The Stops

"...his name was Matthew and he was an actor."

2010-12-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

Actual Skype transcript from this afternoon between me and my friend in NY:

HIM: I made the first step as a father. I just learned how to ride a two wheel bike. Yes, prior to last week, I could not ride a bike

ME: I can see you not being able to drive, as a NYer. But you couldn't ride a bike? What happened there?

HIM: My dad wasn't the best teacher and in the end, we both gave up.

But thanks to our local bike shop and Matthew Modine, I can now ride the 400+ miles of bicycle paths that traverse this fine city.

ME: Do I even want to ask .... Matthew Modine? Does he now work at the local bike shop? I swear I've seen him acting recently, but I guess he might have some down time ... ;)

HIM: (HIM's wife) and I were walking through the West Village and we stopped by this local bike shop. This guy came up to me and started to talk to me as if he were a salesperson. I told him that I couldn't ride a bike and then he proceeded to teach me. We got to talking and he told me that his name was Matthew and he was a actor. We told him that we had just moved from San Francisco and he said "I shot a movie in San Francisco called Pacific Heights where I was married to Melanie Griffith."

ME: SHUT. UP. (I was kidding about the down time.)

HIM: Yeah. When (HIM's wife) told him that she was from London, he said "Yeah, I was there for months shooting Full Metal Jacket. " About ten minutes later, he introduces me to George, the bike shop owner, and I made plans to learn how to ride a bike from him. So cool and kinda surreal.

ME: So, seriously. Matthew Modine is working in a bike shop. Not some dude who looks like Matthew Modine and was totally fucking with you?

HIM: No, it was definitely him. When I asked the George the owner about it, he told me that Matthew is working a grass roots campaign called "Bicycle for a Day." (By the way, on the way to the Bike shop one day, I walked past Paul Rudd, but I looked down so I wouldn't be caught staring.) Here's a better site: http://bicycleforaday.com/

ME: Can I re-print this conversation, say, on a blog? 'Cause seriously? That story is awesome.

HIM: OK. Be sure to give a shout-out to "Bicycle for a Day"

Bringing back davenport.

2010-11-03T14:43:00.001-07:00

I remain committed to some of my Midwestern terms out of habit (my vaccuum is a "sweeper," I wear "tennis shoes" instead of sneakers, even though I never play tennis.) Still other words of habit are continued out of a bullheaded insistence that our word is the right one (such as: that fine, sugary beverage will always be called "pop," which of course, can be procured from a "pop machine.")

And then there are the ones I dropped pretty quickly after I moved, because when I used them, it became really clear that no one else had any idea to what I was referring. For example: I don't know anyone else who refers to a winter hat as a toboggan. I fought to keep that one for a while, but ultimately decided to let it go outside of my visits home, since people made fun of me for "putting a sled on my head."

There is one I dropped, but have increasingly been wishing I held onto more insistently. I really want to bring back davenport. For those not Midwesternly-inclined, davenport is used synonymously with couch or sofa, ala "come sit next to me on the davenport." As I learned recently, a Davenport is a very specific type of sofa that is no longer made, and isn't actually another word for couch, as I've always used it. (Don't judge - you probably call all tissues a Kleenex, don't you?)

My case for bringing it back is simple: 1) It's an awesome word. 2) It reminds me of my grandparents, who were the two best people I've ever known (with whom I spent many a time on the davenport.) 3) You always read about those lost civilizations and languages and such that became extinct. I figure I couldn't do anything about Old English, Ancient Greek, or any of these massive lists, but I can do my part to preserve various archaic Midwestern and Appalachian terms.

I'm starting now.

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

2010-10-30T11:03:00.001-07:00

Here's my recap of the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, supplemented by the text message conversation between myself and my friend in NY during the rally.

HIM (9:28a, PST): Are you currently rallying to restore sanity and/or fear?
ME: If by "rallying," you mean "watching it in pajama pants" then yes.
ME: I really can't wait to see what else they've got in store.

I sat on my bed and enjoyed The Roots and John Legend for a while, which, though awesome, started to lull me back asleep. In an ironic twist, the name of their new album together is Wake Up! And it's really pretty great. And then they wrapped up and Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman appeared on stage.

ME: Yay - Mythbusters! Love that show.
HIM: Good, they stopped with the wave.
ME: Yeah ... Mythbusters should not be live. This is failing.
ME: Though it is probably keeping everyone awake and engages.
HIM: And warm.
HIM: This is lousy. I"m starting the Rally to Restore The Roots.
ME: I'll have the co-rally to restore John Legend. And then we can combine them.
HIM: Thank goodness they're done.

In short, the Mythbusters guys were trying to conduct crowd experiments which involved a few variations of "the wave," as well as attempting to get the crowd to all jump at the same time to simulate an earthquake. If I am making it sound exciting, I am describing it inaccurately. But I think you got that from our text exchange.

