My Hands And Neck Hurt And My Stuff Is Broken

Both bands played last night. BB at the OW first, then GS at the bar up the street.

BB needed a bass, and I have one. But I had to crawl over the storage pile (see previous post) to get it. That took about 20 minutes and I broke stuff in the process. Then, the bass didn't work. "Oh great," I thought. "Another debacle of a show for BB". BB often seems to have problems in a live setting. Either you can't hear something, or something breaks, or the room feels wrong, or something of that nature. Not this time. We had no serious screw ups and everything was clearly audible. It would have been a good first impression for anyone who'd never seen us play. When it's going well up there I like to do funny little dances, and I did some.

The GS show, I'm not so sure about. There was a good turnout and the bands before us played great. I felt like I didn't put the energy into it that I usually do. That's more of a physical than mental thing though, as I'd been up since 7am, have slept poorly all week, and eaten worse. I bought drumsticks that were too heavy, which didn't help. The audience seemed lethargic too, and I feel kind of responsible.

We've had sloppier sets, but were definitely flying by the seat of our rock and roll pants last night. The floor tom and my guitar both got broken. That's, like, all of our gear! BB has a show tonight, and I don't know what I'm going to do.

When we do a show that out of control, what typically happens is we get good feedback from our friends in the audience. Nothing wrong with that. I wonder what the other people must be thinking though.

"Yeah they thrash around and wreck shit, but can they even play?" I wish I could have had some third-party opinions outside of our best friends. I wish WE (initials) had been there, because he thinks critically about music and never bullshits anybody. He'd tell us if we stunk.

I'd be the first to tell you that the "GS whirlwind" is a big part of what we do. Standing still on stage is not in our mandate, and will never happen. My biggest worry is the band being perceived as a one trick pony of destruction. I think we're pretty good at writing songs in this style of music. I don't want the songs to be completely pushed off the map by The Whirlwind. A carnival with no soul and creativity behind it is not artistically interesting. Any band can go wild on stage. I don't think for a second that GS is in this category, but I want that fact to be clear to other people as well.

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Next up, DMC and I went to check out a local band having a reunion show after 9 years of inactivity. The band actually formed in the late 80s, and that's when I got into them. I was in high school, and this band really impressed me a lot. I went to see them play whenever I could. Over time, their membership (except for the singer) and sound had a complete turnover. I wasn't into them quite so much at the end. That's why I was just a little disappointed with last night's set. Don't get me wrong; they played really well and put on a great show, but they seemed to focus almost exclusively on later material. I was surprised at how few of their songs I recognized. Their current drummer was in another high school-era band I liked a lot. This guy can wail on the drums. I've never seen anyone in this city more skilled at playing the "thrash beat". Huge influence on Old Band. Based on his post-1990 projects, I was pleasantly surprised that this skill had not atrophied with time.

When I got home, I exercised the "option" cited below and woke up around 1pm. Hi.

There's Bound To Be A Good Blog Entry In This, Somewhere

What a busy day. Now it's winding down, and I think when I'm a little more focused I'll have something I can talk about. For now suffice it to say that I'm tired as fuck, and all of GS's gear is broken.

How It's Shaping Up

Monday Night: Nap, GS jam
Result: Set practised, minus one song. Real sleep not happening due to nap.

Tuesday: Work, postering, GS jam, movie/hockey game watching at Ube's
Result: Coffee and "on feet all day" shift kept things lively. Postering of downtown/NE successful. Partial set refresher, new cover learned at practice. Warhol's Trash was as good as I remembered. Oilers won. (footnote: Ube is a special guy. Anyone who'd watch a Warhol flick followed by a hockey game, and enjoy both, is worthy of my commendations). A late night.

Wednesday: Work, minimal postering, nap, BB jam, more postering, internet catch-up
Result: Was pretty much done by the end of my shift. Couldn't even walk home (bus taken). Fell asleep immediately. Successful jam; more fun when not struggling with songs that refuse to write themselves. BB songwriting would not be a one-hour class. It would be a summer-long immersion program. Postering of Cent H successful. Real sleep not happening due to nap --> internet catch-up.

Thursday: Work, postering, BB jam, meaningful sleep
Result (in progress): Coffee, music made work possible today. Postering is now over. Thank god I don't have enough time to nap. BB jam will likely be of a set-refreshing nature.

Outlook For Friday: Work, move gear, BB show, move gear, GS show, optional drink, sleep

Outlook For Saturday: Sleep, 30% chance of free time in afternoon, BB out of town show, radio, optional drink, sleep

Long Range Forecast For Sunday: Sleep, Mexican lunch with Em & Slappa. Heavy laundry warning in effect for early evening.

