Posts Tagged This Charming Band

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood: sick

If it was swine flu, it passed pretty easily.  I came down with some kind of weird fever and achiness over the weekend that left me without the energy to do much of anything.  From what I hear, a lot of folks have been battling sore throats, so knock on wood that I didn’t have that to deal with.  Tonight, it’s down to just a headache, so I’m hoping to be right as rain tomorrow.  Unrelated (I think), it occurs to me that I’ve been to the doctor more in the last year than in the previous five.  Honestly.  I think that’s partly me getting old and partly me getting paranoid.

I really just wanted to mention that the flyer is finally done for TCB’s celebration of Morrissey’s 50th birthday… a week from Friday!  This is a huge headlining gig at Slim’s, and we’ll be joined by Dead Souls (awesome Joy Division tribute) and Love Vigilantes (a New Order tribute coming all the way from Seattle).  I expect this show to be way better than our Slim’s show last year… for many reasons.  Not the least of which that it’s Mozzer’s semicentennial birthday!  Hope you guys can make it out!

Alright, bitches.  Finally… proof positive regarding the existence of Peanut Butter Boppers.  My previous evidence consisted of their brief appearance in grampa’s fridge in The Lost Boys.  But now RetroJunk has posted the commercial.  Tell me someone else remembers these things?  Delish!  And if that weren’t enough, the Mother’s website is back up, and it indicates that Mother’s Cookies should be back on shelves any day now.  A glimmer of hope in these dark times.  But alas, I’d be sick(er) if I tried to eat any of that stuff right now.  Maybe tomorrow.  Meh.  I’m off to go rest.  Nighty night…

“Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.”

— Unknown

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  tired

Too true, too true.  Yet another Palahniuk quote for a title — that one from Snuff.  Seriously, you should just read his books instead of my bloggin’s.

Before I forget, it’s past midnight.  Happy Cinco De Mayo, bitches!  And happy “Cinco De Drinko” to all my lush friends.  Which is most of you, let’s be honest.  It’s been a busy few days of concerts (Devil Makes Three), brunches, naps, and today jury duty (which I narrowly escaped).  I’ve been totally wiped out lately, and I’m not sure why.  It should be an interesting week as I try to get my energy back.  I probably just need more sleep, and maybe a little more R&R.  Speaking of which, check out this guy Clark Little.  His pictures make me wish I knew how to surf.  Oh, and that I lived in Hawaii.

Practice resumes this week as TCB prepares for Slim’s on May 22nd (Morrissey’s birthday).  We’ll be dusting off some old ones for the show, so there ought to be a few surprises.  And that Manchester bill of Love Vigilantes and Dead Souls is gonna be amazing.  Then the very next weekend, it’s off to Portland and Seattle.  I’ll tell you, after my flight last week, I am absolutely positively sure I don’t want to travel with NASA (my monstrous guitar pedal board).  It was a fun experiment this last year having all those pedals at every show, but it’s only a matter of time before I throw out my back moving that thing around (it weighs more than my amp!).  I’m not a young buck anymore, you know.

So I’ve invested in a smaller pedal board.  Much smaller actually.  It’ll be easier to travel with and just easier in general.  It holds plenty of effects for any kind of music I’d want to play other than Smiths tribute.  You see, tribute bands have the unique challenge of having to try to sound like another band… often the albums where all kinds of studio effects were applied to the guitar.  Trying to recreate that live means having to have a whole arsenal of pedals at your disposal.  But sorry, I’m over that mess.  With this smaller board, I’m going to lose the occasional “perfect” effect for this or that song, but having to make do with less will go just fine I think.  The cost/benefit of lugging around all that weight just doesn’t add up.  (I envy guys like Reverend Horton Heat, where they literally have one or two pedals to worry about, and the rest is all in the fingers.)  You all have heard us.  You know what we’re capable of and that we can nail the sounds more often than not.  I’m retiring NASA for a while and probably changing amps.  My Bassman — which is my favorite  and which I’ve used at nearly every show since TCB started — breaks up a little early for Smiths.  And my Twin — which is what Johnny used a lot of the time anyway — is just begging to get some use.  A lot of changes tone-wise, but I’ll do my best to make it a smooth transition.

