January 30, 2006

Freaked Out

I can't believe that I forgot all about this. Live Freaky! Die Freaky! screened last weekend. They were midnight screenings, of course, because the film is well, pretty freaky.

Ok, I've never seen the entire film. Only caught 15 minutes of it from a screener being qc-ed in my old office, but those 15 minutes made me want to take a mental shower immediately. It's a spin on the Manson Family murders rendered in stop-motion animation (yes, the same kind of animation that brough Gumby to life). LFDF doesn't exactly suit my tastes; I wonder if it suits anyone else's. Can't find box office #s posted for the screenings, yet.

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I Knew That I Shouldn't Have Made Any

Remember this? Not doing so well about accomplishing them.

Enjoy life more (yes, I am trying, but see next line).
Be less stressed (not happening, until I 1 - wrap up major work projects by mid Feb, 2 - find a new apt).
Drink less coffee (not happening since I discovered a lovely new café on the way to work, depend on coffee to keep me cognizant so I can complete my projects and become less stressed after completing them).

It's a vicious cycle.

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January 29, 2006

Man Man Fan I Am

Almost a year ago I saw Man Man open for Arcade Fire. Back then I had no clue who these guys were; I remember thinking "Man Man? What a silly name! And what's with this other opener, Final Fantasy? Is Man Man, like, the name of a video game, too?" Became a Man Man fan that night. Who knew such brilliance came out of playing plastic horns and spatulas? Catching their live show is the perfect introduction to this band as they are insane live.

Last Friday's gig at Cakeshop was good, despite the space. Unless you're standing in the very front, it is impossible to see the band...sound was a bit iffy, too. Midway through the set I started feeling ill from the heat, sweaty stench of my fellow fans and the Red Stripe and Horlicks which I drank earlier. I propped my hip against a table so I didn't fall over. Glad I stayed as they rocked it. Left Cakeshop in the best mood (I might have skipped a bit down Ludlow).

Chicken Man Man and I have a stare-a-thon mid-set. I lost.

The crowd was as sweaty as Honus here.

Am starting to notice that the same people attend the same sort of shows in NYC. I introduced myself to a woman whom I've spotted at a few Fixed gigs (and also recognized from last summer's video shoot) at last week's Editors show. I spotted a few attendees from Man Man's CMJ gig at last Friday's Man Man gig at Cakeshop. Expect to see all of them at the next month's gig at Northsix.

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January 27, 2006

Finally!

I kvetched about Editors' cancelled NYC gig back in August. So when I heard that they were finally making their live NYC debut in January, I immediately snapped up tickets to their Tiswas show at Annex, I mean Hiro, I mean Annex, I mean Rothko.

The crowd gave the group a well-deserved enthusiastic reception. I love dance-rock type music, and the Editors do it so well live. Nevermind the Interpol/Joy Division comparisons, the floor was vibrating from the audience's jumping around. Haven't seen that much movement at an Interpol show.

Funniest moment of the night: Christina mentioning that Tom Smith's fly was open. (It was.) Which led me to wonder, why was she checking out his crotch, hmm?



More photo goodness here.

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January 26, 2006

Things I Should Be Doing Right This Moment

...instead of blogging:
  1. writing my piece on Underworld: Evolution (I liked the film, yes I did! I like any film where the female lead kicks mucho ass.)
  2. uploading photos from last week's gig at Rothko
  3. washing my many "handwash only" garments
  4. practicing my new self-defense techniques (masochists, please let me practice my nose-breaking and kneecap-shattering moves on you. this is a win-win opportunity.)
  5. sleeping
Number 5 appeals to me right about now. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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January 21, 2006

Sentimental Value Takes Up Too Much Closet Space

Got in a bit of a closet cleaning frenzy yesterday -- wanted to purge my apartment of everything that I didn't wear. Really, does a person need 14 black shirts? As I was sorting through my pile of "should I donate?" clothes, I faced a dilemma.

Emotional attachment to my clothes. Found myself thinking -- I can't donate my School of American Ballet Staff shirt; it's my souvenir from my two summers working there. And I can't donate my Doraemon/Ding-Dong T-shirt which I bought in Hong Kong four years ago; reminds me of my D/D-D-themed third birthday party. I haven't worn these items in months, but I just can't bring myself to get rid of them.

Which means one thing: I need an apartment with a bigger closet.

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January 17, 2006

Spaztastic Dancing, the New Hotness?

