The Week That Was
Last week was definitely one to remember. Although I spent way too much money, it was all worth it because I had way too much fun.
Monday: Birth day dinner followed by drinking, as described previously.
Wednesday: Went to see Aimee Mann/Ben Folds with Annie and her moped buddy Dave. Right before Ben Folds was about to get on the stage, all the girls around me started screaming like someone just cut off their fingers. When I actually saw Ben Folds I was somewhat disappointed and puzzled. He was a geeky looking guy with poofy hair and wore dorky glasses and a plaid shirt (gasp!), not some Justin Timberlake clone, as one would expect based on the crowd reaction. I didn't know much about Ben Folds at all, but I was pretty impressed by his musical talents and sense of humor (between songs). I especially admired his minimalistic style: no fancy lighting, synthesizers, or accompanists, just him and his piano. When he crouched over his piano slamming the keys and bobbed his head up and down, I somehow had this image of Kermit the frog getting sucked off. I have no idea why I thought of that, either.
After Ben Folds, it was all Aimee time. My God, that woman is a goddess. Her voice is even more incredible to listen to in person. The lighting effects were really cool and used very effectively to get everyone in the mood. She didn't crack as many jokes as Ben Folds, but there were moments of levity, like when she introduced "Save Me": "This is the song that lost an Oscar to Phil Collins's song for a cartoon." While she was singing "Wise Up," the security guy busted some guy in the crowd who was trying to bootleg the concert. He definitely had a pretty fancy portable system wired up. I was somewhat annoyed because I couldn't enjoy one of my favorite songs when some guy is waving a flashlight next to me. At the end, Aimee played a cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist," adding a unique twist to what was already a great song.
After the concert we decided to go get some food. Because Dave and Annie both wanted to ride their mopeds, I was forced to hop on the back of Dave's moped with some trepedation. We weren't even going that fast, probably less than 20 miles/hr, but it was still a harrowing experience because of all the yellow cabs zooming past us, and that fucking huge bus that was tailing us, its grille looking menacing as hell. I felt like if I had stuck out my arm for even just a little bit, I would have gotten hit by some car.
The extra excitement definitely enhanced the evening though, which we capped off by eating some big greasy slices of brick oven pizza in front of the Met. I definitely felt more cultured just by sitting on the steps of the Met, which was quite a grand sight to behold at night. Annie and Dave were feeling really dorky so I took a few pictures of them in wacky poses next to their mopeds.
Friday: Went to the Whitney with Amy and Annie (aka A-Dubs) and check out The American Effect exhibition, which featured works that purported to represent the diverse perceptions of America by artists from around the world. It definitely kicked ass. One of the most memorable exhibit featured a bunch of ailing comic super heroes in a nursing home: The Hulk with thinning gray hair sitting in a wheelchair watching TV; a pot-bellied Captain America gasping his last breath on a hospital stretcher, tended to by a sagging Wonder Woman; not far from them sat Elastic Man, who had apparently fallen asleep with his head resting on the desk next to the chair and his long stretched out arm lying limply on the ground. That exhibit was definitely my favorite.
There was also a glowing portrait of Guiliani with a Mao-like pose by a Chinese artist. Underneath the portrait was painted two elephant dungs, a clever reference to that whole elephant dung fiasco a while back.
There were a bunch of other cool exhibits that were just as cool, but I'm too lazy too describe them all. I did not have a single "they call this art?" response towards any of the artworks in "American Effect," which says a lot, given my past disdain for retarded modern "art" exhibits.
Afterwards we grabbed dinner and had some beer at a pretty cool bar that had outside tables. Sitting outside enjoying the breeze and drinking and laughing made it a perfect ending to a great Friday evening.
Saturday: Helped Josh move his numerous boxes from his near-Bronx 5th floor walk-up apartment (meaning, NO ELEVATOR!) down to the rented van. I knew he was very athletic and strong because he's really into sports, but I had no idea how much of a stud he was. The man hauled around boxes, which were filled with books and were twice as large as what I carried, with no rest down 5 flights of stairs. After meeting Regina, I told her that she was engaged to a gorilla. I also met Regina's sister Jenny and Josh's other friend/manual laborer, Jacque. Josh had told me a lot about Jacque, who was every bit as interesting as I had imagined. When we were riding on the train towards the upper east side (where Josh's new apt was located), we chatted quite a bit. As a black man who grew up in Kentucky, went to an Ivy League school (Brown) and then traveled and worked in China and Taiwan for a couple of years, Jacque definitely had an interesting perspective on things. His Chinese is even better than Josh's. Too bad he's going back to Cornell Law on Monday for his second year. He will be back in the city occasionally though.
