Comic for Tuesday, May 8th, 2007

Posted: 6:40 am, Tuesday, May 8th

2.0 and I saw Spider-Man 3 just now - I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I'm sure it was tremendously flawed and everything, but, I don't know, Spidey was great, the Sandman effects were tremendous, Bruce Campbell's role was the best he's had in the three, and I'm willing to overlook the rest of it. It was a touch long, maybe, but for eleven bucks, I'm down with two and a half hours. We saw it in Times Square, so of course the crowd started for the exits at the end of the final action piece, nevermind the emotion denouement to follow. Mild spoiler ahead, apparently evil people dance a lot.

Check this out!

I love that. You can tell exactly when the black dude realizes that he can't tell which Asian guy he was chasing any more.

So, a week from today, Wilco trots out Sky Blue Sky, which is getting great reviews but I'm mildly trepidatious about because it's been described as Dead-like and I'm not big on the Dead. Pitchfork has a lengthy, lengthy interview with Jeff Tweedy up in anticipation. Some of my favorite exerpts follow. The first one, I never really thought about, if the cameras being there accelerated kicking Jay Bennet out of the band.

Pitchfork: I wanted to ask about the documents of Wilco. There was the film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, and the book written by Greg Kot, which I imagine he was talking to you while you were doing A Ghost Is Born. Granting that kind of access to someone who is kind of documenting while you're writing, does that change the process at all?

Jeff Tweedy: Well it certainly did in the case of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. It led to the band firing Jay Bennett, or asking Jay Bennett to leave.

Pitchfork: Do you think the film accelerated that situation?

Jeff Tweedy: Definitely. Because we were being observed it allowed us to step back and think, "What's this look like to the rest of the world?" There's a pretty accepted rule in physics that you can't observe something without changing it. I think that was very much at work in that situation. I don't think we'd ever really thought about how dysfunctional it looked or how dysfunctional it was. Or how uncomfortable it was to be a part of that environment. It really portrayed in the movie that it was a struggle only between Jay and myself. And that is really not the case at all. Everybody was feeling the akwardness of that situation. And I think the cameras did very much accelerate the idea that this isn't something we could live with.

The second one, apparently Tweedy broke both his legs running too much last year.

Pitchfork: How are you feeling now?

Jeff Tweedy: I feel great! It's been three years since I went into the hospital. I've never felt better. I've never been healthier. I haven't had a cigarette in two years. I run four or five miles, four or five times a week. I've been healthy and having a really good time.

Pitchfork: You should run the marathon.

Jeff Tweedy: Well, I wouldn't be able to survive it. My knees are...I mean broke both my legs running too much last summer.

Pitchfork: You broke both your legs?

Jeff Tweedy: I had stress fractures in both my tibias from running too much. You know, once you're an addict, you're always an addict, so just because I found something good to do doesn't mean I'm not going to hurt myself doing it. So, I've had to cut back because of that. I didn't run last summer at all. I swam.

And the final one, I'm tacking up because this is how the interview ended, which sounds incredibly awkward to me, frankly.

Jeff Tweedy: You know, Pitchfork ran a pretty crazy article immediately afterwards that really, really gave a lot of credence to a pretty fucking warped version of the night. I have to say, it was pretty funny.

Pitchfork: It was based on multiple fan accounts, but the YouTube told a much clearer story.

Jeff Tweedy: I'm just saying it was pretty funny. It was like I went into the actual row and I grabbed the guy and beat his face in and then walked off the stage after three songs. It was absolutely the opposite of what actually happened. But it was a crazy night, there were people coming up on stage all night long. There was no security, there were Shriners, it was at a Shriners' Hall. It was a Monday night and I guess it was just an indication of how bad the methamphetamine epidemic has hit the rural states.

It's like they were rolling, but then Tweedy was like, "Oh, right, I don't really like you guys." And then was like, "Eh, let it go. Make a meth joke." Sweet.

Debbie Clemens sucks almost as much as her husband. Speaking of her husband, I had heard that Suzyn Waldman's reaction to the Clemens this was nutty, but it's really just batshit insane. It's the link that says Roger Clemens Is Back on the right of this page. Wild.

Hm, the Mountain Goats are playing a free show in some record store in Williamsburg on Friday. I am willing to bet the crowd would annoy the crap out me, but I really liked the Sunset Tree album... We'll see what Friday brings.

bullfrog

Bullfrog -- Tuesday, May 8 2007, 06:46 am

Late-night feedback - it'll happen, Pat, it'll happen. There's no way Pete can keep a girl happy for very long.

And the odds of that Snoop Dogg bit - wow, they are long.

Settling in to an all-day training course, crowd. Chat amongst yourselves.

Oh . . . I liked Bill. But I'm impressed as ever by Lissa's maturity.

And I saw Spidey last night too and felt the same way -- there was web-swinging, there was growing-up angst, there were cool effects, there was kissing, the story hung together decently, I was entertained.

Ok, this is apropos of nothing and probably not very interesting (except maybe to CK), but I just had an amazing scrabble moment (I was losing the WHOLE GAME, and then I bingoed on my final turn for 87 points and the win)! Just had to share my glee....

Go #15!

Oh, Lissa! Will you never find twu wuv?

I'm available! Innerduce me!

Eh. Wait five years, and then Lissa will realize her inner biological clock does not have a snooze alarm. And not all the martinis in the world can douse that alarm clock.

Or she'll become a nun. It's one or the other.

I dread the day scientists discover that men have their own biological clocks.

Clock Schmock. We're not all geared toward baby production. Besides, a hot chick like Lissa would probably want to spare her figure and adopt.

I'd almost agree, but if she's like me, once she gets a hold of her baby niece, courtesy of her younger sister, she'll probably swear against ever having any children, adopted or not.