Well, the summer's been flying by. It's already time to start thinking about fall classes. I scored an extra one the other day, a poetry class in Detroit, about which I'm pretty excited. I haven't done a poetry in a few years, so it should be extra fun. I've still got a couple weeks to go in the current semester, so I won't really start planning too much yet, but you can count on a couple days of Whitman!
In other July news, I've kind of let the Tom Cruise-a-thon fall by the wayside, but along w/ a couple days of Whitman, you can also count on a resurgence of Cruise soon.
In the mean time, I've had my way w/ about a third of the James Bond Films, almost all of the Kevin Smiths, & a Tarzan marathon on TCM. Have you watched the old Tarzan movies? You should! They're shit, but they're super fun. They show one every Saturday morning after an hour of old serials. At the moment, they're showing an old Zorro one. It sucks worse than the Tarzan film, but it's interesting.
As August rears it hot, humid head, we've got a short camping trip on the horizon. We'll be hitting Petoskey after the semester is over for a couple nights. I'm excited & I think the kids are too.
The other thing about which I'm excited is the start of the 2011-12 Premier League. Arsenal's first match is against Newcastle on the 13th. Set your DVRs. Hopefully, they'll have the defensive issues sorted out by then. They still need a couple more people. In order for that to happen, we should also be able to wave goodbye to a few: Squillaci, Bendtner, Almunia, & Eboue will hopefully see the exit door. If I had my druthers, Diaby would be joining them. It looks like they may be hanging on to Nasri &/or Fabregas which is nice. However, they better get their shit together soon, because a draw w/ The New York Red Bulls today was certainly not impressive. An MLS team for crying out loud! The folks looking good so far include Rosicky (who I've always liked & have wanted to assert himself after his weird run of injuries... maybe this could be his year), RVP (quick & creative), Wilshire (although he got hurt today), Gervinio (the marque signing of the summer so far), Frimpong 9who was supposed to the other big thing last year but sustained a season ending injury in the preseason), & today the other young kid, Afobe (he subbed on in the 7th minute today & looked not at all out of place).
So there you have it... the season preview w/ a July review & some teasers for the month of August... enjoy. And then enjoy this fantastic video of a TV showing one of the greatest Arsenal chants of all time: "Evra, you're a cunt!"
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Local Bookstores
For those of you living under rocks, in caves, or on the moon, here's a little piece of info you've been missing (for the rest of you, I'm sure you're aware of this already): Borders Books & Music is closing this week. They took the first steps towards liquidation last week. It's been an iconic A2 store since 1971, but 40 years on, they had overstepped their bounds. I worked there for a few years about 10 years back, & the downtown #1 store was fantastic. It was always crowded, the selection was great, & the employees really knew the inventory. I made a few friends there that I still run into around town too. It's sad to see it go, but I must admit, I hadn't bought anything there in quite a while. My recent avoidance of the store wasn't for the reasons the media has been reporting though. It has more to do w/ a general avoidance of corporate stuff like that.
The news is all about the competition from Amazon. However, no brick & mortar store will ever compete w/ a web-site so when they started trying to do that, they were setting themselves up for failure. Discounted prices, focusing on best-sellers, constant expansion, & a shift towards non-book stuff compounded to bring about this less-than-sudden change. As a Monday morning quarterback, it's easy to say, "They should've done...." but it's not that simple. We're talking about the livelihoods of a lot of people. Of course, not as many per store as when I worked there, since the staff had been shrinking over the last 10 years. Had they maintained a staff that actually knew about books, rather than a skeleton crew of automatons, they may have been able to avoid the vacant sales floors & shrinking stock. There I go w/ the Monday morning quarterbacking though.
Hopefully, this will give people the kick in the ass they need to start supporting local businesses again. Malcolm X was talking about this issue in 1964. Of course, people scoffed @ him as a fringe lunatic. Kucinich has been talking about this for years... again w/ the Fringe lunatic status though. Be they grocery stores, coffee shops, book stores or what have you, I'm gonna go out on that same lunatic limb & remind you to start patronizing the local stuff.
