Friday, March 9, 2007

This Entry is Random, Love It

It's been such a long time since I have blogged – I know all my loyal readers have been breathlessly anticipating my latest entry. This blog is going to be a mishmash of randomness. In my two month absence I have had ideas for a couple different entries and this is the result – be happy I got off my lazy butt to write at all kids.

First random thing: The strangest thing happened to me recently. Sometimes when I am bored I randomly start browsing Wikipedia. Well, I was doing that sometime last month and happened upon this entry. Go over and check it out for a moment if you want, but basically it's a whole entry about a Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks show in Milwaukee that is apparently so famous among his fans that it has been dubbed "The Milwaukee Show." And I was at it. It's famous I guess cause they played an entire concert of Pavement songs in chronological order, which seemed entirely normal to me and Dan when we were actually at the concert. That's the funny thing about reading an entire Wikipedia entry about a concert you went to and had no idea was special at all, it makes me want to hop in my Delorean and go back to that night so I can properly recognize and appreciate it. At the time Dan and I had no idea Pavement songs weren't a normal part of Malkmus playlists, and neither of us was familiar enough with the Pavement catalog to understand that all of the songs were Pavement tracks and being presented in a timeline. I was just excited to hear Spit on a Stranger, and we both spazzed out for Jenny and the Ess-Dog. The other thing I should probably tell you about being at this concert is that I was so unsober it probably wouldn't have registered with me if he played an entire set of Hall and Oates songs so it's doubly strange to now read something on the internet about how excited I should have been to actually be there. Anyways, until someone writes a Wikipedia entry about the classic Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players show at Shank Hall where I got up and wowed the audience with an astute and compelling question during the Q&A, being at the Malkmus Milwaukee Show is my one claim to Wikipedia fame.

Second random thing: I love the song "Nights on Broadway" by the Bee Gees and I have no earthly idea what it is about. I have been tempted to go and look up the lyrics to try and figure it out, but decided that I wanted to leave it as one of those crazy mysteries that never gets solved. I mean, I can't even understand half of the words. Most of what I can make out is something about blaming it all on the nights on broadway, and that just begs the question, what kind of trouble could a broadway performer really get into that he would have to beg someone to later blame it on his nights on broadway? Then I came up with an elaborate back-story about New York City in the 70s, where there was a street named Broadway that was a home for male prostitutes, and the protagonist is begging someone to forgive him for once being a male hustler. I dig that interpretation and have decided to go with it. So next time you hear "Nights on Broadway," and who doesn't have a hankering to hear the Bee Gees every once in awhile, remember that it's just the sad story of a down on his luck gigolo trying to make good.

Final random thing: I started writing this whole entry about my favorite movies of last year. I got as far as writing about my three favorites, and so I present that to you now. Enjoy.

THE BEST THREE MOVIES I SAW LAST YEAR.

V for Vendetta

The Departed

Children of Men

After I saw V for Vendetta early in the year I didn't imagine I would see another movie that would wow me the way it did. There ended up being two. V was simply an amazing movie that, even though it was set in England and based on a graphic novel 15 years old, was the most brilliant attack on the Bush administration I imagine will ever be put on film. A movie doesn't need to have a message to be entertaining, obviously, but the best movies to me are the ones that keep me mesmerized for the time I am in the theater and keep me thinking about what they had to say long after the credits have run. V is a movie I think I will carry with me for years, wondering how long our government can fool and abuse us until the people decide its time for a vendetta of our own.

The Departed was just a fucking good movie. Leonardo DiCaprio was so good in this movie I was actually offended on his behalf when I read an article in EW this week where someone called his performance "mediocre." Um, are you kidding me? I cared more about his character than any other in a movie last year. I totally wanted to do him, and I usually find Leo annoying at best. [This is actually the way in which I evaluate most male performances, no lie, and in the case of someone I usually find annoying if I would do him you know the acting was off the charts fantastic.] His performance was brilliant, and it wasn't even the best in the movie. Marky Mark stole the show as a cop so awesomely tough Stacey and I decided we want him to be our personal enforcer. The next time I have to call Sprint to bitch at them and I get shitty customer service I am sending Marky Mark over to kick some ass.

There are no words to describe Children of Men. I knew almost nothing about it going in, and it was all the more moving for it. I think Clive Owen has become one of those actors that is so good in every single performance when he turns in one as good as he does in this movie it's not even noticed. He says more with his eyes and face than he does with words. I think it goes without saying I would totally do him, but that's no surprise since the man is simply on fire he's so effing hot.

That's it for now. Hopefully I will get back into more regular blogging as I know so many of you out there get up each morning only to see what my thoughts are on such random bullshit as Bee Gees songs. I live to serve.