Robin Benway

You broke your fingers in the climb...

Oh my God, blame the lateness of this entry on the stupid neenerheads (I'm trying to swear less) at Time Warner Cable. I won't give you details, but after an hour, I wanted to use my cable modem to bludgeon myself in the head.

Time Warner Cable gave me rage issues. Thanks, guys.

Anyway, a few of you (hi Mom!) might already know this, but I'm leaving for Italy tomorrow! I've never been to Europe, so this'll be quite the experience. I might be a little unreachable and this blog might be a smidge empty for the next two weeks, but I promise to update once I return. Promise. Cross my heart and all that stuff&nonsense.

The exciting part is that I get to go to Italy and talk about "Audrey!" Or, as they call it in Italy, "Aspetta!" There's even a contest with TRL Italy! (And I can't figure out a word of my author bio on that site, so if anyone speaks Italian, help a girl out.)

Unfortunately, though, I'm the worst packer in the world, especially when it comes to my carry-on bag. Which books to take? Which magazines? Do I want a newspaper? Do I need my computer? Where the hell are my comfy socks? It goes on and on and on, so I won't bore you with details, but I need some help. Ergo...

What books should I take with me? Leave me comments if you want and tell me your favorite traveling book because I'm stymied. Keep in mind that I don't want to lug around "War & Peace" (not that it's a bad book, just sizeable), so if you've got short-story collection recommendations, excellent.

Music, however, is super-easy, thanks to my iPod. I know I blogged last week about Coldplay's new CD, so that's a slam-dunk. However, I'm also listening to a ton of Tilly & the Wall lately. And wouldn't you know it, but their new CD "o" came out yesterday, so we're going to have to pretend that New Music Tuesday is New Music Wednesday. (Again, thanks, Time Warner Cable.)

Tilly & the Wall, "Pot Kettle Black" (from "o")

"I bet you think we didn't know / Didn't even see the tides change!"

But you know the best thing about Tilly & the Wall? They don't have a drummer.

They have a tap dancer.

Tilly & the Wall, "Bad Education" (from "Bottoms of Barrels")

"I'm a believer, I'm solid matter..."

Other music I'm planning on listening to while flying high in the sky: Kings of Leon, NIN, and my all-time favorite traveling song, Yo-Yo Ma performing Ennio Morricone's "Gabriel's Oboe" & "The Falls" from "The Mission" soundtrack. If you listen to any song, listen to this last one, because it is perfect.

Ciao, kittens! I promise to return with metaphorical souvenirs and a couple of snazzy photos.

(And of course, I miss you already.)

They are turning my head out to see what I'm all about...

Oooh, Tuesday. We all made it through yet another Monday. I have to say, even though I don't have a "normal" job and don't have to be in an office at 9am, Mondays are still hard. Why, Universe, why?

Anyway, it is Tuesday, June 10, which means that the "Audrey, Wait!" contest is almost over! The deadline is midnight tonight (or technically, tomorrow? How does that work anyway? I can never figure it out) so if you still have a song in your head for "Audrey", then be brave and post it! And for those of you who don't have a musical bone in your body, you can vote on your favorite video. There's something for everyone!

And because it's also Tuesday, that means it's New Music Tuesday. However, the only thing I'm really excited about is the new Coldplay album, which doesn't even come out until next week. I'm surprised that I'm so excited about it, since I've never been a huge Coldplay fan, but "Viva la Vida" has songs that make you want to fly. And maybe only three of you will understand what I mean by that, but that's okay.

And PS, you can stream "Viva La Vida" right over here, so it's your lucky day. (My two favorites are "42" and "Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love", in case you were curious.)

More later this week, including tidbits on "Audrey, Wait" in Italy!

Ciao, kittens.

Does your heart echo like a hall?

First things first.

Google cafeteria = AWESOME. They have all the Coke Zero you can drink! I had lunch with my friend Sasha, whose YA book is coming out in the fall, and it was lovely. The place is pretty much built on primary colors, which must have been a slam dunk for the design team.

In more "Audrey, Wait!" news, don't forget about the contest! If you can record your cat walking on a treadmill and put it on YouTube, then you can certainly make a music video for "Audrey"! Heck, have your cat walk on the treadmill in the background, for all I care. Maybe s/he can play the part of Bendomolena. Think about it.

Speaking of "Audrey", over at the YA YA YAs website, not only have they given "Audrey" a lovely review, but they also have an interview with me! Hee hee! Check it out when you have a chance.

And several months ago, I also did an interview at Teen Book Review, so hey, take a peek at that one, too. I swear, I'm trying to sound interesting.

Thank you so, so much to all of the websites that have reviewed the book! I'm putting together a set of links for my page that list all of your sites, so feel free to email me links or post them in the comments below. Woo-hoo!