The preceding blog was inspired by science journals, Environment Canada and the novel "These Days I Seem To Think A Lot". It was brought to you by the letter 'Y'.

A Few Thoughts, In Point Form

- summer is a pivotal time for GS. After last summer we had a bit of a rebirth; we gained some confidence changed direction a little bit. I think that's going to happen again. We seem to go in phases. I like it.

- no tv for a month, not missing it

- probably going to take that new apartment

- Chuck C calls a mean basketball game on the radio.

- living next to donair joint = bad news bears

- owning a growler = badder

- owning two growlers = baddest. In my defence, one is at a friend's house, and I didn't buy it.

- got to poster. Couldn't get copies made today due to holiday. The pressure's on.

Decisions

I'm enjoying the current living situation, but ultimately I'd like to have my own place. Having spent Jan-April badly underusing a 2-bdr apartment, I've arrived at the conclusion that a bachelor is the way to go. A friend recommended a particular one. Location/cost/practicalty-wise, it seemed like a can't miss. I went and had a look today. Beautiful apartment, but very tiny. I'm tempted to take it anyway, just because I hate apartment hunting and the sooner (read: further from September 1st) I can settle on something, the better.

If I take this place, several things will have to happen. I may need a smaller couch. I may need a smaller bed (smaller than dbl?? geez I friggin' hope not). The futon may have to go. There will have to be shelving to the ceiling, everywhere. Records next to blenders. Old MRRs sticking out of coffee pots.

This is the price of laziness. Actually, it's less about laziness than my dislike of negotiating with strangers who have something I want. What to do, what to do...

I'm Enjoying The Thunder

All that's needed now is a nice-smelling fire in the fireplace and some enthusiastic cuddling.

Depths Of Despair

Well, maybe not that bad. Being home sick on a weekday sucks. Yesterday, I occupied my time by listening to no less than four basketball games on the internet (two were archival), mainly while reading a popular online encyclopedia. The topics included, but were not limited to:

- Italy
- Melungeons
- New Caledonia
- Mikhail Gorbachev

and my personal favorite:

- Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Those aren't just random letters.

Sigh. I don't have a TV, but that wouldn't be an option on a weekday. Going out isn't an option either. Getting out of bed was bad enough. I do have that 5 hour GBV video. Hmm.

Being at work would be a vast improvement over this.

I Am Now Sick

It's been too long, and I was due. It's just a cold though... not the thing some of my friends had which I believe to have been the Norwalk Virus . But it's enough to render my day just a little bit shittier.

E.(Male) Do Not Read This (I Only Know One Male E.)

I've never smoked. I may have allowed cigarette smoke as far as my mouth once back in grade 8, but it was gross and I saw do upsides to it. So I blew that crap right outta there. Thank god. What a pain in the ass that habit would be.

When friends are trying to quit smoking, I want to be as supportive as I can, but ultimately I can't relate to what they're going through. I know the frustrations of trying to stop compulsive but highly enjoyable destructive behaviour. Nothing on that level though. I support people in their struggle as best I can. Be nicer than usual. Much positive feedback for the smallest of steps. Keep the conversation away from obvious things. Be smart about where you socialize, and around whom.

I've often heard "no, I don't smoke. Well... only when I drink". I used to think that was a silly excuse, but the reality is alcohol does not help the quitting of anything. It brings with it this "fuck it" sort of attitude. I'm really bad for junk food when I drink. Donairs often seem to make appearances, things like that.

Since I can't know what quitting smoking is like, I can't know if it's realistic to try and quit smoking without quitting drinking. I don't think it would be for me.

A List

Ame gave me the idea. I will now cower in fear as people search-engining good bands inadvertently discover my blog. Sigh. I'll probably delete this soon. Maybe some things here will surprise some people. Other things had to be left off. Judgement calls, subject to changes in mood...

20) dag nasty - can i say
19) can - landed
18) hawkwind - space ritual
17) eric's trip - peter
16) rites of spring - rites of spring
15) venom - welcome to hell
14) talulah gosh - backwash
13) voivod - killing technology
12) elevator - taste of complete perspective
11) samiam - samiam
10) cocteau twins - heaven or las vegas
9) slayer - reign in blood
8) dressy bessy - pink hearts yellow moons
7) husker du - zen arcade
6) guided by voices - under the bushes under the stars
5) velvet underground - white light white heat
4) black flag - damaged
3) jesus & mary chain - psychocandy
2) ramones - ramones
1) my bloody valentine - loveless

Opening A Can Of Whoop-Ass

Not really... just a can of black beans. But I opened it with flare, I tells ya. You see, there are no can openers in the house and I really wanted to make burritos. I looked at the hammer... I looked at the can of black beans...

I went downstairs to the North Street sidewalk.



