Submission, in which a Houellebecqian antihero adapts to the new order in Europe by converting to Islam and taking three brides, turned out to be terrific, perhaps the most memorable novel of the now-ending decade, which will likely go down in history as the era when much of the top talent moved to the right (or, alternatively, most of the mediocrities moved to the left).

Read the whole thing there.

I saw Iggy Pop opening for the Pretenders in, I believe, 1987. My fiance had been under the impression that Iggy Pop was not a real person but was instead a cartoon character, such as Zippy the Pinhead.

But he’s real and put on a good show. The most memorable moment was Iggy pogoing maniacally thru his last number (presumably “Lust for Life“). We happened to have seats where we could see see the nearly 40 year old Mr. Pop exit the stage down the tunnel to his dressing room. The moment he reached a position where 99% of the audience couldn’t see him, he stopped jumping and sauntered casually away.

“Now, that’s professionalism!” we enthused.