Well I’m beat, kiddies, and I’m off to bed.  But I’ll leave you with some mindless entertainment.  If the hipster link last week didn’t get you, this one will.  Thanks to Jamie, it’s texts from last night.  Hilarious!

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  accomplished

I spent a good portion of tonight working on my ongoing housecleaning.  Tonight, I tried to make yet another dent in my shredding of boxes of old paperwork.  There’s a ton of it.  Destroying all these documents.  Don’t ask me why, but I have virtually all of my pay stubs, and I’m not kidding.  I literally shredded hundreds of them tonight, back through my job selling pool supplies in 1996, my days at Blockbuster where I made so many friends, my entire PeopleSoft career from internship through consulting, my time at Mercury.  I had dozens of old credit card statements and receipts from those days too.  The last surviving records and mementos from my trip to Atlanta (complete with reminders of Crista), my stint in Thousand Oaks, etc.  Reading through some of them brought back memories.  The restaurants I ate at, the places I shopped.  Holding them in my hand tonight… the last person to touch this piece of paper was me 13 years ago.  A message from the past.

If you could, what would you say to the “you” of 13 years ago?  What advice would you give him?

Should I have kept these papers instead of destroyed them tonight?  Well, it made me wish I had been blogging or keeping a diary back then.  But in the end, I’m telling myself that keeping this stuff is like scrapbooking.  Why waste my current (and precious and limited) life cataloging my past life?  Life is short enough as it is.  As I said recently, there isn’t any time to dwell on the past.  We’ll all be dead before we have time to sort it out, catalog it, and enjoy the scrapbook.  So goodbye memories of Atlanta restaurants (like Dante’s Down The Hatch in Buckhead), and goodbye records of what hotels I stayed at on which consulting trips, and goodbye list of purchases from 2001.  There’s nothing to stop you from fading away now.  Those things seem important to me because they’re mine.  My life experiences.  But it’s so easy to get bogged down by the details of everyday life.  No one, including me, will ever need all this information.  There’s no reason to treat it like the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Shredding all these papers, I shredded an offer letter I once got from a company in New York (Vitech).  I was making that career decision back around the time of my project in Reno.  I ultimately turned them down, but looking at this offer letter… it’s mind-boggling to think about all the different paths your life could go at any moment.  That job in New York you didn’t take.  That party you skipped.  The shoes you bought.  Chaos theory.  One little decision made differently, and who knows where your life would be now?  Maybe you’d be living overseas.  Maybe you would have never met me.  Maybe you’d be married. Maybe you’d have been hit by a car that very afternoon.  You can’t even get your head around it.  So many ways life could have been different.  And now, as ever, as always… infinite possibilities for your future.  And mine.

After all those musings, if you’re now bored, Starla advises you to go look at this fucking hipster.

I braved getting on a plane this last weekend for a quick round trip, for the first time in over a year.  I was expecting the worst, but despite Murphy’s Law being in full effect (my initial flight was cancelled, the flight I did get on was completely packed, turbulence so bad the passengers clapped when we landed), I survived and felt pretty good about the whole thing.  I got to meet up with Colin and his girls for a brief tea, and then it was back to the Bay.  There’s also a questionable picture Selene took of Colin and I.  I’ll see if I can nick it and put it up for you voyeurs.  Quick side note, on the flight to Burbank, Todd Bridges was on board, and on the flight back, so was Coach’s Craig T. Nelson.

I continue to hear positive feedback about that Blackthorn show a couple weekends back.  Big shows coming up, and some changes in the works regarding my gear.  I won’t bore you with the details here and now.  But I might next time.  🙂  Anyway, in addition to providing the clever title for this blog, the quote of the week comes from Sus, on the subject of her assuming absolute power over TCB:

“The whole band bear dances right now!!!  Oh my goodness, I’m so close to getting you guys to do it, I can feel it.”

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  sore

I’m sure you are aware that Morrissey was supposed to play Oakland last night, but cancelled the day of.  The official story was that he was sick, which is certainly possible.  But given his history, rumors of low ticket sales, the events the day before at Coachella, and the fact that he was sighted at the DNA Lounge, I call shenanigans!

