Secret Agent X-9 profile picture

Secret Agent X-9

Everybody's got the gloom, but I'm brooding for you.

About Me

I am more than a box on myspace can possibly describe, and also quite possibly less. I'm male. I play guitar. I like music. That tells you nothing. I cannot hope to sum myself up so easily. Damn you, Myspace, and damn your boxed constraints.

God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut: 1922-2007.

My Interests

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I'd like to meet:

Probably. Not. You. But probably this guy .

Music:

Pearl Jam, Eels, They Might Be Giants, Local H, Self, Chris Cornell in all forms, Jonah Matranga similarly, Roger Clyne (see prior), Stone Temple Pilots, The Nixons, Andrew Bird, Fig Dish, Cake, The Snake The Cross The Crown, Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Toadies, Self, Zappa, Bowie, the Who, and similar classic music, Spacehog, Beck, Andrew WK, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Stars, Marcy Playground, Thea Gilmore, Meat Puppets, Ben Folds, Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer, Jason Falkner, Matthew Good, Self, etc... not a complete list at all, but that could be impossible.
I've been looking into a lot of trip-hop, electronic, and post-rock lately, having most severly fallen in love with the band Anoice, which is more Neo-Classical than anything, as well as Crepusculum, a project you can find on myspace. Crepusculum is a project from a kid on the tab boards I frequent... in general, I've been trying to get deeper into some of the work those guys have put out (see also: Memorial) I've been trying to curl up with Pretty Girls Make Graves a bit more as well, what with their pending departure from the scene. Past that, the big players have been Agalloch, a rare metal band I've been intrigued by, as well as diving deeper into Dylan and Young lately. Oh, and also, finding out officially that the Velvet Underground suck.
I am also looking for info/CDs of the following bands, most of whom I found on MP3.com back when it was a real site, but some which i did not... they are not local to me, but may be to you.
Nevershine (Arizona or NM, kinda powerpoppy)
Witchmoon (NJ Goth outfit, now defunct, really would like a copy of their CD if it exists anywhere)
Wet (FL, female singer, kinda brassy voice)
Big Poo Generator (Inane songs, chipmunk vocals, general goofiness)
Boone County Ham (I think these guys were from the general area where it's not really the north, south, or midwest... KY, TN, that sorta thing... Bluegrass Zappa)
The songs "Can't Stop Losing Myself" by the Dirt Clods, and "Candy" by Full Tilt Gonzo. They were Featured in Empire Records, but I'm convinced they don't exist.

Movies:

I normally tend toward mindless and/or pun-filled comedy, such as This is Spinal Tap, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, Clue... I also have a soft spot for the plotless nonsense which is Empire Records. I don't really see many movies though. Although I've seen my share of absolute dreck... if you want a laugh, watch Monkeyshines or Plan 9 from Outer Space... Absolutely awful.

Television:

Iron Chef, House, and Danger Mouse. I don't watch much TV religiously, which is why I'm so excited about all the stuff that's been coming out on DVD. Such as the UK version of Whose Line Is It Anyway, just in time for my birthday, or Get Smart, which should be lined up for retail release come fall.

Books:

Norton Juster's "The Phantom Tollbooth" is absolutely one of the most important books you can read. It's a kid's book and will literally take you a night to complete at most. You know you wanna. I'm a huge Vonnegut fan, and would personally recommend "Cat's Cradle" and "The Sirens of Titan" as far as his work goes. I've re-fallen in love with "The Sun Also Rises". Y'all can hate on Hemingway all you want, he wrote melancholy better than anyone, and drank better than you. Speaking of depression and substance use, read "God Clobbers Us All" by Poe Ballantine. It's quite good. Slightly larger and slightly less good, but quite impressive until the ending, which confused me, is "Paradise" by A.L. Kennedy, making a trifecta of depressing tomes with lots of drinking. Also, "A Confederacy of Dunces," by John Kennedy Toole, "100 Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which is good even though Oprah liked it, "Gould's Book of Fish," by Richard Flanagan, "Still Life with Woodpecker," by Tom Robbins, and of course the Hitchhikers Guide 'trilogy' by Douglas Adams. People with a good strong love of Brit Humour should also try out Robert Rankin's "The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse." It's as great as. Also, having taken a brilliant Italian literature class, I'd advise you check out some Pirandello or Calvino.
I'm pretty stoked that "The Gun Seller" by Hugh Laurie is finally re-released in a widely available format. I am also stoked that Walter Moers' "Rumo" was even better than his "Captain Bluebear". I'm not reading anything just yet, but likely candidates are "Giraffe" by Ledgard, a story about, well, giraffes, and "Severence" by Butler, a collection of short stories based on the brief period of time between having your head cut off and fully losing consciousness. Read anything good? I always like recommendations, especially if they didn't come from the bestseller list or Oprah (which are pretty much the same thing)

Heroes:

Eddie Vedder, Space Ghost, and all 6 Otter Pops otters (especially Sir Isaac Lime... he's hardcore).

My Blog

My fellow book-types (6.12)

So, the amazing miss Christina Bellisle has led me to the world of GoodReads, and since you guys are largely bookish like myself, I thought I'd introduce you. My Profile, Yo I've only posted my rece...
Posted by Secret Agent X-9 on Tue, 12 Jun 2007 03:27:00 PST

You and me dance to the beat (6.8)

The worst thing about self-discovery? Discovery doesn't mean change. Dinosaur bones can't sway creationists. Copernicus was put to death. And in all likelihood, I'll be the same next year as I am righ...
Posted by Secret Agent X-9 on Sat, 09 Jun 2007 10:55:00 PST

Believe the buzz about me, baby. (6.1)

Brown went well. I think I gained respect from some people, which is always nice. I gained a little cash, which is also nice. I have something recent to put on applications, which is nicer still. It ...
Posted by Secret Agent X-9 on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 03:41:00 PST

As it stands (Just about 5.7)

I have a job. Well, for now. Brown Bookstore, on Thayer, needs someone to help out running boxes of books from place to place during the big buyback, now that the school year is ending. It's only like...
Posted by Secret Agent X-9 on Mon, 07 May 2007 08:40:00 PST

The American Way (4/7/07)

I am posting a blog about having an interview on Monday. But that's a bit of a short blog, so also I will urge you all to vote for Sanjaya Malakar on American Idol as many times as possible. You needn...
Posted by Secret Agent X-9 on Sun, 08 Apr 2007 04:44:00 PST

Because I needed things to be worse (3.29)

I do get tired of the bad news, but there you have it. It's hardly been a week and my mother is already sick of me. Not that I've done anything to warrant it, but more that I'm daring to use electric...
Posted by Secret Agent X-9 on Fri, 30 Mar 2007 06:06:00 PST

Quick Update (3/27)

I'm home. I plan to go back to Dallas in a month for the rest of my shit, but otherwise I'm home. Barnes and Noble has screwed me over a second and more painful time. I mean, it's not like it wouldn'...
Posted by Secret Agent X-9 on Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:05:00 PST

Click (A year in the future life, 3.18)

There are some things I prefer not to reveal first in blogs. This, for example, is something I wanted to tell my roomie before I let the rest of the world know, but she's been rather busy and if she's...
Posted by Secret Agent X-9 on Mon, 19 Mar 2007 05:25:00 PST

Whirrrrr (3/16)

Gears are turning. Shit is taking place. I wish I could say it was something more than rust removal, but right now any movement is forward movement, even backward movement. Y'all will know as soon as ...
Posted by Secret Agent X-9 on Fri, 16 Mar 2007 08:08:00 PST

Making contact (2.25)

So it's official, I'm unemployed. "Gee, Alex," you say, "haven't you made that fucking clear by now?" Perhaps you also are thinking to yourself "that Alex has let himself go. His blog totally sucks n...
Posted by Secret Agent X-9 on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 01:45:00 PST