I am dizzily grateful to the various publications that placed The Rest Is Noise on their best-of-the-year lists (New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, New York, Slate, The Economist). The attention caused a sudden run on the book, to the point where various stores and online sellers ran out of copies. I am told that a large new shipment of books will arrive early next week.... On Tuesday I appeared on WNYC's Must Haves festival, talking about five recordings I couldn't live without: Radu Lupu playing Brahms's Intermezzo Opus 117 No. 1, Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate," the last of Peter Lieberson's Neruda Songs, Radiohead's "Everything In Its Right Place," and the final movement of the Quartet for the End of Time (Tashi).... I've posted pictures of our cats with Noise in its different stages of (de)composition. This inspired a slight trend on the Internet. Dora, Samuel, and Lucy are also listening to the 20th century. And that's Milhous above, courtesy of Tom Natan. That crashing sound from upstate New York was, I believe, Kyle Gann finally going over the edge. [Update: He's surrendered to kitty kitsch.]
