today (well technically yesterday) i was over watching my bandmates record shit and whatever (it was actually really fun, but that's not what this is about) and i went upstairs when we were done and my sister is there and she goes "oh, lou reed died, rolling stone just posted it." i stood there like an idiot with my mouth open, not moving, and when i could finally form words i said "WHAT THE FUCK you have to warn me before you tell me shit like that."
you guys. lou reed. he died. i'm so sad.
his solo stuff, for me, ranges from pretty great to meh. but the velvet underground? now that's a horse of a different color. there are velvet underground songs that still, even after listening to them a million plus times, give me goddamn goosebumps. i'm looking at you, "pale blue eyes" and "sunday morning." and "heroin." (ALRIGHT a majority of the songs have that effect on me.) i've never done heroin and have no plans to ever start that shit, but i feel like listening to that song is kind of like doing the drug itself. so my australian that i had a giant crush on before he ever even talked to me and then he did but only right before he moved back to australia, and then he died before i ever saw him again? that guy? so we were hanging out the day he left and he had bought this live velvet cd when he was at my record store the night before and put it on so he could play a song for me. what song was it? it was "heroin." and he blasted it so fucking loud. and to this day i can't hear it without crying. or at least trying not to cry. but usually i'm listening to it at home by myself laying on the floor and crying. lame, i know, but whatever, you probably do shit like that too.
lou has a very soothing voice. it's like an old friend that you just want to listen to them talk about whatever, you don't even care, you just want to hear them talking. that's his voice for me.
if it wasn't for lou reed nothing that i love would even exist. try to imagine what music would be like if it wasn't for those guys doing their thing in new york in the late 60s. JUST TRY. you don't even know. fucking crazy.
there really isn't much else for me to say about this. i'm sad. that is all. here is what rat scabies posted on facebook about it and is pretty much the best thing i read about him all day:
I'm sad about the loss of Lou Reed, I never met him but always admired his independent take it or leave it attitude.
Without him, there would not of been a guiding light for us snotty kids to follow.
He was the proof that it wasn't about being anything other than yourself and you didn't need to play guitar like a member of a prog rock band to get your message and emotions across.
Take it or leave it... RIP
bye lou. we miss you already.
28 October 2013
17 October 2013
breakups suck even when it wasn't a real relationship. yes this still has to do with music.
i wasn't dumped, technically, because we were never officially boyfriend/girlfriend, but a few days ago i got the "i can't be in a relationship right now" talk from the guy i'd been dating. it was mostly just his own issues and really nothing to do with me but it never feels good to be on the receiving end of that shit.
here are the reasons i shouldn't be upset:
1. he didn't know who marc bolan/t.rex was before he met me. he still doesn't really get it.
2. he can't name all the original members of kiss, let alone anyone else who was ever in the band. and forget about identifying who is who by the makeup.
3. he doesn't like the beatles.
4. we were at a bar one of the first times we hung out and he didn't know it was motley crue on the jukebox.
5. he also didn't know it was judas priest on the jukebox.
6. i could probably sum this up much easier by saying this: he usually has no idea who i'm talking about; certain names he came to recognize, like hugh cornwell, but i've had to explain who clem burke is more than once. and like when i saw david johansen, i had to say "david johansen...the singer of the new york dolls...they were a band from new york in the 70s...like a trashy glam rock and roll band...they influenced like, literally, everybody...johnny thunders? sylvain sylvain? no? ok." have you ever tried explaining the difference between bon scott ac/dc and brian johnson ac/dc to someone who doesn't know who either of those men are? how can i talk about the time i was in steve garvey's basement if you don't know why he's important? you know what i mean, right?
7. i suggested he start collecting vinyl with a nice used copy of london calling that got traded in where i work. and he said that london calling and neon bible by arcade fire would be the only records worth owning. nothing else matters. that actually physically hurt me when i read that (this was all via text or email or something while i was at work). i guess if you don't collect vinyl you don't understand, but can you imagine saying that to another person who is very proud of her vinyl collection and works at a fucking record store?
side note: yes. he loved the clash. he has tattoos on his arms symbolizing the song "death or glory." his favorite. also my favorite. so that sucks.
there were a lot of awesome things about him. like the day i went to my pain in the ass ex-boyfriend's mom's funeral and was in a daze the rest of the day. he noticed something was wrong and checked on me later which was a good thing because i left work and was just driving around aimlessly, crying, like a fucking crazy person. he didn't have a lot of money to waste on gas, but he drove out to find me and sat with me in his car and let me cry and hugged me and told me it would be ok. he also likes my cats. and my cats like him. that is a big deal. and while he almost never knew what i was talking about, he was ALWAYS willing to listen and learn from me. also, he knows a lot of weird facts about random shit and brings that stuff up in conversation which makes talking to him a lot of fun. i should have written this part first because now i'm all bummed out again. let me go back over my list...
i guess what i'm really trying to say is that i came home and listened to hurt me by johnny thunders and drank some wine my sister shared with me because she knew i was sad and now i feel a little better.
by the time the next show i'm going to comes around i'll be my usual fun unstoppable self, so look out.
ps - it'll probably end up being the dickies at the brighton bar next month.
here are the reasons i shouldn't be upset:
1. he didn't know who marc bolan/t.rex was before he met me. he still doesn't really get it.