John Stewart came out to greet the crowd, followed shortly thereafter by Colbert's emergence from a Chilean miner rescue pod. (Yes, I just wrote that.) And then the two of them, in some AMAZING sweaters, speak as only those two can together, followed by a benediction from Father Guido Sarducci, and ultimately, a Colbert poem read by Jack McCoy.

ME: Tell [him's wife] there is shirtless Colbert. I think it will make her happy.
HIM: I will. Now it's Steval Knieval.
ME: I just realized I want an Evil Knieval jumpsuit. I love when my dreams reveal themselves.
HIM: LOL. Biggest improv show ever.
ME: Father Guido - YAY!
HIM: I think he's the longest running SNL character in history.
Colbert has more costume changes than Lady Gaga.
ME: Those pants ... just ...
HIM: This would've been funnier from Colbert himself.

Then, in what I can only describe as one of most amazing things I've ever witnessed, Yusef "Cat Stevens" Islam (Team Sanity) and Ozzy Osborne (Team Fear) performed dueling versions of "Peace Train" and "Crazy Train" to ultimately be ousted by the O'Jays, performing "Love Train." If you didn't see it, it's worth the visit to YouTube.

ME: Colbert actually interrupted "Peace Train." He's going to hell.
O.K. This is awesome.
HIM: This is great.
ME: Best. Mashup. Ever.
HIM: True. I must say Ozzy & Yusef are pretty good sports.
ME: Yay!!!
HIM: Best Train Mix ever!
ME: And then they can leave on a Midnight Train to Georgia.
HIM: Tru dat! I think Jon Stewart is the best Bar Mitzvah MC ever!

Colbert and Stewart offer up medals for fear and reasonableness, respectively. Hard to say which was my favorite, since they all had merit, but special mention to the medal of Fear going to a 7-year-old girl in a diss on media outlets for not allowing their employees to attend the rally.

There were a couple other musical performances, including duets from Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, and awesomely, Stewart and Colbert.

ME: My fave odd couple of 2010 (referring to Tweedy/Staples)
HIM: She should join Wilco.
ME: I know it's a pipe dream, but they need to bring on Corddry and Helms.
HIM: You never know.
ME: As long as they don't sing that shitty "Picture" song, I'm fine. (referring to Rock/Crow)
HIM: I hear ya! Bruce isn't on tour, why isn't he there?
ME: To quote you, you never know.

Then it was time for the keynotes, which started with Colbert showing frightening media images. For every "type" Colbert was scared of, Stewart presented something to counter him. (ala: Kareen Abdul Jabar = non-scary Muslim, R2D2 = non-scary robot)

ME: Impodiumed. (this may be my new favorite Colbert word)
Another dream just revealed itself - John Oliver as Peter Pan.
HIM: This is great!

And then came the true keynote, delivered fantastically by Jon Stewart. I'd give a summary, but here's the whole thing, because it's worth seeing in its entirety: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jonstewartsanityrallykeynote.htm

Jon was followed by our World Series opening act, Tony Bennett, singing "God Bless America," which was then followed by everyone uniting on stage while Mavis Staples sang her classic, "I'll Take You There."

ME: Tony's everywhere this week. And that's not bad.
HIM: It ain't Bruce, but at least he lives in Jersey.
ME: Yeah ... sorry.
HIM: Great speech!
ME: It really was. I want to go back to sleep, but also feel like I should get up and be productive in the world now. Damnit.
I love this song. 7 year old girl doesn't know this song.
HIM: I'm really liking the Mavis Staples renaissance.

Choose sanity.

This one goes out to my new niece.

2010-10-28T10:54:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday, Gracie girl. Welcome to the world.

(Her details are here. Photo is here.)

When the lights go down in the cit-ay ...

2010-10-26T13:33:00.001-07:00

I am often really happy I moved here.

This is one of those times.

Disneyland - You Can Do It All!

2010-10-25T14:36:00.001-07:00

I find that when you are exhausted from gallivanting around for a couple months, the best thing to do is make a whirlwind road trip to the Magic Kingdom to feed that exhaustion.

So, with that, I drove to G's house at "as close to 6a as I could" Saturday morning and we set off for Anaheim. Turns out we're pretty good road trip companions since we're both amused by similar things. Having just made a solo trek to Southern CA a month before, I think it's probably preferential to not go it alone, if only so someone else can see what I act like on a road trip when I'm slap happy.

We set out ... to breakfast. Nothin' kicks off a road trip quite like an egg McMuffin. Speaking of things that amuse us, the McD's we patronized turned out to have a double lane drive-thru, setting off a series of "double drive-thru - all the way - what does it mean?" interpretations. (If you have (somehow) never heard the double rainbow guy, just know you need to hear it at least once to truly understand the term "trippin' balls." Shortly after hitting the road, G first uttered the phrase "we're gonna do it all!" which I would hear several times that weekend, always accompanied by "the jazz hands of dreams." (There's no way to describe it - just ask me when you see me.)

