The Cheese of Hope

"I don't care. I want an Iphone."

October Listening Party

What Are You Listening To October-

Nobunny- First Blood- nothing as instantly toe-tapping as "Mess Me Up" or "I am a Girlfriend," but it's growing. "(Do the) Fuck Yourself" is an easy anthem to embrace, and there's a touch of Ray Davies' vaudeville side in this guy. I bet he never met a circus he didn't like, and there's a charm to the goofiness. No sophomore slump in sight.

The Vacant Lot- Because They Can- I just sold about ninety records and in the culling process listened to some on-the-cuspers. This was a surprise survivor. Started by a guy who left the early Devil Dogs, this is just much better than I remember. I suppose you'd call it power-punk-pop or whatever the newest label is, but it's pretty darn solid melodic rock n roll.

Naked Raygun- Understand- I heard my son singing "Treason treason treason" the other day, so clearly the hooks extend beyond my ears. This is barely half good, but "Wonder Beer" is always a smile, and I can't seem to quit on these guys lately.

Smogtown- Fuhrers of the New Wave- along with Bottles and Skulls, one of my favorite "new" (meaning last fifteen years) punk bands that I never hear anyone talk about. Beach punk done right with one winner after the next, which you'd never guess from the silly photos of the band on the back. Really, I'm not joking- this is great stuff.

Chosen Few- Do the Manic- just so fucking good- the "crazed" singer gets "crazed" right, and don't ask me to explain- sometimes it just works, and you bask in the glow of the mystery.

ACDC- High Voltage- there are good reasons to sell records you don't listen to anymore- you can buy records you can't stop playing. Just fantastic.

The Nerves/The Plimsouls/Paul Collins Beat- the more years that go by, the better these guys sound. You appreciate the hooks more, and I just found that second Paul Collins record I'd never heard that I believe was titled The Kids Are the Same, and it's a hoot as well. I haven't found too many great pop records lately outside of King Tuff, but this stuff sure sounds fresh.

Gravy Time

Yea, the Phillies are the much better team (did you enjoy the victory tonight? good, because I ended up at lesbian trivia night and my SF cap got boos). Nobody will argue that. And the Giants have overachieved, especially when you consider how bad some of their go-to guys were in the NLDS. But this is baseball, and weird shit happens. I expect the Giants to lose in 4 or 5, and for torture to end on a shoulder-shrugging note. But hey, that's probably just putting up the defense- why not allow ourselves stupid hope with four days before Lincecum/Holliday? Would it be sadly foolish to entertain miracle dreams? Perhaps, but give me Tuesday. The Giants' season is a complete success at this point, no matter what anybody says. It's gravy time. Lap it up.

Buy This For Me

Maybe it's creeping nostalgia, but the 70s seemed to get better with each passing decade . . .

Playoffs!

Game 1: ATL @ SF- Thursday, Oct. 7. TBS 6:37 p.m.
Game 2: ATL @ SF- Friday, Oct. 8. TBS 6:37 p.m.
Game 3: SF @ ATL- Sunday, Oct. 10. TBS TBA
Game 4*: SF @ ATL- Monday, Oct. 11. TBS TBA
Game 5*: ATL @ SF- Wednesday, Oct. 13. TBS TBA

I can't believe Sanchez held it together AND even provided the first bit of offensive power. Even if the Giants bats go into hibernation and they lose in 3 straight, this has been a great year. The Gyros now have several players who can be part of their future and for once they just aren't pitchers. Now if only we can drown Barry Zito when no one is looking, we are looking at a real dynasty.

Deep Breath, Sucker

Take a deep breath. Read a zen koan. Cherish your wife and kids. Don't watch Chronicle Live. Stay away from ESPN. Sip a Chianti. Breathe deep.

Or fucking hyperventilate and start panicking. What the hell do I know? The boys are in full gag mode, and take it from an old tennis player- once the throat constricts, ain't nothing good gonna happen. I suggest the boys take Chili Davis' break-outta-a-slump advice- have 12 gin and tonics tonight and call a hooker. The man went 4-4 and then admitted to this pre-game regimen. Given the last two games, Chili may be a sage.

I escaped the terror of dawn by watching a documentary on Chicago punk. The Effigies and Naygun Raygun and, well, not a whole lot more than that. Unless Steve Albini counts, but Big Black came after the 1984 end point for this film. I suppose it was interesting, given that I didn't know much about these bands, but if you rent it from netflix, I suggest you skip the last ten minutes, when forty-something punkers berate the state of today's youth. It's a sad and pathetic generation war that's beneath them, but the filmmakers decided to end their film, which I'm sure took them years to make (its running time is over 2 hours), by wallowing in nostalgia. We had energy and these kids don't. We were angry and they're not. What we did mattered and nothing matters today. Etc. Maybe there are slivers of truth in all this, but middle-aged folks ought not judge the energy of their children. It's unseamly, and let's face it- I'm sure there are plenty of interesting underground music scenes for kids we simply don't know about. Maybe I'm wrong, again, but even if I am, getting in front of a camera and complaining about the "kids of today" is bad form. Really.

By the way, I'm listening to live Naked Raygun and it fucking rips. Throb throb, brother.