Mmm, burritos!

Old Band

Old Band recently got a page on a popular social-networking website. I'm fine with this. People seem to like the band, even though we've been broken up for 8 years. You'd think they would have forgotten about it by now. Half the people who bring up the band never saw us play. Weird. I mean, I think we were pretty good but I get surprised by stuff like this.

Then there are people who say we should do a reunion show. I don't really understand that either. I don't get enjoyment out of those songs anymore. They were very important to me in the mid 90s, but that was a long time ago. I personally have no nostalgic feelings for any broken-up band I've seen (or played with) in the past. They're gone, I'm over it. I get excited about new bands, because they have the advantage of existing right now.

Old Band actually did do a reunion show in late 2001. As it was, we played with a lineup we'd never used before. R wasn't into playing again, so we brought back L, our "fill-in" bass player, and I. (the initial, not me) switched to guitar. I (me) played drums and C sang, as usual. This reunion was Poison's doing. She was probably our strongest supporter, and happened to be moving away. I agreed to it on the condition that we learn and play at least two new songs, which we did. Based on what I read and hear today, people only got excited for the old songs. Fuck that. Without making something new I would have felt like a juke box... a whore. Or some washed-up ol' rocker trying to recapture the glory days. I HATE THAT SHIT.

The bold type indicates that I'm all riled up. Why the attachment to the past? You can't keep things the same forever. I get bored with stuff really easily. Making consistently good music without ever changing is nearly impossible. I guess people like the comfort of dependable things. They want to feel like something (eg. the steady sound of a band they like) will always be there for them. But wait a sec... aren't we talking about punk rock? That's not supposed to be comforting, is it? It's supposed to make you uncomfortable! To make you move and ask "what the fuck??". To me, it's not supposed to be a security blanket. It's supposed to be a swarm of bees hiding under the blanket, stinging to remind you to keep moving. That you won't get anything done hiding under a damn blanket.

But who am I to say. Punk means something different to everybody, and my interpretation is no more valid than anyone's. But the bee analogy is pretty much how I feel about punk rock's place in the cosmos.

I read this over and it seemed ironic... back in the day, when I heard certain "scene" people express this sentiment I used to get really mad.

"More emphasis on progression? Punk is punk, it's supposed to be absolute! Progression is why modern-sounding punk bands suck!"

No. A lack of creativity and willingness to take risks is why most modern-sounding punk bands suck. Playing punk rock, period, was dangerous and risky in 1976. That's all you had to do (what an awesome time that must have been, seriously). The key to making it feel that way in 2006 is not trying to copy the 70s sound, since punk bands at the movement's onset were not copying anything themselves. I don't even know what the "key" is, but I feel it's important to keep it sounding new, fucked up, simple, unpretentious and not easily commodified. What the music actually sounds like almost doesn't matter.

Ok, this rant's done. I threatened to define punk, and now I've done it. Fuck off.

Beauty And Coolness

It's a beautiful thing to watch cool old people get even older, and remain cool. It's also beautiful when people who weren't initially cool become so as they age. I'd hate to think my later years are going to be an abyss of lameness. At least there's a fighting chance.

It Fit The Mood

Husker Du - "Standing In The Rain" - lyrics by Bob Mould

Looking outside my window
And all I see is grey
I'm watching the clouds roll by every day

And we make a reservation
You say you'll be on time
I say, "I might be a little late"

Well, I pull it together and brush my teeth
Comb my hair
I stop to think and I can see you there
I think of the times you've waited
Just for me to care
I care about you

Checking the clock inside
The room we call our own
I see that I'm late, I should get going

Hop on a local transit
Spending all my change
And I can still hear the telephone

I wanna go back, but I'm halfway to
The place where we will meet
And I'm half dead on my feet
And once I get there, I see
Everything's the same
Here comes the rain
You left me standing

I should have guessed that you'd stand me up
Why did I even go, now
And I guess it goes to show
The snow may well thaw out, but it
Goes right down the drain
You left me
You left me
You left me
You left me
You left me standing in the rain

***

Bob has a blogspot I think. If he asks me to take these down, I'll oblige.

Would I Make A Good Jew?

Possibly; I have a distaste for tattoos and do not recognize the divinity of Christ. I also do not eat shellfish.

On the other hand... I have eaten pork in the past month. And that's not all...

Learned Nothing From The Night Before... Or The Weeks Before That

I made a complete fool of myself in front of at least 10 people tonight. This, after getting drunk while listening to DYS. I could have stayed out longer, but I thought I'd cut my losses, go home and write drivel in a blog.

You know, I thought I was really on my best behaviour tonight, but the temptation to let myself run wild is just too great sometimes. This isn't the image I want to portray. I like dignity better.

