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 Your Hey Mercedes weblog. The Cast: Robert Nanna Damon Atkinson Todd Bell Michael Shumaker Dan Keehn Chris Bickert Norman Arenas Ryan Snyder 
Ebay: Bob Damon Todd Mike Ryan Go Clock Go: absolute punk all music guide alton brown art of the mix awkward pirouttes bipolar braid heaven c & c drums cadmium chicago shows! critical darling dullest dvd file ebay google news grandtheftautumn invisible city kempa look like kenny michael moore my friend goes left the new top ok plus three panaphobic pirate smiles pitchfork punk news quoc machinery recwreck rocket fuel the scout theme park thieves trouble vagrant weasel manor who would buy work of fiction you look good hallelujah it's the indieblogs webring list random previous next |
January 27, 2001
dan: What a beautiful saturday, It would be even more beautiful if I wasn't at work. But an old friend from highschool just stopped in and made the day..Thanks girl... I must say, my post pancake & coffee orange juice is tasting mighty fine. Actually I'm drinking coffee and orange juice in some harmonious fashion it's pretty good. I think the reason why the orange juice is so good is the fact that there's about half a bottle of vodka in it....WHAT!!! wait a second....hold on there cowboy....! I do like those teramisous though with campag'nah and orange juice..oh and champag'nah. January 26, 2001
Robert: The verdict is in on this morning's Price is Right show. Apparently, our tour honcho, D'Dan Keehn is visible, as is his whole row during one of the camera sweeps. Now, obviously, i haven't seen it, and he didn't tape it, so i wonder if i will ever see it. It's a shot in the dark, I know, but can anyone confirm this sighting? Also, I just had some yellow curry soup and oh boy... fantastic. I'm pretty full and i've got a good feeling about it. It's kind of warm, stuffed full of good food, in a nicely heated office, looking out a window at a blustering snow storm. Ahh. The only thing that's missing is my apartment, in place of all of these darn partitions and computer screens. And I'd add a fireplace. And possibly a small puppy dog. And a new guitar. And my new Time Code DVD... Speaking of which, I watched the "video diary" section of it. Brilliant. That there disc is hours and hours of enjoyment...
Robert: First of all, Nanette, before you speak ill of Tom Sawyer, let me remind you that I refrained from putting the classic Toto opus, "Africa," on my list. Believe me, it did cross my mind. Although I have never sung it to a girlfriend (as noted in one of your posts), i still think it's got a good beat and you can dance to it. Not everyone can throw a word like "Kilimanjaro" into a song so seamlessly. Sure, I'm being a tad sarcastic, but to be perfectly honest, I threw away my copy of TOTO IV years ago, when i discovered the 45 of Africa at a record fair. Less space to be taken up, you see. More room for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. Ninth of all, I'm glad a few people have come to my aid in my search for new content. But I can't help but feel like a big fat poser, given my new fear that the establishment will soon swing down the hammer on m'poor wire. Still devising. This may be a job for Pumpkin... For now, I lunch.
Robert: Remember that guy? Well according to him, THE MAN will be taking the dreaded shape of Big Brother, as they soon will be installing some type of 'internet and phone monitoring' program for all of us. Now i know it seems as though this may literally be curtains for the WIRE, which by the way turned 3 months old 2 days ago... but I've got a plan. I promise not to leave anyone in the dark... But my plan is not foolproof. Does anyone have any ideas?
Robert: And what are you doing at the computer?? Our PRICE IS RIGHT is on! Remember, Blake from Cal Poly wins.
Robert: I am really a sucker for Ebay. i have to seriously stop bidding on junky items that are cheap just because i'm bored here. Now, as a fellow daily blogman, i could place all of the blame on you, the non-updaters, but i digress. What i really should do is expand my daily website checklist. I need to find more websites that update about as often as i do, because i'm constantly looking for new things to read. Please, people. Help me beat my Ebay sickness. There's got to be someone out there in the same predicament as me. Where can I go? Practice yesterday went well, as we put the finishing touches on a new song, with a working title of "Eleven to Seven." I also picked up some junk from our PO box, including some photos from our Santa Barbara show, which i'll most likely put up tonight. Then, I have to start configuring the photo page to handle more than one gallery. I figure 25 shows a page will be dandy. I need to get some more coffee. Yes, I'm drinking it again. Top speed. But it's the technically the weekend, right? I also just discovered that our pal Atom will be playing with us in Gainesville. How does that guy track us down? It seems like we run into him every tour!