2. he can't name all the original members of kiss, let alone anyone else who was ever in the band. and forget about identifying who is who by the makeup.
3. he doesn't like the beatles.
4. we were at a bar one of the first times we hung out and he didn't know it was motley crue on the jukebox.
5. he also didn't know it was judas priest on the jukebox.
6. i could probably sum this up much easier by saying this: he usually has no idea who i'm talking about; certain names he came to recognize, like hugh cornwell, but i've had to explain who clem burke is more than once. and like when i saw david johansen, i had to say "david johansen...the singer of the new york dolls...they were a band from new york in the 70s...like a trashy glam rock and roll band...they influenced like, literally, everybody...johnny thunders? sylvain sylvain? no? ok." have you ever tried explaining the difference between bon scott ac/dc and brian johnson ac/dc to someone who doesn't know who either of those men are? how can i talk about the time i was in steve garvey's basement if you don't know why he's important? you know what i mean, right?
7. i suggested he start collecting vinyl with a nice used copy of london calling that got traded in where i work. and he said that london calling and neon bible by arcade fire would be the only records worth owning. nothing else matters. that actually physically hurt me when i read that (this was all via text or email or something while i was at work). i guess if you don't collect vinyl you don't understand, but can you imagine saying that to another person who is very proud of her vinyl collection and works at a fucking record store?
side note: yes. he loved the clash. he has tattoos on his arms symbolizing the song "death or glory." his favorite. also my favorite. so that sucks.
there were a lot of awesome things about him. like the day i went to my pain in the ass ex-boyfriend's mom's funeral and was in a daze the rest of the day. he noticed something was wrong and checked on me later which was a good thing because i left work and was just driving around aimlessly, crying, like a fucking crazy person. he didn't have a lot of money to waste on gas, but he drove out to find me and sat with me in his car and let me cry and hugged me and told me it would be ok. he also likes my cats. and my cats like him. that is a big deal. and while he almost never knew what i was talking about, he was ALWAYS willing to listen and learn from me. also, he knows a lot of weird facts about random shit and brings that stuff up in conversation which makes talking to him a lot of fun. i should have written this part first because now i'm all bummed out again. let me go back over my list...
i guess what i'm really trying to say is that i came home and listened to hurt me by johnny thunders and drank some wine my sister shared with me because she knew i was sad and now i feel a little better.
by the time the next show i'm going to comes around i'll be my usual fun unstoppable self, so look out.
ps - it'll probably end up being the dickies at the brighton bar next month.
10 October 2013
the vibrators again, again. but this is the last time, honest.
i wrote a whole lot about this night but i'm cutting some of it out because i don't feel like the internet needs to know everything. you know? so this is the edited post, but everything i wrote is what i wrote the night it happened.
------------------------------------------
phew.
what else can i say?
it's almost 5am but i'm not really tired just yet. so i'll write about my night.
i drove my friend and i to baltimore to see the vibrators at the sidebar. mike was cool enough to put us on the guest list so all the driving kind of made up for itself. we got there and him and eddie were at the merch table, so mike came over and said hi, and then he stood and talked with us. he's still like, the nicest person ever. and super laid back.
so darrell disappeared. mike said he was outside in someone's car listening to music but when they went to look for him the car was gone. and the last band before they went on was finishing up. uh oh. mike said he's never done this before but didn't seem too worried. it's ok, i was stressed out for him. him and eddie set their shit up, then mike set up darrell's stuff, and right around 11:30, sure enough, he stumbled in the door and they all went on stage and started playing. pretty great timing, if not a tad irresponsible.
once darrell was on stage, he recognized us and smiled. and at one point he gave us a little shout out. just said something like "two people drove for a very long way to be here." it was nice to be recognized.
so, the set was exactly the same as the past two shows, but DUDE. they sound SO GOOD. darrell is like...the best addition to the band they could have made. my friend and i just looked at each other a bunch of times and were like "holy shit." it's like...completely effortless for him to play as well as he does. and he looks half asleep as he's doing it. just completely unreal. eddie is still rad as shit too, but i've already talked about that. he's just jamming away, putting everything he has into each song they do and i fucking love it. and mike is really solid too, it's a shame he's only temporary. but he's having fun with it, so that's cool.
after the show, darrell came over to talk to us. he said he was glad to see some familiar faces. i went outside with him while he bummed a cigarette off someone, but i came back inside before he did. when he came back in, he stood with us again and we talked some more. oh, and he wanted to take pictures. one of me and my friend, who then took a few of me and darrell. and then she took a whole bunch of us with her camera, and he was being such a goof, like making faces and pretending to be deep in conversation about some serious shit, as she was taking the pictures; he put my hood up for one...just really silly and so so cute. we finally had to leave, so when he said goodbye he gave me this magnificent hug and sort of shimmied up on me and then ruffled my hair. then we said bye to mike and thanked him again for being so awesome to us, and i told eddie to bring back these pants (he's on the bottom right):
------------------------------------------
phew.
what else can i say?
it's almost 5am but i'm not really tired just yet. so i'll write about my night.
i drove my friend and i to baltimore to see the vibrators at the sidebar. mike was cool enough to put us on the guest list so all the driving kind of made up for itself. we got there and him and eddie were at the merch table, so mike came over and said hi, and then he stood and talked with us. he's still like, the nicest person ever. and super laid back.
