Moved all my records to crates last night... I think the hit-to-miss ratio is pretty good i. Just look at the first ones in each bin (startng at top left, clockwise): Fuzztones are garage rock, Toots and the Maytals are old-school reggae, Mad Parade are 1.5-generation punks, and ABC are classic new wave. Not a bad sampling of what I was into from high school through the advent of DVDs. I totally forgot that I had some signed records, too. These are from way before GR, showing that I'm more of a fan and collector of culture than a journalist or critic. Not to suggest that I don't have taste or standards.
Exene is not only one of the first individuals you think of when it comes to L.A. punk, but she also might have the best penmanship. (Penpersonship?)
This is from an REM in-store in the Valley in support of Fables. Stipe and Peter Buck used ball-point pen, so you can barely see their signatures and sketches.
I know Marky didn't drum on this album, but I'm not complaining. Even atheists agree that The Ramones are gods. (Also, I'll run into Tommy one of these days.)
This is a real time capsule of what was hot in the early '90s: Grand Royal Records and 90210! This was signed at the X-Large store in Los Feliz, and the Australian teen was backed by The Spinanes.
While packing stuff away, I came across my collection of publications. Months ago, I recycled a lot of it and this is what I decided to keep. It's sort of unfair to put the Search & Destroy set with the rest because I bought a complete set from V. himself at APE years ago. The rest I got off the stands or through mail order. The No Idea came with a Jawbreaker/Samiam split 7" single. See the one on the top right with The Untouchables on the cover? A certain artist read that and named himself after it.
These are from my friend Lance Hahn, leader of the greatest punk band of all time, J Church. I'm not kidding. His zines were great, too, championing and interviewing everyone from crusty punks (The Mob), to riot grrrls (Bikini Kill) to indie rock (Bis). Everyone loved Lance. The one with a color cover was his latest publication, a photo zine. Just behind it is a book of lyrics.
Here are some of the glossier mags that I kept, including the infamous Big Brother (which spawned the Blunt snowboard mag and Jackass TV show) and Answer Me! (which got a newsstand sued for selling obscene material to minors). Also, the "other" GR (which influenced our mag by packing in as much info as possible) and the L.A. punk mag Flipside (which I contributed to).
Finally, Cometbus. Probably the rawest of anything in this blog and the only one standing. (Except MRR, maybe, but I think Aaron Cometbus has contributed to that, too.) Nothing but words and only tangentally about music. There's a new issue out that I still have to get...
This is the view from my porch. See those red boxes? They arrived at 6:30 a.m. this morning and are going to be filled with most of the contents of our house by the end of the three-day weekend because home renovation finally begins next week. So I'm blogging a bunch now because I've got my work cut out for me. (If you've got time and energy, come by and help move stuff. There might some Cosco pizza or Thai food in it for you.)
The nice thing about these deliverable pods is that they drop them off for a few days, pick them up, and then transport them to a secure, air-conditioned warehouse. You don't have to rent an unwieldy gas-guzzling truck, pack it, drive it very carefully, unload it, go to a gas station, and rush to return the vehicle. Twice. There's a delivery fee, but they bring them back to you--or if you move, to your new location--for free. Also, if you call ahead, you can access the boxes whenever you want for no cost. You just call ahead and they pull them out of the grid for you.
Is that your white Honda on the left? It's been in front of our house for a week, jerkface, and we wanted to put one of the storage units there. Better move it because I'm going to call the cops and get it towed!
Yesterday, Eloise was dropped off at my in-laws' house for the first time in more than a week. In recent blogs, I've been sharing how I've been spending time away from GR and taking care of my six-month-old daughter while they've been out of town and my wife was at work.