Robert: 340 Tom Sawyer - Rush You know, when one chooses to do a nice orderly ranked list of favorite songs, you have to really dig deep into the record collection. This little ditty is about as deep as it gets, although since compiling the whole list weeks ago, i rarely look past a song ahead now. So it's a surprise for me as well... Oh well. Exit the warrior, Today i updated the show list, and now it's right on to the friction of the day. January 25, 2001
dan: I really f'd that link up..I'm trying to read this note on you know what that my pal scratched down and...........I'll be quiet now.......
dan: listen to one of your Favoite bands while blogging and click imediately on something and launch it at the same time your Favorite bands song LAUNCHES into a great ....now the birds are chirping and everythings calmer......part. dig.?
dan: I am blogging right now...On a iMacdv thats ruby listening to Macha that is just sounding totally amazing I feel like I'm in the middle of a bunch of purring cats and wind chimes. The previous post was created unconsiouslly and I further say that The aforementioned post took a long time. I just started typing on the keyboard and didn't look up to see what I thought I was typing wasn't there. the post that
Robert: Goodnight. I'm starting to feel sick, which sucks, cause i'm in the middle of a good faze. I'll get some good sleep on the train to Milwaukee, though. I hope so.
Robert: I think Mel Gibson has lost his mind. Hear about his diet of raw meat, avacado, and olive oil, his thoughts on feminism ("a manufactured idea that was put out to make a lot of women dissatisfied with stuff." Brilliant, Mel.), and his backyard chapel (St. Mel's) where he insists that all women who attend wear long sleeved dresses and veils. Long sleeves? Raw meat? Yep. He's lost it. Has he ever really had it, though? OK. Here's an interesting Mel Gibson story. I have a friend that worked as a production assistant on a movie that i hopefully will never see, What Women Want. One of his jobs was to keep passersby from squawking and disturbing the Chicago on-location sets where Mel and Marisa and Helen were working. So one day as he is sitting with the other PA's and the crew, the group gets into a conversation about how best to keep people away or civil during the shooting. One girl says, "I just tell people that we're shooting a Tampax commercial and they usually keep walking." So my friend says, "Yeah, but when they see Mel Gibson, they'll think that he's involved and the next thing you know, you'll be seeing tabloids that say: Mel Gibson Does Tampax Commercial, Career Slipping." The table laughs. As it dies down, my friend notices out of the corner of his eye, Mr. Raw Meat himself, Mel Gibson, who just happened to be sitting with the crew during this meal. He is giving him an evil evil glare. It is obvious that he has only heard the fake tabloid title and the laughter and is none too pleased... So my friend tries to ignore it, thinking "if he only heard the joke in context..." They continue eating. 2 minutes later, my friend looks up and Mel is still giving him the hairy eyeball and hasn't touched his freshly killed carcass since... Actually, my friend was probably doing the guy a favor keeping him from eating that disgusting slop... But it's a good story and it's funny cause it's true.
Robert: I've got this awesome headache where it feels like someone is actually standing on the very top of my head. I checked and no one was there, so i'm sure it's an internal thing. I don't know where it came from. I do know that i've already had 2 cups of coffee this morning, going against my previous bargain with myself not to drink any coffee at work. I don't know why it happened. It just felt so right. It complements those veggie breakfast links so damn well. And it helps one to cope with the dealings of your average rock em sock em work day. It's almost lunch and i'm not even hungry... Thanks to Nick, i now can peruse a genuine Midnight Madness fansite, complete with sounds, pictures, links, and what i've really been looking for: lyrics to the theme song.
dan: I am awake..let it be known that this is the first blog from home..It feels much better blogging at work because it seems that I should be doing something else other than blogging..of course I don't even post that often, but then again who posts more than "mr. fancy pants". I'm going to have some breakfast & coffee..I mean coffee & coffee..