So yesterday morning, we’re all bummed (some of us had pit tickets!), and Sus (who by the way caught Moz’s entire shirt at Coachella… I’m serious) and Orlando start hatching plans to play a free show for the many stranded Moz fans who travelled to the Bay Area and now had nothing to do.  Now, none of us were really ready to play a show… having not played together in the last month, and having other plans already in the works (such as Booze, Broads, and Hotrods).  But with Orlie’s blitz to find a venue to host us on literally just a few hour’s notice, and Sus’ stand at the Paramount to redirect traffic to us, we were able to get the Bat Signal out and pull off a last-minute show at the Blackthorn.

It was a lot of fun, and there was no time to stress in the rushing around to get things ready.  We had some of our old friends in attendance, but also many Moz fans from far and wide who were looking for a place to drown their sorrows.  Hopefully they found it with us.  One of Moz’s security crew was in attendance.  It wasn’t Morrissey, but we did our best to be second best.  Hope you all had as much fun as we did.  Many of us ended up at Sparky’s afterwards including some of our new friends.  And holy shit am I sore from last night.  But anyway, so that’s the story.

By the way, check out Sus at about 4:14!

On to other topics… I hate to say this, but it may finally be time to join that other social networking site.  My impressions so far are that Facebook attracts older people, whether that means your coworkers, or your grad school friends, or even your mom.  Also, it seems to be more stalker-friendly.  I think it’s lame, and I’d be happy to never sign up.  But what it comes down to though is that some of my friends are on there now either exclusively or at least they maintain their profiles better there.  I’ve been resisting a long time, but just to be able to keep in touch with these friends and have sad digital substitutes for human contact with them, I at least want a presence on there.  I don’t have the time or the energy to maintain profiles on both sites.  MySpace is my home, and Facebook will be merely a placeholder for me to maintain a connection to my non-MySpace friends.  (Side note: what a weird time we live in.)

Friday night, I caught Wanda Jackson for the first (and possibly last) time.  She’s getting up there, but she seemed super sweet, and she could still get her voice to do what it was doing 50 years ago, so no complaints here!  There are a couple pics up (from Mari) in my tagged photos, in case you want to see how I look standing next to fun-sized rockabilly royalty.  Today, it was almost 90 degrees in some parts of the city.  Where did all this come from?  The only positive was that intense heat in the Mission and beyond usually means cool and thick fog in my neighborhood, and today was no exception.  Ocean Beach was packed, causing *GASP* actual traffic on the Great Highway.  Had a picante dinner with Jamie.  I was finally forced into going digital with my cable today… which apparently everyone else in the nation has already done.  I’m not thrilled about having to turn on more than one device at a time, but this real time guide is neat.  I’m sure I’ll get used to it in time.

Remember last week I was talking about Highway 1?  Well check this out.  Talk about several drives that give me a heart attack just thinking about them.  But you know, as with playing that unplanned show last night, that spur-of-the-moment choice to take a road home that I never take really was valuable.  These are little things, but they are steps in the right direction.  That spontaneity is important.  Being open to those opportunities not only make me a more well-rounded person, but also fit right into my recent thoughts about not wasting life doing the same thing twice.  These unexpected events are life-enriching.  Even if these things had been disasters, the stories I took from them and the experience I gained would have still made them more valuable than had I taken the same old predictable path.  And the fact that they turned out great, well, all the better!

“A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.”

— English Proverb

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  uncomfortable

Anyone else see Jim Cramer get nailed to the wall by Jon Stewart the other night?  Dear God, it was horrifying.  I’m trying to cling to the signs of hope here and there.  A short run of positive Dow days.  Experts predicting the beginning of the turn around before the end of 2009.  But holy shit, folks.  The economy’s sucking air, in case you didn’t know.

And on the subject of other things that you probably already knew, I’m apparently a raging liberal, according to this test Aaroncito sent me.  I scored a 281… well off the chart of averages for all the demographics I belong to, based on the summary of results at the end.

