2004-03-16 - 12:40 a.m.

Rambling rock and roll tales

I apologize deeply to everyone who wore out their mouse last night clicking "refresh" over and over, waiting for that next update that I implied was coming right up (in fact, all I said was "hang on," and I didn't specify how long you'd be hanging... but I won't use that as a defense). It seems that every time I promise a specific entry, that entry never materializes.

Well, here it is - better late than never I hope!

Ok, the show and the rock star-related stories:

I went to see the thinks-he's-not-a-rock-star who is probably now my favorite solo artist. Funny thing is, until recently he was in two bands, one pretty much full time and one extremely part time. Well, he quit the full time one to spend more time at home. Looks like he kind of quit the part time one too, although I guess they were kind of more his backing band than a band in and of themselves, so maybe it would be more appropriate to say he's just not working with them any more, than to say he quit that band. He has a new backing band now, and as far as I know, they're kind of temporary too. I say that only because first of all, when he introduced them, he not only gave their names, but also mentioned that each one is in another band. The other reason I say they better be temporary is that two of the band members actually come from my second favorite band. So my favorite solo artist better not be stealing members away and breaking up my second favorite band.

Let's see, we need a pseudonym here. Or at least an acronym. The guy who is the leader of my second favorite band and now is playing in this band shall from this time forward be known as YG. This was a small club, and when I came in, YG was at the bar eating dinner, sitting next to the first chick I mentioned in the last entry, and she had been talking to him off and on. When I came in, she saw me and waved me over. While I was being polite and talking to her, YG was being polite, focusing on his dinner and pretending not to be listening to us. After a minute though, he kind of stole a sideways glance to see who she was talking to, and when he saw it was me, called me by name and got up and hugged me. I was kind of stunned - not quite as much as I was the last time he recognized me, but close - but he's a very cool guy. I had a lot of fun talking to him - asked him if he was still going to be keeping up the other band, and then asked him a question about a song lyric from an unreleased song I'd heard them play last time I saw them. For some reason he asked what my very first concert was, and I told him, and next thing I know he and I and the guy helping with equipment (who I had never met but who was sitting next to him and turned around to join in) spent a good 10 or 15 minutes talking about THAT band. As much as I say I love hanging out with the performers, it's just as much that he's an interesting person to talk to. I wouldn't have been hanging around him trying to force myself to think of something to say - it was just a fun conversation. I had just as much fun talking to the equipment guy.

The show itself was great - CWOMM and I went right up to the stage, as good rock fans will. Our thinks-he's-not-a-rock-star guy was chatting with the three of us from the stage all night - we were his little fan club. I wish there had been more of a fan club there, or even more of a crowd - it was a little sparse, compared to some of his other shows I've seen. But a lot of fun just the same. He has a new album coming out soon - several jokes about no one knowing exactly what was up with it and talking about *if* it ever came out. But it will. Can't wait - the new music sounded great and I got to tell him that afterward.

But not before the DJ turned the music up to the volume at which your bones all start detaching from one another from all the bouncing around, and your ears begin to bleed - why they don't just say GO HOME NOW OR WE'LL KILL YOU is beyond me. Then again the 400,000 decibel music probably gets people out faster.

And not before the two excruciatingly drunken guys started pulling at me and slurring, "Lesh dansh! Cmowynoooooot?" Eesh...

Really fun night though. I even got to see the guitarist from my second favorite band - who is not one of the band members stolen to be on stage that night. But he came to the show anyway and was given a shout out from the stage. I clapped for him. Oh, the answer YG gave me to the question of whether he was going to keep up with both bands was, "So far so good." Sigh. Which means, this is rock and roll... we'll see what happens. I guess it's too late for me to become one of those whiny people who complains that a band CAN'T break up because the band members OWE it to their fans to stay in the same band forever, whether or not they are happy, challenged, successful, or have any room for creative growth. Yeah... about a quarter century too late for that. Dammit.

my mood -

the mood of the whole world wide bleepin' web -