Joining the masses

2003-10-12T23:34:00.000-04:00

This blog is on hiatus. Clyclo warned me against writing a farewell entry, so rather than say I'm done with blogging, I'm going to say I'm taking a leave of absence. You've probably all noticed I haven't been much into this for the past month or so and rather than just having it taper off, I'm going to officially say I'm on hiatus. Thanks for being such loyal readers and for making me feel so loved. You all know how to reach me. Who knows I may someday get the urge to start writing again... Peace out yo ;)

2003-10-06T22:22:00.000-04:00

What Porn Character are You? Sadly, I am the lowly pool boy...

2003-10-02T08:10:00.000-04:00

Hot movie priests:
Ed Norton - Keeping the Faith
Joaquin Phoenix - Quills
Gael Garcia Bernal - El Crimen del Padre Amaro
Gabriel Byrne - Stigmata

2003-09-30T23:16:00.000-04:00

For the sake of laughter, I'm going to use my real name in this post. This was in my inbox when I got home from work today:

Hey there Sharon,

How's life? I'm writing because I'm concerned. I recently received an email from a sender identified only as "Sharon". It had the following subject line, "Blg B00bed BI0ndz Playing on the Bed" I'm wondering, are you not making enough as an AmeriCorps-er? Are you supplementing your income by spamming your friends with porn emails? If this is what you're resorting to perhaps you should speak to a financial planner.

Santulli

2003-09-29T22:57:00.000-04:00

There is nothing more depressing than cleaning out your toiletries and disposing of expired condoms. Seriously, I mean, I try to steer away from the pity blogging, but expired condoms are just so tragic.

2003-09-29T22:53:00.000-04:00

So, I didn't go to Nada Surf on Friday. Word on the street (well, word from old camp friend Molly) is that they covered Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart. And it was good. Damn. Damn.

2003-09-24T00:15:00.000-04:00

Finally saw Y tu mamá también

Needless to say, it made me miss studying film. If I weren't on a budget I'd go out and buy it. This is one of the best films I've seen in a long time. Truly truly fabulous. And no, I didn't just love it because of the beautiful people fucking. I loved it for its social critique of modern Mexico. I loved it for its political observations of Mexico. I loved it for its exploration of human sexuality. I loved it for its examination of the limits of friendship. I loved it for its long non-narrative shots of the countryside. AND I loved it for the beautiful people fucking.

2003-09-23T00:36:00.000-04:00

Mr. Happy: Conor Oberst.

2003-09-23T00:30:00.000-04:00

Ah, The Onion, you never disappoint: History of Rock Written by the Losers.

2003-09-23T00:22:00.000-04:00

Just when we were all beginning to wonder why this never went anywhere: Shooting death in Spector mansion ruled homicide.

2003-09-21T23:30:00.000-04:00

Question: Does anyone really think Wanda Sykes is funny?

If you answered yes, you should be ashamed of yourself.

2003-09-18T19:13:00.000-04:00

Avast maties! Just a friendly reminder for everyone to wish Chris a Happy Pirates Day tomorrow!

2003-09-17T21:14:00.000-04:00

And while I was on the U2 site I found this...

It's funny how fashions repeat... actually, not so much.

2003-09-17T21:07:00.000-04:00

I thought I had finally broken with my U2 obsession and then I read this. I want it. Who wants to buy it for the poor Americorpster? Pretty please!

2003-09-15T18:23:00.000-04:00

In music news:
- Interpol's second album.
- Fischerspooner tortures Western US.
- Snoop coaches football.

2003-09-15T18:03:00.000-04:00

Weekend Recap.
Friday: Ropes course with fellow Americorpsters out in Plymouth. Got drunk off of boxed wine. Classy. Along with two co-workers, was stopped at ice cream stand by Plymouth police. Could not tell policemen where we were coming from because who the hell remembers an address in Plymouth? Luckily our New Jersey plates cleared us of all suspicion.
Saturday: Went to ::blushes:: King Richard's Faire with Jackie and Cyclo. Lots of scary Ren-Fair people. Saw teenage boy dressed as Grim Reaper, grown man dressed as Viking, woman dressed as some sort of wood nymph type thing - and these were just the patrons! By far the highlight of the day was Whipboy. The extra special highlight of the day was when Whipboy sang to Cyclo, "He's sucha pretty girl..." Anyhoo, I'll hold a very special place in my heart for this little adventure, but highly doubt I'll ever return.
Saturday night: Learned I suck at Mario Bros 3 and wasted a little over an hour of my life watching Fritz the Cat. Pornography, racism, and political issues just don't work all that well in cartoon form.
Sunday: Velvet Goldmine.

2003-09-10T21:44:00.000-04:00

What the?!

2003-09-09T18:08:00.000-04:00

I don't know if I've told you this before, but I love this woman's photography - Alyssa Sheinson. I mean, the she's got beautiful pix of everyone from Sondre Lerche to Johnny Marr to Radiohead.

2003-09-08T18:36:00.000-04:00

A lot to say today.

Saturday night: Saw American Splendor. It was, just as all the critics said, really incredible. Seriously I highly recommend this one. Important lesson learned from this experience: even though I don't like reading reviews I need to start doing so. I went into this film thinking it was just about this guys comic book, of course, I hadn't read anything about his life. Basically the whole cancer thing came as a shock. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the world who broke down crying during American Splendor. Recommendation: do not see this film if someone you love is dying of cancer. Okay, that got a little raw there, let's get back to shallowness.