Robert: 341 (Nothing But) Flowers - Talking Heads Faze #1 feels good... A few things right off the bat. I fucking hate fur coats. Whenever you see a person walking down the street in a fur coat, you should point and yell really loud, "Oh my GOD! Look out everybody! It's a BEAR!" They are a disgusting symbol of phony excess. You may not be able to find shoes that don't have some leather in them, but is it really that hard to find a coat that doesn't look like a carcass? No. Not hard at all. You never hear anyone say, "yeah, we'll i don't necessarily agree with it, but what was i supposed to do, K-Mart only had coats with animal fur on them." Never heard that... Ninth of all, after finishing part three in John Updike's 4-part saga on Harry Angstrom, I decided to dive into my newly purchased copy of Barrel Fever - a collection of short stories by David Sedaris. Halfway through the first story, Parade, as the narrator speaks of Mike Tyson, I realize that I have "heard" this whole story before. But where? And then it hits me. Years ago, on a Braid tour. Chris had brought along a tape that his brother had given him. It was of a guy telling stories, almost like a comedian. And just like comedy, we laughed at the many funny parts. By the time we got to side two, we were pretty sick of it, though, and we all decided to put on something more soothing probably... But this is it. This story was on that tape. So, I'm pretty certain that somewhere in the old Braid van lurks a tape of David Sedaris, possibly reading Barrel Fever. It's funny how things come full circle sometimes. Full circus. And that is it for right now. Except for this crazy story i just read. Not for the weak stomach. January 24, 2001
Robert: In reference to the previous post, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with giving up music or keeping it at a part time level, it's just that - that's not for me. Perhaps there will come a time when I'll be done with the whole biz, but i can't ever see myself not writing music or not being involved in some way... I was just making some observations of some folks whose music had inspired me from the very beginning, and now they're done - ready to do full-time what i'm doing right at this moment behind a desk part-time, and giving me the impression that it's the way to go... Also, I always fear that with rants like this, people will feel the need to tell me not to give up etc etc, but that's not necessary. Much to some people's dismay, I'm not giving up. If the time comes when i need outside encouragement, I'll politely ask for it. Thanks, though. And tonight, I hope to turn things around into faze #1. It all starts with a trip to Office Depot.
Robert: On Monday night, I went to the Double Door to see my old pals, Haymarket Riot, American Heritage, Defender, and Milemarker. It's been a while since i've actually attended a show without playing, so i took the opportunity to chat with a bunch of old pals that i hadn't seen in awhile. Two of the conversations really stuck to me... Number one - an old friend i've known for at least 10 years. His old band was partly responsible for my interest in playing music. He was someone that at first i seriously looked up to, and with time, we got to be friends, going to the same school, same shows, and for a short time, playing in the same band. It was refreshing to see him out. It had been a good year or so since we'd talked. So we talked loudly to each other while Defender played. It started out civil enough, as most conversations do, the typical "how / what are you doing?" jibber-jabber that i try and cut short as much as possible. We start talking about jobs. He's still in school and he's getting ready to quit. I tell him about my work situation, and as always, i end with something like - "it's a good job that pays pretty well, but it's not what i plan on doing for the rest of my life." To this he asks, "What do you want to do for the rest of your life?" I confidently reply, "Music." ... Here's what gets me... To that, he replies, in all seriousness - "Really?" and complements it with a look that is half confused and half genuinely inquisitive, as if that was the stupidest thing I could have ever said. This is somewhat disturbing. I mean, even my dad has warmed up to my decisions in life... now this once huge music role model has given me the impression that i may just be wasting all of my time. The conversation didn't go too much further after that. He was the one that ended it. He said it was too loud to keep talking and we'd continue later... but we never did. So that left me with a mighty sour taste in my mouth. Number two, in between Defender & American Heritage - Another old friend that i've known for many years. He wasn't around at the very beginnings of my interests in the underground scene, so he was never really an inspiration, like number one, but he still was one of my peers. We played shows together numerous times, so when I saw him, I struck up a conversation. Enter usual opening jibber jabber. I ask him if he's playing in any bands now. He says that he isn't but he's releasing a solo record soon. He's been writing songs for about 2 years, but never had any vehicle to make them heard, so now he's getting the chance to do it. Great, i tell him and then i ask if he's going to be playing out. He replies "No" and says something like "I realized the rock star thing wasn't going to happen so..." Again, that seems like a rather curious thing to say, and more sour taste comes, and it ain't from the Honkers. Two conversations with people from way back when. One doubts a life of music. One outright denies a life of music. No one ever said it was easy, right? Meanwhile, American Heritage bangs away on the stage. Their bass player was in a way-back-when band named Target. They were THE band that made me want to play the music that I do. There he is on stage, still rocking out. Bless the man. I should have had a double conversation with him...
Robert: I am constantly going through two distinct fazes in my life. They usually last for around a week to ten days each, and are usually triggered on and off by some type of personal event... One faze can be classified as "ready to take on the world." It is easily recognizable by my excited moods, my willingness and joy to clean, cook, shop, exercise. You won't be able to shut me up on the blog. Ten new pictures go up on the Hey Mercedes site. I sleep normal hours and wake up with little trouble. I put a monstrous amount of items on Ebay, in an attempt to purge my room of unwanted artifacts. I need space and room to move... Then there's the other faze which can be classified as "everything sucks and i'm never going to get myself in order." This faze is characterized by odd sleeping patterns, an unwillingness to do anything productive, tending to force myself to write. Going to work is a humungous chore, and the numb factor when here goes through the roof. My room gets messy and i start actively searching out negativity towards me on the internet... Guess which one i'm in now. I'll give you a hint. I didn't shave this morning and i'm off to check some webboards.