so darrell disappeared. mike said he was outside in someone's car listening to music but when they went to look for him the car was gone. and the last band before they went on was finishing up. uh oh. mike said he's never done this before but didn't seem too worried. it's ok, i was stressed out for him. him and eddie set their shit up, then mike set up darrell's stuff, and right around 11:30, sure enough, he stumbled in the door and they all went on stage and started playing. pretty great timing, if not a tad irresponsible.
once darrell was on stage, he recognized us and smiled. and at one point he gave us a little shout out. just said something like "two people drove for a very long way to be here." it was nice to be recognized.
so, the set was exactly the same as the past two shows, but DUDE. they sound SO GOOD. darrell is like...the best addition to the band they could have made. my friend and i just looked at each other a bunch of times and were like "holy shit." it's like...completely effortless for him to play as well as he does. and he looks half asleep as he's doing it. just completely unreal. eddie is still rad as shit too, but i've already talked about that. he's just jamming away, putting everything he has into each song they do and i fucking love it. and mike is really solid too, it's a shame he's only temporary. but he's having fun with it, so that's cool.
after the show, darrell came over to talk to us. he said he was glad to see some familiar faces. i went outside with him while he bummed a cigarette off someone, but i came back inside before he did. when he came back in, he stood with us again and we talked some more. oh, and he wanted to take pictures. one of me and my friend, who then took a few of me and darrell. and then she took a whole bunch of us with her camera, and he was being such a goof, like making faces and pretending to be deep in conversation about some serious shit, as she was taking the pictures; he put my hood up for one...just really silly and so so cute. we finally had to leave, so when he said goodbye he gave me this magnificent hug and sort of shimmied up on me and then ruffled my hair. then we said bye to mike and thanked him again for being so awesome to us, and i told eddie to bring back these pants (he's on the bottom right):
that's not going to happen anytime soon, sorry guys. so that was it. we had an amazing time and i got to see one of my favorite bands 3 times on one tour. pretty fucking cool.
08 October 2013
the vibrators AGAIN.
yeah that's right, i saw the vibrators again last night. they were supposed to play in philly but it got cancelled for some reason, so they played at some place called pennskate/pennsounds last night in allentown. some kind of indoor skate park/teen center kind of place. the flyer said the music would be from 6-9 with 2 opening bands. i had a bad feeling about the place, like no one was going to show up or something, so i decided to leave work a little early just to be safe. and i took my friend (the same one who saw blondie and x with me) to "beef up the crowd." (i just like to say beef as a verb. try it sometime. it's fun.)
we walked in, past some very strange people (welcome to allentown), and there was eddie sitting at the merch table, all alone, looking rather morose. but that's kind of his look, i suppose. i have no idea if he remembered me from the other night, but i went over to say hi, and asked if they had played yet. he said no, there was still another band before them. which was kinda bullshit, because they ended up starting at like 8:30 because the other bands ran over. come on, dudes, it's the fucking vibrators, get your goddamn shit together and let them play on time! no one cares about you anyway. ahem. anyway, i bought some records from him (this time he had his change all ready to go, there was no embarrassing fumbling around looking for it, thank goodness) and we took them out to my car and then went back in. we watched the band play one song and then hung out in the ladies room until it was over. yes. we are those girls. and we don't care.
when that band's set was over, we ventured back out and hung out while the vibrators set up. guitar player guy (his name is darrell, so i can just call him his real name now) remembered me, but couldn't remember when he met me, so i was like "friday night, the brighton bar" and he was like "oh, yeah, yeah, right, cool. thanks for coming tonight. let me get you ladies some beers." mmhmm. we got cans of yuengling from the band's stash. pretty fucking cool. he chatted with us a bit more after he brought them out to us, but he had to set his shit up. bass player guy said a few words to us, also (his name is mike so i can just call him that from now on, too). they played until 9:30 (thank god, otherwise i would have been PISSED) and it was pretty much the same set as the other night but it somehow sounded better in that shitty little room. they KILLED IT. and aside from the guy who was either really drunk or on some crazy drugs, or possibly both, careening around like a fucktard all night and smashing into everyone, and grabbing mike's microphone away from him, it was really fun. man. fuck that guy. control yourself, you know?
after the show, my friend and i sat at a little table behind the merch table, hanging out, because we're cool, you know? and mike walks past and looks at me and says "you look really familiar." "i was at the show at the brighton bar." "THAT'S IT!" so he came over and sat with us, showed us his bloody hand (puncture wound, from a bass string, gnarly), and we talked. he was probably one of the coolest people i've ever met. just super sweet and humble and down to earth. darrell walked by and saw us so he sat with us too. but he kept getting up and coming back. he's kind of flighty. and also adorable. mike told us fun stories about the guys being on the road and stuff. he's only playing with them on this tour; apparently pete is still in the band but has trouble coming over here sometimes because of visa bullshit. nigel is gone from the band, doing solo stuff, so darrell is his replacement. and we both (me and mike) think he's a better fit. anyway, we had a nice time talking with mike and darrell, when he was actually there. and then we had to go because the people there were kicking us out. mike insisted on getting pictures with us, on his phone. which i thought was really fucking cute. so he got one of me and my friend and darrell, and then darrell took one of us with mike. and darrell wanted mike to do the same on HIS phone. and eddie walked by at one point so i said "we have to get one with eddie too!" and he was a good sport and posed for a picture with us as well. mike had me type my name into facebook so he could add me on there, and i put my number in his phone. he said we should come to the show in baltimore that's tonight, they'll put us on the list, etc.
