Cool Hand Flick

The Beach Boys were a miracle, that is, if you believe in that sort of thing. When one witnesses Brian Wilson and 11 specially-assembled musicians attempting to duplicate their harmonies on stage, and falling considerably short of the task, you can't help but be amazed at how great those harmonies were (I always find myself missing Carl Wilson's voice, the most, when these songs are performed). When one considers the fact that they were not hand-picked, but instead happened to be in the same family, it's so much more impressive.

I went to see Wilson, last night, at the Chicago Theater and I was happy with the show. He opened with an hour of Beach Boys material, played with an eleven-piece band. He brought out a string-section for a couple of songs from Pet Sounds and 'Good Vibrations.' Yes, the only material from Pet Sounds was 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' and 'God Only Knows.' This was a bit disappointing. While this was not a strict greatest hits set, it was pretty close. More the kind of set I'd expect from Mike Love than the guy who had, not very long ago, toured while performing Pet Sounds and Smile, in their entirety. I can't complain too much, there will always be a performance of 'God Only Knows,' which, in one of those ridiculous hypotheticals often spoke of, is among a hand-ful of songs I would take to a desert-island with me, if I were to be stranded for eternity in such a place.

Number one on that list is 'In My Room,' which has been one of my favorites since I was about three-years old. He did this early in the set, when many patrons were still filing in. Hopefully, they learned from this experience.

The second part of Wilson's set was his new record That Lucky Old Sun, in its entirety. I didn't know any of the new material going in. It was surprisingly impressive, both in quality and ambition. I was happy to see at age 67, this was a guy who still seemed driven, creatively. The second set included an occasional over-head slide presentation, with images of California. This naturally included old Beach Boy pictures, all of which had Mr. Love noticeably omitted from them.

On a side-not, I got some good news, yesterday morning. The show I did in July, "The Assristocracy," has been accepted to be in the Chicago Sketch Fest. It's in January. Mark your calendars. I'd love to see you there.

I guess it's because I didn't write during the presidential race, that I am writing so much after. I have a different, more positive, perspective on things, at this point. That is why I'm somewhat glad I didn't let it all spill until now.

I want to expand on my thoughts from yesterday, about the hopeful end of divisive politics. I know that's too idealistic, but these strategies will surely be less prevalent in coming elections. The Republicans lived, thrived and ultimately suffered with these tactics and while I'm sure some look at the McCain campaign and complain that they didn't completely go for the throat, running on a platform of fear and bigotry, I think most sensible people realize that voters (a good majority of them, anyway) had finally had enough. Many finally saw through the tactics of a party that had used them, threatened their sense of security, and tried to sell them on a twisted trickle-down ideology that was only going to help the very people they were told to feel threatened by. Basically they were being played against themselves until finally they realized there could never be a winner in such a scenario.

I'm not saying that the players in this mythical chess game are on the red side. For years I've been hearing talk about 'red' and 'blue' states. This talk comes mostly from the 'blue' people. This talk bothers me as much as anything else. Yes I was encouraged to see Iowa go blue in the election, but I know what Iowa is. In the eastern half, it basically blue, while the west side is a fairly deep red. Illinois is a dominant blue, as a state. But travel south of Chicago and you will find yourself in Kentucky, before you've actually left the land of Lincoln. I would like to see this ideology die as well, though I know it will be harder to kill than the electoral college system that makes this way of thinking possible.

I'm running out of time, but I also wanted to talk about what I thought of John McCain's concession speech. I was glad to see him go out with some class. He redeemed himself a great deal in my eyes, and I know I'm not the only one who thought so. If he had been that person, while he was running, he likely would have fared much better. I guess I should be glad he wasn't.

Not only am I happy about the winner of Tuesday's election. I am maybe just as happy about a certain mind-set that did not prevail.

In contrast to Barack Obama's mostly straight-forward campaign, the McCain strategy relied heavily upon the same tactics employed by the previous Bush campaign's. He fell short of 'swift-boating' Obama, but the fear card was always in play. Obama's tenuous connections with William Ayers, Tony Rezko, and Jeremiah Wright were constantly mentioned to suggest that they might be part of Obama's terrorist cabinet, if he were elected. McCain had made similarly shady connections throughout his political career, but these were never, to my knowledge, mentioned by the Obama people.