Although there are times when I feel like I could stare at Eloise all day, I soon realized that would a bad idea and took her out a lot and often: going for walks, visiting parks, meeting with other stay-at-home dads, shopping for groceries, taking her to work, seeing my sister and mom, and various combinations of the above. And at home, I became the master of preparing bottles, feeding Eloise, comforting her, feeding her, reading, playing, making up games, listening and dancing to music (old reggae), talking and singing nonstop, washing pump supplies, freezing milk, doing laundry, eating while holding her, and making breakast, packing lunch, and preparing dinner for Wendy. I could see how any parent would want to stay home, be close to his or her child, and watch him or her grow. My mouth hurt from laughing and smiling with her so much and my heart broke from her becoming so comfortable around me. One day, she fell asleep on me three times!
So it was hard to see her go back to Wendy's parents, but good to see her loved by them so much--and admittedly rewarding to see her cry and miss me. If Wendy or I can't be at home with Eloise, it's perfect that they live so close and adore her. Most parents spend a ton of money on daycare and when they get it they are nothing but anxious about it. We have it made. Even better, my parents are thinking about moving up to L.A. as well.
That being said, when I got back to the magazine office yesterday and resumed archiving files for GR55, the articles seemed brand new and actually pretty fucking awesome. And when Eric and I started talking about our ideas for the next issue, I was even more stoked. (Seeing the Ashes of Time Redux screening wasn't bad, either.)
People I know have taken time off work to visit relatives in Asia, backpack through South America, ride bikes in Europe, or spend a week working with clay. All of that is rad. I shared quality time with my baby. That's something amazing that only she and I could do together and was actually pretty rad, too. Now I'm back at work on an amazing endeavor that only Eric and I could do together. I can't complain--and I still get time with her every morning and evening.
Last night there was a traffic jam in Beverly Hills, but it wasn't for a gala at the Beverly Wilshire or a benefit at Barneys. Runners were lining up outside Niketown to pick up their shirts, numbers, and timing chips for Sunday's Human Race. I was there to get packets for my dad and me. (I ran into Justin Lin the other week and tried to get him and his dad to sign up, too, but didn't see him in line.)
Here's my shirt. I like how it's matte and textured--not shiny and slick. After the race, you can look up the numbers on the race's site and see how slow I've become after not running for six months. These days I walk around the reservoir with a baby strapped on my chest instead of running while listening to an iPod. (Actually, I've jogged the 2.5 mile loop twice in the last two weeks and know I can do the full 6.2 miles boosted by the event's energy and adrenaline.)
I think it's cool that the event is being used to (1) get people amped about running and (2) raise money for various charities. It's taking place in a ton of cities around the world. In L.A., we get Kanye West, fresh off his DNC gig in Denver. I hear he's great onstage but I don't know if he can match Devo's performance from a couple years ago's Nike run... Who's playing in your town?
Yesterday afternoon I saw a press screening of Ashes to Ashes Redux, Wong Kar Wai's reworking of his 1994 martial arts/art movie. In preparation, I broke out the original laser disc the night before. It looks crappy but is nowhere as muddy as the subsequent DVD releases.
As Caddyshack is to American comedy, Ashes of Time is to the "New Wave of Hong Kong Cinema." I mean that as a huge compliment. Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, and Chevy Chase are like the Mt. Rushmore of their ilk, and Ashes has an excellent sampling from Hong Kong's New Wave at the top of their game. (Screen captures in order: Brigitte, Charlie, Leslie, both Tonys, and Maggie. Sorry, Jacky. Your scenes were too dark.)
True, the subtitles could have been better and the soundtrack was cheap and somewhat cheesy. (This was pre pop songs and sambas.) The flashbacks were confusing, too. But the look was mind blowing, and the story actually made sense if you were familiar with the fiction of Louis Cha or saw the movie three or four times. I belong to the latter group. The plot depicts the heartbreak suffered and shared by the various fighters before they became heroes--it might be called their emo years.
So it kind of pissed me off to hear so-called critics walk out of the screening with nothing but complaints. "The print sucked." Okay, that was true. "There was a story?" Well, yes. Just because (1) you don't get it the first time or (2) maybe you didn't know who was saying which monologues because you don't know the actors' voices doesn't mean it doesn't make sense. I recall walking out of the Garfield totally baffled but blown away and emotionally moved after seeing it for the first time.