i got a facebook message with the pictures in it (so cute! i may post them later) and he gave me his number so i can text him if we're coming.
so guess what i'm about to go do? you fucking guessed it. smell ya later, pennsylvania, i'm going to BALTIMORE.
we walked in, past some very strange people (welcome to allentown), and there was eddie sitting at the merch table, all alone, looking rather morose. but that's kind of his look, i suppose. i have no idea if he remembered me from the other night, but i went over to say hi, and asked if they had played yet. he said no, there was still another band before them. which was kinda bullshit, because they ended up starting at like 8:30 because the other bands ran over. come on, dudes, it's the fucking vibrators, get your goddamn shit together and let them play on time! no one cares about you anyway. ahem. anyway, i bought some records from him (this time he had his change all ready to go, there was no embarrassing fumbling around looking for it, thank goodness) and we took them out to my car and then went back in. we watched the band play one song and then hung out in the ladies room until it was over. yes. we are those girls. and we don't care.
when that band's set was over, we ventured back out and hung out while the vibrators set up. guitar player guy (his name is darrell, so i can just call him his real name now) remembered me, but couldn't remember when he met me, so i was like "friday night, the brighton bar" and he was like "oh, yeah, yeah, right, cool. thanks for coming tonight. let me get you ladies some beers." mmhmm. we got cans of yuengling from the band's stash. pretty fucking cool. he chatted with us a bit more after he brought them out to us, but he had to set his shit up. bass player guy said a few words to us, also (his name is mike so i can just call him that from now on, too). they played until 9:30 (thank god, otherwise i would have been PISSED) and it was pretty much the same set as the other night but it somehow sounded better in that shitty little room. they KILLED IT. and aside from the guy who was either really drunk or on some crazy drugs, or possibly both, careening around like a fucktard all night and smashing into everyone, and grabbing mike's microphone away from him, it was really fun. man. fuck that guy. control yourself, you know?
after the show, my friend and i sat at a little table behind the merch table, hanging out, because we're cool, you know? and mike walks past and looks at me and says "you look really familiar." "i was at the show at the brighton bar." "THAT'S IT!" so he came over and sat with us, showed us his bloody hand (puncture wound, from a bass string, gnarly), and we talked. he was probably one of the coolest people i've ever met. just super sweet and humble and down to earth. darrell walked by and saw us so he sat with us too. but he kept getting up and coming back. he's kind of flighty. and also adorable. mike told us fun stories about the guys being on the road and stuff. he's only playing with them on this tour; apparently pete is still in the band but has trouble coming over here sometimes because of visa bullshit. nigel is gone from the band, doing solo stuff, so darrell is his replacement. and we both (me and mike) think he's a better fit. anyway, we had a nice time talking with mike and darrell, when he was actually there. and then we had to go because the people there were kicking us out. mike insisted on getting pictures with us, on his phone. which i thought was really fucking cute. so he got one of me and my friend and darrell, and then darrell took one of us with mike. and darrell wanted mike to do the same on HIS phone. and eddie walked by at one point so i said "we have to get one with eddie too!" and he was a good sport and posed for a picture with us as well. mike had me type my name into facebook so he could add me on there, and i put my number in his phone. he said we should come to the show in baltimore that's tonight, they'll put us on the list, etc.
i got a facebook message with the pictures in it (so cute! i may post them later) and he gave me his number so i can text him if we're coming.
so guess what i'm about to go do? you fucking guessed it. smell ya later, pennsylvania, i'm going to BALTIMORE.
05 October 2013
the vibrators
it was about time for me to get my ass to the brighton bar for another show, right? the vibrators played there last night. so of course i went. because i love that bar and i love that band. also i know the one girl in one of the opening bands. i hadn't seen her band before, and they were super fun.
anyway-
so now i've been there enough times that there are familiar faces and i'm "the girl who drove 2 hours to get here." it's cool. i know i'm crazy. but they all fucking love me for it so who cares? you guys. i had such a great time. and i would have had a great time even if the band sucked. which they didn't, obviously. i hung with this dude i made friends with at the david johansen show. and he bought me 2 drinks. and then i was hanging out with the girl that i know and her husband and their friend (remember this guy because he comes back later) and the one dude who is an owner of the bar bought us a round of drinks. and then i was hanging out with the first guy again and his friend was standing with us, and HE bought me a drink. ladies and gentlemen, i had 5 beers, but only paid for one of them. i want some kind of medal for that shit. but i think getting that many free drinks is kind of its own reward. i'm not used to guys being that nice to me. shit like that NEVER happens in philly, because philly is full of assholes. long branch, new jersey, you have captured my heart. anyway, so i was hanging out with the other girl i'm friends with who lives in long branch, and she was up talking to the door guy. she brought me a cool punk cd sampler from a record label in california, since she just was on vacation there. how fucking cool? i mean, seriously, how fucking cool? these people are just the fucking best.
