Oh, For A Muse Of Fire
Now Playing: Lush--"Single Girl"
What a day.

When I was a kid, the highlight of a Saturday morning, as I suppose it was for many of us, was watching cartoons on TV. Taking a cue from C.S. Lewis and attempting to preserve the best things of childhood, I find myself increasingly enamored of the weirdness on offer these days from UPN and Detroit Public TV. I'd never before sat through an entire single episode of "The Joy of Painting," with iconically frizzy-haired canvas guru Bob "Happy Little Trees" Ross, and I considered myself amply rewarded for doing so. He painted a winter scene from scratch, all snowy mountains and, yes, happy little trees, and it was simply fascinating to watch it all come together (oddly reminiscent of Clouzot's The Mystery of Picasso). In the meantime, Bob went on in an insinuatingly threatening manner about his "ecology kick" ("The animals disappear and guess who goes next?") and welcomed and fed a delegation of fox squirrels presented by his friend Terry.

I tried watching "Night Stalker" again, and it wasn't too bad, I suppose. Michael "Noonan!" O'Keefe guested as a troubled FBI agent helping Perry and Kolchak hunt down a Unabomber-style terrorist, and there was some pretty impressive editing and special effects. I'm very slowly beginning to find Stuart Townsend less annoying, and Gabrielle Union continues to hold me in a state of helpless thralldom with her acting ability and sheer inhuman gorgeousness (even if too much of both has to be devoted to wondering glances at Townsend that say, "Kolchak, you're such an unsettling yet compelling loner/maverick" or "Kolchak, I can't believe you just did/said that"--we got enough of that on "The X-Files," I think). It's decent, all part of soothing myself for what lay ahead.

Saturday afternoon, I went to "Connect with SI," an orientation session given by the University of Michigan School of Information for potential students. I'd been dreading it, quite frankly, and I couldn't help feeling a great deal of trepidation as I went in there. I finally got my M.A. in history from Akron in December of 2004, and so felt a little less strange about the thought of pursuing other academic options, but the effect of spending three years in Ann Arbor as not quite a townie and not quite a student have had a pretty big impact on me, probably retarding my social skills and making me just a little paranoid. Wondering if I was going to get looks from people that meant "What are you doing here? Go away!" (as if they could somehow tell that I was a 30-year-old cook making $9.30/hr. with no benefits by sight alone) isn't the best way to handle the world. Fortunately, I was a little disarmed by the actual session. Everyone was very welcoming and encouraging, and it was very informative to hear from students and faculty about the different kinds of things people were doing with MSI degrees (it pays to read the paper sometimes--one of the professors mentioned the same story I'd seen that day, about a new internet service that handled DVD swaps). It was also good to hear that I was at the exact median age for the student population at SI--I was a little concerned about that. Even if I don't end up going to this particular school, it was good to see how things stood.

The previous night, I'd gone to check out the Kelly Caldwell farewell show at the Natural Canvas Gallery on North Main, only to find that it was cancelled, a discovery that propelled me towards the Tim Monger show at Crazy Wisdom instead. I ran into Sara, the boys of Starling Electric, and Mr. Josh, and chatted a bit, all the while listening to Tim Monger's gloriously heartfelt and keening whimsical confessions (including a slightly nauseating revelation about ear care)--"Luna Pier" was particularly good. As I sat there, I formed a resolution for Saturday, which presented an embarrassment of musical riches. First, the No Fun Records showcase was playing at the Blind Pig, featuring the Hard Lessons and the Avatars; the 2004 show was possibly the most fun I'd ever had at that particular venue, and so I was immediately drawn towards going there. A couple of weeks ago, though, Brandon had told me that Saturday Looks Good To Me was playing the Bad Idea house down the street from Natural Canvas, and that it was likely to be one of the last times one would probably see SLGTM playing a house party. I subsequently discovered from posters at Village Corner that it would be the last show ever at the Bad Idea, at least in the conceivable future. So I was in something of a dither over what to do, and then it hit me that night at Crazy Wisdom--I'd go to both of them. It was maybe a ten minute walk from the Pig to the Bad Idea, so the idea wasn't complete lunacy.