I'd never been to Disneyland during a Halloween season, so I was really looking forward to seeing the park decked out (especially the transformation of the Haunted Mansion into the Haunted Mansion Holiday, where Jack Skellington was now holding court.) In preparation for the holiday, I bought a shirt that said "Happy Halloween" to wear to the park. G didn't believe me, but I earnestly bought it so that people who passed by me would read it and know someone was wishing them a good holiday. (That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.) I also bought some Halloween socks with little candy corns and ghosts on them, but those were for me.

Anyway, before I get to the park highlights, here are a few of the highlights from the drive to and from Anaheim. (Warning: This stuff seemed funny enough to write down as it was happening, but after a little rest, I don't know which of them will actually hold up.)

We saw our first of several signs for a corn maze shortly after getting onto Highway 5. And immediately, I became very excited and exclaimed "Corn Maze means Corn Corn!" (I realized Maize Maze is more accurate, but Corn Corn was the first thing I shouted.) And I periodically punctuated conversations with exclamations of Corn Corn! for the next 5 hours.
On a related note, while contemplating whether or not we'd get to go to a "Corn Corn" on the trip, I wondered what the hours were for one of them. And then, for some reason, decided the hours were pretty open because "corn grows at all hours." (I can't believe I actually said that. Or wrote it down.)
(While discussing a former co-worker who coincidentally showed up ALL THE TIME when doing promotions with a particular band) G said, matter-of-factly, "It's much easier for you to get your mouth around a penis if you're in the same room." To which I replied, "Yes. Proximity is very important for blow jobs." Someone needs to put that on a bumper sticker and give me the royalties.
At our first gas stop, G bought us each a Barack Obama commemorative plate at the gas station, for $2.99/apiece. I think that's a fair value.
Whenever I drive/go through the Grapevine and/or Tejon areas on Highway 5, I always yell out, "Grand Tetons!" And it's more fun to say Grand Tetons with a French accent. I wonder if I will yell this out if I ever get to the real thing in Wyoming.
The Petro Stop (an exit not far from the Grand Tetons) has the most amazing spinning rack of Jesus-themed, logo-spoofing shirts I've ever seen. Like this and this. And before you go accusin', I'm not making fun here. It's an amazingly audacious collection that needs to be seen.
G thinks Falco's "Der Kommissar" is better than After The Fire's version "because of the accent."
G has a Zune MP3 player. I had a lot of trouble operating it, and it turns out it doesn't respond when you gesture to/yell at it. I think I'll stick with my iPod.
There were a few billboards for the "Mummies of the World" exhibit at the California Science Center as we passed L.A. and neared Anaheim. "Mummies of the World" is fun to sing to the tune of "Spice Up Your Life."
Our new potential karaoke songs will be "Ride Like the Wind" and "Ya Mo Be There."
When G first heard the opening bass line for "Turn Me Loose" by Loverboy, she said, "Sounds like some sex is about to happen." I'd never really thought about it, but yeah, it does kinda sound like that.

We finally reached the park around 1:00p and headed inside to "do it all!" G is a Disneyland veteran, so she (smartly) directed us to Space Mountain to get a FastPass as soon as we got there. Whoever started this "Fast Pass" thing? Genius. We worked that system successfully for the rest of Saturday and Sunday. We hit up nearly everything we wanted to do in Disneyland (where I'd been before) and California Adventure (where I had not.) It's a tough call to say which were my favorites, because I'm an enthusiastic kid at amusement parks and really do love all of it. But if I have to pick, I'll go with The Haunted Mansion Holiday for Disneyland, just because it looked so badass, and for California Adventure, I've gotta go with Muppet Vision 3D, which isn't even a ride, but I love me some Muppets.

Other highlights from the visits (again, besides everything):

The adult size of the Mickey ear hats doesn't fit my huge noggin, unless I wear it at the back of my head like a Disney yarmulke.
I did purchase an awesome Nightmare Before Christmas fedora that probably needs to be a bit bigger, but fits nonetheless.
I spotted the most awesome winter hat EVER (this one here) which G bought.
There were TONS of SF Giants fans at the park, yelling out "Go Giants!" in a Tourettes-like fashion, particularly around Big Thunder Mountain. (?) There's less NorCal/SoCal animosity than I thought. Or, those were all NorCal people being celebratory/trying to be dicks.
Anytime we'd be on a ride with a tunnel (Thunder Mountain, Matterhorn, Space Mountain), when we'd enter the tunnel, I'd yell out "It's so incredibly black!" (from this) followed by G yelling out "Darknesses!" (from this) It never got old.
When G's friend flaked on giving us a place to stay (at about 12a after we left the park Saturday), we learned that there were a bunch of conventions in town so there was no mas cuartos anywhere. When we finally did find a place to stay several miles away at about 2a, G inexplicably starting singing "Jesus Take the Wheel" to help us find the way into the hotel parking lot.
I cashed in my 2 day/2 park ticket for an annual pass, so I'll be back at least one more weekend in the next year.

