Remembering Miep Gies

Miep Gies, who helped hide Anne Frank and her family for two years during World War II and saved her diary, passed away on Monday. She was 100.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is one of my favorite books and very dear to my heart. That part of history is also quite special to me, for I focused my graduate thesis on how the Holocaust influenced popular music.

From USA Today:

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Miep Gies, the office secretary who defied the Nazi occupiers to hide Anne Frank and her family for two years and saved the teenager's diary not, has died, the Anne Frank Museum said Tuesday. She was 100.

Gies' website reported that she died Monday after a brief illness. The report was confirmed by museum spokeswoman Maatje Mostar, but she gave no details. The British Broadcasting Corp. said she died in a nursing home after suffering a fall last month.

Gies was the last of the few non-Jews who supplied food, books and good cheer to the secret annex behind the canal warehouse where Anne, her parents, sister and four other Jews hid for 25 months during World War II.

Let the Music Play?

Um, I feel like this sometimes ... several bands shall remain nameless. Let me reintroduce you to the brilliant work of Marc Johns.

Stick It to Ya

Last Thursday, The U.K.'s Royal Mail service unveiled 10 new stamps featuring select monumental albums from the last 40 years. My rock'n'roll heart is pretty excited for some of these. The Clash stamp is pure class ... and so are the Blur, New Order, and David Bowie stamps. Here's hoping this is the first installment! Pretty steller idea, don't ya think? I need to get my hands on these, stat! More from The Telegraph.

Klosterman vs. Twitter

Author and journalist Chuck Klosterman appears on Air America Media to take on Twitter and Facebook, and offers some insight on their social impact. I'm a dedicated user of both mediums, but I often ask myself, "Why, why do we do this? What's it all for?"

Destined

"Every man has his own destiny. The only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him."

-- Henry Miller

[Photo: Van Vechten]

The History of John Peel

The late John Peel introduced countless bands to the masses during his 37 years as deejay at the BBC's Radio 1. Via "The Peel Sessions" show, Peel embraced what he loved the various genres of alternative rock, pop, British hip-hope, dance, and even death metal. Some of my favorite acts such as Joy Division, The Smiths, The Cure, and Siouxsie and the Banshees appeared on his show.

Fans can fondly remember or discover for the very first time the brilliance behind the man with the smashing collection, Kats Karavan: The History of John Peel on the Radio. The four-disc box set, out October 26th, spans his entire career, while including one-hit wonders, major chart toppers and other rarities. The Jam, The Slits, Mercury Rev, and Bloc Party are just a few of the many artists who appear of this fantastic retrospective.

John Peel passed away October 25, 2004.

[Thanks to The Line of Best Fit]

Psychedelic Furs to Perform 'Talk Talk Talk'

NME announced today that The Psychedelic Furs are slated to perform the second LP, the incredibly excellent Talk Talk Talk, in its entirety during a quick UK tour this fall.

Shows are scheduled for London, Manchester and Glasgow this November. I absolutely adore the Furs and Talk Talk Talk is my favorite album. To be there would be quite fantastic. I suppose I'll just have to settle for the Furs' show -- the Happy Mondays are also on the bill -- at NYC's Roseland Ballroom on Friday, October 9th.



**UPDATE** (Sept. 25): According to the Furs fan site, Burned Down Days, the dates in London, Manchester and Glasgow have been postponed for the time being, and there is no further information on when they'll be rescheduled. BOO!

Fifth Graders Sing With The Cure

Many many thanks to my friend Rob for passing this along. Here, the PS22 Chorus in New York City does a pretty amazing rendition of The Cure's "Picture of You." The group is comprised of 70 fifth graders, and the following clip is quite an emotional one, for this was last day of school for the 2009 class. The PS22 Chorus has also covered songs by Coldplay, Fleetwood Mac, Tori Amos, Crowded House and more. Absolutely lovely!