It’s been a busy few weeks.  The shows in Sacramento and Fresno were a lot of fun.  Some old friends showed up each night, and we even made some new friends.  That first Smiths album has a few tunes that aren’t so live-show-friendly.  Let me tell you, nothing grinds the evening’s momentum to a screeching halt quite like a trudge through something like “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle.”  So if you ever had an interest in hearing us do that one… well, I hope you were at one of those shows.  I made it through both shows relatively peacefully, but by the time I got home, my voice was gone, and I was well on my way to being sick.  Even missed a few days of work over it.  But fret not, I’m right as rain now.  Let’s see, what else?  Cliff Notes: Louder Than Bombs was good this last weekend.  I’ve been guitar shopping lately, against my better judgment.  I went into a Good Vibrations for the first time maybe ever.  I managed to finally break (in half) my old Ikea couch from the Jared/Mission days, so I’m in the market for a new one if anyone’s got suggestions.

And this Friday, TCB is having yet another specially themed show.  We’ll be in San Jose at the Blank, playing two sets of classics as usual… but the first set will be unusual in that it will cover all of the rockabilly songs in the Smiths and Morrissey’s respective canons.  Really… all of them, you ask?  Yes.  We considered every song they recorded and picked up everything that was remotely rockabilly in nature.  Rusholme Ruffians?  Of course.  Sing Your Life?  Duh.  Pregnant For The Last Time?  You’ll hear it for the first time… this Friday at the Blank.  Don’t miss it!

Some random entertainment for you… if you’re looking for a way to kill 15 minutes, check out this list of one-hit wonders of the 1990’s.  There were so many I’d forgotten, and talk about bringing back memories.  They say that smell is our oldest sense and the most closely tied to memory.  You know how a scent you haven’t come across in years can instantly bring you back to a time and place, right?  Well, I’m convinced our pop music sense must be the next in line.  Reading through this list, it was like middle school all over again.

In a conversation with Jamie the other day, I managed to work the word “homonymous” in, as there was some confusion about if we were talking about Mac makeup or Mac computers.  But since I can’t remember the exact phrasing of my stunning display of lexical majesty, the quote of the week instead goes to her, who said this regarding me walking out the door without my wallet for the first time in years:

“You must have forgotten to take your memory pills.”

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  anxious

You’ll have to excuse my somber mood.  I’ve just lost something very near and dear to me, namely my $400.  Well, not exactly.  Something went wrong with the heater in my car, and the shop quoted me $420 to fix it.  Unfortunately, the defroster was disabled too, and with the weather we’ve had lately, that’s not going to fly.  When the work was finally done, it ended up being close to $350, but still.  From now on, if you’re in my car, you can expect the heater to be on full blast at all times.  We’re gonna get our money’s worth, damn it.

This upcoming weekend, we have a pair of very special TCB shows where we’ll be playing the entire first album, as well as unleashing some other new songs.  This will be an unusual set list for us, but you’re guaranteed to hear many songs you’ve never heard us do, and some you may well never hear us do again.  Sacramento is always a fun gig, and Fresno has been a sell out the past two times we’ve been there.  It sounds very likely that it will be again, so don’t miss out!

Speaking to Fresno specifically now… Fresno, I know you’ve recently had to endure the clumsy advances of someone else.  I know you’re probably hurt and confused.  You may be wondering how anyone could murder those songs so mercilessly right before your eyes (and ears).  But don’t worry, Fresno.  We’re not all like that.  There are bands that care as much about these songs as you do, and we would never hurt you like that.  And we’re coming.  Just sit tight.

Oh, and speaking of Kermit the frog, here’s an interesting read on the background of the Muppets we all know and love.

I hope I’m not “outing” anyone here (for some reason McCarthy-era communist blacklisting comes to mind), but my BFF Jared just turned 30 last week.  I can’t believe this shit.  Over the next few months, too many of my friends to name will be hitting this same milestone, and I’d be lying if I said I am not — at times — petrified.  I’m anticipating a depression and will be actively looking for some new perspectives to ease the transition.  My suspicion is that it’s going to require a radical shift in self-concept that incorporates being older, slower, having fewer life options, and being closer to death… but may also include positive things like being wiser, and… well that’s all I can think of.  Anyone?  Input please?

The quote of the week comes from a conversation I had with a foreign fellow on BART the other day:

Guy: How do you get your hair to do that?
Me: Will power.