One strategy in particular that I hated to see utilized, once again, is the pitting of the city vs. the country, or the "real America" as Sarah Palin stated it. I grew up in a rural farming community in Iowa and now I live in Chicago. The town of 350 people, I was raised in, is vastly different from the place I now reside. However, I have called both of these my home, and I hate to see someone cheaply inciting hatred between the two of them. I want to believe this tactic back-fired, this time around, that people saw through it, like they seemed to see through the folksy hockey-mom gimmickry of Palin.

With all the things I am now hopeful for, I also am hoping for the day when campaigns are based more on the merits of the candidate and not the trashing of the opponent and those who support him or her.

I have to end this with another disclaimer. My 15-20 minutes are up again today, and so this is another rough draft. Like I said yesterday, I would prefer to have more time to spend with my entries. I feel like it is better to get my ideas out in whatever form, instead of letting opportunites to write pass me by, however. Hopefully, the flaws don't make the pieces unbearable.

Yesterday at this time, I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Things weren't going to work out, somehow. This is probably the by-product of being a fan of the Chicago Cubs. I had just seen them enter the post-season with the best team they've assembled in my life-time and they came and went without the slightest peep. It's made me into a horrible pessimist, but the events of last night's election gave me reason to be an optimist, once again.

When you're a kid, you learn about various events that have made this country great. Then you learn about the not so great moments and you live through similar low points. Eventually, you start to wonder if you'll see a sign of your country's greatness in your own lifetime, not unlike a Cubs championship. Barack Obama proved last night that he is not the Chicago Cubs, and as much as I hate to put a negative tag on one of the things I love the most, I am glad and relieved he is not the Chicago Cubs.

I'm not so blind as to not see the problems with my world-view, when it is so wrapped up in my favorite sports team. However, the events of the last eight years have worked to damage my optimism, in the same way recent playoff appearances by the Cubs have. Only an optimist would gravitate to a team like the Cubs. You know what you're getting yourself into. Previous generations have gone through the same thing and have probably tried to discourage you from hitching your wagon to this doomed franchise. But you do it, because you truly believe things will change.

In 2004, I honestly contemplated moving to Canada. I really felt like things would only get worse, and for four more years they did.

It all seems different now. One of the major reasons I came to Chicago, was to vent some of my frustrations through political comedy. I now feel like I will have a shortage of material to work with. That doesn't bother me at all.

I didn't want to start of this blog with an explanation of why I haven't been writing. There has been so much to write about and I let it all go. I couldn't really do that after last night. As it is, I had about twenty minutes to get this piece together, and I apologize for its imperfections. I guess the way things are going, I'm going to have to settle for writing in twenty minute increments, and that is what I'm going to do. I don't prefer to do it this way, but it's all of got at this time.

THE TOP FIVE TRICKS AND TREATS

1. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - We're still reaping the benefits of that freak accident that married the previous rivals, chocolate and peanut butter. True inspiration for harmony among all races, nationalities and creeds.
2. Twix - Chocolate, Caramel and Nougat. It's the Halloween hat trick.
3. M&M's - Melts in your mouth not on your slutty nurse or slutty cop costume. Everybody wins.
4. Sweet Tarts - I eat them until my stomach hurts. So maybe I shouldn't rank them so high, considering the end result is less than positive.
5. Gobstoppers - Ranks with the Great Glass Elevator as one of Wonka's top breakthroughs.

It had been a crazy weekend. Actual people came actual distances to see me and a gang of lunatics, that I'd known for about a year, make stuff up on a stage before them. I was ill, the victim of some airborne virus that had penetrated my system two nights prior. The show was a success, according to our director, regardless of my sickened state. I was still able to do crazy make-em-ups, while being overtaken with phlegm.

That was Saturday, and now exhausted on Monday, I still felt the need to get out and take in the latest Wes Anderson film, The Darjeeling Limited.

