What's the buzz...

So we have the fancy cable which affords us the privilege of access to Comcast's On Demand menu. Recently in the free movies section they've had "Jesus Christ Superstar" and I finally had time to sit down and rewatch it.

That's right, I said REwatch.

I love this movie* although maybe not for the obvious reasons. Ok, actually it's probably pretty obvious given that most people who know me would probably not choose "religious" as an accurate adjective while describing me to strangers. I've been trying to explain my fascination with the film to my roommate but I just get blank stares.**

Despite its title and protagonist I think the movie JCS is really more about how my parent's generation saw themselves and the world they were living in. Briefly, peaceful martyrs isolated in a metaphorical wasteland that was controlled by multiple factions (some incompetent others too constrained by tradition and fear to effect any real change) and surrounded by peers obsessed with consumerism. Additional anti-military sentiment is fairly obvious as well.

The interesting thing, I think, is how the movie seems to comment on the futility of the peace and love generation's efforts. Like Titanic, everyone knows how this story ends. Jesus dies. And despite what you may personally believe, in the film that's it. Run credits. Additionally, there's a ton of angst over "selling out," if you will, and while it doesn't end well in either case at the time it seems right and almost justified. (Judas thinking he can change things from inside the belly of the beast, Thomas avoiding possible arrest so he can continue to the fight later).

Equally important, no real alternative in either case is proposed. The message seems to be that either you die young or you eventually grow up, betray what was important to you relatively easily and then with only moderate nostalgia, you move on (at the end, reboarding the bus, only a few characters turn to look back at the cross and nobody stays behind).

So despite the poppy, over the top dance routines, the movie is actually pretty bleak.

I also love the anachronisms for their own sake (machine guns, tanks, tank tops). IDK, that stuff always makes me smile. But the icing on the cake has to be the wardrobe (seriously, those pants!) and facial hair. Oh my goodness scruffy hippies. I just want to move into a tepee in the back yard with you. If I had a back yard. Because you seem fun and artistically grimy (still smelly but maybe not like death or urine).

It was hard to find pictures for the unenlightened so I'm including a couple of Youtube videos. Try to enjoy.







I also went to Ikea over the weekend. More about that and robots in my next post.

*To clarify, I'm talking specifically about the movie version of Jesus Christ Superstar made in 1973 based upon the Broadway play. I have no interest in the theater version or any subsequent movie remake that may be happening in the future.

**Despite looking vaguely like a smash-up of the Two Gallants, in JCS Jesus is pretty freaking emo. In the fifteen year old sort of way. So minus half a star for that.

Transister Radio

Oh M Ward. You are so awesome. It is no wonder Zooey Deschanel teamed up with you. I would probably steal your voice like the witch in Disney's version of the Little Mermaid* and let it sing me to sleep every night. That's maybe creepier than I intended it to be. Also, I have an Ipod so it's probably not strictly necessary.

She and Him were pretty amazing despite some serious sound issues. Zooey is cute as a button but oh M Ward, the way you rend music from your guitar. Alas.

It's probably time for sleep.

*I finally found a copy of my preferred version of the Little Mermaid based upon the Hans Christian Anderson story. It's a bit darker than Disney's.

**Because I spend two hours a month listening to their work I've come to have some favorite Chicago poets. Currently I have the following poem by Toni Asante Lightfoot stuck in my head (she makes everything sound dirty when she reads which makes me blush and hover over the mute button at the radio station). I don't know the title but it's very clever.

He.
He used to lick.
He used to lick my face.
He used to lick my face, I thought it sweet.
He used to lick my face, I thought it sweet to him.
He used to lick my face, I thought it sweet. To him I was a sucker.

At the Bottom of Everything

This week owned me, it kicked my ass in every imaginable way. It was very sad for all involved. And now it's over. So maybe karma can cut me a break?

How did my week suck? Let me count the ways:
1. Work. My cube assignment was moved into uncharted territory, far from the people who have made Monday through Friday bearable. It takes me about three months to fully warm up to new people and I only have two months left. I imagine that everyone around me thinks I'm weird which is unfair because I am clearly the normal one. Also the keyboard was filthy! I felt like Monk cleaning it out. Gross.