Sunday night: Went to stellastarr*/The Raveonettes. In true Rhinestone/Cyclo fashion, we missed the first, oh I dunno, 2/3rds of stellastarr*'s set! I did get to see them do "Coco" though. Thoughts: A) Love the drummer (but seriously that just has to do with hormones and nothing else) B) Love the singer's voice, but only when he's cooing/shouting/repeating syllables C) Honestly, was a little disappointed, don't get me wrong, I loved them, but I felt like they could've been better. They're obvious a little odd and creative and have a lot of energy, I would've liked to have seen them use more of that. From what I saw, they just kinda stood there and did their thing. I like movement. I like when people move around. Move around dammit. The Raveonettes, on the other hand, were everything I had hoped for and more. Slightly reworded version of observations:
Cyclo: I like all of them. They're all so cool.
Rhinestone: I know. I want to *be* the girl.
Cyclo: He (the singer) looks smart. Like you know how some people just look smart?
Rhinestone: Yeah he's nerdy. He looks like someone who would've gone to Hopkins.
Cyclo: A gradstudent.
Rhinestone: In Romance Languages or... Math.
Cyclo makes face.
Rhinestone: Maybe not Math.
Anyhoo, aside from just looking cool, they were cool. The guitarist was a little showy but it was all in good fun. And the girl, damn, she can play bass in stilettos, that my friends takes talent. Only thing that was a little weird was when they announced it was the guitarist's birthday. Funny. NM told me it was his birthday the NIGHT BEFORE in DC.

Today: Started Americorps, more on that at another time.

2003-09-05T12:50:00.000-04:00

New favorite website ever: Kittenpants.

2003-09-05T12:09:00.000-04:00

The Strokes are playing the Tsongas Arena (shout out for Lowell!) on Halloween. Tempting very tempting.

2003-09-05T11:47:00.000-04:00

So the Boston Music Awards happened yesterday. My feelings on the results? Mixed. Actually no that's not true, I like all of the results (well that's an exageration, I have no feelings on the categories I know nothing about) except for the ones that John Mayer won. Would someone please make him go away?

2003-09-04T11:10:00.000-04:00

So I don't think I'm going, but you definitely should: NEMO music showcase.

2003-09-04T10:54:00.000-04:00

The oh-so fabulous and somewhat catty Boston music scene.

2003-09-04T10:50:00.000-04:00

For those of you, like me, who aren't sure yet how they feel about The Strokes' 12:51.

2003-09-04T10:47:00.000-04:00

American hip-hop v. world hip-hop: DJ Vadim.

2003-09-03T14:34:00.000-04:00

Could someone please explain the rationale behind this?

2003-09-02T11:10:00.000-04:00

You know what's depressing? I promised myself I'd stop going to weeknight shows once I started Americorps. I'm feeling selfish though and don't want to abide by this new self-imposed rule. Sunday night is Stellastarr* and I start work the next morning. Is it irresponsible to still go to the show? (BTW, I would still need a concert buddy for this one... G? Sav? Cyclo?) Is it even more irresponsible to go to The Clientele the next night?

2003-09-01T05:02:00.000-04:00

Oh baby. I got my internet connection finally working. And guess who fixed the problem? That's right, ME. Clearly I am a computer genius and should forget about Americorps and go work for Bill Gates.

2003-08-27T17:13:00.000-04:00

Confession Time. Charles' enthusiasm is contagious and I'm jumping on the Howard Dean bandwagon. Okay, back to packing.

2003-08-26T15:56:00.000-04:00

I'm blogging about Friendster again. Deal with it, okay? (Oh, btw the wedding was fabulous and beautiful and full of love, if you want to hear details let me know!) Alrighty, so over the past few days I have gotten some unusual Friendster messages. One message was from a married man in Georgia about a song I didn't realize I had referenced in my profile. Another message was from this pretty attractive guy in the area who suggested we be "activity partners." By far though, the best Friendster message was from my old friend Molly from camp! I haven't seen Molly in almost ten years and haven't talked to her in like 5 and she found me on Friendster and the craziest part is she lives Somerville and goes to like the same shows and bars as me! Woohoo!!! Yay Friendster!
Back to packing... Anyone/everyone, IM me at moondance310 I'm bored as hell and sure don't feel like packing!

2003-08-26T14:12:00.000-04:00

So I'd be lying if I told you haven't already heard all of The Coral's Magic and Medicine even though only the expensive import is the only version out and lord knows I can't afford it. NME review here, I feel like they could be a little nicer because I think the whole thing does work, but then I don't get paid to review music. (BTW last night PD played Pass It On, not once but twice, because, well, it is just that amazing.)

2003-08-23T11:56:00.000-04:00

In case you forgot, this weekend is Wedding weekend. I'd give you a list of what's on tap but it would probably bore the hell out of you. Hell, I'll do it anyway and we'll just see how loyal of a reader you are :)
On tap:
Saturday: Pack up stuff at apartment, go to hair salon for highlights, get manicure and pedicure, check in at Hyatt, await NM's arrival, various greetings to various relatives, rehersal dinner, late night probably nothing but god am I tempted to go out.
Sunday: 8:45 am take my sister to the mikvah. Get back to hotel. Paint sisters nails and toe nails. Get hair done. Help sister into gown. Do my make up. Take photos. Attend wedding!

2003-08-23T11:49:00.000-04:00

Who said Boston wasn't affected by the black out?
Yesterday, Rami couldn't put pickles on my pita because of the black out. I was shocked, shocked I tell you!

2003-08-21T12:11:00.000-04:00

So this is very very upsetting. Charles did something very sweet and I didn't get to appreciate it! Here I'll let you all read a Friendster email exchange I had with him.