And of course, it's Tuesday, which means New Music Tuesday! Yay, New Music Tuesday!

First off, we have The Weepies. The Weepies are a husband & wife duo who live in Topanga Canyon with their baby and write songs together. The Weepies, it turns out, are living my ideal life. And they are probably lovely people, too.

The new album is "Hideaway" and lo and behold, you can listen to it online at iLike. Technology is the best thing ever.

The Weepies, "Orbiting" (from the album "Hideaway")
"Now I feel you gone 'cause I know which side you're on / And it's not mine..."

The Weepies, "Riga Girls" (from the album "Say I Am You")
"It's a facade like the sky, like the moon, like your eyes..."

You know what other band is releasing an album today? FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS. Oh man, I cry with laughter whenever I hear/watch these guys. And their fan, Mel? No words.

They're going on tour in May & June, so I implore you to get tickets. But if you're not up for a live show (and hey, sometimes I'm not either, I get it) you can listen to the new CD or download some (very legal) mp3s from SubPop.

However, if you're lucky enough to be in LA this Thursday, April 24th, Flight of the Conchords will be performing live at Amoeba. 6pm, kittens. Don't be late. Something tells me it's going to be crowded in the aisles that night.

We'll put on a day and we'll wear it 'til the night comes...

Well, well, well, Audrey's been in the world for a whopping 5 days now, and so far it's been fun! I've been getting the most cryptic texts and emails from my friends and family about where they've seen the book. It's like playing some weird game of quasi-Battleship. "5 copies at the B&N on the Promenade!" "It's at the Target in Natick!" You get the idea.

But a lot of you have left me MySpace messages, or comments, or just sent a nice note, and I cannot say thank you enough. Just knowing that people are reading my book is such a thrill, and if you enjoy it, well then, so much the better.

Oh, and just in case, don't forget about the "Audrey, Wait!" contest! C'mon, who doesn't like making videos of themselves and putting them on YouTube? Do it, it'll be fun!

So of course, today is also New Music Tuesday. Or, as my friend Sean would probably refer to it, today is the today that Mariah Carey's new CD comes out. It's called "E=MC2" and for the longest time, I couldn't figure out why Sean's MySpace status involved this equation. I was like, "Wha...? Sean's not a physicist. What's with all the math?" I got it now. You'd think with all the caffeine in my system, I'd be quicker on the uptake, but no.

It's also the day that "Juno B-Sides" comes out! Yay! Rhino Records has a bunch of sound clips posted, so groove away, kittens.

As for me, if my calculations are correct, I will be done with Book 2 in approximately 53 hours. Eeeep! This has to be one of the hardest times as a writer, not because of the time crunch, but because it's almost time to say goodbye to my characters. I love them as much as I love Audrey and her group, and as excited as I am to one day introduce them to you, sometimes I don't want to let go.

So here's a song that's making me want to do amazing things today. Maybe you need to hear it, too.

U2, "Beautiful Day" live at Slane Castle 2001

"The goal is soul! Soul!"

Let me serenade the streets of L.A.

I have to say, I am whelmed by yesterday's New Music Tuesday. I'm not overwhelmed, I'm not underwhelmed. I'm just...whelmed.

So instead, I bring you the next installment in a series I like to call, Chatting About Music: A Continuing Series. (Like I said, I'm not about the clever titles.)

Friend: So I have been listening to 2pac while working out
Me: orly?
Friend: some of my favorites
Friend: (I would say favs if I was younger)
Friend: are
Me: yes?
Friend: "Don't forget your jimmy in the city of sex"
Me: LOLOLOL
Me: That is NOT the title. You are making that up.
Friend: it is in "California Love"
Me: My mom's favorite song!
Friend: and
Friend: "all this jealousy and envy coming from my enemies"
Me: OOOOH.
Me: Too bad those jealous and envious enemies SHOT HIM.

True story: one of my mom's favorite songs is "California Love". Or, as she once described it, "What's that one song I like? The one about Compton?"

2Pac & Dr. Dre, "California Love"

Only just light years to go...

When I was 17 years old, I wanted Michael Stipe to be my friend.

I wanted to hang out and drink coffee and go record shopping with him. And then we would discuss why high school was stupid and why being a musician was way better than being an AP bio student.

There were four bands/musicians that got me through high school: NIN, Tori Amos, 10000 Maniacs, and R.E.M. I still remember ditching class during senior year and going to Borders to read all the expensive British music magazines that had R.E.M. on the cover, like Q and Mojo and NME. I was obsessed with their music, which is why it makes me crazy-happy that R.E.M. has a new album out today.

I know some of you aren't R.E.M. fans, and even more of you were just teeny-tiny babies during their heyday, so here's a little primer I like to call "Why R.E.M. Are Fantastic". Take notes.