alright, enough of me being all starry eyed about this place. the VIBRATORS. my boss thinks he's really funny, since i requested off for the night, he told everyone that i wasn't at work because i was out buying a vibrator. ok, well, i laughed, but still. so the thing that threw me off was that eddie was there (the drummer) and he was hanging around all night, manning the merch table (remember that sad/funny moment the last time i saw them? awww) and wandering around but i noticed i didn't see either of the other band members. hmm. so when they took the stage i realized that there were 2 totally new members of the band, who i had indeed seen around all night. in fact, the one guy was even talking to me earlier. i noticed he had a british accent but didn't question it, i just enjoyed it. so here i was, finally adjusted to the new(ish) lineup of nigel and pete and then all of a sudden i have to REadjust to these new guys?? oh my life is soooo hard (that was a joke). but whatever, they still sound like the vibrators minus knox's vocals. so it's all good. and i love watching eddie play. and he sings! not all the songs. but it's still impressive; i can't do that shit. and they did "baby baby" and "automatic lover" and "yeah yeah yeah" and "whips and furs" so i was one happy little girl. they played their set, and left the stage, and everyone kept cheering and eddie was walking out to the merch table and kinda stopped right in front of me and muttered "are we doing one more?" and i gave a big old "WOOO!!" he just sorta glanced back at me, but then went back up on the stage. HA. i laughed about it. so that was that. fucking rad, you guys. go see them. even though some dude who leaned over to ask me what i thought said "it's kinda like watching a cover band, isn't it?" well...yeah. kinda. but still. it's the vibrators. so it's ok.
then everyone is hanging out and whatever after the show, and the dude that i said comes back later was talking to me, right near the merch table, and he starts telling me i should get a cd and even picks one out and i was like "awesome but i don't have enough money" and he said "oh i got you covered, don't even worry about it," and i was like IS THIS REAL LIFE? why are all you nice fuckers in jersey? goddammit. so i thanked him, we chatted a bit, etc. so fucking cool. then my friend from before was talking to me and i said i wanted a shirt but only had $10 and he said if i ask nice, eddie will probably give it to me for $10 (they're $15). so i go up to eddie and say "i really want a shirt but only have $10." "alright, which one do you want?" and just like that i got a $5 discount from a sweet ass vibrators shirt. i still love my whips and furs one, of course, but this one is WHITE and PINK. so yeah. ah fuck it, here it is:
such a fun fucking night.
oh, and they were all sold out of vibrators. no i'm not joking. they had a spot for them on the merch table. too bad, because i would have bought one and then my boss' joke wouldn't have been so funny because it would have been true.
i took no pictures. shame on me. i was too busy having fun, bitches.
anyway-
so now i've been there enough times that there are familiar faces and i'm "the girl who drove 2 hours to get here." it's cool. i know i'm crazy. but they all fucking love me for it so who cares? you guys. i had such a great time. and i would have had a great time even if the band sucked. which they didn't, obviously. i hung with this dude i made friends with at the david johansen show. and he bought me 2 drinks. and then i was hanging out with the girl that i know and her husband and their friend (remember this guy because he comes back later) and the one dude who is an owner of the bar bought us a round of drinks. and then i was hanging out with the first guy again and his friend was standing with us, and HE bought me a drink. ladies and gentlemen, i had 5 beers, but only paid for one of them. i want some kind of medal for that shit. but i think getting that many free drinks is kind of its own reward. i'm not used to guys being that nice to me. shit like that NEVER happens in philly, because philly is full of assholes. long branch, new jersey, you have captured my heart. anyway, so i was hanging out with the other girl i'm friends with who lives in long branch, and she was up talking to the door guy. she brought me a cool punk cd sampler from a record label in california, since she just was on vacation there. how fucking cool? i mean, seriously, how fucking cool? these people are just the fucking best.
alright, enough of me being all starry eyed about this place. the VIBRATORS. my boss thinks he's really funny, since i requested off for the night, he told everyone that i wasn't at work because i was out buying a vibrator. ok, well, i laughed, but still. so the thing that threw me off was that eddie was there (the drummer) and he was hanging around all night, manning the merch table (remember that sad/funny moment the last time i saw them? awww) and wandering around but i noticed i didn't see either of the other band members. hmm. so when they took the stage i realized that there were 2 totally new members of the band, who i had indeed seen around all night. in fact, the one guy was even talking to me earlier. i noticed he had a british accent but didn't question it, i just enjoyed it. so here i was, finally adjusted to the new(ish) lineup of nigel and pete and then all of a sudden i have to REadjust to these new guys?? oh my life is soooo hard (that was a joke). but whatever, they still sound like the vibrators minus knox's vocals. so it's all good. and i love watching eddie play. and he sings! not all the songs. but it's still impressive; i can't do that shit. and they did "baby baby" and "automatic lover" and "yeah yeah yeah" and "whips and furs" so i was one happy little girl. they played their set, and left the stage, and everyone kept cheering and eddie was walking out to the merch table and kinda stopped right in front of me and muttered "are we doing one more?" and i gave a big old "WOOO!!" he just sorta glanced back at me, but then went back up on the stage. HA. i laughed about it. so that was that. fucking rad, you guys. go see them. even though some dude who leaned over to ask me what i thought said "it's kinda like watching a cover band, isn't it?" well...yeah. kinda. but still. it's the vibrators. so it's ok.