We just saw The Social Network.

2010-10-22T13:42:00.002-07:00

As you've heard from everyone else who saw it already, the acting is great and the script is fantastic. I love Aaron Sorkin's words and I'll probably go home tonight and watch Sports Night for the umpteenth time so I can hear more of them.

The movie also reinforced some of the reasons I've never joined Facebook. Then again, Sorkin summed up a smidgen of that on Colbert last month when he said, "Socializing on the Internet is to socializing what reality TV is to reality." (I'm not up for a discussion of Facebook's merits and evils right now. Maybe I'll be down for that another time.)

But on an unexpected side note, within 10 minutes of leaving the theater, after discussing our impressions of the movie, we started chatting and out of that, had the framework for our idea for a website. And then we sat out in a bar courtyard and sketched it out for an hour. It's really too bad neither of us has a lot of time to make this happen (or is a programmer) 'cause we really like our idea. We'll see where that goes, if anywhere. It would be funny to launch a successful site and then share that the impetus for it was born after seeing that particular movie.

"You know no one in the band plays the ukeulele, right?

2010-10-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

As I do most days, I just asked my co-worker if she had any musical preferences for the day, since I was getting ready to fire up my iTunes.

Having seen many Punch Brothers videos since late summer (I like to share), she asked, "How 'bout those 5 cute young guys with the ukuleles?"

This is tremendous for many reasons, one of which being that none of them actually plays the ukulele in the band as far as she's ever seen. (Though I'm sure that with their assorted music super powers, all of them are actually ukulele aficionados.)

Second, now I'm trying to imagine a band of five comprised of only ukulele players.

Watch your ass, mosquitoes.

2010-10-20T00:35:00.000-07:00

Come for Francis Callahan. Stay for Bobby Bottleservice.

Bobby Bottleservice Gets Serious - watch more funny videos

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES ... PLEASE STAND BY.

2010-10-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

I've started posting again (and stating the obvious) but I'm having issues with the posts publishing on the correct days. The blogging adventure started just fine with my Seth & Ed's Puppet Talk Show post on September 27, but everything else since then is awry.

If you happen to be reading this, please refer to the dates I've written in the post title to figure out where they fit into the grand scheme of things.

I've also pulled down about half of the posts between October 1 and today, and hopefully those will be back up soon ...

OCTOBER 15 - The Punch Brothers can do anything.

2010-10-19T23:39:00.000-07:00

(Seriously. I may need some help with some custom electrical wiring at my house and I'm considering asking for their help since they are so damn proficient.)

I set out on my trek to Santa Cruz after work, excited to see my first Punch Brothers show (I don't count Hardly Strictly Bluegrass), and psyched to check out the Kuumbwa Jazz Center based on what I'd see online. I'd opted for their second show, since I wasn't sure I could reach Santa Cruz by 7:00, between the inconsistency of rush hour and winding hills of Route 17.

I rolled in around 7:45, parked the car, and began strolling the blocks around downtown Santa Cruz. It's been a minute since I was last there and I forgot how, well, how damn cute it is. I want to pinch Santa Cruz's cheeks. I knew I was getting close to the venue when I heard the fiddle in the night air. (I'm not making that imagery up. That fiddle was my aural beacon.)

There's a small courtyard that leads into the Kuumbwa Jazz Center and I sat there for a few minutes, listening to the band and the audience cheers, and thought maybe I'd just stay there 'til my show time. That is, until my stomach growling became louder than my courtyard concert, and I stepped away to grab a bite.

I got back a bit before the first show let out, and once it did, the courtyard was electric with energy. Now, I've seen a lot of shows - a LOT of shows - but I have never been waiting for a show and had so many people leaving the first show animatedly telling me how great the band I'm about to see is. It was as if they'd all discovered live music that night. And then it kind of struck me as funny, like, "O.K. folks. You don't need to convince me. I'm already in line with a ticket." But after I left later that night, I realized they were all pre-happy for us. Because there were only maybe 450 of us at Kuumbwa Jazz Center that night for the two shows and only those of us there that night would ever really know how good that night was. So, to that older gentleman who took off his cap and sincerely put it over his heart and said, "These guys are fantastic. This is going to be one of the best shows you've ever seen," I feel you.

The excitement extended to the folks in line with me. I was there alone, but that only lasted about 10 minutes. The girl standing in line behind me was about to jump out of her skin, having just attended the first show and obviously wanting to tell me about it. But before that, she blurted out, "I just met Chris Thile in line for the bathroom!" So, she told her story about how nice he was, and how her dad was also a mandolin player, and such, and I was really happy for her since she was clearly having a fantastic night already. And then I got confused and said, "Wait. Why was Chris Thile in line for the women's restroom?" (What? It's a legit question ... apparently, the venue has one set of unisex restrooms.) And then she was talking about seeing Nickle Creek a lot when she was younger, which perked up the three older women in line behind her. And I learned that one of them had flown from Seattle for this show for her birthday, and she very much loved Noam Pikelny, and her friends were largely there to support that love. So, long story short, by the time they let us in, we were a party of five.

