Author Archives: markweiss86

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About markweiss86

Mark Weiss, founder of Plastic Alto blog, is a concert promoter and artist manager in Palo Alto, as Earthwise Productions, with background as journalist, advertising copywriter, book store returns desk, college radio producer, city council and commissions candidate, high school basketball player, and blogger; he also sang in local choir, fronts an Allen Ginsberg tribute Beat Hotel Rm 32 Reads 'Howl' and owns a couple musical instruments he cannot play

She’s a little piece of data don’t you know

Posted on April 17, 2020 by markweiss86

Stella Brooks(1910-2002) is earning money, 18 years after her death and, in effect, loaning the money back to the people of the United States for cultural purposes. The San Francisco singer has seven songs among the 60,000 in the catalog … Continue reading →

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Palo is less Alto without Lee Konitz, 1927-2020

Posted on April 16, 2020 by markweiss86

Lee Konitz is not really from here, and his melody composition is as likely about New Jersey than here, but I want to note his passing. Lee recorded a song “Palo Alto” in 1950. I tried to get City Manager … Continue reading →

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Earthwise Siphonophore Chorus tribute to Laura Veirs

Posted on April 16, 2020 by markweiss86

April has been the cruelest month to Laura Veirs and her fans down here in the Six-Five-Oh. Instead of both a workshop at Stanford and a show at The Mitch, we have various examples of woodshedding. Using my magic box, … Continue reading →

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Contemplating a site specific event at Palo Alto Winter Lodge with Russian cover band in honor of the 15th anniversary of the Petersburg Ice House

Posted on April 15, 2020 by markweiss86

I saw Leonid and Friends live at an industry showcase last fall in Nashville and thought of them while reading Elif Batuman’s essay about the Ice House in Russia, based on something that some weird powerful actual Russians did a … Continue reading →

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Man Man ‘Cloud Nein’ VS Jukebox Ghost ‘Schizophrenia’ VS freeze frame of Wolf Blitzer Situation Room right this one minute before 3 on a Monday

Posted on April 13, 2020 by markweiss86

I recommend playing both videos simultaneously but only for the first minute…. b/w a parody of an old Elvis Costello song which summarizes sort of the plot of an old Wallace Stegner story, I’ll call “Thomas and Tenney” A man … Continue reading →

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I just realized I misidentify Jeff Goldblum in a previous post

Posted on April 12, 2020 by markweiss86

Or: I forgot my mantra Bw I forgot that MC Lars was friends with weird Al Yankovic

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Chummy VS Chumley

Posted on April 11, 2020 by markweiss86

Is it just me?

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Weird Al vs Thoits Plaza

Posted on April 11, 2020 by markweiss86

Great article in the times about Weird Al Yankovic; it reminded me that I stole a line of his for a political parody I posted online about power and the proposal to rename Lytton Plaza for a leader of a … Continue reading →

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Hats off to Stone Fox

Posted on April 11, 2020 by markweiss86

I would say a life-changing event for me was a benefit for Mia Zapata — to raise awareness about her murder, to hire a detective after the police gave up — in Cyclone Warehouse near The Ramp in San Francisco … Continue reading →

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Kicking it with Eugene and Elif

Posted on April 9, 2020 by markweiss86

This is just a picture of a kick boxer from an article in The New Yorker by Elif Batuman and a picture of Eugene Robinson (Of Oxbow) posing with a famous or successful mixed martial arts dude, from Eugene’s book … Continue reading →

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