About a month ago, I stopped into a used bookshop and bought a bunch of early editions of P.G. Wodehouse novels.

P.G. Wodehouse is a lot of fun to read. Essentially, they’re 1930s Hollywood screwball comedies in book form. I’ve only read three of his books, but I’m hooked. The best so far has been Leave it to Psmith; if I get around to writing a screenplay, it will be a contemporary adaptation of that book.

Jesus Christ, look at these early penguin covers!

I know I’m biased towards simple, crisp designs, but you have to admit it looks pretty cool—just three big, graphic stripes: orange, white, orange. And the lettering, set in Gill Sans, is wonderfully bracing and no-nonsense-y. The penguin is cute too.

Compare that edition to one printed nine years later in 1963.

Pretty crappy. A stupid cartoony illustration that undermines that crackling wit of the novels. Just a Drag, really. Set in Helvetica,

So it just goes to show you that simple design does not always mean great design—I mean, both these covers are simple, but only one rocks the house.

Maybe “rocks the house” is too strong here.

Have you ever been into a bookstore in France? The book covers look as though they haven’t changed since the 1910s. If I’m remembering right, most of the books in France—even the popular novels—have simple red lettering stamped onto a white or grey cover. And they look sort of dumpy.

The artist On Kawara used to send out telegrams to friends each day that read, “I am still alive.”

I wish that that is what this blog could be—just a daily reminder of my existence. It would make things a whole lot easier. Instead, I actually have to think stuff up to write about.

Any ideas?

For instance, I recently bought a navy-blue shirt from American Apparel and then proceeded to bleach part of it. Could I write about that?

I posted an obnoxious post on the Channel 102 forum that I now regret. What about that? Could that be a post?

I had a hamburger made from grass-fed organic beef and it was strange tasting. Do you want to hear more about that?

Anyone?

Last night Kaveri and I went to see our friend Matthieu “Doc” Cornillon perform in an off-Broadway play called, “Susan an God” at the Mint Theater.

I am happy to report that it was very good—great in fact. This is the most professional production that Doc has ever been involved in and it shows. In previous shows, there were always one or two actors that you wanted to take aside after the performance and tell them that perhaps they should look for another line of work. But all the actors in “Susan and God” were quite good and the play itself was very engaging—a fun 30s farce peppered with some darker moments involving alcoholism and redemption and such.

Doc is fantastic and fantastically tall. He plays Tom in my 102 show and when we were filming last weekend, we had to have the other actors stand on crates at times.

But not a penny more.

New York really ought to make a law where an automatic gratuity gets added to the restaurant bill.

I know this is sort of my Andy Rooney moment, but tipping is bullshit, isn’t it? Expecting waiters to grovel for their money like that. It’s like a weird master and slave relationship—“if you’re nice I’ll give you a reward.” But then again, it’s also a complete ruse because if you ever dared to tip a waitress say 12% at a good restaurant, they’d come running after you and shake you down for the money. In fact I’ve seen this happen to hapless Europeans. Really, several times. Give the poor Europeans a break! Just add the tip on! We’re not living in some feudal state anymore; give up the tips.

What would be the harm? Well, in New York, dudes are always swinging their cocks around, throwing down twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five percent tips to show off, so I’m sure that waitresses benefit from the Wall Street assholes who like to throw their money around. But really, should those assholes be encouraged? In fact, there should be law that says your not allowed to add anything to the already-added gratuity.

Bars too.

I believe Will Hines could easily roast a chicken.