Monthly Archive for August, 2004

Not so Primitive

Published
by
Andy
on 8/15/2004
in Log
. 0 Comments

Friday night kicked off an intense weekend. Getting everywhere and doing everything required a feat of logistics the likes I’d never known myself capable of. But I will get to that. First let me tell you of Ambulance, LTD.

This is one of the bands I saw perform during my sojourn in New Jersey. Acutally, they were the best band I saw, and I saw them in Brooklyn. Granted, Broadripple, Indiana is a long way from Brooklyn. But once you pass through the doors of a any hip nightclub, you pass through a portal into a dimension that has entrances all over the world. This entrance just happened to be near where I am now.

The band was here as part of the Midwest Music Summit, although they hail from NYC. They were only one of many bands playing at The Patio that night. Others in the line up included a band called Elefant and another called The Sights. We had really only come for Ambulance, so that’s all we really stayed for. My friend John wanted to be home early and I had to get across town and get up early the next day. But again, I’ll get to that.

Since there were so many bands playing, Ambulance only got to play 5 or 6 songs. They opened with “Anecdote,” a very Elliot Smith-sounding tune that I like very much, at the end of which the lead singer broke the high E string on his acoustic. I don’t think they needed it for any other songs anyway, so it worked out I think. They covered their basics, including their first real hit, “Primitive (The Way I Treat You),” which you can download for free from their Web site. During this song, the lead singer broke a string on one of his electrics. It just wasn’t his night. They also played an excellent cover of a Pink Floyd song, “Fearless”, the original of which I’d never heard. I wouldn’t have known except John told me. I realized Ambulance had played it in Brooklyn, too. I wonder why I never realized it wasn’t on their record. The set was disappointingly short, but well worth the trip down. Michelle and John are new fans.

The weekend was to become more challenging after the show. I had to get to the southwest side of the Indy and find a house I’d never been to that belonged to people I’d never met. Everyone would be asleep. I was meeting my friend Jeremy and our brothers there for a caving adventure the next day. I was to let myself in, lock the door behind me, and make my way upstairs to find where my brother was sleeping. I accomplished everything except the last part, and finally just curled up on the carpet in the common area and slept for a few hours.

The next morning, I awoke, a little stiff, to find I had made it to the right house and that everyone was there and ready. We drove an hour or so south the the cave, where we caved for 5 hours. (See next post for details on that.) Afterward, Jeremy and our brothers and their dad had to drive back to Elkhart. They would drop me off in Kokomo, where I’d catch a ride back to Muncie with Michelle and her family. It was amazing coordination. A real team effort was involved. I couldn’t have done it by myself.

M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village”

Published
by
Andy
on 8/13/2004
in Reviews
. 0 Comments

To be perfectly honest, I probably read too much about this movie before seeing it. Blah blah Shyamalan’s signature twist. Blah blah ending was a let down. Blah blah dialogue was weird.

But “The Village” actually pleasantly surprised me. From the moment the film began I was determined to figure out the twist before it was revealed. To a certain extent I had, but instead of being bored for the rest of the film I found myself more fascinated with the details and circumstances that led to things being the way they were. So I wasn’t disappointed.

The only thing that really got me was the dialogue. First off, the people use archaic language and sentence structure for reasons that are negated later in the film. Why they talk this way is never really explained. Also, Shyamalan likes to have characters say weird things that seem to be clues, but in the end are just big fat red herrings. It’s like reading a murder mystery novel. It throws all of these things and you, the viewer, have to decide what is a piece of the puzzle and what isn’t.

The film doesn’t break any new ground. It’s standard Twilight Zone fare. Or maybe X-Files. I could almost see Agent Mulder standing at the edge of the woods in a couple of scenes. But, being a Twilight Zone and X-Files fan, I enjoyed it.

Finality

Published
by
Andy
on 8/1/2004
in Log and Observations
. 0 Comments

That’s right, this will be the final 10 Weeks in Jersey post. Actually, it turned into more like 12 weeks in Jersey. But I’ve got no complaints. After 3 months, I’m ready to spend more time out here. Not only do I find the Shore itself fascinating, but the proximity to other, more interesting places intrigues me.

I would tell you what I’ve done for the last 5 days or so, but I have to believe you’re getting tired of this.

Went to a show blah blah went to the city blah blah went to bars blah blah. You know the drill. (Except, this time Michelle joined me on my adventure. Actually, it was OUR adventure. We went to the Met and Grimaldi’s. Grimaldi’s pizza is awesome.)

What I really want to focus on for this, my final post, is something Roxy calls a “summation.” You know, like at the end of “The Breakfast Club” when Anthony Michael Hall’s voice over tells us “how it is.”

  • Well, here’s how it is. (With the help of some friends.)
  • Good parking takes good juju.
  • Smooth talking CAN get you into a nightclub. Prior experience with the doorman WILL clinch it.
  • Things are amazing. Meals can be beautiful.
  • It is worth the drive.
  • Push towards the front, it’s better from there.
  • Houston is not a city in Texas.
  • You don’t NEED the lime.
  • I’m not technically a bennie.
  • Take more photos.
  • Polaroids are objects.
  • Remember the ocean.
  • Verb is bond.
  • We emote, therefore we are.
  • nothings always extraordinary, but within the bound of the ordinary do what you feel strongest about. j.r. pritchett
  • Listen to things kids say.
  • You’ll never be happy unless you make yourself happy.
  • I don’t wanna die. I wanna dance my life away.(Prince) And fyi: My Milkshake IS better than yours. (Roxy by way of Kelis)
  • “In case you didn’t know, RAZ is the new shit”-Har Mar Superstar
  • Hair grows back but you can’t go back . And why would you want to anyway?
  • Resistance is futile.
  • You’ll forget the separation anxiety, I promise.
  • One part tequila. One part pineapple juice. Two parts Southern Comfort.
  • Old dogs CAN learn new tricks.
  • Sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. Not necessarily in that order.
  • Sometimes, multi-taskers like to do one thing at once.
  • time is the biggest happening, sometimes, and the biggest waste
  • Bring money for tolls. In fact, just bring money. Jersey only takes cash.

* edited for content