Quickly, before I get into the actual show, I have to mention Kuumbwa Jazz Center for a bit. Obviously, it's a music venue, but more than that, it's a small, non-profit jazz center, created with the idea of being a community hub for affordable music education and performance. (So says the website, and one of the center volunteers who poured me my glass of wine.) It's fantastically intimate, holding only about 200 seats. Based on my experience that night, I'd consider being a "member" for the center if only it were a bit closer to home.

So ... the show. We settled in across the center of the 2nd row, because, frankly, I'd have felt way too intrusive in the first row. You could have shined their dapper shoes from that front row. And dapper they were, all decked out in suits, ties, vests, and the like. (I'd attach a video from the show as an example, but it appears the Santa Cruz shows are the ONLY Punch Brother shows not represented on youtube.) From the get-go, a few things were immensely clear: 1) they are very charming and sometimes chatty (especially Thile), and funny and dry (especially Pikelny) and 2) they are amazingly, unquestionably gifted musicians (especially all of them.) And even if he wasn't a mandolin savant, you can tell Thile would have found a way to get on stage for some reason and make a career out of it. Dude's gonna be hosting an open mic when he's 90.

They started with their cover of The White Stripes' "Dead Leaves & The Dirty Ground," followed by Thile's thoughts on Giant's baseball to a crowd already well-invested in the playoffs. (Well played, Thile. Well played.) Then another song followed, but unfortunately I can't read what I wrote about it, (which means I didn't immediately know the title and was trying to write down lyrics and google doesn't know what I'm talking about.) Next up came a couple more tracks from Antifogmatic, "Next to the Trash" and "Missy," the latter of which has become my favorite on the album (this week.) They took a break from their latest album to play one of "Blind Leaving the Blind" movements from Punch, and then blew my mind with a cover of Of Montreal's "Gronlandic Edit." (I already love that song, and never would have predicted it to be one that they would cover, but after hearing it performed, it just made so much sense.) They made their way back to Antifogmatic for "Alex" and "Don't Need No" (love Gabe Witcher's vocals, too) followed by two solid covers of "Heart in a Cage" (The Strokes) and "Morning Bell" (Radiohead). They have a few Radiohead covers in their repertoire, which makes sense, not only because they have the talent to pull off the intricate arrangement and genre bending, but also because Thile kinda dances like Thom Yorke. From there, we cheered them back for the encore, which began with Witcher taking lead on Roger Miller's "Kansas City Star," followed by "You Are" (love the Chris Eldridge harmonies on that, and everything), and the raucous closer of "Rye Whiskey," which inspired some a couple of rows of teens toward the back to get up and dance.

I've been listening to Antifogmatic non-stop since summer, and it is definitely the gift that keeps on giving, in terms of always being able to hear something new on every listen. (This probably explains why my "favorite" track on the album has changed multiple times and been just about every track.) Finally seeing the tracks performed live was my window into finally seeing how they were producing some of the sounds. There's a lot of instrumental overlap in the arrangements, and sounds I couldn't quite place, so at times I found myself watching their hands intently, trying to figure it out. ("Oh, that sound was from tapping the banjo?" "Wait - that's the fiddle? I really thought that was mandolin on that part.") There's also something fantastic about witnessing that level of proficiency, watching them playing off each other for clues to in-the-moment key changes, extended solos, and such. And even better, watching them loving it. They are at the top of the game, they are continuing to try new things, and they are a blast to watch.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to replicate the ideal setting for that night, but I'm sure I'll try. There's no way I'm going to miss another opportunity to see them if they come around again. If they are this good now, I can't wait to see where they go next.

OCTOBER 13 - Celebrity Hot Tub Party

2010-10-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

I walked to the pantry at work today just in time to hear my friend singing an ode to coffee making, to the tune of R. Kelly.

"I don't see nothin' wrong ... with a little coffee grind ..."

I was relaying this to another coworker when I got back to my seat, and I fessed up that I sometimes sing a song when I get into the jacuzzi that starts a little somethin' like this:

"I'm hot tubbin', check it and see ... "

However, my Foreigner-inspired ditty is only sung occasionally. I've had a jacuzzi for about 9 years, and nearly every time I get in it, without fail, I become Eddie Murphy.*

OCTOBER 12 -Two Mormons walk into a Tardis

2010-10-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

I concur with the confusion. Utah? Really?

OCTOBER 12 - I'm the Hot Slut of the Day.

2010-10-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

This post would make a helluva lot more sense if I'd returned to this blog to write about the madness that was the STBE Vegas trip in late August. But alas, I didn't. So alas, it might not.