I was in the unfortunate position of having a DV camera and tri-pod in my possession as I approached the box-office. I had no malicious intent; they were for a job I had been requested to do, later that evening. I was aware of the evils that could be done in a theater with a serviceable camera, a microphone and an home-internet hook-up and I had all the necessary components to put an honest stunt man out of work. Now I would wait for Johnny Law to come down on for what I was surely about to do.

The ill-intentions, that weren't actually mine, were out there for all the world to see. I hadn't thought through the entirety of the evening's itinerary. The camera was in a bag that really could only serve as a carrier for an image and soul-stealing device. The tri-pod was completely exposed in my hands, like a sign saying 'I'm a thief. Do what you will with my fate.'

I slipped past the female in the box-office. A day trapped alone in a dark box had stripped her of the will to suppress such a potentially heinous crime from taking place. I climbed the stairs, beads of sweat readying for the pouring upon the ultimate confrontation I would face, when I came into the eye-line of the ticket-taker, a sweaty, rotund beast-like homo-sapien. A manager, no doubt, pulling duty as an usher, in order to keep the budget in line.

He ripped into the ticket like a cougar ripping into its former victim and current meal. "It's up those stairs and straight ahead," he said. Was this really it? Surely there must be an Interpol agent waiting for me on the other side of that door. Here, I had all the tools to send a key-grip swirling into a life of poverty, to the point he'd eventually sell all of his children into a life of indentured servitude. You couldn't let a menace like that, freely into a theater full of honest popcorn chewing citizens.

I opened the door, waiting to be overtaken by the forces of justice. Perhaps, they were off for the Columbus holiday. 500 years later, the man is still so reverred for his failure in finding an efficient passage to India. Half a millenium later he was an accomplice to a crime I had no intention of comitting.

It seemed there would be no repercussions, for some reason. What about the production assistant who would be spending her weekends on the bread line? Wasn't anyone considering her wellfare? I could just pull the camera out of my bag and start taping, at will. Would any of these fine patrons turn me in? It didn't seem likely. They were to content at previewing the upcoming Phillip-Seymour Hoffman offering. They were now in movie-land, totally numb. Temptation was tapping my shoulder. At the very least, I could watch the film multiple times without having to leave residence.

I didn't give in. I thought of the stunt-man and the key-grip. I wouldn't have any blood on my hands. Hollywood, you win again.

As for the film, it's not Rushmore of The Tenenbaums, but it was good. I still enjoy spending a couple of hours in Wes Anderson's world, even if I have to pay for it.

Here they are. You beg to differ? I think not.

1. Moe Howard - He's the gold standard for Moes. He's also the originator of a hairstyle that, for some reason, never caught on.
2. Moe Szyslak - The originator, but not the inventor, of the Flaming Moe.
3. Moe Tucker - Late drummer of the Velvet Underground. She also sang lead on "After Hours," and "I'm Sticking With You."
4. Maurice Cheeks - All-star point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers. He coached a considerable collection of degenerates with the Portland Trail Blazers and rescued a girl from the National Anthem.
5. Moe Rocca - Former reporter for The Daily Show and Wishbone writer. He also delivered a memorable lecture at the University of Iowa, a few years back.

Honorable Mention: Mo' Money, Mo' Problems

In honor of High Fidelity (the movie and the book!), I will blatently rip off a good idea and start a series of top five lists. Since, the discussion of movie adaptations of comic books came up in conversation the other night, I will start with that. Feel free to put in your input. I know I'm probably forgetting something, but pffff!

1. Batman Begins - It's the top of my list and it's not because I'm an extra in the sequel.
2. Spiderman 2 - I've avoided the third Spiderman film, mostly because it didn't stick around very long. From what I've been told, I'm lucky.
3. X-Men 2 - It' really neck and neck with Spiderman, but the "Raimi edge" was the difference.
4. Batman - It's too bad the earlier series of Batman films ended up where they did. They got off to such a good start. So did Tim Burton for that matter.
5. Sin City - In case you were wondering, this didn't just barely edge out The Hulk or Captain America.

