Bob Schaefer
A hot cuppa tea on a cold winter's day. Chicagoan, architect, listener, reader, traveler, time waster
- Turning the camera back toward my favorite city.
- Welcome February! Sunrise today from 31st Street Beach.
- OMG. I cannot pre-order this fast enough. One of my favorite eras of music. And it will look great sitting next to 'Rip It Up and Start Again' on an overflowing bookshelf.
- My new book Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers, and the Reinvention of Rock, 1984-94 is out in June on @whiterabbitbks.bsky.social . It's a love letter to the music of my youth and a flashback to the most exciting time of my writing life. Pre-order geni.us/StillInADream
- Numero Group Magnolia CDs first quarter: Should, Pot Valient, Majesty Crush
- I much prefer National Weather Service Chicago’s descriptor “absolute unit” for the winter storm instead of Fern or Fran or whatever the hell the Weather Channel is calling it.
- Hey buddy
- Insult to injury
- I love when my Bluesky feed is full of OH MY GODs and Holy Shits
- For you architecture heads, don't limit your Chicago Architectural Biennial excursions to the Cultural Center. This is a fun visit. And yes, its setting in failed North Michigan Avenue retail is a vital part of the experience.
- I know there are far more important and disconcerting things in our world right now, but I'm adding being on a condo board of a 100 year old building on the night of historic January rain to my upset list.
- I really enjoyed today’s visit to the Art Institute of Chicago for the first viewing of ‘Bruce Goff: Material Worlds’ (yes, I’ll be back). Mostly I was fascinated by the untitled visual art compositions and their bold color abstractions.
- Distracting myself from the matters at hand with a large crowd at @musicboxtheatre.bsky.social for a double feature of two Barbara Stanwyck pre-code films, ‘Night Nurse’ and ‘Baby Face’
- Thinking about the new year and listening to Wussy and hoping we get new music from Lisa and Chuck that includes this gorgeous song. youtu.be/3B4NmSusS7U?...
- I'm going back to bed.
- Thirty years ago today. The perfect ending to one of the greatest newspaper comic strips ever.
- Shout out for his guitar on Lloyd Cole's self-titled 1990 solo debut and 'Don't Get Weird On Me Babe'
- Everybody's doing it, so why not? There are lots of hypotheticals and circumstances that would change some of these colors, and even the "worst" states have progressive enclaves. In some cases, I don't like extreme heat or cold, or being 4-8 hours from other states (hi Alaska!).
- I missed this yesterday in the holiday hubbub. It's great writing on a great band, one whose catalog is worth dipping into at any point in their chronology, and one whose absence truly makes the heart grow fonder. Never stop being you, Bradford Cox (and please come back).
- Two days of holiday celebrations conclude with these books and music added to the collections/ queues.
- Christmas trees.
- Merry Christmas from Indiana (53°F)
- Christmas Music Day 25 (it’s Christmas Day!) - Vince Guaraldi ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’. The TV special was an annual ritual from its first airing until deep into my teens and the music has stayed with me a lifetime. Not just great pop culture, but wonderful works of art.
- Christmas Music Advent Day 24 - Various Artists ‘A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector’. The granddaddy of Christmas albums and with good reason. Only diminished by hearing its songs way too much, but I can say that about a lot of otherwise great holiday music.
- Christmas Music Advent Day 23 - ‘The Best of James Brown: The Christmas Collection’ James Brown released THREE Christmas albums in his soul/funk heyday, the contents of which are best appreciated in a compilation. Even this one with its generic cover is a funky good time holiday party.
- A three years running tradition of holiday shopping in Andersonville fueled by lunch at Little Bad Wolf and a new-to-me craft beer. Today: Hidden Hand Brewing Cryo Fresh Neverbrite Black IPA.
- Christmas Music Advent Day 22 - Bert Kaempfert ‘Christmas Wonderland’. A more recent acquisition. I’ve tended to stay away from 50s-60s instrumental holiday music—there’s a lot of syrupy goo out there. But this one is a delight. Standards and originals alike arranged with both space and shimmer.
- My Blu-Ray player picked a bad time to brick. I wonder if there is any other way to watch 'It's A Wonderful Life'??
- Earlier today at the Hideout, a Christmas gift to myself: Roses For The Roches. Sima Cunningham, Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor (with special guests “Carly Simon” and “Carole King”). Gorgeous voices singing the Roches’ wonderfully unique songs. One of the best shows of 2025.
- Christmas Music Advent Day 21 - Low ‘Christmas’. This beautiful album from one of my favorite bands is now 26 years old. It’s timeless of course, the original songs equal to the standards. and part of the fabric of every one of my holiday seasons. Mimi Parker: forever missed.
- Best game I’ve seen in a long time.
- I made the right call
- Bears-Packers game vs. my annual viewing of ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’?
- Christmas Music Advent Day 20 - Various Artists ‘Saint Etienne Presents Songs For A London Winter’. A jewel in my holiday collection with almost all of it unknown to me songs, performers & performances. As is befitting of a collection curated by the music geeks in St. Etienne.
- Christmas Music Advent Day 19 - Various Artists ‘Cool Yule, Volume 2’. Subtitled “A Collection of Rockin’ Stocking Stuffers”, this is a Rhino LP comp from 1988, that I don’t play very much, but it’s a pretty boss and eclectic collection of mostly deep cuts.
- Christmas Music Advent Day 18 - ‘Socks’ A Christmas Album by JD McPherson’ Another fairly recent album of all original songs, so fun and well-done that I’m going to see them performed live tonight—for the third time!