then everyone is hanging out and whatever after the show, and the dude that i said comes back later was talking to me, right near the merch table, and he starts telling me i should get a cd and even picks one out and i was like "awesome but i don't have enough money" and he said "oh i got you covered, don't even worry about it," and i was like IS THIS REAL LIFE? why are all you nice fuckers in jersey? goddammit. so i thanked him, we chatted a bit, etc. so fucking cool. then my friend from before was talking to me and i said i wanted a shirt but only had $10 and he said if i ask nice, eddie will probably give it to me for $10 (they're $15). so i go up to eddie and say "i really want a shirt but only have $10." "alright, which one do you want?" and just like that i got a $5 discount from a sweet ass vibrators shirt. i still love my whips and furs one, of course, but this one is WHITE and PINK. so yeah. ah fuck it, here it is:
classy.
and then the dude with the british accent that had been talking to me earlier, before i realized he was in the band, started chatting me up, so we went and stood outside together. and i think he complimented my eyes? or something. but everything he said was adorable because hello, accent. and then some dudes came over and started talking to him and i was like REALLY BROS? can't you see that we're talking? fuck you and your goddamn shit. only dudes to piss me off all night. which is ok i guess. anyway i'm probably gonna go see them again on monday so there's that.
and then my friend's friend who bought me a drink earlier drove me to 7-11 and bought me a coffee before i left because it was like 2am and i had a long drive ahead of me.
such a fun fucking night.
oh, and they were all sold out of vibrators. no i'm not joking. they had a spot for them on the merch table. too bad, because i would have bought one and then my boss' joke wouldn't have been so funny because it would have been true.
i took no pictures. shame on me. i was too busy having fun, bitches.
pere ubu
this was like forever ago (ok, it was a month) so i kind of forget some stuff. but i saw pere ubu at the north star bar on september 11. i almost didn't go because it was a wednesday night and i wasn't sure if they'd be any good and honestly i only know like 2 songs of theirs BUT i was like, fuck it, just go, it'll be cool. and if it sucks you can just laugh about it on the way home. plus it felt like it had been a while since i went to a show by myself and i love doing that so off i went after work.
the opening band was ok, i forget what they were called. the second opening band was actually david thomas of pere ubu doing some other project. also forget what that was called and i'm too lazy to google that shit. but you guys know what i'm talking about. he was like, talking into an old school telephone over some looped samples of weird electronic music. it was fucking weird as shit but really good. oh and there was a guy wearing a chicken mask and doing interpretive dancing. so that was cool.
but fucking pere ubu, man. i guess mr. thomas is the only guy who was an original member left in the band, but since he's the singer it works. and also he has a really fucking great band put together now. i was absolutely mesmerized for the entire show. they're droney and exciting and syncopated and weird but like, the fucking best. especially for someone like me who kind of went on a whim and didn't know what to expect- this is exactly what you want to happen when you do that. get fucking blown away.
so i don't know anyone's names and i'm still too lazy to google, but guitar player was fucking great and made it really atmospheric, you know? i don't know how they do it. guitars are a mystery to me, so when someone can make it sound all fuzzy and loud and shit i get really excited. bass player was also really fucking good and she was laying down the jams and also did really cool shit. you know, exciting bass lines. not the boring monotonous shit that most bands get away with. so i loved her. then there was synth/theremin guy who was one of my two favorite people of the night to watch. he would be doing stuff, pushing buttons, and then just freak out and wave his hand around like a crazy man while he made the theremin do its thing. theremins are fucking rad and not enough bands use them. but i guess if everyone used them they wouldn't be as cool. but whatever. he was fun to watch. my other favorite? the goddamn motherfucking drummer. i just sat here for way too long trying to think how to describe him. he was fucking rad. like, doing weird ass beats that fit perfectly into the song and using alarm bells as percussion and also all of his cymbals were different brands which i find endearing. dude knew how to rock out, but also how to keep it cool when the songs would go into a quiet moment. i respect that. and then there was david thomas, who sat in a chair and sweated all night. he sounded good though, he has a very interesting voice, and he is very funny with his between song banter.
so after the show i waited around to talk, but old man thomas looked absolutely miserable before he finally hobbled away outside. i can't blame him, he looked like he was in a lot of pain, and i know what that's like and you don't wanna fucking talk to people. so i didn't bother him. but i did want to talk to the drummer, so i finally got a chance after like 15 minutes of standing around, because dudes were all shoving in front of me to talk about whatever bullshit they talk about...anyway, so i told him that he was really fun to watch, and how i'm a drummer so i like to watch other drummers but not in a judgey way, just like an interested observer kind of way, and that he was blowing me away with his fancy shit. and he said "aw, wow, i think i'm blushing!" but he has a beard so i was like i can't see it so you're good. and he asked me my name and shook my hand and then i said good night. sometimes, i can be cool with musicians in bands i respect.
here are some halfway decent pictures of the show:
(and yeah, i went up on the balcony, which i don't normally do at shows, but i loved it because i could see EVERYTHING. pictures turned out way better than they would have if i had been down on the floor)
the opening band was ok, i forget what they were called. the second opening band was actually david thomas of pere ubu doing some other project. also forget what that was called and i'm too lazy to google that shit. but you guys know what i'm talking about. he was like, talking into an old school telephone over some looped samples of weird electronic music. it was fucking weird as shit but really good. oh and there was a guy wearing a chicken mask and doing interpretive dancing. so that was cool.