I returned to Iowa, last week, to right a wrong.

I don't get overly worked up over getting autographs, anymore. When I was a kid, though, I was a real signature hound. My hobby centered mostly around baseball players, and once, after a trip to Wrigley Field, I had a chance at the Jack Hancock of my favorite player. It was a dream deferred.

Ryne Sandberg was my hero from the moment I first changed the channel from ubiquitous afternoon soaps over to WGN and instantly felt simpatico with the lovable losing Cubs. I'll expand on that no further.

Following a game where I witnessed a Sandberg home run, in person, I stood outside the player parking lot, with the hopes of obtaining his and other Cubs autographs. My chance arose and Ryno took some time outside the clubhouse to sign a few items. I was hardly alone, but I waited inside the mob until, eventually, I was leading the pack.

As it finally seemed inevitable I would receive my reward, a voice could be heard in the vicinity. "Are you ready to go, Ryno."

The voice was Rick Sutcliffe and the answer, was unfortunately, "yes." Ryno was 'ready to go.' I was next in line, but it was not meant to be.

Sandberg is now managing in Peoria and last week, the Chiefs were in Cedar Rapids to play the Kernels. It still wasn't an easy task, as there was great demand for a player now in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but I finally achieved my goal. I don't think it felt the same as it would have, if I had done it as a kid, but it still felt pretty good.

So Bush lost his brain...yesterday?

My first trip to Chicago's Little Italy was also my first time seeing the Old 97's live. I'm not overly big on the idea of travelling a great distance to see a concert, but the 97's seemingly never stop in Iowa. Thus, seeing them live was at the top of the agenda once I moved and even though it took almost a year more, it was worth the wait.

Honestly, if I had written up their set list it really wouldn't have been much different. By far, my favorite record of their's is Too Far to Care and even though that one's back a ways in their catalog, it was still heavily represented. I would have liked seeing "Curtain Calls" and "Nightclub," but I won't gripe about it. The band played a long set, two encores and a two-song acoustic set by Rhett Miller that preceeded the first encore.

Blue Mountain was the opener, a band that I hadn't seen in a while and one that had just recently got back together. The lead guitar/vocalist Cary Hudson is a nice guy who once not only signed my copy of a Hilltops CD, but he took it with him to be signed by John Stirrat, a fellow former Hilltop and a founding member of Wilco. He later mailed it to me, signed by the entire band. I was happy to get a chance to thank him for that.

My big problem with concerts is other concert-goers. As I should have expected, but never do, there were quite a few chatty Kathys in the crowd (why can't they stay in back, instead of up front where they're always competing with the PA system to communicate their pointless bullshit to each other). I guess that's why I don't make an effort to see more shows. I do have to give the crowd some credit for an enjoyable sing-along on "Barrier Reef," though.

By the way, Chicago's Little Italy isn't as cool as New York's, but it's still a somewhat interesting place. There's even a statue of Joe DiMaggio in the middle of it, for reasons beyond my comprehension.

Old 97's set
Won't Be Home
Victoria
Lonely Holiday
Desperate Times
W. TX Teardrops
Designs on You
New Kid
Salome
? (Ken Bethea vocal)
Smoker
Rollerskate Skinny
Doreen
Bel Aire
Mama Tried
Oppenheimer
Barrier Reef
Can't Get a Line
Indefinitely
Melt Show
4-Leaf Clover
1st Encore
Come Around - Rhett acoustic
Singular Girl - Rhett acoustic
Crash on the Barrelhead
Question
Murder or a Heart Attack
Big Brown Eyes
2nd Encore
Time Bomb

I just got back from the Simpsons Movie. I went in with modest expectations, hoping to be pleasantly surprised, and I was. I won't give too many details, but it was almost end to end funny, making me long for the seasons of old. The writers also didn't resort to being overly self-referential, for which I am thankful. Now, hopefully, they can go back to making the show better.

Other things going on:

Brian Gallivan - Wednesday night was the last night on main stage for one of my favorites, Brian Gallivan. I have seen him perform multiple times weekly, since moving here and I feel lucky to have seen his final performance. He is going to California and I hope he is successful.