The changes for Redux weren't as drastic as I expected. It's not like the redone Star Wars or Close Encounters of The Third Kind with new effects or a brand new ending. I think it's been trimmed by 7 or 9 minutes and the flashbacks are slightly less random. Breaking it down into seasons makes sense, especially since Leslie's character is always refering to the almanac. The framing makes the coming and going of characters less odd, too. The soundtrack might be the biggest change. It went from spacy guitar solos and synth stuff to a full orchestra with solos by Yo-Yo Ma. (Jonnie To, getting any ideas?)
Ultimately, the film will not be suddenly digestible to the mainstream. It's still more about emotional tension and yearning than fighting or heroism, and the main attraction will be seeing some of Hong Kong's most loved actors at a time when Wong Kar-Wai and his cinematographer Christopher Doyle were out of their minds with creative style. Can't wait to see a decent screening of this cleaned-up version and buy the DVD when it comes out.
GR55 is hitting the shelves really soon--like copies are on a truck to the shops right now. Below is a link to one of the guys that's in it... Call the stores before going because you never know if your driver is going to pull over and read the mag under a tree or something.
Giant Robot's Minister of Color Pryor Praczukowski will be taking part in a one-night art show next Thursday. If you missed seeing his large-scale stills for the most stylish movie that was never made at the GR Biennale, you blew it. But here's a second chance.
I took Eloise to Kumquat world headquarters in Pasadena this morning. It's my sister's baby clothing company...
Here's Angelyn and her daughter Lucia. Ang just picked up a load of new gear from her sewers--all in Los Angeles.
So while the clothing isn't made in offshore sweatshops, the business itself is still run on slave labor. Here's my mom taking inventory. No chair, desk, or gruel. See the pattern on the fabric? Wendy designed it.
Ang, Eloise, Lucia, and Mom take a break. Yes, the babies are wearing Kumquat gear... Too bad I had to split and didn't have time to hit Oreons on the way home.
Not really, but that's what I did today. In the morning, I took her to Wendy's workplace in West Hollywood because I had to drop off something.
Eloise handled the office and cubicle culture well. She was a little excited to chill with Wendy's art director, the internationally known artist Andy Alexander, though.
Not sure how she felt about this dude.
Afterward, Eloise and I moved on to the GR factory by Sawtelle, where she took a long nap and I did a little catching up. Eric wasn't around but his architect Amy was there to run some plans by her.
Then we checked out Susie G's show at GR2. Too bad we missed the opening while we were in NJ, but the hanging birds and branches are probably better off seen when the shop is mellow anyway.
Finally, we went to the first GR store where she hung out with Serena and an actual robot!
(Thus ends my first week as Mr. Mom... Four days down, three to go.)
For the first time this season, I watched a GR softball game tonight. It was the westside championship, with the winner going to the city's championship game. At first, GR gave up some one or two run innings and fell behind 0-5.
After a regrouping, the team rallied in the final two innings to make it 7-5. In the end, the opponents had a little more juice, winning in the bottom of the seventh. (You can see Eric in the back center with the faded black cap. He had a nice two-run line drive up the middle during the final rally.)
This was a great season for GR softball, winning the conference with an 11-1 record and then falling short one game of the city's biggest game. It was a fun game to watch, and I'm jonesing to rejoin the guys in the fall after this season's baby time off...
On my second day as Mr. Mom, I took the opportunity to meet up some old GR factory workers. In honor of the GR softball team's run through the city tournament, I went to the batting cages this morning with Bill Bear. Surprisingly, my opposite-field stroke is still pretty decent!
Bill helped out with copy editing the mag before donning a bear suit to be a mascot, getting his colon cleaned for an article, writing anime reviews, and then working at the GR shop. Today, he captains the GR softball team with help from Chi.
In the afternoon, I met our longest-acting adperson, Kiyoshi a.k.a. The Drunken Master of zines and comics. These days, he stays at home during the days with his girls, Momo and Nami and makes art or bounces troublemakers at night. I'm glad we finally got the little ladies together.
