January 08, 2005
What I've Done, and a Trifecta

I've been long form silent yet for a while, while I've promised others writeups of various events of the past few weeks. Between family visits, holidays, recovery, and work I appear not to have recovered sufficiently to give these events the text they deserve.

So what we've done

  • Spamalot - Anne and I (and a bunch of coworkers) went to see this over the holidays during it's preview run at the Schubert Theatre here in Chicago. It's an entertaining farce based not-so-loosely on the beloved Monty Python film of the same name. And it certainly isn't an DaVinci Code, either. Lots of jokes transport themselves from the film, some wittily crudely, others in the service of mockery of overblown Broadway Musicals. I expect it will have a strong run in NYC, but I worry for it's actual longevity. But hey, I would have said that about the Producers I suspect.
  • Holiday dinners - we did our usual thing this year. Pizza the night before (AZ's Dad and I agree on the value of excessive cheese). And for the holiday itself we have the judeo-christian mashup of brisket served with latkes. It was delicious, if I may say so myself.
  • Gizmos - in the late 80s, before I returned to Bloomington, the Gizmos played a reunion. I missed it, meaning I still never got to see the boys in action. So the announcement that there would be another Gizmos Reunion (the Dale Lawrence version) filled me with no small portion of joy. And I was not disappointed. Two covers (Ramones, Pistols), and all the hits from the new reissue Rock and Roll Don't Come From New York. I've been counseled by my trusted advisors that not having this in your youth makes it hard to love, but uninitiated FOAFs at the show were impressed enough to pick up the disk. It'll be 10 years or so before the next reunion, but clear your calendar now.
  • Books for Gifts - Every year AZ and I give each other books for gifts at the important gift giving occasions (xmas, birthdays, Thursday in passing the bookstore...). This year she treated me to three books rocketing to the top of my inbound list.
    • Dale Lawrence's "Hoosier Hysteria Road Book : A Guide to the Byways of Indiana High School Basketball" This is Dale's compendium of over 400 Indiana High Schools and their gymnasia and roundball programs. It's a loving portrait, in facts, numbers and diner addresses, of one man's exploration. And the diner tips will come in handy as AZ and I drive to the Southern Annex each month.
    • Heny Mitchell's "One Man's Garden" Mitchell was garden columnist for the Washington Post, and has a nearly ephemeral beauty and humor in his writing. I'll be adding his other books to the wishlist soon.
    • Antonino D'Ambrosio edited " Let Fury Have the Hour: The Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer" This was the true wildcard gift this year I think. A collection of essays (from Sylvie Simmons to Billy Bragg and all the way around the alphabet) about Joe Strummer. Combined with the exhibition AZ and I saw in London this year of Joe's work, it has helped to keep his spirit in my heart.
  • ECC's tradeMark came by Chicago for a gig on his current tour with Chromelodeon. Chromelodeon got a bit jam-bandy in their longform, but 8 musicians in video game inspired (and covering) show can make a hellishly beautiful racket. ECC's gig was in good form - at least one new song, and band accompanied oldies (Jesus Carp, Son of Cod) made for a fine, if snowy, night. The night before Mark and I found ourselves on a deserted NEIU campus looking for the studios of WZRD. When we found them (buried in the basement of the student building, of course!), the smell of the station brought back all the WQAX memories one can hold at once. What a great thing, community radio.
  • Vulgar Boatmen - Completing the Dale Lawrence trifecta by seeing VB tonight.... lots of wiggle!

Whew!

Posted by esinclai at January 08, 2005 11:18 AM |
Comments

You forgot to mention how you had me make a distress call to the radio station. And how the radio station guys were UNABLE to tell me their location on the telephone. And finally, how the guy who answered the phone referred to me as "somebody's mom." And how the conversation deteriorated from there.

Posted by: Anne on January 10, 2005 09:31 AM
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