Show Ramblings

Mr Swanky — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:13:00 -0800

When I was young and foolish I went to a lot of shows and, after my cousin Nick moved away, I started going to a lot of shows alone. It’s really not so bad, since I was there mostly to see bands play, not necessarily to hang out with people, and the truth is that a show is a pretty miserable place to hang out with people. Either the band is loud as hell and conversation is impossible, or the band is quiet and conversation is incredibly rude. So, you know, if you want to hang out with someone do it before and after the show — during the show, not so much.

The drawback to going to shows alone is that in-between sets there’s fuck all to do. Sure you can drink, but only so much — you’re alone, so no one is going to get you home safely. So, back in the day, I carried around a notebook to scribble in during the lulls at a show. It really was just to pass the time, I don’t think I ever went back and read any of the things I wrote in there, and who knows where the damned thing has gotten to now. For lack of a better idea, at least some of the random crap in this blog is going to be that kind of thing.

I barely go to shows anymore — having a baby puts a dent in that carefree lifestyle — but now that Morgan is 3 years old, I feel a little less guilty leaving Robin for the night and spending time in dark, but no longer smoky, clubs. And I’m hoping that she’ll feel free to get out on her own without the boy or myself in tow. If things work out, I’ll be going to shows a bit more often, though nothing like my old self, no doubt. If I remember to, I’ll bring something to write on so I’ll be able to while away the idle time, and generate “content” for this site.

I really don’t know how long I want to make these posts, so I think I’m going to wrap this one up, and see how it looks. Here’s a snippet from the last show I went to (I’ll have more ramblings on the show later, I think):

Overheard at the Downbeat 5/Prime Movers show at TT the Bear’s 2/3/06:

“She’s very Swedish.”

I’m not even sure what that could mean. Isn’t being Swedish a binary thing? Is there a range of Swedishness? Swedishosity? Who would be on the extreme ends of the range? I think the Swedish Chef would be on the “Very Swedish” end. I’m not sure about the “Not Very Swedish” end of the range. Maybe Mr. T.

Dial M for Mr. Swanky: Show Ramblings

Show Ramblings