Strangers With Candy - Like a lot of shows on Comedy Central, I never really latched onto this one. I never really knew when it was on. I borrowed the DVD from a buddy and made up for that. It's a lost classic, especially season two. The movie was truly horrible, though.

The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism - I'm not ready to post a review just yet, but this is a really good disc.

The Cubs - They've come back to earth a bit lately, but they're still playing really well. I won't be the one to put the proverbial cart before the horse. Let's just say I'm happy with the way they're playing.

Last night, after writing class, a few of us went over to the Ale House. As a group often does while sitting in a bar, we threw out some thought-provoking questions for each other to answer. The questions and my answers were as follows:

1) What famous person(s) would you like to have a beer with?

Bill Murray and Bill Veeck

2) What famous person(s) would you least like to have a beer with?

Fred Durst and Andy Dick

3) If you could train any animal to be an assasin, what animal would you choose?

a turtle.

So I'm watching a credit card commercial, which I do from time to time, and I noticed they were using a Daniel Johnston song ("To Go Home"). Target and now Master Card have used his songs to hawk their wares. I really don't know what to make of that, so I'll just throw out the observation.

Icky Thump seems to be another disappointment for me. It's not bad, but I think it's definitely the weakest White Stripes record, thus far. Unfortunately, it's probably the Stripes' swan song. Hopefully, it's not. It's good to leave 'em wanting more, but not because the last thing you gave 'em wasn't very satisfying.

This is the second consecutive Jack White offering that has left me cold. I felt pretty much the same about the Raconteurs disc.

On the bright side, I'm enjoying Casadega, the new Bright Eyes record. I haven't listened to it enough to go into detail, but will definitely have more on that later. I'm also giving a listen to the Avett Brothers' Emotionalism.

We are well into July, but here's my playlist for the month of June, on shuffle:

1) Bob Dylan - Forever Young - The performance from The Last Waltz. One of my personal favorites by the Bob. That puts it among about fifty other songs, but it shouldn't take anything away from it

2) White Stripes - You Don't Know What Love Is - Again, I'm less than thrilled with the new Stripes record, but that doesn't mean it's unlistenable.

3) Pulp - Bar Italia - Jarvis Cocker and Pulp never had the overseas exposure that Blur and Oasis got during the Britpop movement, but A Different Class was among the very best recordings of that era.

4) Rufus Wainwright - Going to a Town - One of the strongest songs of the year, as far as I'm concerned. Like father...

5) Rufus Wainwright - Oh What a World - More Rufus from Want One.

6) Guster - The Sun Shines Down - One of my favorites from The Late Great Daniel Johnston. That puts it among most everything on that disc.

7) Elliott Smith - Pretty (Ugly Before) - One of the last of his great songs. He was a master of melancholy and this is a perfect example.

8) White Stripes - Effect and Cause - Again, the new one is not worthless. It's just not up to their standards.

9) Modest Mouse - Paper Thin Walls - Would like to have seen Modest Mouse when they were in Chicago, but I refuse to pay $180 to see them at Lollapalooza.

10) The Hold Steady - Against the Wind - The Steady covers Bob Segar.

11) The Hold Steady - Multitude of Casualties - I listened to a lot of Hold Steady, last month.

12) Arctic Monkeys - Flourescent Adolescent - I love this song, but wasn't that into the Monkeys' sophomore effort. They seem to be good for a couple of knockout songs per record, but I don't think they've quite put it together yet.

13) Flying Burrito Brothers - Hand to Mouth - A great post-Parsons Burrito Bros. song.

14) Elliott Smith - Ballad of Big Nothing - Did I say 'master of melancholy?' I believe I did.

15) Wilco - Either Way - I wish I had a Volkswagon.

16) Sleater-Kinney - Leave You Behind - Sleater-Kinney could have been a great Power Pop band.

17) The Hold Steady - Killer Parties - More Hold Steady from their debut release.

Since these entries aren’t flowing out of me as often as I’d like, I guess I’ll have to bring the quality. There’s a significant backlog of music I’d like to write about, which will take more than one visit to the blogoshpere.