2. Arienette. Some jackass-douchebag-motherfucker stole my bike's back wheel. What the fuck?! Really?! What the hell are you going to do with a tire? I've been imagining revenge scenarios since Wednesday. I am not a forgiving person. Especially considering that it's going to cost me around $130 to replace the damned thing. That's twice what I originally paid for the thing! Not cool. Part of the issue is keeping it as a fixed gear/non-coasting bike.

Side note: I know this is probably a ridiculous thing to do. Culturally, I mean. But like the author of Stuff White People Like, I can't seem to help myself. It's kind of like driving a stick shift car, more control and more fun. And since I'd pay later to change it back, I might as well get it done right the first time. Provided the shop I took it to can figure out the logistics. I sort of suspect it's a drug front.

3. Fortunately I found a reduced price Saturday ticket to Lollapalooza. I didn't really plan to go at all this year since $80/day seems steep to pay for an event. (I understand the arguments of dividing per band you see, etc but it's still $80 down). Also I don't really like festivals since I end up hot and gross feeling, dislike portapotties and get sunburned just thinking about no cloud coverage. However, it's my birthday weekend and I have a boatload of SPF 50 leftover from Pitchfork.

The urge to see CSS, creative budgeting and the desire to have a Friday off work tempted me to get a Friday ticket as well. Even after the bike incident of '08 I thought I could maybe swing the entrance fee. Of course, I made my final decision at 2:30 am Friday after going out Thursday night. By which time tickets were sold out. I blame Radiohead.

4. All the little things you don't think about that go wrong on an every day basis but suddenly develop significance when larger things fuck up. Examples: missing the bus, losing newly purchased items, late payment charges, sudden shift to genuinely hot/humid summer weather that I dislike, etc.

5. Deleted for personal reasons.

6. Missing the vast majority of Shark Week because I didn't realize it was happening. Fortunately we have On Demand and I caught parts of the Top 10 Deadliest Sharks, How to Not Get Bit, Dirty Jobs: Greenland something Shark.


*The (Liz) Lemon Shark-My New Favorite

I feel like there was something else but I forget. I know this is all very whiny. IDC.

Today ought to be better. Devotchka, Okkervil River, Wilco and Mason Jennings for sure. Probably some other stuff. We'll just have to wait and see.

Indeed!

P.S. I have been listening to the new Black Kids album all week and wish to amend any prior statements I may have made. It is awesome! Especially the song Love Me Already. I really like how the music mirrors the lyrics. Also the new Conor Oberst song Danny Callahan is also fun and awesome.

Hurricane Jane

Sometimes life feels like a bad 90's movie. But maybe I just want to listen to the Violent Femmes and have ridiculous pseudo-intelligent discussions about my life's angst.

Every once in awhile I'll see something really weird walking down the street. And oddly, I'm usually the only one who reacts at all. Today it was a robot. But like a for real robot like the Flight of the Conchords video. So I don't think I'm delusional.


I slept in today for the first time in a month. And it felt wonderful. "Slept in" meaning 10+ hours of sleep. Lazy Saturdays are the best.

Then, in my third trip to Laurie's this week alone, I picked up the new Black Kid's album (allowing me to continue my record of being a total idiot, thank you).

Several of these songs were on their EP "Wizard of Ahhhs" and frankly sounded better then. Perhaps we can blame Capitol Records for the disparity, but the songs on "Partie Traumatic" are a lot more produced sounding. Which is probably the point. And while I do enjoy being able to understand all the lyrics, I've started to question the band's narrative style. However, lest you think my loyalties have shifted, I am still very enamored with the 'new' songs.

I also spent a sizeable portion of the day hanging around Dollop. Fortunately it wasn't awkward. Here's the thing. On Monday after Pitchfork I was tired and ended up on the express bus to work. Long story short, whilst I was standing on the curb I was approached by a slightly scruffy young lass. And because it had been a long weekend and I was blasting some music in an effort to wake up, I missed what she said at first. So, honest mistake, I thought she was asking for a dollar.

