April 23, 2004
No need to vanish
The Rapture with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the Ogden. Talk about a night of oddness. Bizarr-o mix of people, events that were thought to be exciting turned out to be extremely anti-climactic - boring even. Got in the "mosh pit" for humor's sake. 1990 Mighty Lemon Drops all over again.
The interpersonal interactions were - well - a novella could be written. It's always refreshing in some ways to see how basic most all of our needs are. Humans, for all of their differences, are very much the same.
TVOTR
TV on the Radio at perhaps the oddest venue I've been to in ages. The CU Boulder student center basement. Who knew they had a bowling alley on campus? And isn't it odd to not be able to drink at a college show? Isn't that what that college is about?
The show, however, was good. Sean had a few issues with the energy level, but Donna was so excited she actually purchased their new album. Yes, album. Actual vinyl. You know, for the record player.
April 15, 2004
mildly political
OK. I can't stand it anymore. The dumb yellow signs around town are begining to influence my vote. Although I'm guessing not in the way the sign sticker in the yarder's would hope. You've seen the sign, "Vote Bush/Cheney Out" often followed or preceded by "regime change begins at home".
What is this? Some kind of 2 year old's logic? All you can do is tell me what you don't like? Tell me to vote for someone. And then tell me why. Tell me he/she/it stands for the following issues and I should care about those issues. Explain what he/she/it is *actually* going to do. Be proactive. Be constructive. Heck, use your brain if you have one. Don't just whine like a child that you don't like what you've got and say, "I don't care what I get, I just don't want this".
These signs don't tell me that you want anything positive for America, they just tell me you like to bitch & complain. So in another 4 years it'll just be "Vote current guy out" on the sign? This pure reactionism isn't just boring or dangerous or pathetic - and it's all those things - but worse, it's stupid.
Simpletons will confuse this as some sort of "pro bush" statement. Whatever. Let me guess, you don't know art, but you know what you like....
April 14, 2004
One book...
So I finally read a book this year. "Peace Like a River" as part of the "one book, one Denver" program. Perhaps kind of a corny idea to get the whole city to read a book, but I appreciate the sentiment. Was it a good book? Well...it was well written I'd say. "What does that mean?" Donna quipped after I gave her the same response. I guess it means it's not the usual type of book I'd read. For something vaguely similar - that I really enjoyed - try "As I lay dying". Now that's a book.
But, the whole thing got me reading again, so that's good. I got so excited I read another book, "Love and Hydrogen". Some good short stories in there, particularly enjoyed the opener wherein the wife takes the husband hostage.
That oh so talked about novel, The DaVinci Code is next...we'll see if I can keep it up....
Control
I've been obsessed with control (again) lately.
Mostly with the fact that I really have none. And man, that irritates me to no end. The above picture? Hit and Run. Nothing I can do. My particular (liability only) insurance doesn't cover it. Cops can't (won't?) do anything. Nothing. No control. I wasn't even in the car. It was legally parked.
Last wknd while trenching to run electrical to the garage, hit the sewer line. Hit the 4" sewer line that's supposed to be much deeper than I was trenching, supposed to be in another spot. I mean, what are the odds? I was digging a 3" wide trench and I hit the sewer line? Million to one odds. Pretty expensive 5 minutes with the trenching machine.
I'm planning a new venture. But what of control? It doesn't matter how hard I work, or how legally I park, I really have no control over the outcome. And that's very debilitating.
For Dan
The Church
I guess I should start where I usually do, the bands I've seen recently. In another in the series of "you can't go back" I recently saw The Church. C'mon, you remember, "under the milky way tonight". Man, it was boring. And I really like the music. Oh well.
The Psychedelic Furs
The Psychedelic Furs on the other hand, played a great show. And, according to a few friends present, I got to see what I'll look like when I get older (lead singer).
16 Horsepower
And of course saw the 16hp show. Amazing as always. The cell phone camera isn't that great, is it?
Stereolab
And then, from the not so distant past, saw the Stereolab show. Good stuff - and the singer has that librarian hotness to her.
And by the way, Dan - it's killing me that you aren't going to go see the Taj Mahal. One of the 7 wonders you realize.