still very much alive. Pinter's plays often feature characters struggling for verbal dominance, and dialog marked with theatrical pauses and silences -- nicknamed "Pinter pauses." Pinter might appreciate this fractured announcement.

YOSHITOMO NARA

Japanese Pop Art is an important movement, and Superflat, the post-mod, sub-category founded by Takashi Murakami (b. 1962), is a mix of manga and anime, a critique of the otaku lifestyle (those obsessed with manga and anime) and a response to the homogenization of post-war Japanese culture. Got that? Murakami hangs (literally) with such wacked-out artists as Takano, Aoshima, and Nara. Placing these characters in the stream of art history is best left to art historians, but we know what we like. We like these guys. Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959) is a particular favorite who makes cute and disturbing kids, animals, and floating faces.

A favorite of critics and hipsters alike, Nara dazzles with simple form and shape, but pleases the Hello Kitty Generation with big-eyed cuteness.

GORE STUNNED

As you may have heard, the votes are in and Al Gore has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts surrounding global warming. The Nobel is the most prestigious prize in the world, and the nomination and selection process is rigorous and highly secretive, so Gore himself was stunned by the announcement.

Gore was stunned again this week. In a somewhat surprising reversal of the Nobel Committee, the United States Supreme Court has decided to interpose itself and award the prize to George W. Bush. In a narrowly divided 5-4 decision, amid charges of voter intimidation, ballot rigging, favoritism, and all manner of political shenanigans, the Court ruled in favor of the president. Needless to say, the Bush camp was jubilant.

"It's a beauty," Bush said, holding up the prize for reporters. "I am truly honored." He added, "We will stand by the court's decision."


Just kidding.