Waste of time
Bah. That sums it up nicely. Yesterday was a “wildly unproductive” day; that was the phrase I continuously used to describe it. Days like that slam me into a depressed mood. Today is a bit better. Getting out of bed before noon helps.
Monday was tough. Tough mostly because I was down at TMS for more than twice as long as I slept, which is no good. And that’s not even counting the time on the “L.” So yeah, I was tired as hell. And I’ve been spending far, far too much time on the Internet lately. I’ve decided that the Internet is perhaps the only thing I can become addicted to. I don’t see myself becoming a drug addict or an alcoholic, but a fuckin geek who wastes away in front of a CRT screen? Strong possibility.
On that subject: the reason I like to talk to people on the Internet is that it affords me the rare opportunity to cut right to the chase. I can say things I normally wouldn’t. I can dispense with the small-talk (I despise small-talk). I can just get down to things, right away. But at the same time, all the “reality” of those deep conversations is always rooted in the artificiality of the medium, and so I’m afraid that I’m always left feeling a little empty with the whole experience.
Since I’m not taking any classes, I thought I’d teach one this quarter: Interpersonal Communication 221: Alienating a Person over Lunch. (You wouldn’t believe how low the requirements are for teachers in the School of Speech.) But hell, I am the expert on the subject; ask Rebec… oh nevermind.
Zwan tonight. Egh, I dun even know their songs really, but I’m in the mood for a concert, and it’s a four minute walk. I didn’t even have to buy the ticket. I’m tired. I hope I don’t fall asleep. Ok, bye now.
How to improve concerts
The Zwan concert was pretty decent. I just decided yesterday to go, so the build-up was slight. I like things that way; without expectations, things go better. The music was decent, although I didn’t actually know any songs save the radio hit. It was also too loud where I was standing, so I broke down and put in ear plugs, thus sacrificing my dignity to maintain my hearing.
Billy was bald and the centerpiece of the group. Strangely, the rest of the band seemed almost in awe of him. Maybe he doles out the dough or something, I don’t know. Guitarist #1 looked like a character from Planet of the Apes and said zilch. He’s the James Iha replacement. Guitarist #2 had actually gone to NU (and gotten into the writing program — ha Mary!). You could have put him in a mechanic’s shop and no one would have been the wiser. Then came ol’ Jimmy Chamberlin, the drummer, looking quite filled out for an ex-heroin junkie. And last but certainly not least, the bassist, Paz (photo courtesy of Barry Brecheisen lol) sported rust-red high heels, a thigh-hugging black miniskirt, and a tight white shirt. D’Arcy’s replacement, she played about 85% of the show with her back to the audience. I have two possible explanations for this:
- She’s wisened up to the fact that she looks better from the back than the front, or
- She didn’t want to be caught looking down at the bass when things got complicated.
Mary discounts #2, citing her experience in other bands such as A Perfect Circle, so I’m left to conclude that the answer is #1.
And a few observations about concerts. First, they never sound particularly good. The problem is exacerbated when a band already possesses a somewhat “muddy” sound, but the cirumstances of a concert just exacerbate the problem. Listening to a band’s CD on headphones sounds LIGHT YEARS better than hearing the band in concert.
Second, concerts seem to bring out the tough guy in males and the slut in females. Why is this? The testosterone is almost palpable as one walks around a concert. I’m guilty of it myself. I walked into Patten tonight and immediately felt like kicking some ass. From the look of some of the other dudes, I think they were feeling the same way. And then the chicks seem to lose all semblance of shame and standards. Why does this happen?
Third, concerts are too long. Standing in one place for two hours sucks, but standing in one place for three or four is really shitty. If the doors open for a show at 7 and it starts at 8 (but really 8:30), the main act probably won’t be finished until 11:30 or midnight. That’s like 5 hours of standing. That needs to be cut in half. It’s like the problem baseball has with games dragging on.
And fourth, the ridiculous practice of “encores” at the end of concerts needs to end. I see no means excepting an executive order that could accomplish this, but it needs to be enacted nonetheless. This “pretending to leave” shit is so, so silly, I can’t even put it into words. It’s not like we don’t know you’re coming back. My idea: just play all the songs in one big, honkin chunk, and when you’re done, you’re done. It’s like the problem at the end of basketball games where one team keeps fouling and the last 2 minutes actually takes 30. Bleh.
Hahahaha
underscorebleach: does my mom ever get liquored up?
Atombond3: your mom likes gin and tonics
underscorebleach: that drink tastes like ass
Atombond3: I know
Atombond3: she also likes to turn up the jlo and dance