But it wasn't all nostalgia. When it comes to Eloise, we're always looking ahead. Today she entered a sandbox for the first time and also got in a swing. I think she liked it!
After all that action, she's sacked out for the day's final nap and it's time for me to sift through GR-related email (trying to make articles happen), clean up a little, and start making dinner for Wendy...
My wife's parents also went to New Jersey for the wedding and are staying for an extra week. Without childcare, I'm staying home for this week and some of next week to take care of Eloise while Eloise is at work. That involves a nonstop cycle of playing, feeding, and napping (during which I check email and try to stay up on GR). For the playing part, I'm trying to do something different every morning and afternoon so (1) she is mentally stimulated/doesn't get bored and (2) I don't go nuts.
This afternoon we hiked up from The Trails snack shop in Griffith Park to the observatory at the top of the hill. When Eloise grows up, will she even know who James Dean is? Maybe she'll see Rebel Without A Cause in a film class and think of this picture during its climax, which was shot at the observatory.
It was kind of smoggy, but the view wasn't bad and there was a nice breeze. I had to run after her hat once after it blew off. Actually, I got a lot of smiles from tourists. It was nice to talk in an "adult voice" now and then, giving the hike extra value.
The other repercussion of Wendy's parents being out of town is that we're on our own for food. (We're totally spoiled because her dad usually cooks dinner for her, packs dinner for me, and gives us enough for lunch for the next day!) So the morning's field trip was to the closest Asian market: Seafood City in Eagle Rock. It's a Filipino chain that has a bunch of Chinese groceries.
Robert and Nikki's wedding is probably one of the more deluxe celebrations I've ever attended. The country club was super old and made of brick, with Caucasian people parking your car and oil portraiture on the walls.
Check out the fountains and pavilions in the background, which were lit up at night and really pretty. (That's probably where kids get stoned at prom._ Appetizers included the shrimp cocktail bar with ice sculpture, made-to-grill panini, prime rib, hummus, tons of fresh fruit, and more. So good.
I liked how although the ceremony was Catholic (and remarkably quick), there were Chinese and Filipino touches like the tea ceremony and money dance.
One of Robert's sisters told us the reception was not extraordinary, and that all the weddings she attends are kind of like that. I dunno. It seemed pretty fancy to me. The centerpieces were the size of punching dummies!
But although the evening was fancy, it was never boring or overshadowed what a cool couple Robert and Nikki are, who hung out, danced a bunch, and made it feel really friendly. Welcome to the club, you two, and thanks for inviting us to share your day.
First it was citizens demanding skate parks and then it was Comic-Con becoming the new Cannes. Now white trash, two heebs, and a bean are headlining the DNC opener--along with Circle Jerks and Bouncing Souls! More proof that the world isn't totally going downhill after all...
But if you have to be a tourist and neglect to bring a pocket full of change when you run out of the motel to pick up your wife's cousins at the airport, I suggest doing it late night when there isn't a rapidly growing line full of drivers to cuss you out and give you the finger.
In an awesome example of fobbery, we made not one but two trips to Mitsuwa in Edgewater, NJ. At first we just wanted some snacks for the hotel room and bento for the road, but then we came back for the food court, which was actually pretty good. The three main eateries serve rice dishes, ramen dishes, or soba dishes in the $7-8 range (cash only). Pretty decent for a food court, and there was really good sesame ice cream, too.
While the food and fare is strictly Japanese, the crowd seemed very Pan-Asian. I heard Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese as much as Japanese. Not much Vietnamese, Cambodian, etc., and there wasn't any Indian or Pakistani presence at all. I always dig seeing the latter groups when GR does college talks on the East Coast, South, or Midwest and hope it isn't something that people just grow out of.
With a Saturday afternoon to kill before the wedding rehearsal dinner in New Jersey, Wendy suggested we break out for New Jersey to take care of some business. I was pleasantly surprised and all over it.
So we hopped on a ferry across the Hudson and discovered a free bus to the West Village.
