If there is an emerging genetic underclass, I could run for class president or class clown. Read more in ![Fog at Isle Royale [Source: wildmengoneborneo.com]](../wp-content/uploads/2008/04/isle_royale_fog.jpg "Fog at Isle Royale [Source: wildmengoneborneo.com]")
"Brendan, this is what the world looks like all the time to me. Just a little fog. It’s a fine day for boating on the Great Lakes.” Without missing a stroke he turned to dart a skeptical glance at me. Brendan the Navigator. When we named him I didn’t tell his mother everything the legendary Irish name implied. But I imagined him taking on the role of navigator for me. Growing up with Coastal Survey charts and tales of Great Lakes shipwrecks, he came to know Superior as another home. He never doubted the wisdom of canoeing there with a father who was half blind. 
![Charlotte Casiraghi in a red dress. [Source: Stylophile]](../wp-content/uploads/2008/02/charlotte_casiraghi_red_dress.jpg "Charlotte Casiraghi in a red dress. [Source: Stylophile]")
When I figured out who Charlotte Casiraghi was, I realized that I once sent a poem to her mother. 
The legendary Kiki of Montparnasse posed for Man Ray’s 
![Eugène Delacroix. Liberty Leading the People. 1830. Louvre, Paris. [Source: Wikimedia Commons]]](../wp-content/uploads/2008/05/delacroix_liberty_1830_2.jpg "Eugène Delacroix. Liberty Leading the People. 1830. Louvre, Paris. [Source: Wikimedia Commons]]")
How many French pop singers named Yannick could there be. I came across Ces soirées là, his hit from 2001, and now I can’t get it out of my head. If you can’t stay in your seat for this one, we have a place for you in the Café Mouffe chorus line. When I went looking for more information, I found Yannick Noah, pop singer and pro tennis champ in a previous life. Here’s his official site. Maybe someone with better sight than me can tell me if they are one and the same. Wish I’d been on the street in Paris when the video for Vous was shot… I would have tried to dance and lip-sync, too.
Entries from August 2009
Café Mouffe: Ces soirées là
1
August 21, 2023 at 5:52pm
by Mark Willis
London Street Art Prepares for “The Thousands”
2
August 19, 2023 at 7:22pm
by Mark Willis
The blind flaneur needs to figure out how to get to London for this. via RJ Rushmore at Vandalog:
The street art exhibition I announced last week finally has a name: The Thousands. It also has a special blog where you can find regular updates about how well (or poorly) the whole event is going along [...]
Nina Simone’s Revolution, After 40 Years
3
August 17, 2023 at 7:46pm
by Mark Willis
While hippies were rolling in the mud out on Max Yasgur’s farm, Nina Simone was singing for another outdoor concert in Central Park. It was August 17, 1969, and Revolution was in the air. The Harlem Festival was later known as the “Black Woodstock.” As NPR’s Guy Raz explains:
There are about 50 hours of [...]
Playing by Ear Add Your Comment
Gravity’s Rainbow Turns Noir In L.A.
0
August 15, 2023 at 7:14pm
by Mark Willis
Critic John Powers on Thomas Pynchon’s new novel, Inherent Vice:
I know people who swear that Pynchon has saved their lives. But I know others who say he is literally unreadable. Nobody will say that about “Inherent Vice,” his loosey-goosey new take on the L.A. private eye yarn. The scene is Gordita Beach, 1970, and the [...]
Café Mouffe: Mundiando Worldmix
0
August 14, 2023 at 4:31pm
by Mark Willis
a blind flaneur has upgraded to WordPress 2.8.4. There are still some code enigmas to puzzle out, but it feels like home. The immediate future holds the promise of cold beer and chilling at the Mouffe with Mundiando. Thanks to Marcos Sacchi for a fine mix. Follow the link for a detailed playlist.
Café Mouffe · Playing by Ear Add Your Comment
Signing Off for Re-Tooling
0
August 13, 2023 at 7:52pm
by Mark Willis
a blind flaneur is heading into the code clinic for repairs. We’ll see what kind of mischief he gets into. If he isn’t back in 48 hours, call the R.C.M.P.
I deleted most of the users who subscribed to the blog but never left a comment (or a real name). To my loyal readers, if [...]
Carpool Conversations: Foodies n San Francisco
0
August 11, 2023 at 4:37pm
by Mark Willis
Whenever I climb in a car, a carpool is formed. So I’m charmed by the concept of Carpool Conversations by the video producers at Pink Cloud. Give me a ride — I can’t guarantee viral marketing, but you’ll get great conversation and qualify for the Diamond Lane, too.