A central part of the STBE Vegas trip extravaganza is the theme night. One of the theme nights this year, the last night, actually, was Three's Company. So each of us picked a character and went with it. G thought I should be Lanaburger, aka Lana, aka (per G) "the older, slutty one with big boobs that used to hit on Jack all the time."

I assumed she chose that one for me based on the fact that I was one of the oldest ones there, have brown hair, and yeah, I guess I have big boobs. (There's never been cause to call me a slut as far as I know.)

So imagine my surprise when I got an email today from G: "Were you as shocked as I was to find out you were named Hot Slut of the Day?"

D-Listed, I'm honored.

OCTOBER 10 - Oh, how I've missed thee, Bootie.

2010-10-19T23:19:00.001-07:00

I decided it was time to give the leg a real test drive, so M and I made our presence known on the Bootie dance floor last night. I'm still a little tentative about going completely buck wild with the moves (whatever that means), but really, I was just grateful I was able to climb the staircase with ease.

At one point in the evening, as there sometimes is, an inflatable pirate was being passed around the dance floor like a beach ball. The pirate and I shared a dance for a little while, but I set him free and carried on about my business. Later, M and I were trying to make a request for some of our favorite older mashups, but Mysterious D was occupied, so I wrote "Gonna Make Betty Sweat?" on her notepad and we went back to the dance floor.

My pirate friend came back around and I tried to pull it back toward me. The guy next to me didn't realize this and he kept pulling it away. After a few seconds of competing forces, the guy next to me (accidentally) pulled the pirate's head off, and M and I began to laugh uncontrollably. Like, good ab workout laughter. At the same time I heard the opening for "Gonna Make Betty Sweat" (can't find a link - sorry) blast from the speakers and I let out a jubilant cheer. (We watched his headless pirate body get passed around the heads of the crowd for about 30 more seconds, until finally, the deflated body was thrown over the ceiling decorations, left to hang as the dance floor lost its collective mind to my request.)

It was one of those great Bootie nights, where the dance floor was packed with a fun crowd, the drinks were free, and I went home in the wee hours of the morning sweaty and satisfied. I'm excited for my next go round, whenever that happens to be. 'Til then, here's a few of my favorite new mashups from last night:

The Kleptones - "Jump You F*#ker" (Cee-Lo vs. Van Halen)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO IT

DJ Tripp - "Dynamite Pressure" (Taio Cruz vs. Queen vs. David Bowie)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO IT

OCTOBER 8 - Dolly's Islands

2010-10-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

Back when I started this blog, I shared that my grandparents bought the 45 for "Islands in the Stream" specifically because they knew that if they played it, I would sing and dance to it in their living room. They were right. I have no idea why I was singing 1) a duet 2) about lovers when I was, like, 9, but it was probably cute.

Anyway, I've been listening to that song a bit lately (nope, not sure why exactly) and was playing it at work today when the person who sits next to me told me that she remembers people were always making jokes about "Dolly's Islands" when the song was out when she was a kid.

I looked at her, confused. "I don't get it."

"You know. Dolly's Islands."

(In my head, I was trying to recall if that was something at Dollywood.) "I still don't get it."

"Dolly's Islands," with a gesture of her hands.

Wow. I'm really slow today.

OCTOBER 5 - Ease on Down the Road. Yet Again.

2010-10-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

When I got to the gym last night, my trainer asked me, "What was that song we were listening to in your car last week?"

"Do you mean 'Ease on Down the Road'?"

"Yeah, yeah. That song's the s#*t."

Me, smiling, "Yeah, I know."

We hooked my iPod up to the speakers in the gym at the end of the night. Turns out it's the best song to motivate you through your last set of a long workout.

OCTOBER 3 - Hardly Strictly Bluegrass - Day 3

2010-10-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

NOTABLE QUOTE OF THE DAY

Guy on a blanket behind mine: "I'm not a hippie. I'm a mountain man."

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I had to miss Day 2 of Hardly Strictly for a few reasons, but there was no way I was sitting the final day out. Apparently, hundreds of thousands of folks agreed on this point, because Golden Gate Park was as packed as, well, what's the most packed you've ever seen a park? It was like that. Fortunately, I knew where I wanted to be so I just made a beeline through the dawdling revelers so I could camp out for the day on the incline at the side of the Banjo Stage (later affectionately dubbed as the Old Timey-Wimey Stage).

I don't mean that stage moniker with any disrespect - quite the contrary. I'm in awe that Hazel Dickens, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Del McCoury are 75, 86, 87, and 71 respectively, and are still playing with more vigor than most artists I've seen at a quarter of their age. At one point David Holt (who was accompanying Doc Watson) asked the crowd, "Do you know how lucky you are?" He was referring to the amazing, vast, free festival we were getting to attend, but he may as well been referring to the fact that we were getting to see these enduring musicians play. I think the last time I was truly aware of the history an artist represented as I watched them was when I saw Les Paul play at the Iridium in New York in 2007.