Now, I never carry much (if any) cash. But as it happened I had some money in my pocket but giving her the dollar only got me a weird look. Because as it turns out she's a Dollop barrista, and she thought she recognized me. And suddenly I was Sandra Bullock at the beginning of Two Weeks Notice when she puts money in the poor man's full cup of coffee (and whatever, it's in the previews for the film, don't judge me). Which mostly means I'm an asshole.

Anyway, if you were one of the lucky few I messaged on Facebook today, your picture probably came from Penny Postcards. It's a fun site.

"What's sweet? What's bitter?"

So Pitchfork fell firmly in the "Awesome" column again this year. I could probably spend an hour discussing the festival but I'm still exhausted. Perhaps if I spend any portion of this weekend at Dollop I can summarize the awesomeness that was Les Savy Fav, Jarvis Cocker, etc (sadly I missed M Ward but She & Him are playing in town soon.) I even managed to restrain myself at the record fair so I only picked up a few things:

1. British Sea Power-Open Season
2. Of Montreal-? 7" (Subtext Read, Nothing New?/Back to School)
3. Rainer Maria-Hell and High Water 7"

I've had side A of the last one on repeat for the past 24 hours or so. Until they're rolling out of the speakers, I tend to forget how much I actually enjoy Rainer Maria. I love their song titles but generally I skip over them on my way down the alphabet on my Ipod. Their roughness reminds me of Braid but not in a derivative way. But I digress.


"I've seen the girl who'll be brave when I run off
She's been picking her fights like she knows how to win them"

Ring Ring Ring...Banana Phone

Some people sleep walk, others talk in their sleep. My roommate makes crank calls when she's unconscious. True story!

I just got a new phone. It's kind of snazzy.



Last night I went to sleep at 1:30am. Whatever, I was watching Weeds and it's funny. Around 2:30 my phone rang. Weird! It looked like Jessica Simpson was calling me but in fact it was Sarah-Sarah. (Fun story, I got my phone in the Janesville mall where they have a Proactive booth with a picture of Jessica Simpson on it. So I took a picture of her picture and set it as Sarah-Sarah's caller ID photo. And then I found $5).

Back to the original story. So, ring ring ring, it's 2:00 am and Sarah-Sarah is calling. But when I answered she did not say anything. Then I fell back asleep. Ten minutes later she called me again! So, thinking something was wrong I went and knocked on Sarah's door. So either she was faking it, she sleep-dials or my phone is possessed.

I actually spent the rest of the night dreaming I was awake and my phone was possessed. But that is neither here nor there.

Sarah erased the evidence but here's proof that I did not dream the whole thing:


p.s. Also it turns out I am sort of distantly related to Celine Dion. My step mom's great grandmother was sisters with Celine Dion's great grandmother. How awesome is that?! (Note: very)

We Have to Take the Car...

I <3 my bike. It's a fun and functional way to navigate the streets of Chicago.



Arienette (my bike) kind of looks like that but fewer doodads on it (like tire guards and gears). I had to go all the way to the suburbs to buy it which meant that by the time I got to the guy's house I would have pretty much bought anything. No way was I going home empty handed. So even though I could barely ride a fixed gear bike at the time, I was determined to learn.

The progress was slow but steady. I eventually made a few modifications like getting rid of the world's most uncomfortable bike seat ever and adding a bell. And then winter came and like the wuss I am I retired Arienette in favor of not dying in a slushy gutter.

Sadly, last weekend tragedy struck. Long story short, my back tire went now flat. Last time I had that issue with a bike people started stealing it bit by bit. True story, people are jerks. And even though Sarah was kind enough to find me a seller on Craigslist with a tallbike for sale ($200-cheap!) I decided to suck it up and wheel my baby across the sidewalk for a repair.

The downside of having Arienette good as new means I have no justification to pursue this:


(the bike, obviously, not the rider-ha!)







Which is sad because as some of you know, I have wanted to ride a tall bike forever. Or at least since I first read this:





Courtesy of Nothing Nice to Say.

Although my birthday is coming up...