but fucking pere ubu, man. i guess mr. thomas is the only guy who was an original member left in the band, but since he's the singer it works. and also he has a really fucking great band put together now. i was absolutely mesmerized for the entire show. they're droney and exciting and syncopated and weird but like, the fucking best. especially for someone like me who kind of went on a whim and didn't know what to expect- this is exactly what you want to happen when you do that. get fucking blown away.
so i don't know anyone's names and i'm still too lazy to google, but guitar player was fucking great and made it really atmospheric, you know? i don't know how they do it. guitars are a mystery to me, so when someone can make it sound all fuzzy and loud and shit i get really excited. bass player was also really fucking good and she was laying down the jams and also did really cool shit. you know, exciting bass lines. not the boring monotonous shit that most bands get away with. so i loved her. then there was synth/theremin guy who was one of my two favorite people of the night to watch. he would be doing stuff, pushing buttons, and then just freak out and wave his hand around like a crazy man while he made the theremin do its thing. theremins are fucking rad and not enough bands use them. but i guess if everyone used them they wouldn't be as cool. but whatever. he was fun to watch. my other favorite? the goddamn motherfucking drummer. i just sat here for way too long trying to think how to describe him. he was fucking rad. like, doing weird ass beats that fit perfectly into the song and using alarm bells as percussion and also all of his cymbals were different brands which i find endearing. dude knew how to rock out, but also how to keep it cool when the songs would go into a quiet moment. i respect that. and then there was david thomas, who sat in a chair and sweated all night. he sounded good though, he has a very interesting voice, and he is very funny with his between song banter.
so after the show i waited around to talk, but old man thomas looked absolutely miserable before he finally hobbled away outside. i can't blame him, he looked like he was in a lot of pain, and i know what that's like and you don't wanna fucking talk to people. so i didn't bother him. but i did want to talk to the drummer, so i finally got a chance after like 15 minutes of standing around, because dudes were all shoving in front of me to talk about whatever bullshit they talk about...anyway, so i told him that he was really fun to watch, and how i'm a drummer so i like to watch other drummers but not in a judgey way, just like an interested observer kind of way, and that he was blowing me away with his fancy shit. and he said "aw, wow, i think i'm blushing!" but he has a beard so i was like i can't see it so you're good. and he asked me my name and shook my hand and then i said good night. sometimes, i can be cool with musicians in bands i respect.
here are some halfway decent pictures of the show:
(and yeah, i went up on the balcony, which i don't normally do at shows, but i loved it because i could see EVERYTHING. pictures turned out way better than they would have if i had been down on the floor)
blondie!!!
i can't remember if i mentioned it in here that i was going to see blondie, but i totally did, monday september 9, in washington dc!
yeah. so dc. i saw the damned there before because my friend lives there, remember? so i decided to see blondie there too and we could go together and it would be fun! she lives really close to the 9:30 club, where the show was, so she bought tickets and it was settled. hooray!
unfortunately things aren't always as awesome as you expect them to be and she told me a few days before the show that her grandfather passed away and the service was on monday so she was no longer able to go. she still wanted me to go and use the tickets and have fun, but i was sad for her and sad for myself that i didn't get to hang out with her. have i mentioned how great she is? because she's really great. and i miss her.
so that sucked. but i did find someone else to go with me. my friend said we were still welcome to stay at her house, left me a visitor's parking pass, etc., so we went to her house to chill out for a little bit before heading to the show. it was really nice of her to do that and it was great to have somewhere to unwind after that shitty drive. we decided to wander around and see if we could get food somewhere and check out our surroundings. the club is super close to where she lives. we started off in that direction and were just talking and whatever and i looked up to see that clem burke was walking towards us.
CLEM BURKE ALERT CLEM BURKE ALERT HELLO WHAT
i shouldn't have been that surprised to see him but i totally was. unfortunately he was on his phone; when he was right in front of us i said "hi!" and he said "hi" back but just kept walking. oh well. i wanted to actually talk to him! and see if he remembers me! and ask him why he's not drumming for hugh cornwell on the upcoming tour! and how did he get to be so awesome! so many things! again: oh well. it was still really cool to see him and i freaked out afterwards. then we just killed time until it got close to 7, and went and stood in line to get in.
oh hey, did i mention who the opening band is on the tour? it's x. yep. x. so that was really awesome.
the show was fucking great. the whole thing, start to finish, minus a few little things here and there, was just fucking great. i never got really into x, but after seeing them, i'm a believer. billy zoom is really fun to watch, and we were kind of right in front of him. their drummer is really great too. but it was hard to see exene and john doe from where we were standing; however, from what i could see, she looks fucking awesome, and sounds the same, too. they were a lot of fun. and then blondie. holy shit, blondie. i've been in love with them for many years and this is the first time i got to see them. watching clem drum blondie songs in front of me was really fucking cool. my only real complaint? the set. they played a bunch of songs off of panic of girls, the new album, which was fine, because i really like that album. it's very dancey and fun. but the rest of the set was like the greatest hits album. and i get it, i really do, i mean, that's what people want to hear, right? but what about the rest of us who listen to full blondie albums and like the songs that weren't the big hits? instead of "rapture" (i could go the rest of my life without ever hearing it again and that would be ok by me) why couldn't they have done "11:59" or "picture this" or "fan mail" or "rip her to shreds"? that would have been fucking amazing to hear. i still had fun! i'm not really complaining. i just like it when bands pull out the unexpected songs. i didn't go to hear the best of blondie; i could've stayed home and listened to that album. it would have been a much cheaper night. but yeah; finally got to see clem play along to "dreaming," which was a great moment in time for me.