Anyway, enough with the sentimental gushing ... Hazel Dickens is a tough, feisty woman with some powerful words. I think she and my grandma would have gotten along fantastically. Earl Scruggs got a huge ovation from my many neighbors, who stood and danced for his hour-long set. Doc Watson had great stories and still-nimble fingers and was accompanied by not only Holt, but by his so (and grandson, if I wrote it correctly.) And Del, with his great voice, also brought along a younger McCoury, giving me faith that as long as Warren Hellman has willed his money right, this festival is going on forever. (He's allegedly set us up for the festival to go on for 15 years after he passes.) We had a great finale that included most of the stage's lineup, Hellman, Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, and a slew of others.

(I vacated my spot after that finale, hoping to catch Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings on the Rooster Stage. As I headed that direction, I realized I clearly wasn't going to get to see them with the crowd size, so I headed home and opted to listen to their (excellent) CD on my iPod instead.)

A few other fun tidbits of the day:

Giants fever is alive. We got score updates from the stage. (SF beat the Padres 3 - 0.)
A little boy (Gabriel) was missing for a little while. When they announced he'd been found, rightfully, he got more applause than the Giants.
Every one of my "neighbors" was awesome, from the jovial stoners to my left who invited most of the free world to share their blanket, and little toddler Ella and her family who borrowed part of my blanket to play , and the fantastic older couple to my right who shared some of my wine. (I have read some comments in articles about people being rude and whatever, but I met none of those people.)

There were so many great acts over the three days that it was impossible to really see everyone. You just had to make a choice and hunker down and immerse yourself wherever you were. Best part is that no matter where I was over the weekend, I was sure I was in the best place ever. And I'm sure that was true for most of the people there. And we were all correct.

SEPTEMBER 28 - Ease on Down the Road. Still.

2010-10-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

With "Ease on Down the Road" still the #1 song in the soundtrack of my life, I had The Wiz on repeat in my car last night as I made the way from work to the gym. And I was spreading its goodness like an errant yellow brick road.

Pre-workout, I ended up giving my trainer a quick lift to the bank, and my speakers reminded him that he shouldn't carry nothin' that might be a load, which he apparently hadn't been told for several years, and was enjoying immensely.

After I left the gym, I ended up stopped at a red light just before I got on the bridge. My speakers were still preaching the good word about how the road you're walkin' might be long some times. I looked to my left, and there was a homeless man standing on the lane divider dancing next to my car. I couldn't help looking over and grinning. When he saw me he said, "You've got the good stuff right there." I fished out a buck and said, "Can't go wrong with The Wiz." And then the light turned green.

OCTOBER 2 - Hardly Strictly Bluegrass - Day 1

2010-10-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

NOTABLE (MISHEARD) QUOTE OF THE DAY

Jenny Lewis: "This song is about being broke and being young."

Me (to my friend): "Did she just say this song is about being broke and Neil Young?"
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This is the first October since 2007 that I've been able to walk well enough to go to a festival. (So weird to write that. And so happy it's true.) I was elated to be able to trek into Golden Gate Park for the first day of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival on October 1.

I used a vacation day to relieve me from my Friday work, so I had a leisurely morning before heading to the park for the festival. We stopped off to get our deli sandwiches and snacks and wine before hopping on Muni to head to the park. We trampled down the straw-covered hillside and entered the grounds to the sounds of Blue Highway playing on the Banjo Stage. (Regrettably, I was too leisurely and missed the Ebony Hillbillies.) We assessed the scene, I made quick stop at the merch booth to see what was what, and then we headed to set up camp at the Rooster Stage, where Patty Griffin was already performing. Quick thoughts on Patty: she sounded great, but I was even more enamored with her speaking voice, which could easily be mistaken as that of a little girl's. I wonder if solicitors call her house and ask to speak to one of her parents.

We set up a blanket near the side, amongst the sea of people who were also making a day of it, including our neighbors who were selling cans of PBR from their case at $2 a pop. (He later told me they'd made enough to cover the part of the case they'd actually drank (drunk?) themselves.) Patty finished up her set and we settled in. Next up on the Rooster Stage was Jenny and Johnny. I knew Jenny Lewis from her solo stuff, and Rilo Kiley, (and from Troop Beverly Hills), but I'd never heard this collaboration. I have to say, I was underwhelmed at first. But I enjoyed them more as the set went on (which I don't believe has any correlation to the wine consumption.) And I got ~~a little~~ giddy when Elvis Costello joined them for a song.

Headlining the Rooster Stage that evening was T-Bone Burnett, with guests Karen Elson, the Secret Sisters, and, playing the role of a ridiculously talented backing band, the Punch Brothers. The set began with Burnett's "Zombieland" and for the next hour or so, each of the artists had their moments to step forward and be featured. The camaraderie among the artists was joyful and the musical blend when they joined forces was spectacular. Steve Earle also stopped by to join forces with the artists, and to sing the theme song from Treme. (I learned that I've been mispronouncing the name of that show for a year.)