Here's a fun little quote from Malcolm X for you:
You and I have to make a start and the best place to start is right in the community where we live. So our people not only have to be re-educated to the importance of supporting black business, but the black man himself has to be made aware of the importance of going into business. And once you and I go into business, we own and operate at least the businesses in our community. What we will be doing is developing a situation wherein we will actually be able to create employment for the people in the community. And once you can create some employment in the community where you live it will eliminate the necessity of you and me having to act ignorantly and disgracefully, boycotting and picketing some practice some place else trying to beg him for a job. Anytime you have to rely upon your enemy for a job - you’re in bad shape.
He's clearly talking about economics from a racial standpoint, but however we look @ it, the idea of keeping money in the community is @ heart of his claims. Whether we're shipping money to Arkansas, Minnesota, or SE Asia, it's leaving Michigan. Only by keeping it @ 'round these parts will we be able to employ the people 'round these parts. It will probably mean spending a little extra on a daily basis, but in the long run (be they books, vegetables, or cars) the products we buy here keep the cash here. This is the same argument we've been making for organic vegetables, for local farming, & for local restaurants for years. Only when one of the big boys goes under, do poele start paying attention though.
Is this really just a plug for Nicola's? No, but already, I've seen Borders employees in there looking for work. And as you start shopping locally, remember that I'll be moderating a Sci/Fi panel tomorrow @ Nicola's w/ Sarah Zettel, Jacqueline Carey, & Jim Hines (Sarah live in Ypsi & Jim is an EMU English Dept. grad). I've never moderated anything before, so you can come out tomorrow night & watch me trip over my words. It should be pretty cool.
The news is all about the competition from Amazon. However, no brick & mortar store will ever compete w/ a web-site so when they started trying to do that, they were setting themselves up for failure. Discounted prices, focusing on best-sellers, constant expansion, & a shift towards non-book stuff compounded to bring about this less-than-sudden change. As a Monday morning quarterback, it's easy to say, "They should've done...." but it's not that simple. We're talking about the livelihoods of a lot of people. Of course, not as many per store as when I worked there, since the staff had been shrinking over the last 10 years. Had they maintained a staff that actually knew about books, rather than a skeleton crew of automatons, they may have been able to avoid the vacant sales floors & shrinking stock. There I go w/ the Monday morning quarterbacking though.
Hopefully, this will give people the kick in the ass they need to start supporting local businesses again. Malcolm X was talking about this issue in 1964. Of course, people scoffed @ him as a fringe lunatic. Kucinich has been talking about this for years... again w/ the Fringe lunatic status though. Be they grocery stores, coffee shops, book stores or what have you, I'm gonna go out on that same lunatic limb & remind you to start patronizing the local stuff.
Here's a fun little quote from Malcolm X for you:
You and I have to make a start and the best place to start is right in the community where we live. So our people not only have to be re-educated to the importance of supporting black business, but the black man himself has to be made aware of the importance of going into business. And once you and I go into business, we own and operate at least the businesses in our community. What we will be doing is developing a situation wherein we will actually be able to create employment for the people in the community. And once you can create some employment in the community where you live it will eliminate the necessity of you and me having to act ignorantly and disgracefully, boycotting and picketing some practice some place else trying to beg him for a job. Anytime you have to rely upon your enemy for a job - you’re in bad shape.
He's clearly talking about economics from a racial standpoint, but however we look @ it, the idea of keeping money in the community is @ heart of his claims. Whether we're shipping money to Arkansas, Minnesota, or SE Asia, it's leaving Michigan. Only by keeping it @ 'round these parts will we be able to employ the people 'round these parts. It will probably mean spending a little extra on a daily basis, but in the long run (be they books, vegetables, or cars) the products we buy here keep the cash here. This is the same argument we've been making for organic vegetables, for local farming, & for local restaurants for years. Only when one of the big boys goes under, do poele start paying attention though.