The new White Stripes disc is still percolating, so I will hold off from commenting on that one for now. My biggest disappointment this year, without a doubt, has to be the new Wilco record, Sky Blue Sky. It’s very flat. I love the title track, but even that sounds a bit too much like “Far, Far Away” from Being There. Strangely, it seems that Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar will always ebb and flow alternately. Farrar was strong out of the gate, following the break up of Uncle Tupelo with Son Volt’s Trace, while Tweedy’s Wilco put out the very good, but definitely inferior, A.M. From that point, Tweedy pretty much owned the show, while Farrar seemed to be sputtering. When Wilco reached their peak with Summer Teeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Farrar seemingly disappeared altogether. But as the last two Wilco offerings have been increasingly less interesting, Son Volt have been staging a pretty strong comeback, rising from the ashes with Okemah and now The Search. Odd that it works that way.

There’s a lot more. I will continue this.

….and so begins volume two.

I know I’ve probably squandered the trust of any faithful readers I once had, but I swear I’m going to be a good boy and return to this blog-thing with a renewed vigor. Promise!
Even getting up to date with what I haven’t written about might take a few entries, but at least you know there will be no shortage of material.

My class had its first improv show on Sunday. It went pretty well, but it was way too short. About the time I was just getting into it, it was over. Now I know how some of my former girlfriends felt. Sorry, that was an easy joke, but at least I was self-deprecating. I’m starting new classes this week, so I will be busy again. I’ll also be moving soon to a more convenient neighborhood travel-wise, so hopefully things will even out and I can keep on cranking out blogs with some regularity.

How busy am I? I know you didn’t actually ask, but a recent list of concerts I’ve had to miss includes: Daniel Johnston, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire and M. Ward. I’m sure they were all unbelievably great performances. At least I have the opportunity to miss such great shows.

Finally, here's more incentive to come visit me and see the new mainstage show.
http://www.secondcity.com/news.php?id=457

It’s cold and much windier than normal, here in the city. Spring isn’t really a season, in the Midwest. It’s just a sprinkling of pleasant days, within the final phase of winter.

I had a rare day off from everything, yesterday, and decided to brave the elements and go to the Art Institute. It’s been a few years, since I was last there. That being said, my favorites are pretty much the same. I didn’t really add any new ones, this time.

I won an NCAA pool, this year, and probably haven’t done that in at least six years. So, here’s my advice to those participating in basketball pools: watch little to no basketball. I always feel obligated to enter a set of brackets, but this year I had no time to have a strong idea of who to pick. It totally worked to my benefit.

I’m totally not making this up. They now have a sports show that is exactly like one of those VH-1 ‘list’ shows. Right now, I’m watching either Kid or Play, the guy who played Newman, and Ralph Mouth talking about Andre Dawson’s home run swing. Yes, I’m actually watching this, and yes it is godawful!

Apparently there is no end to the revenue streams available to absolutely anyone who was in the entertainment business in the 1980’s. Oh nostalgia!

Adios Steve Alford. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Suddenly, I feel compelled to start watching Hawkeye basketball again.

This is by far the longest layoff I’ve had since I started keeping this blog, so I apologize. There actually has been a lot worth writing about, but practically no time. My writing assignments have taken most of my literary energy, so it has been difficult to keep up. I will give it the old college try, however, and not be away so long before my next entry.

A couple of weeks ago, I got the chance to do something I’ve wanted to do, since high school. I saw Public Enemy live. They played the House of Blues, which isn’t the most exciting venue in the world. It’s also a bit ironic to see P.E. on the same stage that Taylor Hicks was scheduled to be on a couple of nights later. But, oh well. It was the same line-up they started out with, except for Terminator X. It was mostly a greatest hits show, since the tour revolves around the twentieth anniversary of the group. There aren’t many bands that I’ve waited this long to see, but the fact that this was such a long time coming, made it that much more exciting.

The new Second City Main-stage revue “Between Barack and a Hard Place” opens tomorrow. It’s really funny and hopefully, more incentive for some of you to come visit me in Chicago.