My leg got itself together just in time. I'm so grateful I didn't have to miss that day.

I can't wait to see the Punch Brothers (they are playing the Bay Area) in a few weeks.

SEPTEMBER 27 - L.A. road trip tunage

2010-10-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

I spent about 12 hours in my car over the weekend, taking me back and forth from L.A. I learned a few things along the way:

My car is a bad ass. She can get from L.A. to the Bay Area on one tank of gas.
Ever since the Vegas trip, I’ve rediscovered my love of singing, particularly singing loudly in my car.
Keeping my "no songs that beg for introspection" ban was a challenge, since it eliminates a lot of my favorite songs, and 'cause, well, I'm me. But I can be triumphant.
Many times this past weekend, my car was the most fun place to be in the world.

Here’s some of the reasons I believe that was true:

Give Me the Night – George Benson

I knew the road trip was going to be good when this gem was first out the gate to come up on random out of 15,000+ songs. I think I listened/sang along with/grooved to it at least 4x at the start.

Used Ta Be My Girl – The O’Jays

Once I relieved “Give Me the Night” from repeat, this was the next song up. Well-played, random.

F*#You – Cee-lo Green

Who knew juxtaposing classic soul with lots of cussing would be so genius? This song kills me. I particularly love the background vocals. (“Ain’t that some s#*!”)

Across the Field – Marching Band / Hang on Sloopy – The McCoys

I was missing this OSU game while I drove, so I was relying on family updates on the road.

Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars

To paraphrase JL, this songs reminds me that I love love. I think that Bruno Mars kid is adorable; he just needs to (allegedly) lay off the coke.

Timebomb – Old 97’s

This one is great with the windows down, lungs at full throttle. And I almost always follow it with 19, even though that one’s much less raucous.

Stickshifts and Safetybelts – CAKE

I don’t think I’ve ever driven on The 5 without cranking this song, singing Vince’s backing vocals, and bouncing up and down on the driver's seat like a small child. It’s generally followed by "Comfort Eagle", "The Distance" (because I’m a road trip cliché,) and then a dozen more CAKE songs.

The entirety of “Antifogmatic” – The Punch Brothers

I’ve been listening to this album incessantly since July, and I am pretty sure that if I can continue to keep up with this blog, it will be my #1 album of the year if I force myself to make a list. I'd already established that it was perfect for yard work. And house cleaning. And shower singing. Apparently, it’s also perfect for road trips. Best songs to sing loudly (besides all of them, save the instrumentals) with the windows down: "Don’t Need No", "Rye Whiskey", and "Next to the Trash".

Selected songs - Ben Folds (Five)
He's a friggin' introspection landmine, so you have to tread carefully. I stayed with a few solid singalongs, including "Army", "Kate", "Battle of Who Could Care Less", and "You Don't Know Me".

Take It Easy on Me - Little River Band

This song is much cooler than you think it is, unless you already think it's cool. In which case, you are correct.

Find Your Love - ~~Wheelchair Jimmy~~ Drake
I’m more than just an option. Hey, heeey, heeeeeeey.

The Beautiful Ones / 7 / P Control - Prince

I was on a Prince kick as I got closer to L.A., which took me on a journey through the waters of Lake Minnetonka and to Prince tracks from The Hits and The Gold Experience. I was briefly halted in accident-related traffic and caught some people in the car next to me dancing to “Gett Off” as it funneled from my speakers. (I told you my car was the place to be.)

Doin’ It – LL Cool J

Several years back, thanks to this song, I learned I was very proficient with an over-the-top, freaky-deaky, Brooklyn accent. Not even my closest friends have witnessed the effect this song has on me, ‘cause it’s a fairly shocking transformation. I got really into singing this one on the way back, so much so that I missed the freeway split (where 5 splits off to 99) and ended up in Bakersfield. Oops.

The Wiz – Soundtrack

I was singing "You Can’t Win" on the way (shout-out, DF) but thanks to Ed and Craig bringing "Ease on Down the Road" back to the forefront of my consciousness, it was a regular feature on the way back.

Station Approach - Elbow
I kept my beardy crumpet at arm's length for most of the weekend, save a bellowing "Grounds for Divorce" as I departed L.A., but I did select this track as my house got closer.

I'm exhausted by this now, so honorable mention to everything else that popped up on the I'm exhausted by this now, so honorable mention to everything else that popped up on the iPod river of dreams. (For the record, "River of Dreams" did not.)

SEPTEMBER 29 - Every Little Step (redux)

2010-10-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

Because I forwarded this, my friend can't sleep at night. She tosses and turns, thinking of Mike Tyson in spandex.

Every Little Step with Mike Tyson & Wayne Brady from Mike Tyson