Robert: 342 Don't Ask Me Why - Billy Joel Back on the chain gang, trying to get back on track, bloggin' for a livin', livin' and a bloggin', takin' what they're givin' January 23, 2001
dan: I can't wait to get outta work..This morning after waking up to some bad rap music on my tv (see previous posts about the art of getting out of bed) I finally got out of bed and started vacuming my room. It needed it and I couldn't take it any longer so after that I went downstairs to check on notorious (see previous posts about who notorious is, if ya don't know) and she was fine so I wondered back upstairs into the computer room where I then proceeded to hook up my roommates cute little imac/dv, which took all of 30 minutes tops. Now I can surf right from the comfort of my home..yeah! All of this will happen of course after I have a few ceeold ones, you know what I'm sayin? sodas that is. Did you hear about the Queen's bass player who walked up on stage w/out anything on. It's funny cause it's true. Any way what else......nothing comes to mind..I'll probably blog tonight, from home. I'm glad my day wasn't as shitty as bob's..Hey Bob I feel for ya buddie! peace out.
Robert: My weekend was pretty amazing. On Friday, straight from work, I took a train to Milwaukee. As luck would have it, i happened to be seated next to a guy who had set up a show for Braid in Albuquerque eons ago. He was headed for a nice Saturday brewery tour. We chatted about the wonderful movie Midnight Madness. Do you remember this movie? Oh, it's fabulous. It stars David Naughton, Stephen Furst, Paul Reubens, and a very young Michael J Fox. A plea to the powers that be: This movie needs to be on DVD. I plan on renting it again soon... it's busy around here now so i'll check back in later.....
Robert: 343 Ballad of Big Nothing - Elliott Smith Champaign venues, peeling cabinets, and who knows what the hell else. January 22, 2001
Robert: The day just flew by. So i guess i'll wait until tomorrow to tell you about the past weekend and the upcoming weekend. i'd also like to talk about peeling guitar cabinets and the lack of all-ages venues down in Champaign-Urbana... but all in good time. I also forgot to bring all my mail items to work, which means they will destroy me over at the P.O. when i come in tomorrow with double... I also have to start watching new movies. It's the 22nd of January and i've got 50 more new ones to watch and write about! And so it goes.
Robert: Wow, this is really heating up. The newest P. T. Anderson movie, with a working project title of "X4," has already started shooting?! And it has a tentative release date of 12/25/01! Oh yes. Sean Penn is out, but Emily Watson, Luis Guzman, John C Reily, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and... Adam Sandler are confirmed. All of the details are at the above link, including Roger Ebert's take on this anticipated movie. I will keep anticipating.
Robert: And another thing, i have not seen any of the Ken Burns' Jazz series on PBS, but i noticed a nice handy 10 DVD set that's available. I was pretty interested, but i've read a lot of bad reviews of it. They note that a lot of the more contemporary artists are ignored or given very little attention (1960-present is only ONE dvd), there is unnecessary commentary over most of the performances and that it's not really worth buying. Any thoughts?
Robert: After perusing the "Ending Today" DVD pages on Ebay, I can't help but feel a little drained. It's a new obsession of mine, and one i hope that will quickly pass. I end up getting a lot of junk at prices that really aren't that low at all. Oh well. I'm feeling very uneasy about my present situation here, but i think i'll let Pumpkin tell you all about it later. Well the Golden Globes were on last night, and i missed the first 15 minutes so i didn't see our pal, Benicio accept his Supporting Actor award. (Still haven't seen that movie. Darn.)... All in all the whole thing seemed downright awkward. Poor Dick Clark kept trying to bring it all together with some less-than-witty banter, reminding us that it was all "unscripted" about 20 times. Perhaps this is why he asked Nicole Kidman to explain why the Coen Brothers are so great (as if she was in one of their movies) and she referred to them as "two great directors." Also, was i the only one who felt a little sorry for Julia Roberts as she presented the Best Director award? She was playing up Steven Soderburgh so blatantly as if he was an obvious shoe-in, being nominated twice. She even mentioned something about her "personal interests" or something like that. And the winner is Ang Lee... Not to worry, though, she was able to redeem herself by talking about all the money she makes when accepting the Best Actress award... It sounds like i don't like her, but i do... It's just that awards shows give me the creeps, like i'm always scared of what someone's going to say. But I watch them anyway.... OK. I think that's enough contradictions for one post. Well, maybe it isn't.
Robert: 344 Little Miss S - Edie Brickell & New Bohemians Coming up: the Golden Globes, the weekend show, and the usual post office backlash continues.... January 21, 2001
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