Charles wrote: Oh my god (this is referring to my forwarding him someone's profile). BTW, did you get my voicemail?
Rhinestone* wrote:
you left me a voicemail? when? my phone has been doing funny things.
Charles wrote:
I was at Radiohead last night - I left you a voicemail of "creep" live. All the info is on
my blog.
Rhinestone wrote:
i never got it!!! :(

*No, Rhinestone is not my name on Friendster, I use my real name on that, sometimes I like to pretend I still maintain some sort of anonymity on this blog.

2003-08-21T11:35:00.000-04:00

In case, it was still in question, I am truly a dork. Last night I dreamt about the plot of the 6th (that's right, only 5 are out) Harry Potter book.

2003-08-20T14:06:00.000-04:00

I couldn't resist. I took this quiz and it is surprisingly accurate. Although, I prefer not to think of myself as such an asshole. More of just a snob than an asshole.

you are a pretentious indie asshole. you piss off
everybody but other pretentious indie assholes.
you suck extremely hard and only listen to
stuff on pitchfork media. fuck you.

what type of lame scenester are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

2003-08-20T11:43:00.000-04:00

So, tonight I was going to go to ManRay with JR. This is not the JR whose initials are actually AE. This is the JR whose initials actually are JR. He has a back-story (who doesn't?) but since I'm not sure if he reads my blog, I'll just give you the short version. JR went to Hopkins, but I didn't meet him there. I met him here in Boston. We went on a date once during which I ran into a guy that I was also seeing. I made a complete arse of myself and froze up and walked out of the place where the guy I was seeing was. Needless to say, I stopped seeing him. Also there wasn't any romantic connection between JR and myself, more of a bonding because we both endured Hopkins. Anyhoo, we were going to go to ManRay tonight on a non-date but instead I'm going to pack or sit around thinking about how I should be packing.

2003-08-17T21:59:00.000-04:00

Cape Cod.

2003-08-17T03:49:00.000-04:00

Tonight was weirdness all around.

The Dandy Warhols @ The Pill
1. Courtney Taylor and the other guy (it's late, I'm not sober, I don't have the energy to look up his name) appear to have a special brotherly bond. Also, they did quite nicely with the whole thing (lovely mix of Dandies music, The Beatles, Evan Dando, and others) although the crowd wasn't giving them much love. Seriously now, why were sooo many people talking?
2. Cyclo noted that Courtney looks like both a pirate and a 1950s gay man.
3. Much awkwardness concerning the people attending the show. Many usuals were present. Cyclo and I talked to one of our favorite usuals - Notebook Boy - he was quite friendly and looked rather nice in blue eye shadow (I'm not mocking him, I really do like his style). Also, I'm a social retard and was too shy to go over and say hi to someone I had meant to introduce myself to.
4. Friendsters to the left of me, Hipsters to the right, Here I am stuck in the middle with you.
5. Okay, now what went wrong after the Dandies played? Hmmm? No one was dancing and the music played wasn't helping. I wanted to grab Courtney by the arm and drag him to START!

START! with special guests Calvin Johnson and Ian Svenonius
1. Got to START! Was pointed at by a certain Friendster who I believe is named "Nick." This made me uneasy.
2. Start has redeemed itself in my eyes. They played !!!, Junior Senior, and Neil Diamond. I love you START!
3. After being asked by an underager if she could dance with Cyclo, have determined that a) I am most definitely his pimp and b) we need to somehow advertise that we're not together. Recommendations on how? Signs have been ruled out.
4. Have also determined I need a break from drinking and The Pill. Although, I'll probably only follow through with taking a break from The Pill.

2003-08-15T16:24:00.000-04:00

On tap this weekend:
Tonight: Pirate movie nite! Arrrr!!!! (It will be complete with newspaper pirate hats, Captain Morgan's, and Pirate Booty!)
Tomorrow Night: The Dandies!
Sunday: Open to discussion

2003-08-14T22:45:00.000-04:00

This one is for Cyclo.

'What the fuck is a hipster, and why do we care?'

Discuss.

2003-08-14T11:34:00.000-04:00

Radiohead.

Much to be said here.

A) I learned two very important lessons. 1. Always bring directions you printed out with you. While I've been to Great Woods (I will not call it by it's heinous corporate sponsored name) a number I've times I've never actually driven it and well, the last time I went I was high on something other than life and didn't even notice the ride. 2. You can never be too early for a show. There is a time and a place for fashionably late and a concert ain't it. (I heard their first two songs from the parking lot and completely missed Malkmus.)

B) Okay, let's get to what you want to hear. They played Creep! What you say? Yes. It was hilarious (and awesome). The audience was in shock. Shock. And everyone turned to the person they were with and was like, "Are they really playing this?" After like the first two lines or so, Thom Yorke cracked up because I think he couldn't believe he was singing it either. It was great though, and Yorke sang it with a bit of sarcasm and there was nothing earnest about it at all. It was fabulous.

C) So listening to Creep, I was suddenly reminded of being a 13 year old girl. I used to listen to Pablo Honey endlessly. It was so honest, so earnest, so emotional - perfect for the fun hormonal highs and lows of 13 year old girlhood. Also listening to it, I was struck with the fact that this is the stuff that probably directly indirectly influenced Mr. instability himself - Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes).

D) I could go on more about the show, but I won't. You'll just have to see them for yourself.

2003-08-13T10:37:00.000-04:00

Despite the fact that 'BCN usually pisses me off, this looks pretty damn cool. Well maybe not, but it's a damn smart idea. (Link courtesy of NM.)

2003-08-13T10:06:00.000-04:00

Did I mention that I'm moving into a Real World type living situation in JP (link for those out-of-staters who have asked what JP stands for)? Why you ask? The price is right. Plus, you know, you're only young once.

2003-08-12T23:44:00.000-04:00

Dream analysis needed.

