Went to Angel Stadium on Saturday afternoon before the Angels-Athletics game... Although I'm a Dodgers fan, I feel connection to both AL teams. I grew up in OC, and the Angels used to provide free tickets to local students that had a certain GPA. That was pretty cool. (I also have a fondness for the Angels' "all-food team" featuring Chili Davis, Stew Cliburn, and Cookie Rojas.) As for the A's, being a fan of the Bay Area but hating the Giants, the Money Ballers from the East Bay have become my default AL team. Gotta root for the small-market underdogs, especially when they have a history that includes big mustaches and Your Black Muslim Bakery. (Athletics' closer Ecks also served up the greatest moment of my lifetime as a Dodgers fan in 1988.)
Armed with a pre-game field-level pass that took months to secure, I freely roamed the Big A's lower corridors trying to find my way to the field. I almost wish there were people around to hassle me, because it wasn't easy. I felt like I was in Spinal Tap.
Stepping out into the blinding sunshine and 100+ degrees heat on the field was a shock. See those non-cleat footprints on the right? Those are mine. (No, I wasn't thinking of "footprints on the sand," but aren't this picture and caption eerily similar to the religious poster?)
The visiting team's dugout was empty when I got there, but not for long. Hawaiian son, CSUF champ, and Athletics backstop Kurt Suzuki showed up sooner than later and turned out to be a very cool and chill guy. The team is having a rough season with its young pitching rotation, but Suzuki is keeping them focused and bringing them closer to readiness for next season and beyond.
As I left, the home team was gathering on the opposite end of the diamond. It was temping to see if Vlad's batting helmet is as scummy as Manny's or Sciosh's belt has gotten as big as Tommy's, but I resisted.
On a more serious note, on the way back to the parking lot I stopped to give a closer look to the Nick Adenhart memorial. The well-liked rookie hurler was killed by a drunk driver earlier this year, and the Halos' season has been dedicated to him.
At the fan-made monument, notes were scrawled on the gloves, caps, posters, and other offerings. The Angels mascot (not the Rally Monkey but the cloud-dwelling harp player) has been sadly appropriate for a situation like this...
Coincidentally, Jon Wilhite, the lone survivor of the crash that took Adenhart's life, threw out the evening's first pitch. Also catching for Cal State Fullerton, Wilhite is a close friend of Suzuki. The Oakland catcher seemed really grateful not only for getting to play in the major leagues, but to be in a position where he could help out a buddy.
Good sports, immaculate field, and a thought-provoking afternoon...
When I was asked to help promote the release of White on Rice, I had to decline because I hadn't seen it and, thus, couldn't recommend it. However, when offered a chance to offer a song written and recorded by Goh Nakamura to promote the Asian-American-themed indie flick, I agreed with no hesitation and, of course, the song is great. Goh is a cool dude who makes cool music--a singer-songwriter with all the skills, talent, and wit without the baggage of being a wannabe poet, failed rockstar, or aspiring actor looking for a break. I took the advantage of the situation to ask my friend (and friend of GR) some questions about writing the song as well as somewhat related topics. Download the song here, look for Goh on tour in a living room near you, and let me know how the movie is if you see it!
GR: When The Spy Who Loved Me came out, I remember Carly Simon saying how it was important to work a movie's name into a song but to do it kind of subtly--hence "Nobody Does It Better," as opposed to Duran Duran straight-up calling their 007 theme song "A View To A Kill." What's your take on movie songs? GN: Unless you're writing a 30-second jingle for Coca-Cola or Tide bleach, I think subtlety is desired in songwriting of any sort--especially if you want to impress other writers, Cola drinkers, or bleach users. Ideally, I think that a movie song should amplify the character or plot line of the film. It should mirror the emotions of the movie, make you laugh, cry, or fall/fail in love. Bruce Springsteen's songs are a good example if you think of "Streets of Philadelphia" or "The Wrestler."
GR: I'm pretty sure you've made music to be used in soundtracks and scores, but what about songs? Got any stories about any, or perhaps ones that didn't happen? GN: I'd estimate that 60 percent of the stuff I write for films ends up on the cutting room floor. I contributed some lyrics and music for a song on the Body of Lies soundtrack, and was told that a high-profile singer would be singing it. Later, I found out that the singer would be none other than Mike Patton, one of the greatest vocalists on this earth at the moment. I freaked out, and am still kind of freaked out by it. I had to write the lyrics really fast; I hope he understands.