After the move, I hopped on the train with Caroline to check out the Bjork concert, which also kicked fucking ass. Hands hurting, need to take a break. More on that later.
UPDATE: Yeah, Coney Island and Bjork both rocked hard. While waiting for the Bjork to get her little impish self on stage, Caroline and I lay on a blanket and listened to some opening bands. The sky was perfectly blue and there was a gentle breeze. What a perfect day for a kick ass concert! Then Bjork came on stage wearing a really weird costume that looked like a big saran wrap and a green-and-purple head dress kind of wig kind of thing. Of course, no one gave a shit. We would have gone ballistic anyways even if she wore a fucking diaper. Then she opened her mouth, and said, "ThankYou." OMG, that was the cutest "thank you" I've ever heard. She sounded like a six-year-old trying to hurry through the pronounciation because she was too shy.
Then she started singing.
I was watching this special on MTV2 a while back called "The Greatest Voices in Music" or something like that and someone described Bjork as having a voice from another planet. He was absolutely right. I have yet to hear another voice like hers, which can mutate and amplify from a breathless whisper to fierce screaming/wailing/howling in a nanosecond, and yet still retain the kind of ethereal beauty that has characterized all of her songs.
I was also pretty shocked by how much of a role classical instruments play in her multi-layered songs. Out of the 25 or so songs she performed, she was accompanied by a circle of violinists as well as a harpist in like 22. I can't even begin to comprehend how she is able to meld techno, classical, and (in some cases) big band/swing so effortlessly. Just when you least expect it, she tosses in an accordion. That chick rocks, even though she's a mother already.
When I first saw the $55 ticket price (which came out to be $65 after TicketMaster's gouging), I groaned. But after almost 4 hours of music, including contribution from the 2 bands that played before her, and a ridiculous amount of fireworks and other pyro eye candy (yes she actually used fireworks to accompany her songs too), I realized that every single penny was well spent, just like in Aimee's concert. Long live Bjork!
After the concert, Caroline and I gulped down some tasty hot dogs and walked around the carnival before heading back to Manhattan. What an awesome ending to a great week!
Monday: Birth day dinner followed by drinking, as described previously.
Wednesday: Went to see Aimee Mann/Ben Folds with Annie and her moped buddy Dave. Right before Ben Folds was about to get on the stage, all the girls around me started screaming like someone just cut off their fingers. When I actually saw Ben Folds I was somewhat disappointed and puzzled. He was a geeky looking guy with poofy hair and wore dorky glasses and a plaid shirt (gasp!), not some Justin Timberlake clone, as one would expect based on the crowd reaction. I didn't know much about Ben Folds at all, but I was pretty impressed by his musical talents and sense of humor (between songs). I especially admired his minimalistic style: no fancy lighting, synthesizers, or accompanists, just him and his piano. When he crouched over his piano slamming the keys and bobbed his head up and down, I somehow had this image of Kermit the frog getting sucked off. I have no idea why I thought of that, either.
After Ben Folds, it was all Aimee time. My God, that woman is a goddess. Her voice is even more incredible to listen to in person. The lighting effects were really cool and used very effectively to get everyone in the mood. She didn't crack as many jokes as Ben Folds, but there were moments of levity, like when she introduced "Save Me": "This is the song that lost an Oscar to Phil Collins's song for a cartoon." While she was singing "Wise Up," the security guy busted some guy in the crowd who was trying to bootleg the concert. He definitely had a pretty fancy portable system wired up. I was somewhat annoyed because I couldn't enjoy one of my favorite songs when some guy is waving a flashlight next to me. At the end, Aimee played a cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist," adding a unique twist to what was already a great song.
After the concert we decided to go get some food. Because Dave and Annie both wanted to ride their mopeds, I was forced to hop on the back of Dave's moped with some trepedation. We weren't even going that fast, probably less than 20 miles/hr, but it was still a harrowing experience because of all the yellow cabs zooming past us, and that fucking huge bus that was tailing us, its grille looking menacing as hell. I felt like if I had stuck out my arm for even just a little bit, I would have gotten hit by some car.
The extra excitement definitely enhanced the evening though, which we capped off by eating some big greasy slices of brick oven pizza in front of the Met. I definitely felt more cultured just by sitting on the steps of the Met, which was quite a grand sight to behold at night. Annie and Dave were feeling really dorky so I took a few pictures of them in wacky poses next to their mopeds.