We walked across town the East Village, stopping only to eat some watermelon and watch some hoops action.
After about 20-25 minutes, we made it.
My first visit to GRNY! It's a beautiful shop in an awesome location with super nice staffers.
After we said hi and took some pics, we retraced our steps and returned to Jersey just in time to miss the dinner because Eloise was wiped out. But now there's one less thing on my life's to-do list. And one thing added: I noticed the new issue of Cometbus had arrived and was ready to price.
Just got back from a weekend in New Jersey, where we attended a wedding. The trip had a rocky start as the departure our flight from LAX was delayed for an hour, we sat on the tarmac (great Scrabble word) for ages, and had to get our rental car inspected an extra time. By the time we got to our hotel, it was 2:30 a.m.
But it's the fleabag hotel right next to the Washington Bridge in Fort Lee that's the real story. Cars and trucks are lined up on the highway all day and night, and when I arrived, there were a few sketchy people trying to get deals on rooms. "Don't charge me 80 dollars if there isn't a jacuzzi in the room," said one regular, who happened to walk with a limp.
The signage said it all. Not the "day rate" or "midnight special"--what, no hourly rate?--but the weird mascot with his hand out. Now that's creepy.
I was slightly taken aback when we stepped into the room and noticed floor to ceiling mirrors, but it turned out Eloise really got a kick out of that. Maybe we should install some at home?
This afternoon, I took Eloise to her photo shoot for Kumquat baby clothes. Angelyn is the big boss/baby entertainer and Carlos is the staff photog. This is for the Spring '08 line...
You can't really see the fabric from this far, but I drew the chicks and Wendy made them into the pattern.
How many shows have you gone to where you saw the band so many times and listened to the music so often that you knew every single lyric, riff, and song? My list isn't super long: J Church, Chemical People, Fugazi, early Green Day, early ALL, Big Drill Car. The bulk of those were in my last years of college and first years after graduating, when my primary goal in life was simply to go to the next cool show. How often did I see those bands anyway? I saw Big Drill Car for the first time in 16+ years last night, and it's frightening how all their songs are still ingrained in my head.
After pre-blogging the show yesterday (or was it the day before?), the band's manager Greg actually emailed me to say that he reads GR and saw my post, and that the band's soundchecks were awesome. I had to try really hard not to fan out during the ensuing correspondence but maybe it was okay since band managers don't get many perks or much stroking--not one who manages BDC and Supernova anyway.
Like BDC, Supernova were a Coast Mesa band in the early '90s. They had a couple singles and an album or two on Am Rep. They'd arrive in a van decked out to look like a spaceship and wear jumpsuits. Last night they gave everyone tin foil to wear and get the mood right. (Above, my twin brother Greg and Canadian friend Wayne who drove up from San Diego to meet me at the show. Our friend Craig from shows gone by was there, too!)
The opening band picked up where they left off, playing all their hits as loose as possible ("Calling Hong Kong," "Chewbacca") with a lot of good-natured taunting of the audience ("Are my jokes too stupid or are you too stupid?"). Nice, short, fun set. I was glad they didn't drool on the carpet and they are probably glad they didn't get sideways Mohawks or shave Perfection shapes onto their scalps like they used to.
Since it was the first show of the reunion (with a couple dates on the Old School stage on the Warped Tour with TSOL, etc.) I kind of expected them to play a rough 30 minutes and huff and puff their way offstage. Nope. Starting with "A Take Away," Big Drill Car played hard and fast for their songs mostly off their first three releases. Shockingly great, and I forgot how powerful the original rhythm section of Danny on drums and Bob on bass were. Maybe it's because of the lo-fi PA and where I was standing? The only word that comes close to describing them is allular.
Mark has and always will be a guitar god and Frank still has his chops as a front guy. You could see the old moves coming back as the set progressed. Kicking, pointing, jumping (above). Oh yeah, his voice is pretty much exactly the same. All the hits were played: "In Green Fields," "Restless Habs," "16 LInes," "If It's Poison"... The albums (mostly on the SST imprint Cruz and Cargo subsidiary Headhunter) are out of print, but I highly suggest you find them on iTunes. Start with the songs I listed...