Is this really just a plug for Nicola's? No, but already, I've seen Borders employees in there looking for work. And as you start shopping locally, remember that I'll be moderating a Sci/Fi panel tomorrow @ Nicola's w/ Sarah Zettel, Jacqueline Carey, & Jim Hines (Sarah live in Ypsi & Jim is an EMU English Dept. grad). I've never moderated anything before, so you can come out tomorrow night & watch me trip over my words. It should be pretty cool.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
& the Rest v the Prof & Mary Ann
When I put Isaiah to bed @ night, he always needs me to sing him a few songs. The problem w/ this is 2-fold. 1) I'm not very good @ singing... luckily, he doesn't know that. 2) My repertoire is pretty small. Going way back to when Solstice was a baby, my song choices have always included "City of New Orleans," "Tangled Up in Blue," Monkey & the Engineer," & "Ripple." That's really it... 4 options. Last spring, I decided to add "St. Stephen" & "Dark Star" to the mix, but as it turns out, "Dark Star" doesn't really work in that situation, & I always confuse the "St. Stephen" verses. Isaiah also enjoys a run-through of "Twinkle-Twinkle," "The Alphabet Song," or "Old McDonald." All of which are fine, but a tad on the boring side, so in a desperate move a few weeks ago, I added some old TV theme songs to the mix: "The Ballad of Jed Clampet," "The Good Ol' Boys," "The Brady Bunch," & "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle."
As it turns out, I have mixed feelings about "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle." I always supported the the 2nd Season switch to include the Prof & Mary Ann as some sort of equality issue, but now that I've been singing it on a semi-regular basis, I understand the original lyrics. (Side note: a different song was used in the pilot episode, a song written by John Williams... yeah, that John Williams!) I guess it really comes down to the whole aesthetics vs politics debate. "& the rest" just fits better into the meter of the tune. As it stands, I've been switching back & forth from night to night (occasionally going w/ both). I'm really stuck here, & I think this is a much more interesting conundrum than the more traditional Ginger v Mary Ann debate. Although, for that one, I think I would resolve it the same way.
As it turns out, I have mixed feelings about "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle." I always supported the the 2nd Season switch to include the Prof & Mary Ann as some sort of equality issue, but now that I've been singing it on a semi-regular basis, I understand the original lyrics. (Side note: a different song was used in the pilot episode, a song written by John Williams... yeah, that John Williams!) I guess it really comes down to the whole aesthetics vs politics debate. "& the rest" just fits better into the meter of the tune. As it stands, I've been switching back & forth from night to night (occasionally going w/ both). I'm really stuck here, & I think this is a much more interesting conundrum than the more traditional Ginger v Mary Ann debate. Although, for that one, I think I would resolve it the same way.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
A Mid-Summer Soccer Post
After the USMNT piss-poor collapse in the Gold Cup Finals, there'd been little to watch until the Women's World Cup began a couple weeks ago. As one would expect, it hasn't had quite the coverage as the Men's equivalent last summer. I wonder why that is... oh yeah, sexism. That said, the games have been pretty good. At the moment, I'm watching USA v France, & here we have the the biggest conundrum of the summer. These 2 women's teams are sort of opposite in my mind from their men's equivalents. What I mean is that the french Men's team has been really good for generations while the USA men's team has only recently been worth watching. On the other hand, the French women's team has never made it to the World Cup (at least I think that's the case... I could be wrong), & the US team has been one of the best for years & years.Watching these 2 teams, though, is tough. I think I would have preferred them to meet in the finals.I've been following the French Football Federation since the 1982 World Cup. As you know, they were robbed by the ref in the semi-finals then when the German goalie came out of the box, missed the ball entirely, & knocked the french player out cold... the ref said there was no foul.Italy went on the win the tournament which cemented a rivalry w/ our Italian neighbors... & cemented a place in my heart for FFF.