A certain friend of mine, with whom I'm going to see Radiohead (this is the friend who has offered to let me pay back her back with ice cream rather than $ for my ticket), dreamt last night that she met Thom Yorke at a party. He then held her in his arms like a baby and carried her around the party. Let's not embarass her any further, if you know her name forget you know it! Seriously now though, what do you all think this dream means?

2003-08-12T00:04:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else besides NM and myself question the nature of their relationship?

2003-08-11T11:07:00.000-04:00

I feel compelled to announce all of this to you radio listeners and Radiohead fans...
On Alter-Ego this week...
Monday - Jet
Tuesday - "Radiohead will be taking over FNX Tuesday evening @ 6PM for a special Alter-Ego Hostile Takeover!"
Wednesday - Steadman

2003-08-08T15:21:00.000-04:00

On tap this weekend:
Tonight: Look at apartment, then party it up with G and Ms. J and hit up MR's par-tay.
Tomorrow: High school friend's (yes, I'm still friends with ONE person I went to high school with) bbq, then champagne pary with doube-I LH.
Sunday: Open. Most likely apartment hunt.

2003-08-08T12:15:00.000-04:00

It's guess the theme day here at Joining the Masses

In no particular order:
Pulp - Pencil Skirt
The Buzzcocks - Orgasm Addict
Sinead O'Connor - I Want Your Hands on Me
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Date with the Night
Garbage - Number One Crush
Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
Nine Inch Nails - Closer
U2 - The Real Thing
Interpol - NYC
Depeche Mode - I Feel You
Bright Eyes - Lover I don't Have to Love
Arab Strap - Okay, this one I don't have a title for, but it was a fabulous song, and I e-mailed the girl at the Left End cause she played it and even she didn't know the name of it! I can tell you it's none of the Arab Strap songs that I have on my MP3 list.
Ryan Adams - Gonna Make You Love Me
Hefner - When Angels Play Their Drum Machines

There are others I'm fogetting because the complete list is elsewhere... NM, I'm not sure if you're allowed to guess the theme...

2003-08-08T11:47:00.000-04:00

Everyone, this is a few days late, but let us please welcome Princess to the blogosphere!

2003-08-08T11:28:00.000-04:00

Dress has been found!

2003-08-07T11:31:00.000-04:00

Crisis updates

Apartment: No apartment yet. Have decided to expand the search to JP so if you are also looking or vacating let me know!
Dress: This afternoon I'm going on a mega-exhausting shopping excursion to Chestnut Hill and Copley/Pru. Normally this would sound like a blast, but this is not fun. Repeat not fun.
Romantic Comedy: As Cyclo stated this sounds like a romantic comedy. If a dashing young suitor would like to make an appearance, it would be greatly appreciated right now. Casting has begun! Please audition!

2003-08-06T12:31:00.000-04:00

FYI
This blogger is in crisis mode. If you have trouble getting a hold of me over the next few days this is why:
A) I need to find an apartment before my sister's wedding.
B) I need to find a new dress for my sister's wedding. I despise the dress I got. Seriously I have never felt so much hatred towards an article of clothing in my life.
Okay, no more whining from me.

2003-08-06T11:29:00.000-04:00

Holy fucking shit. I am soooo making out with Courtney...

From The Pill:

Next week, August 16th sees a special Saturday edition of the pill. Filter Magazine, Newbury Comics and WFNX present an acoustic performance by The Dandy Warhols Followed by DJ Ken and Courtney Taylor-Taylor spinning at the pill. Admission is Free. Tickets are available only by pre-ordering "Welcome To the Monkey House" at Newbury Comics. Or you can win tickets by listening to WFNX or by being on the pill's email list. Sign up by emailing to mail@thepillboston.com. Doors for this event will be at 8. Music til 2AM.

2003-08-04T23:24:00.000-04:00

Okay so, Queer Eye is bringing the metrosexual to every living room in America. Tonight I told a friend that I thought he was a metrosexual. Then I told another friend about it and she asked what exactly was a metrosexual. So if you want to know what a metrosexual is, but are too afraid to ask, I'm here to help.
Some helpful links:
- Definition of a metrosexual.
- Meet the Metrosexual by Mark Simpson
- The Rise of the Metrosexual

2003-08-04T23:05:00.000-04:00

This breaks my heart.

From The Modern Age's blog:

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM PHANTOM PLANET:

Dear Friends,

I'm writing to say that I've officially left Phantom Planet. I love the guys more than anything and I've had some of the most amazing memories with them, but it's just not right for me to be in the band anymore. It's time for me to pursue other things. I want to thank each and every one of you for your love, support, and devotion through the years. You've made so much possible and it's meant a lot to me. See you soon, hopefully at the next Phantom Planet show.

Love,
Jason Schwartzman

2003-08-03T02:46:00.000-04:00

Par-tay.

So tonight I went to my favorite kind of party - one where I don't know anyone. Seriously, I am using no sarcasm here, I love parties where I don't know anyone. Anyhoo, a friend of Sav's was throwing it, so naturally I went with Sav plus CK, Ms. J, and roommate of CK (aka RoCK).

So, the five us are doing our best to mingle by standing in a closed circle on the roof when two guys come over. Everyone introduces themselves. The boys' names are Marty and Chris. CK (who happens to be my cousin) says, "Oh that's funny cause we have a cousin named Marty." He laughs and says something about how we should be able to remember his name then. So then I pipe in and say, "We also used to have an uncle Chris, but no longer." Pause. Awkwardness. CK clarifies that it was a divorce not a death. (BTW Chris looked a little too much like a cross between MF and Adam Goldberg for my liking. Strange since Chris is obviously not a Jewish name...)