oh, i kind of forgot about the most important thing: i saw debbie harry in real life. there was that time i was supposed to meet her but hugh cornwell fucked up and didn't tell me she was there and then she left. ugh. anyway, i still hope i can meet her someday because she is so cool. seeing her, on a stage, in front of me, singing blondie songs, it was a really big deal. and she looked so cute.
overall, yeah it was fun. although the fans were really annoying too. just gonna throw that out there. sorry. but it's true. except the guy who let me have his spot after i was violently shoved out of the way by some dude and his dumb girlfriend. during rapture, of course, because i guess some people only came to hear that song. which is fucking stupid. that's really it. we had a good time. i will definitely go see blondie again sometime, maybe when they play the keswick on this tour, which is considerably closer than the 9:30 club.
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ok i wrote this a while ago and i'm only just posting it now. i did not go to the keswick show and i'm trying to not be sad about it.
yeah. so dc. i saw the damned there before because my friend lives there, remember? so i decided to see blondie there too and we could go together and it would be fun! she lives really close to the 9:30 club, where the show was, so she bought tickets and it was settled. hooray!
unfortunately things aren't always as awesome as you expect them to be and she told me a few days before the show that her grandfather passed away and the service was on monday so she was no longer able to go. she still wanted me to go and use the tickets and have fun, but i was sad for her and sad for myself that i didn't get to hang out with her. have i mentioned how great she is? because she's really great. and i miss her.
so that sucked. but i did find someone else to go with me. my friend said we were still welcome to stay at her house, left me a visitor's parking pass, etc., so we went to her house to chill out for a little bit before heading to the show. it was really nice of her to do that and it was great to have somewhere to unwind after that shitty drive. we decided to wander around and see if we could get food somewhere and check out our surroundings. the club is super close to where she lives. we started off in that direction and were just talking and whatever and i looked up to see that clem burke was walking towards us.
CLEM BURKE ALERT CLEM BURKE ALERT HELLO WHAT
i shouldn't have been that surprised to see him but i totally was. unfortunately he was on his phone; when he was right in front of us i said "hi!" and he said "hi" back but just kept walking. oh well. i wanted to actually talk to him! and see if he remembers me! and ask him why he's not drumming for hugh cornwell on the upcoming tour! and how did he get to be so awesome! so many things! again: oh well. it was still really cool to see him and i freaked out afterwards. then we just killed time until it got close to 7, and went and stood in line to get in.
oh hey, did i mention who the opening band is on the tour? it's x. yep. x. so that was really awesome.
the show was fucking great. the whole thing, start to finish, minus a few little things here and there, was just fucking great. i never got really into x, but after seeing them, i'm a believer. billy zoom is really fun to watch, and we were kind of right in front of him. their drummer is really great too. but it was hard to see exene and john doe from where we were standing; however, from what i could see, she looks fucking awesome, and sounds the same, too. they were a lot of fun. and then blondie. holy shit, blondie. i've been in love with them for many years and this is the first time i got to see them. watching clem drum blondie songs in front of me was really fucking cool. my only real complaint? the set. they played a bunch of songs off of panic of girls, the new album, which was fine, because i really like that album. it's very dancey and fun. but the rest of the set was like the greatest hits album. and i get it, i really do, i mean, that's what people want to hear, right? but what about the rest of us who listen to full blondie albums and like the songs that weren't the big hits? instead of "rapture" (i could go the rest of my life without ever hearing it again and that would be ok by me) why couldn't they have done "11:59" or "picture this" or "fan mail" or "rip her to shreds"? that would have been fucking amazing to hear. i still had fun! i'm not really complaining. i just like it when bands pull out the unexpected songs. i didn't go to hear the best of blondie; i could've stayed home and listened to that album. it would have been a much cheaper night. but yeah; finally got to see clem play along to "dreaming," which was a great moment in time for me.
oh, i kind of forgot about the most important thing: i saw debbie harry in real life. there was that time i was supposed to meet her but hugh cornwell fucked up and didn't tell me she was there and then she left. ugh. anyway, i still hope i can meet her someday because she is so cool. seeing her, on a stage, in front of me, singing blondie songs, it was a really big deal. and she looked so cute.
overall, yeah it was fun. although the fans were really annoying too. just gonna throw that out there. sorry. but it's true. except the guy who let me have his spot after i was violently shoved out of the way by some dude and his dumb girlfriend. during rapture, of course, because i guess some people only came to hear that song. which is fucking stupid. that's really it. we had a good time. i will definitely go see blondie again sometime, maybe when they play the keswick on this tour, which is considerably closer than the 9:30 club.
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ok i wrote this a while ago and i'm only just posting it now. i did not go to the keswick show and i'm trying to not be sad about it.
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