The French team is definitely looking better today, but the US goal was really nice. I gotta say, I haven't been nearly as impressed by Abby Wambach as the media would have me think I should be throughout this tournament. She's missed a few sitters & just looked a bit out of sorts. yes, she got the last gasp winner against Brazil, but in general, she's looked more like Bendtner than like RVP.
Speaking of Arsenal players, they had their 1st pre-season friendly this morning in Kuala Lampur against Malayasia XI. Arsenal won 4-0 w/ goals from Ramsey, Walcott, Vela & Rosicky. The good news (other than the decisive win) is that Nasri looked good & dedicated, Vermaelin was amazing, & Denielson's days look numbered. He subbed on @ halftime but was them taken off in the 61st minute. That can't bode well for his future. Of course, when he came off (along w/ a few other people), Nasri, RVP, Ashavin, & Sagna came on. It must have been rough for Malaysia XI to be down 3-0 & see that group of people waiting to come on.
The final tid-bit of soccer info today comes in the form of a Verde FC alert. We're playing in a tournament on Belle Isle on Sunday afternoon. Come on down, drink so beer, & cheer on you local 5th division team. It'll be your last chance to see me play until the 2nd fall match... I'll be serving a suspension during the first match this fall. I was handed a happy b-day red card last month. Perhaps you heard about that. It made all the papers, well, it made my facebook status & I think I blogged about it too. Shocking, I know.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Weekend Adventures
On Saturday afternoon, after I watched Aiden's baseball game, I headed out to Saline to enjoy the annual Saline Celtic Festival. It was smaller & attended by far fewer people than past years, but we had a good time none-the-less. There was a lot of free hooch throughout the afternoon. After a glass of Glenfiddich @ the McPherson tent, I hit the beer tent for lunch. A less-than-stellar Reuben w/ a perfectly stellar Guinness was then followed by a few pitchers of Boddingtons w/ Daye & Pete. We checked out the festival some more & Zoli got a kilt before heading back to the beer tent for a second round & some music & dancing.
Afterwards, we hit Dominick's for dinner. Oddly, there doesn't seem to be a web-site for that place. I don't get it. If anyone finds one, be sure to post a link in the comments. There's a bland facebook page, a Yelp page, & an entry on Arborwiki, but no actual home page. I think that's kind of weird. According to the wiki page, the place was opened in 1959. Something that old should certainly have a site. I don't get it. Even w/o a web-site, they make a hell of a lobster ravioli. It was sooooo good. We also enjoyed a couple pitchers of sangria & a fantastic plate of olives. I used to dislike olives, but lately, I just can't get enough of them.
After dinner, we walked down to Tom's gallery for his one night only show. It was fun, Matt (Stephanie's brother) had a photo in the exhibit, & we got to enjoy some Run & Cokes. On the way back to the car, we hit Ashley's for a couple beers. It was only gonna be one, but as we were getting ready to go, the server said her manager recognized me as his former English Prof. & wanted to buy me a beer. who am I to turn that offer down. As a matter of fact, I feel I wasn't really turning anything down that night.
I then ended up @ The Tap Room to see Gerry, Warren, Shannon, & Laurie in their new band, Wellfire. They were really good & super fun. I promise some videos as soon as Warren uploads them. All in all, a fantastic day, & if I remember correctly, I feel like I may have had a few drinks too. Then to top it all off, I woke up on time for work Sunday morning w/o even a hint of a hangover... I probably should have bought a lottery ticket.
Afterwards, we hit Dominick's for dinner. Oddly, there doesn't seem to be a web-site for that place. I don't get it. If anyone finds one, be sure to post a link in the comments. There's a bland facebook page, a Yelp page, & an entry on Arborwiki, but no actual home page. I think that's kind of weird. According to the wiki page, the place was opened in 1959. Something that old should certainly have a site. I don't get it. Even w/o a web-site, they make a hell of a lobster ravioli. It was sooooo good. We also enjoyed a couple pitchers of sangria & a fantastic plate of olives. I used to dislike olives, but lately, I just can't get enough of them.