Flashforward a few minutes later. One of the party hosts (actually the sketchy party host not to be confused with the J-Date party host, the party host that Sav knows, or the party host who likes Blur) comes by with a girl named Julia. Julia is wearing a shirt her mother would not approve of. CK and Sav are talking to someone. RoCK and Ms. J are talking, so I say to Julia and host, "I heard it's some person's birthday tonight." Julia says, "Yeah it's mine." Oops. Then I say, "Oh I met two of your friends, Marty and Chris." She says, "Yeah we go way back," and laughs. Seconds later a birthday cake appears and low and behold I'm standing next to the birthday girl singing happy birthday. A few minutes later I run into Marty and Chris and tell them how I met Julia and mentioned them. They laugh and say, "Yeah we met her last night."

Good times.

2003-08-02T11:26:00.000-04:00

Everyone let's welcome Jackie to the blogosphere! I'm sooooo excited for this!

2003-08-01T12:34:00.000-04:00

On tap this weekend:

A) FIND an apartment in Roslindale (I ain't doing North Quincy, just can't do it), if you or anyone you know is also looking or vacating a place, please let me know ASAP!
B) Saturday - night party at Sav's Blur-fan, British friend's hizzouse.
C) Stress over apartment hunting.

2003-07-31T11:38:00.000-04:00

Robbie Williams explains the scientific facts of serotonin.

2003-07-31T11:16:00.000-04:00

Super Bands

Are there more than just these?

1. Supergrass
2. Superdrag
3. Super Furry Animals
4. Supersonic (Not to be confused with Semisonic)
5. Supertramp

2003-07-31T10:25:00.000-04:00

Music review time. NM has up on Kludge a review of stellastarr* in Baltimore.

2003-07-30T09:27:00.000-04:00

This article - Road Recs - courtesy of Cyclostylz (aka PTC, who will heretofore be known as Cyclostylz or Cyclo for short).

2003-07-29T11:39:00.000-04:00

Last night.

There is much to say of last night's Supergrass show.

A) So PTC and I show up at the Paradise and low and behold, I am NOT on the FNX list. Shocked, surprised, annoyed I call PD to ask what's up. I get the voicemail. PTC and I go to get pizza and I call again. Get through this time. Discuss the situation. PD is apologetic and promises to make it up to me. I've decided I'm a-okay with an FNX dj owing me a favor (that and he did genuinely sound sorry for the mix-up).

B) Met up with G outside the Paradise. Buy my ticket.

C) So Supergrass totally rocked out. Had a bit of a deja-vu moment with G when she asked if I'd do Gaz despite his age. A similar question was asked at The Coral, but of course they were younger not older than us.

D) Okay, yeah, so the audience. I think it's safe to say that everyone on the left side of the floor was a Bostonian and everyone on the right was Irish. This proved quite a funny spectacle. Everyone on the left stood and nodded their heads and maybe moved their hips a little bit. Everyone on the right jumped, screamed, broke into song (little chants for the band and at one point Pumping on Your Stereo - before the band played it), and basically put all of the Bostonians to shame.

E) I learned an important lesson. Never wear your Dr. Scholl's to a concert. You never know when two very bouncy Irish boys are going to land on your left foot, causing your shoe to slide off and the arch of your foot to land painfully down on the wooden sole. Thank you drunk Irish boys for enlightening me.

2003-07-28T11:34:00.000-04:00

I'm back from NYC (I know you're all excited).

Some interesting things I learned this weekend:
A) You can get kosher Moroccan food at midnight on the Upper West Side (can you even get kosher Moroccan food in Morocco?!?!?).
B) My future brother-in-law wanted to play Alex's Jewish cousin on Family Ties when he was a little kid.
C) I miss working in dv, film, etc.

On a different note... tonight is Supergrass courtesy of PD!!! (Thanks man!)

2003-07-25T11:38:00.000-04:00

Which decade are you?

The Twenties.

Which Decade Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

2003-07-25T11:15:00.000-04:00

As a subscriber to the Camille Paglia brand of feminism, I have little to no problems with porn, strip clubs, and many other methods of objectifying women (hell, c'mon ladies, we objectify men too). This however, even I have a problem with. This is up there with those restaurants in Russia where the women lie beneath the glass tables.

Joanna Prisco of The Weekly Dig writes, "If you haven't already heard about Hunting For Bambi, prepare to be shocked. The new Las Vegas game invites men to pay $10,000 to go out into the wilderness with paintball guns and take aim at naked women running in just their kicks. "You can actually hunt one of our Bambi [expletive] and shoot her with paintballs," Mike Burdick, who runs the game and the site for Real Men Outdoor Productions, says on his Web site www.huntingforbambi.com. The website also advertises that after the game is completed, hunters can choose to mount their prey if they want. Women who are employed as targets get paid $1,000, or $2,500 if they avoid getting pegged. But no figures have been disclosed as to how much they get for being nailed..."

I wouldn't recommend visiting that site at work...

2003-07-24T15:20:00.000-04:00

Ok so last night I went to see The Dismemberment Plan with PTC and Sav. There's a lot to cover here so let's break it down into bullet points.

A) Why was I not into DP during my four years in Baltimore? Would someone please explain this to me?!

B) Travis is a nut. I mean a NUT. He is fabulous. He can dance. He can make funny faces. He can make funny noises. Quoting Sav, "The man has more rhythm in one finger than that whole room." (or she said something like that.)

C) Travis does impersonations! Last night included Joni Mitchell, Robert Plant, Prince, Death Cab for Cutie... He also did a big medley at the end and sang some Joni Mitchell, Postal Service, r & b stuff, etc...

D) He made fun of emo people! yay!

E) During the Ice of Boston, people came up on stage to dance. One of the boys from Engine Down (or as Travis dubbed them, "Engine Drunk") grinded Jason, Travis, and Erik. He also showed Travis his PENIS. Travis handled the whole thing well, in fact it seemed DP had a little bit of an older bro/younger bro relationship with ED.