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  blah

Well, I was unable to rally for New Wave City this weekend.  Seems like everyone was sick or otherwise not into it.  Ended up being a pretty quiet weekend, all things considered.  I did catch the Eagles Of Death Metal at the Fillmore last week though.  Sold out!  The place was as packed as I’ve ever seen it; in fact, I was barely able to squeeze into the main hall!  People were singing along!  Somewhere along the way, these guys got huge I guess.  I still remember the first time I saw them years ago (opening for The Cramps, actually).  I think I was the only one in my party that liked them.  How times have changed…

That reminds me of something else.  I think the EODM did some work with the Bikini Bandits once upon a time.  Back before YouTube, I remember the Atom Films website was the place to go for all sorts of independent film and animation shorts.  Back in those years, the Bikini Bandits were huge, and that shit was hilarious.  Since then, I don’t know what direction that franchise has gone in, but if you’ve never seen them, go check out the site.  (I recommend the Magic Lamp episode.)  I think I even got introduced to a few bands through them… including the now-defunct clown band Greasepaint.  OK, enough reminiscing.

The new Moz album is out soon, and I’m looking forward to it (duh!).  I’ve so far resisted the urge to listen to the leaked album, as I’d rather savor the moments of buying the disc, unwrapping it, and hearing those tracks for the first time in full CD-quality sound.  Now paradoxically, this won’t be news to anyone who’ll care… but Moz was on Jimmy Kimmel the other night.  Some friends (including Booty Lou) were there to see the taping live, including some songs that didn’t air on the show.  Among those was a version of “This Charming Man!”  This would be, I believe, the first time his solo band has ever attempted it.  I wondered if they would ever take that one on… not because I don’t think they could do it but because it’s one of those few Smiths songs that seems so quintessentially Johnny that it would almost be in poor taste for them to cover it.  Does that sound ridiculous?  I mean shit, Moz wrote the words to that song, he ought to be able to play it whenever he wants.  And the irony that I myself play that song live all the time does not escape me.  I don’t know… I’m trying to imagine Johnny playing that tune in particular with anyone other than the Smiths and it just seems like… well, he wouldn’t right?  Oh well, don’t listen to me.  I’m sure it was great, though I hear they put a very different kind of punk rock spin on it.  Hopefully we’ll get to hear it soon.  If you did watch Kimmel the other night, you would have heard Moz give a quick shout out to The Cramps’ Lux Interior, who sadly passed away this week.

Speaking of me playing This Charming Man, don’t forget it’s just a few short weeks until our 25th anniversary weekend when we’ll be playing the whole first Smiths album live in Sacramental and FresYES.  And with a certain other tribute band having followed our lead in Fresno and tried their hand there, it seems like the locals smell a rivalry.  I’ve seen mentions now here, here, and here.  Ridiculous!

I’m about to get tickets to this… anyone else planning on going to see Blue Öyster Cult at Slim’s next month?  They hold a special place in my heart, and they were actually the first band I ever saw at Slim’s.  I’ll happily go alone, but I’d be interested to know who else this interests.

“All I’m selling is these sacks o’ sand.  And this magic lamp.  Up in this mutha…”

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  contemplative

I didn’t even think to check it until today, but you all remember that depressing site “Sorry Everybody” where people would post pics of themselves apologizing to the world on behalf of the U.S. for electing Bush?  Twice?  Well now that “change” has come, I think you’ll find the mood of that site a little changed too…

It’s been a quiet week.  I did a little shopping (finally got a cap I’m reasonably happy with… two actually).  Did I mention before that I finally went to this “Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe?”  This was Jamie’s idea, a famous place in the East Bay.  The food was good, and the décor was kitschy.  I can see why it’s a big hipster hangout.  Other than that, yeah it’s been quiet.  I tried to dig into my ~3,000 line “to do” list, and I got into some chunks of it that I jotted down while on the road back in like 2003.  It’s funny to see what notes I was making to myself back then.  And also depressing.  All those great ideas and plans that I’ve done nothing with in all this time.  Again, I’m forced to face the likely reality that I will never get through that list.

A combination of factors and experiences this weekend led me into another existential… breakthrough I guess?  More heavy stuff having to do with mortality.  More on that to come once I get my head around it, but I’m on to a new book in the same vein as Staring At The Sun, which I had gotten so much out of a couple months back.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

And in other makes-you-feel-old news, did you hear there’s a completely unnecessary remake of The Karate Kid in the works?

