In the
evening, we went to the rock club Emo's. When I was looking up the club
online before I left for Texas, I was pleased to see that the Yeah
Yeah Yeahs were playing in town during my visit. So I convinced Doug
to go to the show, which he kind of wanted to see. The first opening band
was the Entrance, just some dude playing bluesy rock guitar and singing,
with the not-so-occassional scream into the mic. The second band was the
Locust, which Doug had heard was quite a spectacle. I was going to ask
him if they dressed like locusts, but forgot. So they came out, dressed
as locusts, wearing masks you might find on a mexican wrestler. And they
actually sounded like what you might expect a swarm of locusts to sound
like. Total speed metal. Thirty second songs. And their drummer was the
fastest human being I have ever seen in my life. I was relieved when he
took his shirt off, because only then could I be sure that he wasn't a
robot (though an android is still a possibility.) At some points, his hands
were a blur. After a few songs he actually collapsed a bit on the set.
Who could blame him? The "music" was pretty much noise, with the "vocals"
being undiscernible screaming. I thought they might be Japanese, some sort
of Boredoms-type band. It was weird when they would talk in between songs,
because they were totally normal, but during their 30-second freak out
songs it was like the end of the world. I wouldn't go see them, and all
their songs are about the same, but if they're opening for a band you're
going to see anyway, I'd take a few minutes to check out 8 or 9 of their
songs.
The Yeah Yeah
Yeahs were pretty rockin'. I was standing next to Karen O before the show,
but didn't even recognize her until Doug pointed her out. This was before
she got all dolled up for the rocking and the rolling. There's something
about the band that I really like, that separates them from all the other
new york garage bands. On paper, i would probably usually hate them, but
for some reason I find them particularly mesmerizing. They've just got
the total rock and roll swagger, and her stage antics are cheesy and stupid,
but strangely appealing. Seductive almost. The beer spewing, the lifting
of the dress, the one hand on the hips... it all worked. Vocally, she was
a little too shrill last night, but the music was great. The only thing
that would've made the show better was if it started two hours earlier.
Opening the doors at 8 and starting the show at 10:30 is totally inexcusable.
However, beers for 2 and 3 dollars were quite nice.
Something else
I noticed about Austin last night at the show: People are a lot less conscious
of other people's personal space than they are in New York. I found that
pretty shocking, but on several occasions, people would run right into
me, step on my foot, or shake they big ol' booty literally on top of me,
and not say a damn word about it. No way that would ever happen in New
York. Probably because in New York you never know how some crazy mofo is
gonna react. But still, it was kind of shocking.
Something else
about last night's show. I think out of everyone there, Doug and I were
probably two of the only people to attend both the UT football game and
the YYYs concert. And there are very few people that I could go to both
events with and who would genuinely be enthusiastic about going. It's just
good to know that there are other people of such quality in the world.
I don't have many friends who enjoy sports fanatically and music as well.
Of course, he probably wouldn't enjoy an evening of carousing with a bevy
of women of questionable morals and/or hygeine, but it's still pretty good.
So I just got
back from hanging out with Jenny G. She picked me up in her snazzy Honda
Element, and we drove down to a coffee house (literally a house) called
the Spider House. There, we enjoyed coffee, some vegan tamales, and a wi-fi
connection through her Powerbook. Then we headed over to a used clothes
store, where again everything was pretty expensive. I picked up the most
modest Modest Mouse shirt for Miss Charming Melodee. Jenny G was very jealous,
but it's doubtful she'd have fit in it. It's debatable that even the wee
Miss CM will fit in it. The cashier said "I didn't know they made Modest
Mouse t-shirts this small." Speaking of the cashier, I had a brief exchange
with her about the new Shins album, which was playing in the store. It
occurred to me then that I couldn't really have that sort of off-the-cuff
conversation about music in New York without there being some sort of pretext,
like you were trying to be hip or something. Anyway, I also picked up a
racer-stle leather jacket. I've been looking for one of these for quite
some time, and I was actually hoping to find one while in Austin, since
it'd be a ton cheaper than in New York. I'm not totally happy with it,
but for 48 bucks, it was worth the risk. The back of the jacket flares
out too much, but I'm hoping to have it altered. Miss CM is quite a seamstress,
but I don't know how much of a leathersmith she is.
As we left the
store, it began to pour. We then headed to Half Price Books. I bought an
old copy of the Bloom County collection "Penguin Dreams and Stranger Things"
for 4 bucks. Jen beat me to a copy of copy of Kurt Vonnegut's Mother
Night, which she felt was justice since I beat her to the Modest Mouse
shirt. These are the concerns of the non-working. A grand time. I then
accompanied Jen back to her house, met her roommate, and picked up Jen's
dog Linc (short of Lincoln), a somewhat manic Jack Russell Terrier. He
was totally freaking out when we got there. Then totally docile in the
car. Later, it turned out, he threw up in the back of the car. On the way
home, in the rain, we saw the darkest skies we'd ever seen. Kind of creepy,
but also very beautiful.
Jenny G and me, in her Honda Element, sheltering
us from the elements
Jen's dog Linc, sitting in my lap. He threw up
shortly afterwards
The dark and stormy Texas sky, out the window
of the Element
It's late now.
Almost 2 am. Saw Doug perform at the Texas NORML
benefit tonight. An orginization to repeal marijuana laws. Couldn't ask
for a more stacked-deck if you're a comedian. Or cook. Anyway, there were
ten comics, and surprisingly most were pretty good, and none were terrible.
Doug's act featured less narrative and comment than most of the others,
and jumped from topic to topic, but did so rather smoothly. One of my favorite
bits, given my fondness for terrible puns, was part of a speech he supposedly
gave at a Pakistani friend's wedding, whose attendees were largely Muslim.
It began "I'd like to thank Allah you for coming..." Ha hah! hooo boy.
Anyway, a few too many jokes about getting high and pot and how cool smoking
pot and getting high is. Too many cheap pops. But still, pretty entertaining.
And I didn't have to pay the cover. Though I did end up paying 15 bucks
for two whiskeys. Vices...they'll kill ya.
After the show,
I was kind of hungry, and the whole time I've been here I've been seeing
commercials for Sonic Burger, and how they'll put chili on anything. So
I thought, that sounds good. Serve it on up. I'd never been to a Sonic
before. None on the east coast as far as I know. You order in your car,
and they bring it out to you. They should be on rollerskates, but they
aren't. But according to Doug, you have to tip them. I think that's horseshit.
More hidden fees. But I got a "Coney and Tots," and I asked for chili on
the tater tots. And then the guy goes "You want just chili or chili and
cheese?" And I'm like "Are you there, God? It's me Margaret... Thank you!"
Good gravy, chili and cheese on everything! It's so good I don't live here.
I'd never eat anything without chili and cheese.
