i thoroughly enjoy thought provoking, yet ultimately useless questions on long car rides. After an amazing weekend in Providence, RI earlier this year to see the band 'Thursday' play and viewing of a 3D IMAX film, my significant other posed this question on the ride home: "If Thursday and Rise Against were playing shows on the same night, across the street from one another, which would you go see?"
Although i love both bands, without hesitation i chose Thursday. Their latest album is, in my opinion, the best album to come out since Pearl Jam's "Ten". Now many brilliant albums have come out between these records by some great bands but i never thought any could top the emotional bond i developed with "Ten" during my teenage years. i wore out three copies on tape and eventually bought "Ten" on both cd and vinyl. After listening to Thursday's albums and seeing them live several times i developed an attachment to their music further cemented by "A City By The Light Divided". You'd be hard pressed to find a band that puts more into their live show. Since this album came out i've had a hard time listening to much else, and some impressive albums have come out this year.
My significant other, of course, picked Rise Against. Despite the fact that during the ride home from buying one of their earlier albums she made fun of me for the purchase (you know you'll never live that one down), she has since not only grown to enjoy their music, but she has become a huge fan (strike that, a SUPER fan, she is by no accounts huge) buying all the albums they've ever put out. The line was drawn in the sand.
Well, the conflict has recently been settled, and then some. The two bands are touring together. Talk about a dream line-up. And neither of us have to choose. When Bush Jr said he was a uniter not a divider maybe he was really talking about music. i know he does get confused sometimes.
Sep 26, 2006
It's The Hair That Makes The Man
You may not be able to tell from my profile picture because i'm wearing my helmet (bounty hunters must wear their helmets because if they were to get paralyzed in an interplanetary war their wife informed them that she wouldn't wipe their ass) but i keep my head shaved. The reactions to having a shaved head are never boring and usually fun. i feel i need to establish a little cliff-note background here before i move on with my tale though.
As a small blue-eyed boy one of our family friends got a 'wiffle' haircut one summer. i instantly knew i wanted to take it a step further and shave it. My mum said otherwise so it didn't happen. Fast-forward to years later as a rebellious punk teen. The desire didn't fade over time, in fact it only grew. One particularly rebellious night driving around with my best friend i decided i was going to go for it, no matter the inevitable trouble i'd get in. He thought they had some dog shears at his house so we headed there only to find out his parent threw them away months ago. At this point the only thing open was the local mall, which happened to have some chain hair-cutting place in it. Off we went.
Upon arriving at the mall i ran into some punk friends of mine. Upon telling them my current mission they said not to waste my money, they had a pair of clippers at home. They ran home to get them and we all met at an electrical outlet located just outside of Lechmere's (dating myself here but this used to be a Best Buy type chain store in malls back-in-the-day). We plugged them in and off came my hair. Thinking back this probably took about 15 minutes yet no one made any effort to stop us at any point. We did get some interesting looks however, as one could image.
i found out i had an extremely round head and i was instantly sold on the cut. The feeling of swimming for the first time after shaving your head is a sensation everyone should experience once in life, boy and girl alike. i can only imagine it's how a dolphin must feel, no resistance and the massaging flow of water over your scalp. Amazing! Almost equally amazing was how i kept my new cut hidden from my mum for almost three days, another story all together. The fall-out was worse than i had ever imagined it could be (it was just a haircut) but what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger so i came out of it with some intestinal fortitude and a new favorite haircut.
i've tried several different haircuts over the years but i always seem to come back to the comfort and low-maintenance of the shaved head: the style of choice for punks and monks of every persuation.
Now back to my original train of thought: people's reactions to my shaved head are always amusing. The more daring ask to rub it to see how it feels (rubbing a shaved head or a round belly are actually considered good luck, and it feels good for me too). Some people are intimidated (which is alright when you are shy and/or anti-social). My favorites, however, are the "has anyone ever told you you look like..." commments (this is not sarcasm this time, i do really get a kick out of this one). All of us skinny guys with saved heads apparently look alike to a majority of people. Most recently i've been told i look like: Travis Barker (Blink 182), the bass player to Mudvayne (don't remember his name), and Moby (the musician, not the whale).