The next day, I decided it was. Then, halfway through the No Fun show, which was my first choice, I decided it wasn't again and took off for the Bad Idea. I think what tipped the scales in the latter's favor was that it would be the last show there, and I'd never seen inside of the Bad Idea or into the backyard (the front of the house looks like the proverbial crazy old cat lady went completely fucking apeshit with the deep blue paint and the found objects, no doubt cackling insanely throughout). The No Fun show was a good time, to be sure; I had a few beers and got halfway through Anthony Trollope's Dr. Wortle's School (1880--this guy's great!), and heard some stuff from the Dead Bodies and the Boomerangs, both of them pretty good.

I presented myself about ten minutes later at the Bad Idea, to receive a handshake from Fred Thomas, the SLGTM headfellow, a very nice guy, by all accounts (and I love his fucking band; I can't help it). Brandon, Katie, and Chuck were all there, as was Chuck's friend Maggie from the Madison House party of a couple of months past, and I got to meet Aaron, a DJ and frequent musical connoisseur about town who works at Schoolkids Records, one of the two really good places in Ann Arbor for new music. I'd gotten there halfway through Narwhals Collide's set, which was hilarious fun to watch. Brandon Kierdorf, who'd played the Madison House a couple of times, and bandmates were decked out in the kind of outrageous garb that reminded me more than anything of GWAR.

Saturday Looks Good To Me's set... I was so glad I decided to go to the Bad Idea. The performance space is slightly larger than my kitchen and "living room," which is saying absolutely nothing, and we managed to cram into it in numbers of maybe thirty or forty at a time, possibly more. Almost at once, people started shoving each other about the room in front of the performers (Brandon and I discussed afterward whether it was slam-dancing or moshing; I really didn't know), myself included. Shirts came off and mine nearly did, too (I was down to my T-shirt before I decided I'd had enough for the evening). I mentioned later, my voice hoarse from drinking, screaming, and laughing, that I don't think I've thrashed that hard since Lollapalooza '94, but I think I probably did a pretty decent job at the Dirtbombs and Casionauts shows, too. Songs I recognized: "Alcohol," "Dialtone," "The Girl's Distracted," and a wonderful surprise at the end with a boisterous cover of "Roadrunner," by the Modern Lovers. "Radio ON!!!!" There was something for everybody, it seemed: music, dancing, drinking, smoking, male and female toplessness... After the show, Chuck, Maggie, and Katie melted away, and Brandon and I wound up at this "sweaters and cider" party on South Fifth given by some of his urban planning chums. The cider was out, but we each had a mug of Leinenkugel, which proved a perfect chaser. After about ten minutes or so, he went off to some party in Ypsi and I decided to give myself a very well-earned rest, trudging home a pretty happy camper and virtuously resisting the temptations of NYPD (New York Pizza Depot, for non-residents), which was still open on the other side of William. What a night.*

Thinking of the journey home and reading the paper this morning at the Fleetwood (in between Kathy trying to use me as a reluctant witness to Maggie's tyrannies, whatever those were--I love those two), I notice that the mysterious rash of street robberies over the past couple of months has hit the front page. Just what this town needs--a crime wave. Some girl actually got stabbed on Ann Street; I'll have to follow this one pretty closely.

*The only sour note came from a couple of those jackass high school kids (I imagine--I actually know a couple of high school kids in town and more upstanding, creative, and wonderful characters you can't imagine--I'm not generalizing at all, but I'm just going from snatches of conversation I've heard) who propped a couple of crutches against the door to stop people from getting out--this with about thirty or forty people inside a fucking sardine tin; there's nothing I like better than a good fire hazard, you diseased little twats. In a related issue, I read a pamphlet given out at the house last night that explained the reasons for the Bad Idea's discontinuance as a music venue:

"On the other hand.

Some drunk once told me that, 'if you don't want things to get broken you shouldn't have shows.' Okay, sweet, that's what I want to hear idiot. Cuz that makes perfect sense right, it's our job to clean up after you and you get to act irresponsible and come see some bands, I mean you did pay $4.00, right."

--josh-redd Sanchez, "Happy Endings: A Tribute To Two Years of Shows at Bad Idea." (2005)

Much of the rest of the pamphlet expounds on that idea, and I perfectly understand the irritation faced by somebody trying to provide a cheap, fun place to hear music, only to see it ruined by violent, destructive pricks (the same kind, one would imagine, who slashed the arms on the Madison House's porch couch at the last show). Well, Mr. Sanchez, you have a hearty vote of thanks from this quarter. I had a fantastic time at your house and I apologize for whichever of my fellow party-goers behaved like shitheads. Thanks for the music!!