After the encore (the last song was their excellent cover of "Surrender" from the split 7" with the Chems) I talked a little to Chris, another Big Drill Car freak from back in the day. He's the one who called me out of nowhere to let me know about the reunion shows... I used to see him at all the shows and there we were 16 years later. Crazy.
We got the latest Green Label packaging from Mtn. Dew. Standing out from the rest was a design by Pushead. It's actually kind of cool, and the Re-Animator green soda kinda works with the design.
What a resume! Zorlac, 7 Seconds, Misfits, Metallica, Dr. Octagon, and now Mt. Dew. Too bad Tab didn't think of him first.
With their visit from HK overlapping with GR deadlines, I almost thought I was going to miss my friends Prodip and Amy. But the mag was officially out of our hands yesterday, so I took Eloise out for brunch with them this morning.
I don't have many chances to take Eloise out by myself, and this was kind of like practice for next week when Wendy's parents are away and I get to be Mr. Mom. Luckily, it turns out Amy teaches kids so they were totally bonding in the car, in the restaurant, and in general. (Prodip had a slightly harder time, but his art, design, and UFO studies can't be beat.) A breeze, and the $5.99 "Americana" specials aren't bad, either.
The lessons are (1) to schedule something every day because Eloise likes going out and (2) to make sure there's one back-up person to help out in case of meltdown!
Tomorrow night I'm driving down to Huntington Beach to see the first Big Drill Car show-type-thing in 16 years. They're a little older and bigger, but seem no worse for the wear. According to the OC Weekly, they're the 11th best band from Orange County of all time! Really? I can think of a batch of good ones, like The Adolescents, TSOL, Social Distortion, Doggy Style, The Vandals, and No Doubt for starters, but agree they're up there.
I used to see BDC almost every other weekend and wonder if it's uncool to wear one of the old shirts from when they toured a lot... I must have at least five or six, including a mechanic's work shirt that makes me look like a greaser that would hang over small block engines all day. Did I mention that my girlfriend at the time wrote a song wondering if I like the band more than her? looking back, maybe I didn't have to go to all of those shows. But who knew I'd get to see them in 2008?
The real Supernova is opening--the one with space suits, bad haircuts, and "Chewbacca." But that's another story...
This Friday night in the Philippines. One of my favorite artists and guys, Louie Cordero, is teaming up with Mariano Ching for a collaborative art show at the Blanc Compound.
Like peanut butter and jelly, orange and chocolate, or stinky tofu and rice, the artists ghoulish styles go together really well. If you're in the neighborhood, check it out.
My GR softball teammate, accountant, and friend Nate got married to his true love (and really funny, nice, smart person) Nicole over the weekend in San Jose. So Wendy and I were obligated to leave GR55 lockdown for a day and a half to fly up and join the festivities. (Eloise went, too, and handled her first trip like a champ.)
We knew that Nate's good friend and past SS Hap (in brown) would be there as would RF Chi (blue tie, not me), but I didn't think current SS Michael (far left) or 1B Jason (far right) would be there, too. Nice. We actually had a table together at the banquet, which was a lot of fun.
Hanging out with the dudes made me realize how much I've missed playing softball this season. I don't know if they miss me (went from 1-11 to 11-1) but it was nice to see a bunch of them for just one night.
Oh, congratulations to Nicole, too. But mostly, congratulations, Nate! Finally getting past first base--and how.
Whoa, fashion faux pas! Eloise and I wore practically the same thing to the art show opening. I swear it wasn't on purpose. She didn't call me the night before or anything like that. I just happened.
Later on, she and Wendy got lost in Ed Trask's mural. Awesome, just like everyone else's art. Eric kicked ass curating this one (and I did okay fixing up the booklet).
Today, two days later, some of the artists were chilling at GRHQ. Here, guys from ZariganiWorks and WRECKS team up to pick avocadoes off the office roof.
