Comic for Monday, October 2nd, 2006

Posted: 7:40 am, Monday, October 2nd

Not much today, gang. I was in kind of a total creative nebula yesterday and couldn't think of a single damn thing to write about (well, I could - I've still got stuff from last weekend I've been meaning to get to, but I couldn't get anything from my brain to my fingertips) during the day, and then at night, 2.0 and I went to Irving to see the Hold Steady. The tickets had the doors opening at eight, but made no mention of the *two* warm-up bands taking the stage beforehand. God, two openers? Bleh. The second band wasn't too bad, but the first one was agonizingly loud. Why are the shitty bands always so friggin' loud? To make matters more awkward, we were standing next to the lead singer's family up on the balcony, and he came up to talk to them as I was telling 2.0 that life is too short to blow your ears on shitty warm-up bands. D'oh!

Anyway, I've listened to most of the band's new album, and while I don't think it's anywhere near the awesomeness of last year's Separation Sunday, I don't think it's a massive disappointment like the Rich Girls do. It's streaming at their site, if you want to give it a shot. Regardless of how the new album is, man, this is a great live band. Craig Finn is the most animated Oompa Loompa of a front man I've ever seen, and I can now say that I've see one of those guitars that are, you know, double guitars?, used in a concert. Also, the band's originally from Minnesota (or, the band members are, I think the band is officially from Brooklyn), so Finn broke out a Twins jersey for the encore set and did a lot of talking about Joe Mauer, batting champ. (He went to my friend Spacegirl's high school, a few years younger, and she babysat one of his friends back in the day. He'd come over, so, essentially, my friend babysat the AL batting champ. How weird.) My favorite was his dig that the Goat Fuckers' payroll was three times that of the A's-Twins series, and "that sounds Republican to me." The crowd liked that. The other best story he told was about St. Barbara, patron saint of not stepping on landmines. I'm pretty sure he had the details right.

What else? We bailed on the after-party over on Avenue A because it was already well past midnight, and the F-train was doing its trick where you need to take the G to Hoyt-S., so we were in for quite the trek home. 2.0 thinks the band collectively has a drinking problem, and I think that Finn had gotten a little bombed by the time the encore rolled around because the vocals were a little, um, shakier than they were early on. And we've reached the age at which I think earplugs are a good idea for shows. So that's a little sad. But, hey, still young enough to go to concerts on a Sunday, huh? Been a while since I pulled that trick - four years, if memory serves. One was an Andrew W.K. show with Reggie Ho and Princess Di, and I twisted my knee on the security fence getting up on stage, and then got concussed with a crowd surfer. I was in awfully good shape for the rest of that week. Thankfully, none of that happened last night.

OK, so that's all I've got. Oh, my money fantasy team yesterday outperformed expectations top to bottom. You cannot stop I Love Clay Aiken. You just effin' can't.

bullfrog

I just read that Mark Foley IM thing...and now I feel dirty.

I can see why they're the party of Christian fundimentalism.

I always bring earplugs to shows. I don't always use them, but I always bring them. After seeing Iggy Pop and having my ears ring for a week, I thought it would be a good policy.

The loudest show I've ever actually seen was this band that Crownover was friends with, called Slushpuppy. Not sure if it was them or the acoustics at CBGB's, but, God, my ears hurt for like three days.

I haven't read the IM yet. Don't know if I really want to.

By the way, da Fark comes this gem from Foley in '98:

"It's vile," said Rep. Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach. "It's more sad than anything else, to see someone with such potential throw it all down the drain because of a sexual addiction."

http://www.sptimes.com/Worldandnation/91298/Congress_sees_through.html

Also, I am shocked, shocked, shocked that Clemens was on the Grimsley affidavit. I mean, come on, just because he's 43 and lost maybe 2 mph off his fastball in 23 seasons in the bigs and is twice the size he was in the 80s and was huge and fat and washed-up in '93-'95 and suddenly showed up in awesome shape when he went to Toronto, and once threw a broken jagged bat at someone in a fit of rage in front of millions of people, and his 'retirement' earlier this year lasted exactly the 50 games that a first-time steroid suspension lasts, there is *no* reason to think he's on the juice. None!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/john_donovan/10/01/clemens.grimsley/index.html

Oh man! I used the wrong 'their,' please replace it with 'they're' so we can all forget about it.

Thanks.

(it was 9:02am...)