When I got home tonight, the guitar parts I ordered from the U.K. last week were already here!  This was some hard-to-find shit (hence having to get it from the U.K.), and it’ll all be installed on my Rickenbacker in time for next month’s TCB shows.  I want that Ric in tip-top shape for when I take on the Smiths’ debut album at the Blue Lamp and Club Fred.  Speaking of which, I ran across these kind words about TCB’s last Fresno show, and our fans in general.  I also heard from a few other people who saw a certain rival tribute band at Club Fred over the weekend.  Let’s just say that after both bands playing there a few times each, the jury’s in, and all the evidence points to Fresno being a TCB kinda town.  Which is good, because it also happens to be one of my favorite places to play.  It seems like everybody in the place always has such a good time, and I know I do.  Looking forward to another sold out show there in February!

“Never explain — your friends do not need it, and your enemies will not believe you anyway.”

— Elbert Hubbard

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  busy

Is this global warming again or what?  We had record cold temperatures over the last few weeks, and then today we had record highs, shattering many of the previous records by noon.  Looks like we’re in for a January heat wave, and a dry month in general.  I guess I shouldn’t complain though.  On my way home tonight, there was an almost warm breeze in the air, a taste of our long-forgotten summer.  Memories of many past summers came rushing back to me as soon as I felt it.  Warm air at night always makes me think of life’s possibilities.  It reminds me of summers with no school, playing under streetlights, staying out late with friends, freedom.

This weekend saw the biggest full moon of the year.  I didn’t make as much use out of it as I should have, but I did see a bit of it.  Pretty amazing.  Celestial events like that, the threat of global warming, and my own recent thoughts about mortality have given me a lot to think about.  The transiency and impermanence of everything.  Literally, everything.  The sun is dying.  The moon is moving further away from us every day.  The earth itself is slowing down a little every second.  No one gets out alive.  It doesn’t matter if you are the most important and famous person to ever walk the earth.  Eventually, you’ll be gone.  Everyone who ever knew you will be gone.  Our civilization will be gone.  Mankind will be gone.  And all life will someday be gone.  Plain and simple, it’s gonna happen.  It’s a tough pill to swallow to think that nothing you do, no monument you erect will be there forever.  It’s impossible.  But it’s forcing me to realize that beauty in the world can’t be dependent on its permanence.  All things will eventually be dust.  All things will change.  So it’s important to enjoy things/people/beauty while they are available to you, despite… or even because they are only here for a moment.  (Whoa, please excuse that tirade — it just came out.)

On to less philosophical topics, I was getting my car worked on last week in Colma.  I don’t spend any time there, generally, but I always got the vibe that there were a lot of cemeteries there.  Like way more than you’d expect.  In fact, it seemed like the town’s whole main drag is graveyards and tombstone dealers.  Seriously.  Somebody at the car lot was filling me in on some of the local legends.  Things like Wyatt Earp is buried there, and some woman was buried in her piano.  I decided I needed to read up on this place, and holy shit, it’s no joke.  This culture of death is no accident, because it turns out Colma’s buried population out numbers the living by thousands to one.  It is quite literally a necropolis, and we live right next to it.  This terrifies me.

Friday night was the return of Louder Than Bombs, this time at the House Of Shields… once affectionately known to Nick as the House Of Pancakes.  It’s a nice pub, and there’s a bit more room there than there was in the Beauty Bar days.  It was good to see all the familiar faces, many of whom I hadn’t seen since the last LTB lo those many months ago.  I got a little dancing in, saw my doppelganger, people-watched, and ended up at Sparky’s with Shel, where we also ran into Beauty And The Beat again!  It was a way late night, and it threw my whole weekend sleep pattern out of whack.  In fact, I was so beat after Friday that I stayed indoors all weekend save a short stint in the Haight, and seeing The Wrestler with Jamie (which was great, by the way).

