Flower Dog Fan Club

Zaireeka

Tuesday night Molly and I took a walk over to Good Records to listen to Zaireeka, and watch a screening of the Flaming Lips movie: Christmas on Mars. Zaireeka, for those who are not familiar, is a project the Flaming Lips did back in 1997. The CD is four different disks that are meant to be played simultaneously. For the 10^th anniversary, last year, they released a DVD to go with the CDs, as well as fifth CD. So, you sit in a room, watch

Wayne

talk about each track, and then listen to the album… which is played over 5 different sets of speakers, from five different CD players. I’d always wanted to have the Zeireeka experience, but somehow over time have never had a chance to do it… but oh my goodness it was amazing. Standing in the middle of the room with five different CDs playing and creating just a storm of sound and music… amazing. If you get a chance, I highly suggest getting together a couple of friends and CD players, and doing the same. (Unless you just don’t care for the Flaming Lips for some reason)

After listening to Zaireeka, in all its glory, we headed home and didn’t get to see the movie… oh well; the DVD is out in two weeks… we’ll just have to watch it at home.

Woo-hoo Steven Korbar!

Just want to send some love to our good friend Steven, who had two plays selected for the Stage THIS! 2008 Playwriting Competition.

Check out their page: http://www.fnproductions.org/index.htm

He was selected in the Ten Minute play category for: All the Way, and in the Monologue category for: A slight limp: The later life and adventurs of Tiny Tim. (I had an opportunity to work with Steven in staging A slight limp a few years ago)

So congrats Steven. For those of you in the Torrance area if you see Steven make sure to give him  a giant hug that lasts just a little bit to long, he loves that sorta thing! (Steven most likely to be seen running around your neighborhood at about 1:00 AM...)

Rockin’ the Suburbs

I went to see Ben Folds last night at the Palladium, and it was a pretty decent rock n’ roll show. Sadly, I did not go with Kim Walker and Joel Nalewajek to the show this time*, but had a good time none the less. Ben Folds is touring in support of his new album, Way to Normal. He spent the better part of the set playing tracks off the new album. Though he did play “Annie Waits” pretty early on, that was pretty decent of him.

 

The highlights:

 

He brought Missy Higgins, the opening act, on stage to sing the single “You Don’t Know Me”, which he had recorded with Regina Spektor. Great Track!

 

Explaining that they had recorded every song on the new album twice, once for the album, and once for a dummy copy they leaked on the internet. The dummy songs had the same titles, but were complexly different and horrible songs. He played a few of the dummy songs, including: Dr. Yang, Free Coffee, and Bi@*h went nuts.

 

The encore was almost entirely older material, save for "The Frown Song". He played “Underground” from the first Ben Folds Five album, “Kate” from Whatever and ever, Amen, “Still Fighting It” and “Not the Same” from Rockin’ the Suburbs. He also played “Rockin’ the Suburbs”, there is something still very funny about the audience singing, “Ya’ll don’t know what it’s like, being male middle class and white…”

 

We left the show after the encore, and saw people running back into the building. We followed suit to see that the band had come back on stage to close the show with “Army”… darn it all; I missed the Chick Fil’a line!

 

Overall a good rock n’ roll experience that got me thinking about a lot of old friends that I have had the pleasure of sharing the Ben Folds experience! (And no Molly, he did not play "Brick"… I think he heard you were going to be there, and didn’t want to play your least favorite song, ever)

 

 

*Four years ago Joel, Kim, and I went to the Greek to see Ben Folds open for Tori Amos. The Greek has stacked parking, so once you are there, you are there. Ben Folds did a great set, but Kim and Joel quickly tired of Tori… and she plays forever… still one of my favorite LA Nights!

The Life & Times of Tim

Charlie got all serious writing about the election and what not...and now I'm going to dumb it down a bit and write about a new tv show we're both watching: The Life & Times of Tim on HBO. 

Getting Charlie to watch a new show is quite the challenge-he's not a big TV person in general and the one stereotype he has to fill as a dude is that most of the tv he watches is something sports-related (which helps me fill the stereotype of sports on tv hating wife - I like it live-but tv is a bit boring).  But, occasionally if I get him to watch something-he tends to like it (6 Feet Under of many years ago, for example-became a favorite for him).  I had read about it in Entertainment Weekly and then saw a clip of it on HBO and thought it sounded like a lot of fun. 

We watched it the other night-and it was HIGH-larious-even Charlie is hooked.  It's a horribly drawn cartoon and the humor is really dry and inappropriate.  Each 30 minute episode is split into 2 15 minute shorts.  The guy sounds a little like Ray Romano-but not nearly as annoying.  And he reminds me like a less bitter Larry David (whom I love and tend to agree with his crazy logic-he speaks to me) - mostly just in the situations he gets into.  A favorite moment was when the Priest at his girlfriend's sister's wedding asked him to "play a joke" on the guests by responding to "Does anyone object to this marriage" with a "Hell's yeah I object! She's my Biatch!"  because God would love it. 

Bill-this is nothing like Home Movies-I think you might actually enjoy this one! 

If you get a chance-catch it on HBO...or on HBO.com there are shorts that are very funny too.  The one on the airplane is my fave.  

My concerns for our Country

I’ve asked Molly to hit me if I change the channel to Fox news in an attempt to get balance vs. the CNN reports I usually watch. I’m a decided voter, firmly in the Obama camp, but want to make sure I get either sides or at least two different versions of the same story. But, seriously, I’ve noticed I just get angry when I watch Fox news, so I’ve decided I’ll just have to get the other side of the story somewhere else.

 

Regardless, I’ve noticed reading on-line reports, and watching several news outlets that there is trend from some McCain supporters, though not McCain, to get more aggressive with Obama on personal issues. In a Yahoo article, Panic attacks: Voters unload at GOP rallies http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081010/pl_politico/14445 there is comments by people at rallies calling Obama a terrorists, a damn liar, and a socialist. There are people that are really angry, and want McCain to win at all costs. Again, I don’t put this on McCain, who I consider an honest and decent man, but these supporters are going to far.

 

When did this win at all costs mentality take hold? We saw it to a certain extent over the last 2 elections, but not to this extreme. What does this mentality teach our children? “Honey its ok to slide cleats first into someone’s shins, as long as you win!” That does not seem to avow any conservative values.

 

It’s not your normal political rhetoric, which is fully expected during an election year, it has become very personal. As voters we deserve better then this. If you want McCain to win because you feel like he has more experience, and more foreign policy experience, then say that Obama has less experience. If you feel like Obama should win because he represents change from the Bush Administration, then say that. There is no reason we need to discuss Obama’s relationship with Ayers (A man who by the way is now an outstanding citizen and educator), Palin’s involvement in trooper gate, or McCain’s treatment of his first wife.

 

The old adage is very true, people who live in glasses houses should not throw stones.

 

Let’s talk about the issues that impact this country, and how each candidate will tackle those issues. Let’s hold our candidates responsible for overall human decency in this election, and ask them to act above the fray of such despicable practices and language.