After dinner, we walked down to Tom's gallery for his one night only show. It was fun, Matt (Stephanie's brother) had a photo in the exhibit, & we got to enjoy some Run & Cokes. On the way back to the car, we hit Ashley's for a couple beers. It was only gonna be one, but as we were getting ready to go, the server said her manager recognized me as his former English Prof. & wanted to buy me a beer. who am I to turn that offer down. As a matter of fact, I feel I wasn't really turning anything down that night.
I then ended up @ The Tap Room to see Gerry, Warren, Shannon, & Laurie in their new band, Wellfire. They were really good & super fun. I promise some videos as soon as Warren uploads them. All in all, a fantastic day, & if I remember correctly, I feel like I may have had a few drinks too. Then to top it all off, I woke up on time for work Sunday morning w/o even a hint of a hangover... I probably should have bought a lottery ticket.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Gated Communities
This absolutely unoffensive and in no way problematic marriage pledge being signed by the GOP Presidential candidates got me thinking about the people who actually buy into this stuff. Safe and secure in secluded subdivisions behind walls and manicured berms, they have apparently convinced themselves that Black kids had it better under Slavery than under Obama & that (in a line lifted from Dan Quayle) divorce & single-parenthood may very well be the root of all evil. Well, after thinking on this for a few minutes, I decided that I shouldn't think on it any longer, but before I came to that conclusion, I was inspired to write a song... the 1st one since my last December's Holiday song, "All I Want for Christmas is a Shotgun." You may recall it, but even if you don't, it doesn't really matter. Here's the new one: think Arlo Guthrie doing Texas Swing. This could have gone on w/ verses about SUVs, large gas grills, & Christopher Cross, but I chose to end it after 3, Enjoy.
I wanna live in a gated community
Where everyone looks and acts just like me
We’re all safe behind our seasonal flags
There ain’t no Spics and there ain’t no fags
The men are strong and the women don’t nag
In a gated community
We’ll all be safe in our gated community
Where things are always exactly as they seem to be
We’re red blooded Americans
Our lawn’s maintained by the Mexicans
Our beer is from the Canadians
In our gated community
We’ll get to heaven from our gated community
It’s just a matter of time, don’t you see?
We like to party out on our yacht
We read best-sellers but we don’t read a lot
We only hit the most touristy spots
From our gated community
I wanna live in a gated community
Where everyone looks and acts just like me
We’re all safe behind our seasonal flags
There ain’t no Spics and there ain’t no fags
The men are strong and the women don’t nag
In a gated community
We’ll all be safe in our gated community
Where things are always exactly as they seem to be
We’re red blooded Americans
Our lawn’s maintained by the Mexicans
Our beer is from the Canadians
In our gated community
We’ll get to heaven from our gated community
It’s just a matter of time, don’t you see?