F) Engine Down wasn't for me. I like a little pop with my rock.

G) So usually I see a half a million people at stuff like this and I don't know them but they're all the same familiar faces. I didn't see any of them last night! However I did see someone I actually know. So, NM already knows cause I called her in the middle of the night to tell her (sorry grrl), but I will give hints to the other Hopkins readers. AG, once MC came along to a party of yours and was a majorly obnoxious and spoke loudly of a certain classmate who paid for oral. Charles, you were supposed to live with MC and some of his asshole roommates (and by assholes I include MF) and then I believe they may have duped you out of some phone bill or something.

H) I believe I'm sick. I started feeling sick at the show. So, tonight, I will not be seeing The December Sound, but instead will stay at my parents house and listen to my boy Paul.

2003-07-23T10:45:00.000-04:00

Fashion don't! If my face show's up on some random hipster's chest I'm going to have serious issues. Do NOT buy a Friendster t-shirt! (Thanks for bringing this to my attention Charles.)

2003-07-23T10:36:00.000-04:00

Look at this! My pal Charles (aka I buy the grooming products they suggest on Queer Eye) is in the Boston Globe!

2003-07-22T14:13:00.000-04:00

Oh soo tempting, must figure out a way to go...

(from Newbury Comics e-mail)
SUPERGRASS - Special Acoustic Performance!
Supergrass will be at the Government Center store Monday, July 28th at 12:30 pm to play a few songs and sign autographs. Stop by and check them out!

2003-07-22T12:14:00.000-04:00

It's Tuesday and you know what that means - my new favorite show (and my mother's too) is on tonight! Tonight on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Carson makes some obnoxious comments and hits on everyone in sight. Oh and Thom helps Tom become a better man.

2003-07-21T22:16:00.000-04:00

Last nite, I went to the Out Hud/!!! (aka Chik Chik Chik) show at the Middle East. Some thoughts:
A) Frontman (for both !!! and Out Hud) Nic Offer is both dorky and sexy-cool (I really hope my pics of him come out well). Seriously though, I've never seen a performer who can girate, groan, imitate bedroom faces, dance spazzier-than-Michael-Stipe, and tell the audience they get an A-for-effort all within the same few minutes.
B) I met some guy from Brainwashed.com which PTC told me AFTERWARDS is a very big deal. How was I supposed to know? He was supernice and I blew my schmoozing opportunity (this is what happens when you stick a rockist at a techist show).
C) The crowd was wild. Yes, some of the usuals were there (but not many of them). There were a lot of unfamiliar faces, and I ask, where do these kids go because I've never seen them before? I want to know where all the crazy dance party nights are!!! (Actually these people were super-intimidating, I was so out of my element, I had a hard time dancing because these people were SOOO good.)

2003-07-21T21:58:00.000-04:00

FYI, over the next few days I will be posting fotos from The Boxes/Don't Tells/The Gossip show from a week or so back. Don't forget to check 'em out!

2003-07-21T11:32:00.000-04:00

So I know I didn't really talk much about Blur's performance. I'm not really one to critique the actual music (I'll leave that for the pros), but I can tell you that the boys looked like they were having fun. I didn't expect them to get so into it. Damon did a little crowd surfing, a little story telling, a little throwing water at the audience, a little showing off of his sexy hip tattoo... I could explain Alex here, but I'll just let you check out NM's review of the DC show. She does him more justice than I could. Anyhoo, I will say that what I love about Blur is that they somehow have this great energy. Like you expect them to be all snooty and what not and they're really just up there having fun (and looking sexy).

Did I also mention that the Boston hipsters/Pill-goers were out in full force? Seriously. This is getting awkward. I'm either going to have to start making friends with them or stop going out.

2003-07-20T00:55:00.000-04:00

Moving Units.

So several people told me that the Moving Units were supposed to be great. They were right. I can't do them justice, but NME certainly can...

A sweaty bunch, Moving Units are spearheading the newest version of the
new wave - too much guitar for electroclash, too many disco inflections to
qualify for membership to the punk clique. They're brilliant nonetheless,
inspiring fits of Ian Curtis-style elbows-out chicken dancing, as they bounce
machine gun guitar riffs and thrust their snooty vocal airs in our faces. At
times singer Blake Miller echoes the vocal stylings of dear old Damon Albarn...

Needless to say I can't think of anyone else who would've done such a great job opening for Blur. Drummer Chris Hathwell is fabulous. He dances while drumming, he claps, he falls down, he is superb. Apparently these boys aren't too good for going out after a show either - two out of three Moving Units (Blake Miller and Johan Boegli) showed up at The Pill later (unfortunately for them The Pill was not at its best).

2003-07-19T19:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday everybody's favorite local band, Apollo Sunshine, made the front page of the Globe's Arts section.

2003-07-19T03:28:00.000-04:00

It's analogy time here at Joining the Masses, let's see if you can figure out this one.

Dave Navarro is to sexy as Damon Albarn is to _____.

A) Handsome
B) Cute
C) Ugly
D) Pretty

And the answer is D) Pretty.

2003-07-18T11:24:00.000-04:00

Let's take a break from music and pop culture for a moment. The Boston Phoenix has a whole mess of articles on gay marriage. Read them. For those of you either out of it or living elsewhere, there is a huge case in the MA Supreme Court about legalizing gay marriage. Okay, I'm going to get off my soap box now to go buy film for Blur tonight :)

2003-07-18T11:10:00.000-04:00

Tonight: Moving Units/Blur! (Oh I am sooooooooo excited) and then it's off to The Pill.