GR: How did you get involved is White on Rice? Eric has mentioned that he's seen you play at Asian film fests and related events, so are you pretty wired into the scene? GN: I saw the film at the San Francisco Asian Film Fest, and met David and Hiroshi after the film. We went to Gordon Biersch after, and Dave ordered a chocolate cake for dinner while Hiroshi and I ate comfort food and drank beers. I hit it off with them, and a few months later Dave asked me to write a song to help promote the film. It gave me an excuse to write a really goofy song with the words "douchebag," "Chacci," and "Fibonacci." As far as the fest, I've been going for the past two years and have met some fantastic, creative people. The "scene" is really small, and everyone is pretty approachable and gracious for the most part.
GR: Do you watch a lot of Asian American cinema? What do you like or dislike about it? GN: To be honest, I don't watch much cinema to begin with. I certainly don't mind seeing Asian faces get screen time and not be one of the stereotypical roles I grew up with. One of my favorite Asian American films was Saving Face. I recently met the director, Alice Wu but didn't realize it was her till the next day. I freaked out, and am still freaking out about it. (Yeah, I am name-dropping a lot in these answers, but it feels pretty awesome.)
GR: Your song for White on Rice is very much a first-person narrative. Is it a very accurate account of your writing the song? That is, looking up the phrase on Wikipedia, etc. GN: Absolutely accurate. I wrote it really quickly and was using all the resources I could muster. Dave wanted the title in the chorus, so I did indeed do some searches. I had to look up the Fibonacci Sequence because I hadn't thought about it since junior high school.
GR: Do you know if your "White on Rice" song will be played in full-on Dolby with surround sound? That must be a kick for musician to hear. GN: I don't think it's going to be played in Dolby. Maybe in Dublin. Or doubly.
Note: The song was commissioned to promote the movie, but isn't actually in it, so don't get your hopes up!
While the emo kids were swaying to Conor Oberst downstairs at the Echoplex, I was upstairs at the much cozier Echo venue being crushed by the high-octane rock 'n' roll explosion known as The Dirtbombs. Ko Melina, above, is a relatively recent addition to the Detroit quintet, which was formed in 1995 and is headed by garage rock god Mick Collins, ex-key member the very influential DIY rock group, The Gories, but master of many musical genres. In my estimation, both are quite humble, super cool, sharp witted, and very funny...
In The Dirtbombs, guitarist and singer Collins is flanked by drummers Pat Pantano and Ben Blackwell, bassist Zachary Weedon, and Ko on baritone guitar. In spite of its supreme heaviness, the latest lineup of Detroit's finest is super nimble and provided nonstop rocking for roughly 75 minutes, busting out modern classics and spiking once-smooth R&B gems in their powerful and distinctive manner.
Above, the encore. Where the did the drummers go? Into the crowd, below, and doing the seemingly impossible task of tearing the audience's eyes of the charismatic frontman and crazy energetic axe masters. It provided an appropriate bookend to the show's beginning, in which the drummers started off the set one after the other--setting up the crowd for the fuzzed-out rock 'n' roll orgasm to follow. Ultraglide in Black, indeed.
What a show: just straight-up rock with no image-mongering, musical gimmickry, trend-aping, or BS. Expect Ben to put up some footage on his Disposable Content! blog when he gets a break from the Yo Gabba set. Until then, check out their awesome Sly cover, below, and try to catch the band on one of its remaining West Coast dates...
Who says L.A. doesn't have seasons? The summer ceased to be unusually cool yesterday when the mercury shot up to 100 degrees and it became fire season. At least a couple fires erupted, and one is in Palos Verdes--not far from Pedro, where GR photog Ben Clark lives. Last night I overheard him call his wife and ask her to shut his office windows, possibly so ashes wouldn't mess up his photo gear. Another is closer to my house, in La Canada. At 8:00 this morning it almost looked like dusk. The air smells really ashy, and walking around the reservoir is probably like smoking a pack of cigarettes. Just hoping the Santa Ana Winds don't crank up now...
When the magazine's at the printer, it's time for me to clean up a little, back up some files, and respond to email that I blew off during deadlines. I also try to catch up with people. One guy I emailed was Jason "Nosaj Thing" Chung, who I saw for just a minute when he and Chris "Free The Robots" Alfaro played Undefeated in Silver Lake.
