Columbia Award Speech

Photoshop Express Test

Edinburgh

Hulu Test

Out of commission

This blog is no longer being updated. To see my columns, and my new blog, free, go to:

walt.allthingsd.com .

To just read my new very occasional blog, Mossblog, go to:

mossblog.allthingsd.com .

Fountains of Wayne Returns

I really enjoy the "Power Pop" band Fountains of Wayne, but they've only issued 3 studio CDs, the most recent being last year's "Welcome Interstate Managers." Now, they're back with a mammoth 30-song two-CD set of non-album tracks and B sides that they recorded over the years, but never officially released. The CD is called "Out-of-State Plates."

Some of the tracks are rough, some are covers, not all are great. But many of the songs bear the group's distinctive traits -- clever lyrics, great rhyming, and catchy melodies.

My favorites on this CD are two new songs, "The Girl I Can't Forget," and "Maureen." I also especially like "Baby I've Changed," "Half a Woman," "The Man in the Santa Suit," "Karpet King," and "You're Just Never Satisfied."

FOW isn't a country band, though they have done a couple of country-style tunes -- "Hung Up on You" in their last album, and, in the new CD, "Today's Teardrops." However, like the best country songs, FOW tunes tell a story, a slice-of-life tale about ordinary people.

My favorite from the new album, "The Girl I Can't Forget," is the story of a guy who meets a great girl, but almost destroys their budding relationship by, uncharacteristically, getting so drunk he can't recall much about their first date. The theme gives rise to the catchy chorus line "It was the night I can't remember, with the girl I can't forget."

If you have RealPlayer or Windows Media Player on your PC or Mac, you should be able to hear a 30-second clip of this song by clicking here, and scrolling down to Disc 2, Track 2.

Or, if you have iTunes installed on your Mac or Windows PC, clicking here should take you to the iTunes Music Store page where you can preview or download the song.

Here are the lyrics:

Well, she picked me up in a German car
And she took me out to an Irish bar
Where I drank some beer in a plastic cup
Till I had some trouble standing up

And then she drove downtown to a strobe-lit space
Where all the guys wore chains and the thumping bass
Was so intense I could barely feel my face
And I think I asked her back to my place

But that's all I recall
And when I woke up in the hall
I was alone and softly groaning
And I'd lost my keys and lost my phone

And I wondered what I did or said
That I might soon regret
It was the night I can't remember
With the girl I can't forget

Well, I was reeling, watching the ceiling spin
The next evening when my friends walked in
And when I asked them if they knew where I'd been
They didn't speak at first, they only grinned

You see, I'm not the type to get in fights
But that might not have been the case last night
Because they heard that I had a word or two
With a man who asked "Is she with you?"

And if I took it the wrong way
I guess that's not for me to say
Though it seems I may have slipped up
When I offered him some grooming tips

But at least that helps explain
The cuts and bruises on my head
From the night I can't remember
With the girl I can't forget

And it's all coming back now
Don't know how to react now
Guess I'll let it go
I'm not so sure I want to know

Well, I was back at work at 9:15
When a message popped up on my screen
It said "Pick me up at 8:45,
and we can give it one more try"

And now that I'm with her
The whole thing seems a bit absurd
Though she never fails to tell the tale
Of the time she had to post my bail

And for giving me a second chance
I'm forever in her debt
Since the night I can't remember
She's the girl,
I won't ever forget

Test Podcast

This is a test of Podcasting. You can hear my little test podcast here. It is hosted free by a site called Garageband.com

Gates and Jobs, dinner companions

I recently had dinner with two of the giants of digital technology, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. They broke bread together at the opening dinner of the Wall Street Journal's annual D: All Things Digital conference in San Diego, which I co-produce with my friend and colleague, Kara Swisher.