HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ ALAN BARNOSKY
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Alan Barnosky, a singer-songer from North Carolina whose lovely album 'Old Freight' will quickly make you realize how perfect it is that Alan has both the words "barn" and "sky" in his last name.
#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?
Not really sure how to describe this band - psychedelic country? This obscure 70s album is pretty fantastic considering how weird it is.
NOTE: this album is so obscure, in fact, that I couldn't Google/Spotify up any embeds (the only one on Youtube doesn't work for my Canadian ass). But if you go listen to the previews on iTunes (or if you use Apple Music—I only have a Spotify account) you can hear how your probably want to find a way to listen in full (it's also on Amazon).
#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?
Do music videos count? If so:
#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE BOOK STORE (OK, PROBABLY AMAZON) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?
Peter Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard is by far the coolest book I’ve read in at least the past year. Those with even the slightest interest animal biology, travel, geology, meditation, mountaineering, or spirituality will find multitudes in this book.
Maps and endnotes provide context and validation, while eloquent writing and an all-too-human (and sometimes infuriating) narrator draws you in.
#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?
The Zoom, Enhance! app for iPhone is really fun. You take a photo and then make a GIF that starts zoomed out and then zooms in on a little piece of it.
Great for annoying your friends and family.
#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.
Ride a bike -- It’s fun, gets you places, is easy on the body, easy on the mind, easy on the earth, and its relatively cheap compared to other ways of getting around.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Alan Barnosky thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off to go trade your four wheels for two, make sure to follow Alan on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook and go spend some time with that 'Old Freight' album.