2003-07-17T12:55:00.000-04:00

To see Aerial Love Feed or not to tonight?

2003-07-17T11:10:00.000-04:00

So, Blur's performance on Conan last night. First and foremost, Damon looked extremely sleepy. Also, they did Out of Time so there was no rocking out and it seemed to emphasize Albarn's fatigue. I'm concerned. I do not want any half-awake rockstars on Friday. These boys had better get some serious rest before showing up at Avalon. (Who am I kidding like I have any control over the situation?! As long as they show up, look pretty, and perform Parklife I'll be a happy fan.)

2003-07-16T13:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday at the hospital a man stopped me and asked if my bag was a Shag bag. A) I was taken a little off-guard that a stranger was talking to me in Boston. B) I told him I didn't know I bought it in New Orleans. Anyhoo, I finally found the tag on my new bag and it is not a Shag it is most likely a much cheaper brand - RedTango by TokyoBay (also the same brand that my stolen bobblehead cat was from).

2003-07-16T12:43:00.000-04:00

September 10th at the Paradise.

2003-07-16T12:34:00.000-04:00

Looking at other people's blogs. NM has a nice little quote regarding Johnny Depp as a pirate. Chris has a very interesting story about the Ari Fleischer wet t-shirt contest.

2003-07-16T00:58:00.000-04:00

Just got back from The Producers. All I can say is fucking genius. Actually, I will say it again fucking genius! Mel Brooks is another fine example of what it is to be a self-hating Jew. Okay okay, you've all already read about it and it's oh so two years ago, so I won't bore you anymore. (NM, have you seen it yet? You and I must discuss this one.)

2003-07-14T22:12:00.000-04:00

The camera is so coming with me Friday night.

2003-07-14T22:00:00.000-04:00

Depp "resembles a refugee from a Duran Duran video" and other thoughts on Depp as a pirate.

Depp Unique in 'Pirates of the Caribbean' - AP
The Longest Yar - Slate (uses such terms as: "ingratiatingly fruity", "titanic weirdo", and "heavy mascara and jazzercising gestures".
Depp Defying - Boston Globe
Pirates of the Caribbean: Hijacked by the Matey in the Eyeliner - Newsday
Pirates leaves timbers unshivered - The Globe and Mail (a sample: "Either way, it's quite the bizarre bundle of parts, like the winning float in a Gay Pride parade -- the Caribbean pirate as limp-wristed lush. Depp is a movie onto himself, and you can't take your eyes off the guy.")

2003-07-14T12:51:00.000-04:00

Shameless self-promotion. My fotolog is back in action.

2003-07-14T12:37:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of LW an article on everyone's favorite site - Found Magazine.

2003-07-13T13:31:00.000-04:00

Orlando Bloom and his very long and shiny sword.

2003-07-11T14:21:00.000-04:00

On tap this weekend:
Tonight: Pirates of the Caribbean w/JS (G, you should come!)
Tomorrow: Morning/afternoon - quality time with cousins CK & MM
Late afternoon/evening - graduation party for MP
Nite - Double b-day party for JR & B (Yay to partying it up with Harvard and MIT grad students!)
Sunday: Open to discussion

2003-07-11T02:40:00.000-04:00

The Gossip.

So, PTC and I are driving to the parking lot he likes in Central Square. I spot a guy on a cell phone standing in back of the Middle East/TT's. He's wearing jeans, a green striped shirt, and big glasses. I say in a monotone voice, "He's cool." Then I wonder out loud if he's in one of the bands. I mock him a bit more as the evening progresses. He stands behind me during the Don't Tells (formerly Sissy Bars). I notice he's sorta cute and continue to wonder if he is indeed the boy from The Gossip. Upon closer inspection I decide he's not half bad. I have my camera with me at the show. It's amazing how if you show up with a manual camera people think you're important and let you get to the very front of the room. So, the boy in the shirt is indeed Nathan Brace (who I'd link to here but he's incredibly unsexy in photos). And there he is less than a foot away thrusting his guitar in my face and about two songs in I change my mind and decide never to mock him again. I also decide that I'm the most sexually frustrated woman in Boston.

Other thoughts on The Gossip. Beth Ditto is what Kelly Osbourne will never be. She's cool, she's confident, and she's got a great voice. The Gossip is far better live than on a recording. They're alive. While Ditto didn't strip to her undies (apparently she did the last time PTC saw her), she did put on a great show and at one point told the audience, "You're mother sucks... my CLITORIS." Raunchy raunchy.

On another note, after the show, a boy hands me an FNX bumper sticker outside. He tells me to "stick it somewhere worthwhile." Hmm... I think I'll put it on my car.

2003-07-10T03:43:00.000-04:00

Most disappointing shows of the past year sans the dates because it's well-past my bedtime.
This time #1 = the worst.
1. A.R.E. Weapons - This is the all time worst show I've ever been to and that includes crappy high school bands and college a capella. Mr. Sevigny's prettiness couldn't save the god-awfulness of their performance. Go back to Wall Street! You've heard it all from me before so I won't say anymore.
2. John Meyer - Okay, I have some very good friends who happen to like John Meyer, I hope what I'm about to say won't disrupt our friendships. A) I felt like I was in an Abercrombie ad B) I was bitter that I had to go (social obligations and all) C) He actually burped in the microphone at one point and it was neither cute nor sexy D) Mediocre, I was just filled with a sense of mediocre.
3. Kings of Leon - They opened for The Coral. A) I had never heard of them before so I was not tainted by the NME hype or the slick sound of the studio version of Molly's Chambers. B) Something was off, something wasn't quite right C) They stole their clothes from Dazed and Confused and/or Almost Famous, but it wasn't cool, they were trying to hard (the funniest part was when the lead singer's hip huggers stopped hugging and started sliding) D) I will say that these boys could possibly get better, right now they need work and they're are not as amazing as NME would like you to believe.
4. Glass Candy - It left me feeling nothing. No rage. No boredom. No temporary deafness. Nothing.
5. Pete Yorn - Okay, this is the one I'm the most upset about. I fell in love with his first album. I wanted to play it the morning after (of course during that period of my life, I was not the one who got to choose the morning after music). I went into the show skeptical because I was not crazy about the new stuff. However, it's not even so much the music that disappointed me at the show, it was him. He stood there and sang and there was no passion. All of the heartache and soul of his music had disappeared. It was horribly horribly disappointing. Pete Yorn could be really good, he could go the Ryan Adams/David Grey route (yes, i like them, yes you can make fun of me for that, but I happen to think they're good at what they do) but his performance left me wondering if he was going to follow the likes of John Meyer. Please, someone who knows him, slap some sense into the boy.