Um, ew, Mark Foley.

Quick, something to cleanse your brains from the Foley Incident: http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/jenga/jenga.html

Totally in favor of earplugs in shows. Not that I go to that many, but it DEFINITELY helps. Heck, the music is still friggin loud. If anything, they filter out the crowd buzz. But not the beer buzz.

I dunno... I'm a little bummed about Clemens. I mean, it's not shocking or anything, but still. I liked thinking that we were watching somebody great.

On the other hand, who cares? The cards are in the playoffs! There's something freeing about going into October with no expectations whatsoever, right?

Rob from Cockeyed is amazing. Hadn't seen his Jenga costume, though.

So, Wolverine on Friday, Jenga today. Mayhaps I'll try and find a ludicrously involved Halloween costume every day this month help inspire us all. Before we all run out during lunch on the 31st to slap together whatever the hell is left on the shelves and go get bombed on rum and cider.

That still means that the Cardinals are going to be swept by the Padres. (Padres and Dodgers for all the NL marbles, Yankees-Detroit, natch. Yankees vs. Dodgers for the World Series pennant. And Fox Sports will show more about Slugger than you'd ever wanted to see in prime time.)

That reminds me, I need to do my annual insane post-season predictions tomorrow.

Ces has a friggin' incredible Medium Large installment today. One of the strip's recurring features is ML guy watching Teenage Girl President, a spoof of WB-style shows, and today is the season premiere. I know that Ces watches Lost, and I have to believe that a big chunk of this strip is inspired by the endless summary episodes of everyone's favorite show about strangers stuck on an island with unlimited unresolved plotlines.

http://www.drinkatwork.com/2006/10/comic-for-monday-october-2-2006.html

For others anticipating the Lost season: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/celebritology/

I heard the Super Bowl Shuffle on the way into work this morning. Just like back in good ol' 1985. Da Bears. How ridiculous.

Well into the lunch hour and, unless I'm scanning too quickly, nobody has mentioned Charlie and the boys. Of course it was a game they were supposed to win. And they did, with very little drama. I find that refreshing.

Oy. Poor Spartans.

speaking about loud music, this is fascinating: http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/xl/2006/09/28cover.html

Don't get me started about the Spartans. Go Rutgers!

Zero

Some receiver on the Bears did serve I Love Clay Aiken well last night. Last-minute waiver wire move = coaching genius. (As you can tell, I am very proud to be at 2-2 right now.)

That *was* fascinating about the CD volume, Zero. Huh.

I am now the proud owner of earplugs for the next show. (Nothing on the horizon, though.)

Man, Fark is *all over* this Foley shite. The first one got the Ironic tag, the second, Asinine.

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/06/19/State/Nude_summer_youth_cam.shtml?remember

http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2006/09/a_note_from_the.html

I was very relieved that we looked solid Saturday as we had to leave at halftime to go to a wedding. Where we proceeded to sit on folding chairs for 45 minutes waiting for something, anything, to happen (other than the floutist and the vionlinist to play yet another Andrew Lloyd Webber medley). Turns out the minister was stuck in traffic and the trip took him an hour longer than anticipated. somehow, though, all the guests were there on time. Something's fishy about his story...

That is fishy...

The Times had a nice review of the new album/get-to-know-you article about the Hold Steady yesterday. And, no, I will not shut up about them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/arts/music/01sann.html?ref=music

And if you read that article, I trust you will, as I have, have the decency not to hold Craig Finn's astoundingly poor choice of collitch against him.

Man, Texas A&M is weird.

http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/?p=2640

there is an obscene amount of starbucks in NYC. ah, sweet, sweet caffeine... http://www.findbyclick.com/coffee_s.html

And when going to Starbucks, what better than building your own drink for a fraction of the price?

http://www.newsobserver.com/104/story/488018.html

(I've actually never done this.)

I'd like to modify my prediction, seeing that Detroit and the Yankees are meeting in the first round, I will go with Yankees and Oakland to meet in the AL Championships.

I still like the Yankees - Dodgers World Series pick.

And I meant Scooter, not Slugger.

I was wondering who you were talking about. God, fucking Scooter makes my head asplode.

LOL - concussed. I like that word. And I forgot about that incident...

I stood next to a speaker at an Add N to (X) show once, and I couldn't hear out of my right ear for four days. The weird thing about that show is that the band opening for Add N to (X) was Interpol.