I've been listening to a lot of "Automatic for the People" lately, in anticipation of the new record, and of course, it has two of my all-time favorite R.E.M. songs back to back, "Nightswimming" and "Find the River". I would say that these songs shoved me through my junior year of high school, got me into first period every morning, and made it okay to get out at the end of the day. They are still perfect to me.

R.E.M., "Nightswimming"
"I'm pining for the moon / And what if there were two side by side in orbit / Around the fairest sun?"

R.E.M., "Find the River"
"Pick up here and chase the ride / The river empties to the tide / All of this is coming your way..."

In 1993, on the night of Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration, Michael Stipe & Mike Mills joined up with Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen, Jr. from U2 to do one song, a cover of U2's "One." They performed under the band name Automatic Baby and I recorded the performance on our VCR. (Keepin' it old school!) I watched it so often that the tape wore out, so thank goodness for YouTube.

Even now, it still makes me cry.

Automatic Baby, "One" (mp3)

Then, six months after Kurt Cobain's suicide in 1994, I read a cover story in Rolling Stone that talked about how R.E.M. and Kurt had been trying to work together. The interview always stuck in my head and really attached me to the song "Let Me In," from the album "Monster". This is what Michael Stipe said about Kurt & that song:

"'I had been taking to Kurt, and when he disappeared, I knew it,' he says, speaking nearly in a monotone. 'We all knew it. For seven days nobody knew where he was. I knew that a phone call was going to come, and I was just hoping that it was going to be a good one. And it wasn't. So we were a little prepared. But it was bad. Really bad.'

"'So that's where that thing came out of. I wanted to get him out of Seattle. I knew that he was there, and he was by himself. Everybody had tried everything they could, and that was my attempt to get him enough out of the head that he was in that he wouldn't kill himself or hurt himself. I thought it was going to be an overdose.' Stipe hesitates and can't seem to gather his thoughts: 'I wish he had...I don't know...you can't...what if?' He is silent for a moment."

R.E.M., "Let Me In"
"He gathered up his loved ones and brought them all around to say 'Goodbye, nice try' / Hey, let me in / Hey, let me in..."

And now they have a new album out, "Accelerate". You can probably download it from your friendly neighborhood blogger, but just in case...

R.E.M., "Accelerate" (iTunes)

Michael Stipe is still not my friend, of course, and I don't have to ditch pre-calc anymore to go read music magazines, but the music is still there, just like it always is.

It's fun to be a fan.

Things have changed for me...

Oh boy, New Music Tuesday!

Sometimes New Music Tuesdays are sort of anti-climactic. Like, "Yay, new Insane Clown Posse. Let me throw the confetti." But not today, party people! New Music Tuesday is on the upswing!

First off, we have What Made Milwaukee Famous. You might be saying, "What made Milwaukee famous?" and all I can come up with is "Laverne & Shirley." To make things more complicated, WMMF is actually from Austin, Texas. So thanks for making it difficult, guys.

Anyway, I love them. I love their new album, too, and I love the fact that they're on barsuk records because you can download one of their new songs, "Resistance St.". Or you could buy the whole goshdarn album.

What Made Milwaukee Famous, "What Doesn't Kill Us" (I recommend "Sultan" to start.)

Also, new Raconteurs today! I haven't listened to it yet, only because I'm working like Insane-O Woman on Book #2 and Jack White tends to divert my attention. But in interesting news, I guess iTunes accidentally leaked the album over the weekend, which means that the iTunes employee count is probably down by one this morning. Anyway.

And finally, new Panic at the Disco! (I'll put that exclamation mark wherever I want, thank you very much.) "Pretty. Odd." is streaming here, but I feel the best way to talk about this album is to share a conversation my brother and I had back in 2005 about good old PatD. Suffice to say, neither of us have changed our minds.

Brother: So you need to tell me about music. I need to learn more about music. What's this one the kids are always talking about? Death Cab...?
Me: 'The kids'?! You're 25! The kids are the same age as you. I'm going to buy you a wool cardigan with elbow patches for Christmas, Grandpa.
Brother: (all excited now) Really?!
Me: (heavy sigh) You know who you would love? Panic! at the Disco. They're incredible.
Brother: What.
Me: Panic! at the Disco.
Brother: *snort*
Me: What?
Brother: *snicker, muffled guffaw*
Me: THEY'RE A GOOD BAND! WHY ARE YOU SO JUDGMENTAL?
Brother: *not even trying to muffle his laughter now*
Me: You said you wanted to know more about music. I'm trying to help you out.
Brother: *Literally crying from laughing so hard* Panic? At the Disco?
Me: Write it down. Are you writing it down?

Sigh.