Don't Eat Stuff Off The Sidewalk

So I'm at the O-Dub tonight watching SN. I'm standing near the counter; I turn my head suddenly, and I find a plant of some sort sticking in my face. I could have stepped back, or simply moved the plant out of the way. Instead, I decided to bite off and eat the piece of plant that was touching my face.

This plant may or may not have been poisonous. If it was, I may have only minutes to live. Therefore, I shall post my last will and testament at this time.

RM always said "If you die, can I have your tapes?". The answer is yes. On to the matter of my LPs and CDs. All material recorded pre-2000 CE goes to ID. All post-2000-recorded material goes to TR. My drums, guitars, drum machine and other instruments all go to MM. All other possessions go to DH. He may burn them if he wishes.

Oh yeah... SN were fucking awesome.

Fences

Ever walk by a fence and notice that if you walk really fast you can see what's behind it? This is because of the small amount of space between the fence posts. It's just simple physics.

Punk

Why is it that certain old punk bands sound so good, yet newer bands who sound exactly like them sound so bad?

That's your homework for tonight.

Flügelnacht

When I was about 23 or 24 I gradually drifted toward vegetarianism. I didn't eat a lot of meat anyway, and I was also being exposed to a lot of pro-vegetarian arguments at the time, most of which I agreed with. It seemed the sensible thing to do.

Most vegetarians I've met take the diet pretty seriously, and have been doing it long-term. I know a few ex-vegetarians too, myself being one. Why do some stay and some go? I think the ones who stay are the ones with a real gut-level repulsion for eating animals. It's so digusting, it's unthinkable.

I never shared this deep, emotional sentiment. My thought on the matter was as follows:

- there are many downsides to eating meat, for humans, animals (duh) and the environment

- the only reason to eat it is enjoyment

- I enjoy mainly vegetables anyway

That's it. No cringing at the thought of cages, hormones, suffering, cruelty, etc. Not so much a decision of the heart, but one of the mind. Thus, it only lasted about 8 or 9 years.

For me, intellect without guts is not enough to carry the mail on this issue. I still believe meat is generally unhealthy and bad in the grand scheme, but my tastes have changed over time and certain things that didn't tempt me before now do. The result is a lot of binge behaviour. I'll go a week without eating meat at all... then I'll get a donair after my radio show, and eat steak and eggs for breakfast. Maybe something else later. Then, on Monday I'm like, "Jeez, I can't believe I did that... I don't wanna live this way"... so I'm good for the rest of the week. Then the weekend arrives and it's like, "total decadence right the fuck now". Or something.

I don't see this pattern reverting to 1997 anytime soon. That said, sometimes something happens that gives you a different perspective. Take last night...

So a friend of mine has been trying to get me to go out to "wing night" with him and the guys. He's aware of my former vegetarianism and my current up-and-down state of meat consumption. "You could just drink", he says. Of course, that's not how it's going to be if I'm going to do that. Total decadence rtfn.

We're at the bar; the deal is, if there are at least two people you can order a pitcher of draught and you get a basket of ten wings with your choice of dipping sauce, all for 7,50$. When you're done the pitcher you may order another special.

Now, a little background: I've been friends with this guy for about 20 years. When we were skinny teenagers we used to like going to buffet restaurants and really pushing the limits. By eating an inhuman amount of food I felt like I was saying "fuck you" to the restaurant. In reality, I was just saying "fuck you" to my colon. But anyway.

Hanging out with this guy sort of brought me back to that athlete's mentality about eating... and by extention, drinking beer. People at the table shared stories of huge amounts of beer consumed over very small intervals.

"One time three of us polished off three pitchers in fifteen minutes".

I was clearly in a place where legends were born. I had to make a strong showing... out of respect for the game, if nothing else.

These lads are pros. Artists, even. I learned their systems for getting the pitcher emptied as fast as possible. The wings took care of themselves. And they kept coming. With beer. We (three of us) drank five pitchers and ate 50 wings in about an hour-ish. Very early on it had begun to feel like a game. I don't know who won. Not the 25 nameless chickens I guess.

If there were 25 live chickens in my room right now, that would seem like a lot to me. But we're only talking about one hour's worth of eating, on one night, for three people. How many wings must the bar have served that night? It wasn't even that busy. There are wing nights all over the city, and there are only about 360 000 people here. Now think of the entire western world. Try that math. Holy fuck.

How many chickens are there? Where does the rest of the chicken go? That's a lot of chickens making the ultimate sacrifice. Having it made for them. Shit.

This boggles my mind, but I admit it probably won't change my habits. Intellect Without Guts.

Dude

nickelback = dude rock

pantera = dude metal

hatebreed = dudecore

the smiths = poorly suited for "dude" descriptor