We like to party out on our yacht
We read best-sellers but we don’t read a lot
We only hit the most touristy spots
From our gated community
Friday, July 8, 2011
Tom Cruise: The Reviews Part 2
The Cruise-a-thon has been moving forward in the most interesting of ways. So far, I have to say, this might be the best summer movie marathon yet, but in the end, rivaling Arnold will be tough. Along w/ the Cruise fest, I've also been rewatching Lost w/ the kids & w/ Sara from Nicola's I'm in the middle of a Summer of Bond... in which we're up to Live & Let Die. As for the Cruise movies, here are the reviews of the 2nd 8 (the 1st 8 are here):
Knight & Day: Not nearly as bad as I expected. it's a fun action/comedy w/ some nice Mission Impossiblesque jokes. Of course, the plot has huge holes, but it's a big-budget action movie, so those are par for the course. (2 1/2 Volleyballs)
Valkyrie: A really cool movie, but the actors (Cruise included) never really seemed to give a shit. It was like they were just going through the motions. There was never any tension. Of course, we know it's not gonna work, but historical films usually find a way to add a little something that will make the audience give a damn. Maybe it needed a focus on his relationship w/ his wife or something. In the end, it's worth watching, but it's no 4 volleyball flick. (3 volleyballs)
Austin Powers in Goldmember: I only watched a little of this one. I suffered through it last year w/ Spacey. It's bad. And I mean bad... not good. Not like Michael Jackson in 1986, but like Michael Jackson in 1993. If you haven't already wasted an hour & a half w/ this clunker, don't! (0 volleyballs)
Vanilla Sly: A very cool movie, but it could have gone a bit further. They started w/ a nice premise, but by the end, it was a tad Hollywooded. I'll definitely watch it again though, & I think it'll make more sense the 2nd time through. (3 1/2 volleyballs)
Jerry McGuire: I almost squeezed out a couple tears towards the end of this. Don't get me wrong; I didn't... I just almost did. I can't believe I'd never seen it before. Cuba Gooding Jr. is fantastic; if only he had followed this up by then making something else worth while over the last 12 years, I might consider viewing his stuff next year. Alas, it won't happen. (3 volleyballs)
Far & Away: I saw this when it was first released on video & had pretty fond memories of it. In hind sight, I shouldn't have had fond memories. It's not so great. I like the premise, but it's pretty forced & patched together. I say, skip it unless you need a heartwarming St. Patrick's Day movie some time.
The Color of Money: Unlike Far & Away, this is even better than I remembered. I guess, when someone puts Paul Newman, Martin Scorsese, & Robbie Robertson in a room together, we shouldn't be surprised that what came out was pretty fantastic. Everything about it is great. Do yourself a favor & watch it again! (4 volleyballs)
Risky Business: After watching it a couple weeks ago, I came to the realization that I may never have seen it all the way through before. It's fun, but not as great as I expected. The plot is pretty bizarre though. I guess I knew what it was about, but he turns his house into a brothel to pay off some implausible debt. Only to be topped a few years ago in Babysitters, a film about a group of high schoolers who sleep w/ the local dads in order to save up for college. (2 volleyballs)
Knight & Day: Not nearly as bad as I expected. it's a fun action/comedy w/ some nice Mission Impossiblesque jokes. Of course, the plot has huge holes, but it's a big-budget action movie, so those are par for the course. (2 1/2 Volleyballs)
Valkyrie: A really cool movie, but the actors (Cruise included) never really seemed to give a shit. It was like they were just going through the motions. There was never any tension. Of course, we know it's not gonna work, but historical films usually find a way to add a little something that will make the audience give a damn. Maybe it needed a focus on his relationship w/ his wife or something. In the end, it's worth watching, but it's no 4 volleyball flick. (3 volleyballs)
Austin Powers in Goldmember: I only watched a little of this one. I suffered through it last year w/ Spacey. It's bad. And I mean bad... not good. Not like Michael Jackson in 1986, but like Michael Jackson in 1993. If you haven't already wasted an hour & a half w/ this clunker, don't! (0 volleyballs)
Vanilla Sly: A very cool movie, but it could have gone a bit further. They started w/ a nice premise, but by the end, it was a tad Hollywooded. I'll definitely watch it again though, & I think it'll make more sense the 2nd time through. (3 1/2 volleyballs)
Jerry McGuire: I almost squeezed out a couple tears towards the end of this. Don't get me wrong; I didn't... I just almost did. I can't believe I'd never seen it before. Cuba Gooding Jr. is fantastic; if only he had followed this up by then making something else worth while over the last 12 years, I might consider viewing his stuff next year. Alas, it won't happen. (3 volleyballs)
Far & Away: I saw this when it was first released on video & had pretty fond memories of it. In hind sight, I shouldn't have had fond memories. It's not so great. I like the premise, but it's pretty forced & patched together. I say, skip it unless you need a heartwarming St. Patrick's Day movie some time.
