Upcoming reading + meaningless list

Have I reminded you lately that I'm reading in LA this weekend? Because I am. At Metropolis Books on Saturday, August 30 at 6 pm with Kim Cooper and David Smay. Both Kim and David are 33 1/3 authors ("In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" and "Swordfishtrombones," respectively), virtual friends, and awesome people, so I'm very very very excited about this.

Plus! I'll be returning to LA on October 29 to read again at the Hammer Museum at UCLA with Kim Cooper and Scott Plagenhoef ("If You're Feeling Sinister"). This one will include multimedia craziness! I owe a word of thanks to the 33 1/3 series' kick-ass publicist Claire Heitlinger for setting that up, because it is one of the most mindblowing opportunities anyone has ever offered me as an author.

Finally, my friend Joe Gross mentioned the "pick an album for every year you're alive" meme that was going around while I was on vacation from the Internet. He said 1979 was his toughest year. I got stuck on 1988 and 1989 and finally just quit trying to decide.

• 1972 Can - Ege Bamyasi
• 1973 Richard & Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
• 1974 Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets
• 1975 Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
• 1976 Modern Lovers
• 1977 Television - Marquee Moon
• 1978 Big Star - 3rd/Sister Lovers
• 1979 Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Rust Never Sleeps
• 1980 Talking Heads - Remain In Light
• 1981 Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls & Marches
• 1982 Tie between The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour & Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out The Lights
• 1983 Meat Puppets II
• 1984 Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
• 1985 Mekons - Fear & Whiskey
• 1986 Feelies - The Good Earth
• 1987 Dinosaur Jr - You're Living All Over Me
• 1988 (3-way tie) Go-Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane, Pixies - Surfer Rosa, and Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
• 1989 (3-way tie) Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie, Mekons Rock N' Roll, and Pixies - Doolittle
• 1990 Galaxie 500 - This Is Our Music
• 1991 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
• 1992 Tom Waits - Bone Machine
• 1993 Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
• 1994 Cardinal
• 1995 Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot
• 1996 Neil Young - Dead Man Soundtrack
• 1997 Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
• 1998 Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over the Sea
• 1999 The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
• 2000 Bedhead - What Fun Life Was
• 2001 Spoon - Girls Can Tell
• 2002 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
• 2003 New Pornographers - Electric Version
• 2004 Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
• 2005 Animal Collective - Feels
• 2006 Joanna Newsom - Ys
• 2007 Akron/Family - Love Is Simple
• 2008 Boris - Smile