If I wasn’t already getting enough Smiths this last weekend, I’m also boning up on that first Smiths album in preparation for the anniversary shows we’re playing next month.  It’s always fun to unravel a new Smiths tune.  And it doesn’t hurt to get to play them for people who love this stuff as much as we do.  I was thinking about my favorite TCB moments, and there have been many.  But to me, this video says everything about what TCB’s about.  St. (Steven) Patrick’s Day at The Blank.  Our bassist at the time hadn’t learned this song yet.  Eh, we played it anyway.

Which reminds me… The Smiths (or rather the record company that owns the rights) are finally synching up with MySpace, so some of their fine tunes, and eventually many more I assume, are available here.  Good news if you’re looking to gussy up your profile with some new music.  I’m just sayin’…

Well kids, Obama’s set to be inaugurated in just about a week now.  Here’s hoping this is the new beginning we’ve been waiting for!

“I either want less corruption or more chance to participate in it.”

— Ashleigh Brilliant

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  sick

OK, we both know that’s not true.  But I am sick, and even as I type this, I am recovering from a nasty cold.  It kept me home sick yesterday, but I’m on the mend.  Lots of rest, fluids, et cetera.  Do they even make vegetarian chicken soup?

It’s been an awfully busy few weeks.  The holiday season was as hectic as I expected.  Despite all the running around and stress, there were plenty of good things.  Jared was in town, and I got to see him a handful of times.  It’s unfortunate our visits our just about once a year, but it’s nice that we can pick up again right where we left off.  Part of our visit took place at Nicole’s wedding which went off without a hitch.  The ceremony was at this amazing old chapel in Vallejo, and the reception was in San Ramon where Jeff (The Horseman) got hitched several years ago.  And actually, Jared was the surprise guest at Maya’s going-away party.  It was great to catch up with her a bit before she left the state, as well as see a few of her old friends I hadn’t seen in years.  So, yeah, it was a flashback couple of weeks for me.

As for the holidays themselves, they were tame.  I think I mentioned before that I spent NYE home relaxing.  Christmas Eve was a little more exciting (I watched Hedwig and ate Tofurky with Starla and her housemates), and Christmas day I made it out to Santa Cruz to visit my Grama and my aunt.  All of these holidays were so opposite of how things usually are, but it seemed right for this year.  Trying new things after all, right?

I’m sure you heard that sadly (and somewhat ironically), Eartha Kitt passed away on Christmas day.

There are some great shows coming up in the next few months, including The Reverend Horton Heat, The Eagles Of Death Metal, and Blue Öyster Cult!  Did I mention before that I caught the Dead Souls show at the Blank last month?  They were good before, but now with the addition of Orlando on guitar, the final piece is in place I guess.  That show was fucking amazing, and they brought in a huge crowd, helped by Reptile House (a new Sisters Of Mercy tribute).  Maybe it was just my mood, but I had an awesome time.

Speaking of awesome shows though, TCB sold out Café Du Nord for the third straight time!  It was a packed house, complete with good friends, Choir Boys, and even Moz Krew.  It was a long night, and a lot of it is just a blur of stage invasions and flowers flying.  But I had a good time once things got going, and I think the crowd did too.  My apologies to those of you who were turned away at the door.  Not that I could have done much to stop it, but I didn’t even hear about it until after the show.  Sorry guys!  🙁

I must say, Threadless gets my vote for best Cure-related shirt, maybe ever:

Friday, I’m In Love!  Get it?  That place is awesome.  I hesitated and missed out on this awesome bear shirt, but there’s still time for this one… “Girl Afraid?” Note from 2023, where the latter is a dead link: these were “Call Of The Wild” by Laser Bread and “Stupid Cupid” by Budi Satria Kwan.

The quote of the week was culled from some horoscope or other.  I’m not normally one to pass around generic, feel-good, positive statements, but this one struck me this week, particularly in light of New Year’s resolutions and reflections.  So please forgive my temporary foray into this equivalent of those “hang in there” kitty posters:

“Making an attempt at something new, even if you fail at it miserably, is very important.  Trying is what teaches you the most — far more than success would teach, actually.  So don’t get caught up in looking good.  The sooner you get comfortable making a fool of yourself, the more you will learn throughout your life.  So if your daily routine is all about winning recognition, then you need to make some adjustments.  You won’t grow if you never let yourself take a risk.”