Here's the review I wrote of the new CD that will appear in the upcoming GR:
Nosaj Thing Drift The electronic music of Jason Chung is like a musical Rorschach Test. His compositions and beats could propel a next-generation raper, provide a soundtrack to a psychedelic sci-fi flick, or be used to communicate feelings with aliens. My favorite songs are the more atmospheric ones, like “Fog” with its vaguely human breaths and playful keyboard riff hop-scotching over a virtual ocean of sonic currents and eddies. “1685/Bach” has a more tortured sound, like a record needle is sewing up the song’s loose skin to keep its guts from falling out. “Lords” comes across like a chorus of angels clashing and then coming to terms with the unholy sounds of an 808 bass. And as challenging as it is to describe the songs, it’s even harder to stop listening. [Alpha Pup] mw
This weekend was Sunset Junction. Yes, I've heard the arguments about the Silver Lake street fair costing too much, actually hurting the businesses, forgetting its gay and Latino roots, and everything else. But every year I still enjoy the undeniable energy and some cool bands (Sonic Youth, New York Dolls, and Blonde Redhead are recent headliners that I've enjoyed), not to mention running into a load of friends. Above, Shakespeare of the world famous, people pleasing, roots fueled I&I Sound System/ice cream truck. To the right, a smattering of O.G. Sunset Junction fans...
My brother and I got there just in time to see Mika Miko. I'm a big fan of the band and was glad to see them represent L.A., youth, and females in full force. They channel, combine, and twist the local punk heritage and Riot Grrl in a super energetic and fun way.
Video co-directed by GR friend/rocker in her own right Lana Kim!
Next up was the opposite: old-school, proto-punk dudes from the Pac Northwest, The Sonics. Beyond Sub Pop's recent issue, I wasn't super familiar with their body of work beyond classics like "Have Love, Will Travel" and "Strychnine," which have been covered by Stiv Bators/Charlie Sexton and The Fuzztones, respectively. The funny thing is that their set was also heavy on covers of bands that influenced them, like Little Richard and The Beatles. Which ones were the covers was probably slightly harder to decipher for the younger audience members, but that would be no excuse...
After that, it was time for some food. Greg and I supplemented some agua frescas from a booth was a chile relleno burrito from Tacos Delta... Gotta support the stands but also the local businesses, right? FYI, the venerable stand on Sunset now has longer hours.
Returned just in time for Built To Spill's first song. This year's event was relatively uncrowded so it was easy to get right in front, even for the headliner. There was also a nice breeze all afternoon and evening, which felt good, but also inevitably wafted smoke into my face. Bummer. Hane isn't one of those people that blew smoke on me, but she is another friend of GR and person that I see at rock shows. We were standing right behind her and she didn't notice until I responded to her text message asking me where I was.
I'd seen Doug Martch play with Calvin Johnson in the Halo Benders years ago at the Atomic Cafe in Little Tokyo, but have never seen Built To Spill. So I was stoked that (1) the sound was really good and (2) they played all the hits in an hour--including some of my favorite songs off The Normal Years.
When the final song was to tea-baggers (the bad kind) in the band's hometown of Boise, I thought it was going to be "Sick & Wrong." Nope. No Clash-influenced cover of "Paper Planes" or "White Man in Hammersmith Palais," just days after Joe Strummer's birthday, either. But the 20-minute sendoff was epic and left everyone content... As we walked back to the car, we heard Arrested Development say farewell from their stage and could hear the strains of Morris Day & The Time ending their set, as well.
Another perfect summer night in L.A.--and it doesn't hurt that my in-laws live a block away, so I have permitted parking and was able to snag complimentary tickets.
Took Eloise to Chavez Ravine for the first time this afternoon. When I overheard someone say, "Looks like the Cubs brought the Midwest with them," I wasn't sure if he was referring to the tons of Cubs fans that always show up whenever they come to town or the super humid weather. Doesn't matter. The Dodgers' pitching staff overcame both to win 2-0. Eloise managed all nine innings, too, with a little help from soft serve in a helmet.
In the background is Mas, also with a spoonful of frozen dessert in his mouth. Wendy and I met his parents at birthing classes at Cedars, and they hooked us up with the awesome seats. It was great to see that their family is doing well. (Not bad to see the Dodgers' new knuckleballer George Haeger stumping the Chicago hitters or Matt Kemp cracking one out of the ballpark, either.)
Yesterday, Eric asked me if I could go to Sawtelle to be interviewed by LA's NBC news... He said that a reporter wanted to interview him about the shops and me about the mag. The dude who interviewed us was funny and cool, but admitted that he had no idea what the angle of the piece would be. Well, he's a pro, so it turned out pretty good, even though it aired not more than 5 hours after we saw him.
