Music
Last night before work was finished my ex called me and asked if I wanted to go to a Designer's fundraiser for AIDS or something. Our friend David is on the board of directors for the organization and I hadn't seen him in some time, plus there was to be a buffet and I was hungry, so I said, "what time will we be done? I have to be at The Empty Bottle at 9:30 (I was going to see a show about which I'll write more on briefly). It was chronally copacetic, so I decided it would be no harm and went. It was a typical foofie fundraiser. Lots of rich people. A silent auction of ugly things that no one needs. A buffet with all the good food already picked over (it started at 6 and we got there around 7).
There was one cute guy who had basically gotten the attention of practically every person attracted to males in the place and he seemed the topic on everyone's lips. No one knew if he was straight or gay and David insisted on calling him his new boyfriend. Later, Tommy and Steve and some others were in line by the bar and the cute guy cut in line. I walked over and asked, "hey did you order yet?" Their response was that they would have but apparently THERE'S TWO LINES," raising their voices toward the end that way in hopes that the cute guy would hear and feel guilty or something. I said, "oh, you mean there's one line for you and all these nice people and one line for David's boyfriend?" When I got back to our little base of operations (a coctail table) everyone said that David had to break up with him. He conceded.
No one won anything at the auction except Tommy who got a pair of towels and some soap for like $80. See? Kinda useless expensive stuff. But I suppose it's for a good cause. That's what everyone kept saying.
After the fundraiser, I went to see a local band called Mt. St. Helens with John. Recently he and I had a conversation which felt a little more like an intervention about my concert-going.
"I mean, what do you get out of going to four shows in four nights, anyway?"
I had told him that there were four shows in a row this week and I kind of wanted to go to them all. I even said at the time that I probably wouldn't go to all four of them because I knew it wasn't realistic. Actually, it was 5 in a row. With Version>05 happening and it also being a generally busy touring season, there's just a lot going on. Tuesday night it was Rotten Milk vs. Bubblegum Shitface, which I skipped mostly cuz I was tired and also afraid that it might suck, because it was experimental. Wednesday night it was Animal Collective, who've gotten interesting write-ups in the reader the last two times they played. And, c'mon, they dress up like animals while they play pop music, what's not to like? I ended up skipping that in deference to said musical intervention.
So, last night was Mt. St. Helens. They're awesome. It wasn't even that long ago that I saw them last (and blogged about them), which made me partially feel guilty, but whatever. John not only liked them, but said after the show, "now I kinda want to go see the show tomorrow," which would be the show that's happening tonight, Super/System. The boys of Super/System used to be called El Guapo. I have one El Guapo album, actually called Super/System. I don't know if this is a similar case like when the Descendents changed their name to All once they became "allular" and were "good enough" to call themselves that or what, but I do know that last time I saw El Guapo, they didn't sound like the album Super/System. Super/System is really kind of mathy and technical and a little weird, and live they were more dancey and discoey and fun. I like both forms of El Guapo/Super/System.
Tomorrow is Princess, who are a couple of awesome local boys who make interesting and fun music that I often describe as "arty white boy rap." Think maybe Scissor Sisters on acid with an emphasis on the subjects of gender and politics. They're part of the Version 05 fest going on right now.
Also in conjunction with this was a movie night at the Buddy/Heaven/High School gallery spaces in Wicker Park. John and I only stayed to watch the one film that really caught my attention, which was called The Take. It was about all of the factories that closed in Argentina after recent economic downturns as a result of poor leadership by former Argentinian president, Menem, and as a result, factory workers sort of "occupying" those factories and re-opening them without management, making decisions based on consensus in "assemblies." It was a really moving film and really scary at the same time. Menem's way of governing was to give businesses every incentive imaginable so they could take advantage of the situation, but then also allowing them to literally take off with all their money and leave thousands and thousands of people jobless.
Hmm, pandering to corporations. Sound like any presidents we know?
Anyway, good film, try and see it.
There was one cute guy who had basically gotten the attention of practically every person attracted to males in the place and he seemed the topic on everyone's lips. No one knew if he was straight or gay and David insisted on calling him his new boyfriend. Later, Tommy and Steve and some others were in line by the bar and the cute guy cut in line. I walked over and asked, "hey did you order yet?" Their response was that they would have but apparently THERE'S TWO LINES," raising their voices toward the end that way in hopes that the cute guy would hear and feel guilty or something. I said, "oh, you mean there's one line for you and all these nice people and one line for David's boyfriend?" When I got back to our little base of operations (a coctail table) everyone said that David had to break up with him. He conceded.
No one won anything at the auction except Tommy who got a pair of towels and some soap for like $80. See? Kinda useless expensive stuff. But I suppose it's for a good cause. That's what everyone kept saying.
After the fundraiser, I went to see a local band called Mt. St. Helens with John. Recently he and I had a conversation which felt a little more like an intervention about my concert-going.
"I mean, what do you get out of going to four shows in four nights, anyway?"
I had told him that there were four shows in a row this week and I kind of wanted to go to them all. I even said at the time that I probably wouldn't go to all four of them because I knew it wasn't realistic. Actually, it was 5 in a row. With Version>05 happening and it also being a generally busy touring season, there's just a lot going on. Tuesday night it was Rotten Milk vs. Bubblegum Shitface, which I skipped mostly cuz I was tired and also afraid that it might suck, because it was experimental. Wednesday night it was Animal Collective, who've gotten interesting write-ups in the reader the last two times they played. And, c'mon, they dress up like animals while they play pop music, what's not to like? I ended up skipping that in deference to said musical intervention.
So, last night was Mt. St. Helens. They're awesome. It wasn't even that long ago that I saw them last (and blogged about them), which made me partially feel guilty, but whatever. John not only liked them, but said after the show, "now I kinda want to go see the show tomorrow," which would be the show that's happening tonight, Super/System. The boys of Super/System used to be called El Guapo. I have one El Guapo album, actually called Super/System. I don't know if this is a similar case like when the Descendents changed their name to All once they became "allular" and were "good enough" to call themselves that or what, but I do know that last time I saw El Guapo, they didn't sound like the album Super/System. Super/System is really kind of mathy and technical and a little weird, and live they were more dancey and discoey and fun. I like both forms of El Guapo/Super/System.
Tomorrow is Princess, who are a couple of awesome local boys who make interesting and fun music that I often describe as "arty white boy rap." Think maybe Scissor Sisters on acid with an emphasis on the subjects of gender and politics. They're part of the Version 05 fest going on right now.
Also in conjunction with this was a movie night at the Buddy/Heaven/High School gallery spaces in Wicker Park. John and I only stayed to watch the one film that really caught my attention, which was called The Take. It was about all of the factories that closed in Argentina after recent economic downturns as a result of poor leadership by former Argentinian president, Menem, and as a result, factory workers sort of "occupying" those factories and re-opening them without management, making decisions based on consensus in "assemblies." It was a really moving film and really scary at the same time. Menem's way of governing was to give businesses every incentive imaginable so they could take advantage of the situation, but then also allowing them to literally take off with all their money and leave thousands and thousands of people jobless.
Hmm, pandering to corporations. Sound like any presidents we know?
Anyway, good film, try and see it.
posted by Brian at
3:21 PM
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