Baby, you drive me crazy...

I saw the Jesus & Mary Chain play at Webster Hall last Monday.* I'd been looking forward to it for ages- I bought a ticket the morning they went on sale despite the $55 ticket price (Which included $10 in TicketWeb fees. And that's with the will call option! Jerks.)

Here's what it looked like from where I was standing (apologies for the crappy camera phone shot):

My initial impression? Eh. My friend Mark thought they sounded like the Jesus & Mary Chain doing karaoke versions of their own songs. But I'm starting to reassess that. I've been singing Far Gone and Out and Between Planets all week. I changed my MySpace profile song to Happy When it Rains. I rewatched Lost in Translation specifically for that final scene where Bill Murray gets out of the cab and chases Scarlett Johansson down the street to whisper something in her ear. Something that makes her cry. And smile. And then Just Like Honey plays as they part.

So yeah, I guess I liked it. Or, more accurately, I like that the show made me revisit albums and movies I love, but rarely listen to or watch anymore. And I love that I still love them. Oh, and I also love that the bartender forgot to charge me for a round of drinks. Made me feel a little better about spending $55 on the ticket.

*Music Snobbery has a set list here. Brooklyn Vegan has photos from the Tuesday show here.

Come along with me...

I did a Listener Hour on WFMU at the beginning of the month (Saturday, July 1st, to be exact). This is what I played:

Yo La Tengo- My Little Corner of the World
Rolling Stones- Sing This All Together
Gordon MacRae- Oh What A Beautiful Morning
Royal Fingerbowl- A Month of Sundays
Bruce Springsteen- 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

Big Star- Thank You Friends
Cat Power- Lived in Bars
Al Green- Take Me to the River
Brazilian Girls- Corner Store
Seu Jorge- Starman
Juana Molina- Ahora

Sleep- Dragonaut
Priestess- Talk to Her
Sweet- Teenage Rampage
Gnarls Barkley- Gone Daddy Gone

Billy Stewart- Summertime

If you want to listen, you can do so here.

Hell Awaits

In honor of today, the metalest of all days, I'd like to turn your attention to this.

And I'd like to tell a little story about the last time I saw Slayer. (Yep, I've seen them more than once. They rule.) It was about a year and a half ago, Roseland Ballroom. The majority of those in attendance were male. Hirsute, denim and leather-clad males. By the time the (awesome) show ended, they were also sweaty, dirty, drunk and bloody. And they all poured out onto 52nd Street at the same time as a very different group of people. The people who had just seen Hairspray: The Musical, which was playing across the street. Seeing the two crowds converge (one with fists in the air, letting out big whoops and yelling "Fucking SLAAAYER!", the other humming, well, whatever songs they sang in Hairspray. Maybe they were doing the Madison? I don't know.) was one of the best culture clashes I've ever seen.

Adventures in Red Hook

D was looking to unload two Ted Leo/Pharmacists tickets. I met her on a windy corner in Brooklyn and, in the shadow of a disused service station, exchanged a bit of cash and a young adult novel based on The OC for the tickets.

The show was at the Hook and getting to that venue is always an adventure. Last night was no different. The shuttle the Hook provides was iffy, we called the club and they weren’t sure if the guy was going to show. Apparently, he can’t afford the insurance required to drive in bad weather. So my friend Colleen and I walked up the street and hailed a cab. The driver didn't know how to get to the club so he pulled over for a lengthy, off-meter consultation with his map. We got to the club and scored seats on the top riser, where we were joined by our friends Tom and Terre.

The Duke Spirit was supposed to open, but they had some visa issues. (Or were kidnapped by pirates, if you ask D.) So a band called Direct from the Hollywood Cemetery played instead. They were dressed like the Groovy Ghoulies and sounded like the Misfits met Boss Hog for a beach party. Oh, and the singer slashed his way out of a coffin at the start of the set. Costumes and stage props pretty much guarantee a good time in my book. I’m easy to please.

The second band, Les Aus, was from Catalonia. We didn't really hear their set because Gentleman Ted Leo came over to Tom and Terre (and Colleen and me- a/k/a Their Entourage) and invited us downstairs to dine at his vegan buffet and drink his whiskey. And talk about New Jersey (Seton Hall, Springsteen, Action Park…), of course. Because when one meets a fellow Jerseyan, that's what one does. Anyway, Mr. Leo and company played really well. Lots of energy, good amount of stage banter... No Kelly Clarkson cover, though. But all in all, a good time. And the Hook has cats in the basement! Cute!