At a gig last month, I witnessed something rather unusual: a man spaztastically dancing at an rock show. And I mean spaztastic -- arms waving in all directions, head flinging, pirouettes across the club floor. Very unusual given the typical NYC too-cool-for-school limit-movement-to-head-bob indie rock crowd.

And now this: another half-naked spaztastic dancer rocking out. Site: last week's SNL rehearsal with Death Cab for Cutie performing "Soul Meets Body." via The Lonely Island.


Did I miss the memo about spaztastic dancing being the new hotness at indie shows?

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Cinematic Weekend

Usually I just want to hibernate when the temperature drops below 20 degrees, but not this weekend. Saw Romeo and Juliet at Theater Row. But walked out during intermission -- this production of R&J wasn't bad, but it just didn't engage me. Wasn't alone in my opinion; at least 2 other groups left before we did. Would have stayed longer and given the production more of a chance, but when the air conditioner (who turns on the a/c in the middle of January?!) kicked in above our heads, we skedaddled.

Then trekked out Queens to visit the Museum of the Moving Image. Impressed the museum staff by answering thusly when asked if I was going to see Hamsun in their screening room:
Uh no, I'm here to see Gumby.

And to cap it all off, saw 2 films: Brokeback Mountain (finally!) and Tristan & Isolde. Wasn't immediately impressed that BM was THE film of 2005, but days after the screening, I find my mind lingering on certain shots, music, bits of dialogue. Definitely superior to TI, which was rather yawn-worthy. The tagline for the film is "Before Romeo & Juliet there was Tristan & Isolde". But the plotline from RJ is recycled in so many films that TI can't help but seem recycled, even if the story pre-dates Shakespeare's time. I suspect that seeing the lackluster RJ performance a few days earlier soured me on liking TI.

At least it helped get rid of the awful aftertaste of Hostel.

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January 14, 2006

You Want Me to Run Up What?

Received this invite to a race up the GE Building in Rockefeller Plaza. I love the concept, but attempting this will probably kill me.

69 flights, 1,261 stairs up the 60th tallest building in the world
= passed out runner

The NYC Nike Running Club folks obviously haven't caught on about my delinquency about joining their winter training runs. Hate running in freezing weather -- feels like someone is sitting on my lungs when I'm out there.

Next time, next time.

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January 09, 2006

I Want My Gay Cowboys

Haven't seen Brokeback Mountain yet, and I've been babbling about that film for months. But must screen Hostel tomorrow for work. What is wrong with this picture?

Note to self: book tix for Brokeback this weekend.

Listening to:
Man Man - Boombox (pretty mellow for a Man Man tune)

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January 05, 2006

Last and First

My last gig of 2005:

We are Wolves @The Hook
(shite photo doesn't do justice to the band and venue)


My first gig of 2006 (not technically a live music gig whatever):
This Friday The Ad Lib would like to invite you to the launch of our brand new little weekly side project Love Parade

An Ad Lib happening
LOVE PARADE
Every Friday Night

With residents
Cat - Fannypack/Holy Hail
Jayson - Panthers
The Vet - The Ad Lib NY
plus a set by some very special top secret guests

FREE-10 til 4
$2 shots o jack & $3 PBR all night
FONTANAS (kick ass new venue, holds 350 great beer on tap & dive drink prices)
105 Eldridge St
Between Broome Street and Grand Street

this will be a true blue shake your ass rock and roll dance party
Because it's about bloody time to stop hibernating and start spilling drinks on the shoes of your dance partner and enjoying the sight of a stranger's ass shaking in front of your face. See you kids on the dance floor.

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January 02, 2006

Comes in 3s After All

I'm in New York. Which means I'm not in Ohio for my grandaunt's funeral. Which would be odd except for the fact I've never met her and only the grandaunts, granduncles, grand-etc are flying west. I should feel sad, but...well, I am sad that I never knew her, but happy that she's no longer suffering from illnesses that slowly stripped her of her memory and kept her confined to a nursing home for over a decade.

But her passing freaks me out more than makes me sad. My grandaunt was only a few years older than my remaining grandparent -- my fiercely independent grandmother who kept me supplied with candy when I only had 6 teeth, carried my 5 year old self around downtown Manhattan when my little legs were tired of walking and gave my dad a verbal beat-down when she thought he was being too strict with me (always fun to watch). Fortunately she is in great health, so she'll be around for many more years. I hope.

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