2003-07-10T03:24:00.000-04:00

So, after my little speech on how amazing Devendra Banhart is I, of course, find out that he's playing Thursday night at Zeitgeist with Xiu Xiu. Too bad I already have tix for The Gossip! I feel like I'm betraying him or something. Anyhoo, Thursday night is a BIG (well, better than average) music night here. Other shows I will be missing: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at TT's, The New Pornographers downstairs at The Middle East, and of course Heart at the Pavilion (okay, not really upset about that one!).

2003-07-08T23:58:00.000-04:00

Top five shows since moving to Boston roughly one year ago (Field Day is automatically eliminated as it did not take place in MA).
With #1 being the best:
1. The Coral - May 8th at The Paradise (a. despite the fact that the band wouldn't let G and I get on their bus and b. despite the fact that i experienced Mrs. Robinson-type feelings for a certain very young singer)
2. Elton John and Billy Joel - September 20th at the Fleet Center (c'mon you all know I'm a cheezeball at heart)
3. Paul Anka - October 18th (I think) at the Lowell Auditorium (a. it was free b. he sang duets with dead people c. my mom saw him some 40 odd years ago after her junior prom d. old women swooning like 14 year olds)
4. Love with Arthur Lee - August 8th at the Middle East (a. he's crazy b. he's been to jail c. he's crazy and he's been to jail)
5. Devendra Banhart - February 10th at the Choppin' Block (why did little Devendra make it and not say Jonathan Richman, Apollo Sunshine, Notwist, or any others I've seen? Because when Devendra puts on a show it's like - without trying to sound too cliché - he opens up his soul for the audience. It's like it's painful for him to perform in front of you and this is what makes him incredible. He's also the only performer to come through Boston that I've made it a point to see more than once.)

2003-07-08T20:55:00.000-04:00

Well, you can all wipe away your tears of loneliness I have returned from Nola. Covering this trip will take quite a few blog entries, so tonight I shall just discuss New Orleans coffee culture.

So, Cousin J is quite the caffeine addict, so naturally we went to at least one (sometimes two or three) coffee shop every day. J took me to PJs, Fairgrinds, the Rue, and probably some others that I don't remember the names of. Coffee shops are to New Orleans what Irish bars are to Boston. They're there, there's at least one to every block and everyone frequents them.

If I were a Nola native, I'd be a Rue frequenter. It's big, it's hip, it's got great caffeine, and did I mention that the employees and customers are all fabulously stylish? The Rue on Magazine is the place to see and be seen. Seriously. This is like going to M Level at Hopkins - or perhaps for a cooler person in a cooler decade Studio 54. You bring work, you bring a book, but let's get real, you're there to make eye contact with the guy behind the counter and never mind him because there's a guy across the room trying to make eye contact with you. I played it "cool" there, sitting with a book and my old Pentax. Seriously, if I lived in New Orleans I would develop a very debilitating caffeine addiction for the sheer excuse of sitting at the Rue all night.

And now I'm back in Boston and there really are very few cool coffee shops and the ones that are cool I've been on bad dates at and can never go back to. Alas, no more coffee shop sitting for me, it's back to my weekends at the Public Garden.

2003-07-01T21:53:00.000-04:00

In-flight listening choices will include:
Badly Drawn Boy - About a Boy
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
The Beta Band - Hot Shots II
Blur - Think Tank
Caesars - 39 Minutes of Bliss
Clinic - Internal Wrangler
The Coral - The Coral
Neil Diamond - The Essential Neil Diamond, Disc 1
Doves - The Last Broadcast
Honeymoon in Vegas Soundtrack
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Joy Division - Substance
Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow
Longwave - The Strangest Things
Magnetic Fields/Future Bible Heroes mix
Morvern Callar Soundtrack
Oasis - Definitely Maybe
Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted, Disc 1
Pulp - Different Class
Radiohead - The Bends
Talking Heads - Sand in the Vaseline, Disc 1
U2 - Achtung Baby
U2 - Unforgettable Fire
Weezer - Pinkerton

Yes I'm bringing a lot of music with me. Those of us without Ipods have to over-pack so that we can accommodate our often changing moods.

2003-07-01T21:33:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow morning I leave for New Orleans! Yippee! I still have to pack and clean my apartment... ugh. Anyhoo, I don't know if I'll have time to be blogging while I'm there, but I'll definitely be able to check my email and of course I'll have my celly (you know just in case anyone hooks up in an elevator or closet and has to tell me about it right away). PTC has requested I bring him back a zydeco player. Personally, I'd like to bring back Trent Reznor. I think he'd make a nice addition to my apartment. Anyone else have any ridiculous requests? And no I will not be appearing in a Girls Gone Wild video even if Snoop is there shooting it himself.