Much like riding around on a Vespa, having a shaved head frequently leads to entertaining interaction with random people. It also prevents helmet-head after long days of freezing scoundrels in carbonite and warm skiff rides to Sarlac's Pit.
As a small blue-eyed boy one of our family friends got a 'wiffle' haircut one summer. i instantly knew i wanted to take it a step further and shave it. My mum said otherwise so it didn't happen. Fast-forward to years later as a rebellious punk teen. The desire didn't fade over time, in fact it only grew. One particularly rebellious night driving around with my best friend i decided i was going to go for it, no matter the inevitable trouble i'd get in. He thought they had some dog shears at his house so we headed there only to find out his parent threw them away months ago. At this point the only thing open was the local mall, which happened to have some chain hair-cutting place in it. Off we went.
Upon arriving at the mall i ran into some punk friends of mine. Upon telling them my current mission they said not to waste my money, they had a pair of clippers at home. They ran home to get them and we all met at an electrical outlet located just outside of Lechmere's (dating myself here but this used to be a Best Buy type chain store in malls back-in-the-day). We plugged them in and off came my hair. Thinking back this probably took about 15 minutes yet no one made any effort to stop us at any point. We did get some interesting looks however, as one could image.
i found out i had an extremely round head and i was instantly sold on the cut. The feeling of swimming for the first time after shaving your head is a sensation everyone should experience once in life, boy and girl alike. i can only imagine it's how a dolphin must feel, no resistance and the massaging flow of water over your scalp. Amazing! Almost equally amazing was how i kept my new cut hidden from my mum for almost three days, another story all together. The fall-out was worse than i had ever imagined it could be (it was just a haircut) but what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger so i came out of it with some intestinal fortitude and a new favorite haircut.
i've tried several different haircuts over the years but i always seem to come back to the comfort and low-maintenance of the shaved head: the style of choice for punks and monks of every persuation.
Now back to my original train of thought: people's reactions to my shaved head are always amusing. The more daring ask to rub it to see how it feels (rubbing a shaved head or a round belly are actually considered good luck, and it feels good for me too). Some people are intimidated (which is alright when you are shy and/or anti-social). My favorites, however, are the "has anyone ever told you you look like..." commments (this is not sarcasm this time, i do really get a kick out of this one). All of us skinny guys with saved heads apparently look alike to a majority of people. Most recently i've been told i look like: Travis Barker (Blink 182), the bass player to Mudvayne (don't remember his name), and Moby (the musician, not the whale).
Much like riding around on a Vespa, having a shaved head frequently leads to entertaining interaction with random people. It also prevents helmet-head after long days of freezing scoundrels in carbonite and warm skiff rides to Sarlac's Pit.
Sep 24, 2006
Jackass'd Reprise
Yes, this is my second entry on 'Jackass Two' but now that some time has passed other aspects of the movie have come to the fore.
First, what the fuck is wrong with Steve-O. Really now, there is something seriously wrong with that guy. Most of the other stuff had some level of cleverness or humor to it but Steve-O's segments just made me feel dirtier than sitting through a GWAR concert. i've already spent more time thinking about this than Steve-O has spent thinking about anything. Moving on.
Secondly, did you pay attention to the fine pants that most of these stunts (if you can call them that) were performed in? There is only one clothing line that could hold up to that kind of abuse... Dickies! Take that you Carhart wearing sonsofbitches. i look at that as an endorsement of the brand i enjoy (i see how one might see this differently though). How can all those Jackasses and Boston punks be wrong?
First, what the fuck is wrong with Steve-O. Really now, there is something seriously wrong with that guy. Most of the other stuff had some level of cleverness or humor to it but Steve-O's segments just made me feel dirtier than sitting through a GWAR concert. i've already spent more time thinking about this than Steve-O has spent thinking about anything. Moving on.
Secondly, did you pay attention to the fine pants that most of these stunts (if you can call them that) were performed in? There is only one clothing line that could hold up to that kind of abuse... Dickies! Take that you Carhart wearing sonsofbitches. i look at that as an endorsement of the brand i enjoy (i see how one might see this differently though). How can all those Jackasses and Boston punks be wrong?
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