The Color of Money: Unlike Far & Away, this is even better than I remembered. I guess, when someone puts Paul Newman, Martin Scorsese, & Robbie Robertson in a room together, we shouldn't be surprised that what came out was pretty fantastic. Everything about it is great. Do yourself a favor & watch it again! (4 volleyballs)
Risky Business: After watching it a couple weeks ago, I came to the realization that I may never have seen it all the way through before. It's fun, but not as great as I expected. The plot is pretty bizarre though. I guess I knew what it was about, but he turns his house into a brothel to pay off some implausible debt. Only to be topped a few years ago in Babysitters, a film about a group of high schoolers who sleep w/ the local dads in order to save up for college. (2 volleyballs)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Skynyrd on the 4th
I've never been a big fan of the retro-rock extravaganza, but when I heard that Whitey & the 78s were opening for Skynyrd @ Pine Knob, it was just too cool to ignore. I didn't think I was actually gonna be able to go though, but then @ zero hour, Stacey came through w/ a sweet, sweet pair of free lawn tix. I met Liz & Dan @ my parents' place for some ribs & beans, then Dan & I were off to Clarkston. We picked up Bud Tall Boys from 7-11 & then started counting Stars-n-Bars... 38 by my count, including a Sharpee drawn fake tattoo on some douchebag's arm & a ridiculous full on flag pole on the tail gate of an old yellow pick-up.
We downed the Buds in the lot then headed in right as Whitey & the boys were starting "Bad News." They played for about 45 minutes... & in my humble opinion, they rocked it. I hope they're able to parley this into some other big stuff. When Skynyrd came out, I was a bit shocked by 2 things: 1) how many of their songs I actually knew & 2) how bad they are. I've never been a fan, but wow! We took off after about 45 minutes. We heard "What's Your Name," "Working for MCA," "Simple Man," & that one about "can't you smell that smell?" Apparently, the set-list had them closing w/ Sweet Home Alabama" & encoring w/ "Freebird," but there was no way we could make it that long.
As for the crowd? Good Lord! It was like the Secretary of State office on Meth. And so many of them were taking it sooo seriously. The "skanky-ass-ho" factor made the Springsteen show I went to last year look like Sunday School. They really came out of the woodwork to hear some Skynyrd. Ironically, Whitey played the Hell out of Pine Knob while the Skynyrd fans didn't really pay enough attention. I think they were able to appreciate them though. I definitely hope they were. Maybe they sold some CDs & swag too.
Dan in his Skynyrd costume
Rocking the Tall Boys
Whitey rocking out!
Skynyrd doing their schtick
We downed the Buds in the lot then headed in right as Whitey & the boys were starting "Bad News." They played for about 45 minutes... & in my humble opinion, they rocked it. I hope they're able to parley this into some other big stuff. When Skynyrd came out, I was a bit shocked by 2 things: 1) how many of their songs I actually knew & 2) how bad they are. I've never been a fan, but wow! We took off after about 45 minutes. We heard "What's Your Name," "Working for MCA," "Simple Man," & that one about "can't you smell that smell?" Apparently, the set-list had them closing w/ Sweet Home Alabama" & encoring w/ "Freebird," but there was no way we could make it that long.
As for the crowd? Good Lord! It was like the Secretary of State office on Meth. And so many of them were taking it sooo seriously. The "skanky-ass-ho" factor made the Springsteen show I went to last year look like Sunday School. They really came out of the woodwork to hear some Skynyrd. Ironically, Whitey played the Hell out of Pine Knob while the Skynyrd fans didn't really pay enough attention. I think they were able to appreciate them though. I definitely hope they were. Maybe they sold some CDs & swag too.
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