Friday: Went to the Whitney with Amy and Annie (aka A-Dubs) and check out The American Effect exhibition, which featured works that purported to represent the diverse perceptions of America by artists from around the world. It definitely kicked ass. One of the most memorable exhibit featured a bunch of ailing comic super heroes in a nursing home: The Hulk with thinning gray hair sitting in a wheelchair watching TV; a pot-bellied Captain America gasping his last breath on a hospital stretcher, tended to by a sagging Wonder Woman; not far from them sat Elastic Man, who had apparently fallen asleep with his head resting on the desk next to the chair and his long stretched out arm lying limply on the ground. That exhibit was definitely my favorite.
There was also a glowing portrait of Guiliani with a Mao-like pose by a Chinese artist. Underneath the portrait was painted two elephant dungs, a clever reference to that whole elephant dung fiasco a while back.
There were a bunch of other cool exhibits that were just as cool, but I'm too lazy too describe them all. I did not have a single "they call this art?" response towards any of the artworks in "American Effect," which says a lot, given my past disdain for retarded modern "art" exhibits.
Afterwards we grabbed dinner and had some beer at a pretty cool bar that had outside tables. Sitting outside enjoying the breeze and drinking and laughing made it a perfect ending to a great Friday evening.
Saturday: Helped Josh move his numerous boxes from his near-Bronx 5th floor walk-up apartment (meaning, NO ELEVATOR!) down to the rented van. I knew he was very athletic and strong because he's really into sports, but I had no idea how much of a stud he was. The man hauled around boxes, which were filled with books and were twice as large as what I carried, with no rest down 5 flights of stairs. After meeting Regina, I told her that she was engaged to a gorilla. I also met Regina's sister Jenny and Josh's other friend/manual laborer, Jacque. Josh had told me a lot about Jacque, who was every bit as interesting as I had imagined. When we were riding on the train towards the upper east side (where Josh's new apt was located), we chatted quite a bit. As a black man who grew up in Kentucky, went to an Ivy League school (Brown) and then traveled and worked in China and Taiwan for a couple of years, Jacque definitely had an interesting perspective on things. His Chinese is even better than Josh's. Too bad he's going back to Cornell Law on Monday for his second year. He will be back in the city occasionally though.
After the move, I hopped on the train with Caroline to check out the Bjork concert, which also kicked fucking ass. Hands hurting, need to take a break. More on that later.
UPDATE: Yeah, Coney Island and Bjork both rocked hard. While waiting for the Bjork to get her little impish self on stage, Caroline and I lay on a blanket and listened to some opening bands. The sky was perfectly blue and there was a gentle breeze. What a perfect day for a kick ass concert! Then Bjork came on stage wearing a really weird costume that looked like a big saran wrap and a green-and-purple head dress kind of wig kind of thing. Of course, no one gave a shit. We would have gone ballistic anyways even if she wore a fucking diaper. Then she opened her mouth, and said, "ThankYou." OMG, that was the cutest "thank you" I've ever heard. She sounded like a six-year-old trying to hurry through the pronounciation because she was too shy.
Then she started singing.
I was watching this special on MTV2 a while back called "The Greatest Voices in Music" or something like that and someone described Bjork as having a voice from another planet. He was absolutely right. I have yet to hear another voice like hers, which can mutate and amplify from a breathless whisper to fierce screaming/wailing/howling in a nanosecond, and yet still retain the kind of ethereal beauty that has characterized all of her songs.
I was also pretty shocked by how much of a role classical instruments play in her multi-layered songs. Out of the 25 or so songs she performed, she was accompanied by a circle of violinists as well as a harpist in like 22. I can't even begin to comprehend how she is able to meld techno, classical, and (in some cases) big band/swing so effortlessly. Just when you least expect it, she tosses in an accordion. That chick rocks, even though she's a mother already.
When I first saw the $55 ticket price (which came out to be $65 after TicketMaster's gouging), I groaned. But after almost 4 hours of music, including contribution from the 2 bands that played before her, and a ridiculous amount of fireworks and other pyro eye candy (yes she actually used fireworks to accompany her songs too), I realized that every single penny was well spent, just like in Aimee's concert. Long live Bjork!
After the concert, Caroline and I gulped down some tasty hot dogs and walked around the carnival before heading back to Manhattan. What an awesome ending to a great week!
posted by Gary at
2:58 PM
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