What a job. He goes around L.A. reporting on places that interest him. I'm glad we got in the news because he was intrigued by GR, and not because of a murder, fire, or scandal!
Sent a package to our printer in Canada, and here's what was in it... Above, a binder mock-up of our next issue with black-and-white printouts that friends helped to copy edit and proofread. The mag would be much lousier without them. Peeking from behind them is a stack of proofs printed on satin-finish photo paper. Pryor checks them for color and Eric and I try to catch last-minute mistakes on them. Going over these is probably my favorite part of production because everyone gets together for it (although Wendy does it at home these days).
Here's what the bookmap looks like. Although production is fairly hi-tech, this part remains the same--something everyone from zinesters to high-school newspaper staffs probably do. I wonder if the printers can even read my writing. I should have been a doctor.
If we're sending the proofs and binder to the 'Tobins at Transcontinental, that means the files are ready. This is what they look like on the online system. We upload, review, replace, and work them over for a day or two before we finally "select all" and then "approve."
The life of an editor isn't always intense, but the last weeks of production are. Although I always feel glad to get another issue off our desks, there's always an empty feeling afterward, too...
I dug up Mick Jones's original track listing and mix of Combat Rock online, and find it interesting to listen to a work-in-progress while working on one myself... Just one or two more late nights to go. The mag is really close to shipping, and I hope it winds up being more like Sandinista! Side 4 than Side 6. Nothing against the dubs, but I want it to be tight.
Prodip and Amy are in town from HK, and came over for breakfast. They're buds with Eloise, who remembered and warmed up to them pretty quickly. (Gotta try harder, Dan.) I was the recipient of bad news and good news from them. The bummer is that his Project After Dark art show is being pushed back. Damn. The good news is that it's because LMF is playing a bunch of 10-year anniversary shows. What!?
Even mag deadlines can't stop the rock... Today, I got a phone call from Tsuzumi from The Binges. It turns out she was on Sawtelle, so I busted out from the office for a caffeinated beverage and some conversation. Usually, I see the hard-rocking bassist in loud, dark clubs, so it was cool to catch up with her and get the latest on her straight-up, ass-kicking, non-ironic rock band. She's going nuts because their next show isn't until next month at the San Pedro Lobster Fest in Pedro. There's got to be some band that's bold enough to take The Binges on tour with them. C'mon, you bands and labels that purport to rock: do it now!
You'd think reading is the last thing I'd want to do after editing words, fitting them into layouts, and entering corrections (thanks, readers) all day. But Nina Antonia's biography of the legendary guitarist and junkie, Johnny Thunders, is a real page turner. I saw him play the Roxy back in '87, and I believe his band included Killer Kane, Barry Jones, and Jerry Nolan. On that night, he was sober and awesome, mixing up Dolls and Heartbreakers classics with an acoustic interlude that didn't suck. I wish I had a decent camera back then and I wish I still had the concert T-shirt, which I gave to an old girlfriend's best friend. Crap! At least there's a bootleg of that night floating around somewhere...
My man Arman from Flattbush just sent me a link to a song from their upcoming album. Yes, it will be on Kool Arrow. Yes, the band just played the most dangerous segment of the GR show in San Diego. Yes, the new guitar player kicks ass. Yes, they might open for Faith No More's next tour. Yes, they pack more Pilipino power than Manny Pacquiao.
About this time yesterday, Cate called the office to share a phone call she got from a government committee informing her that 24-hour negotiations and planning were finally paying off, and that Laura Ling and Euna Lee were coming home. I don't really know the two journalists who were held prisoner in North Korea, but Laura was part of a monthly "girls' night" dinner that my wife, sister, and a bunch of friends participated in. Not too ago, we dropped off a bunch of reading material that I bought at GR store with her husband to include in his weekly care packages that he sent to North Korea via relatives in England, which still has relations with the country. (I hope whoever gets the stuff enjoys the back issues of GR, The Believer, and Kramer's Ergot.)
So of course Wendy and Angelyn were totally excited when I passed along the news, and were probably following the news as it leaked out throughout the day. But I was still a little hesitant about getting too excited--much less ramble about it in a blog--until they made it home. Last night when we were watching youtube, I told my wife how surreal it was to see her friend get board a plane with President Clinton, and she said something like, "What about being held prisoner in North Korea?"
Surely, the opposition party will criticize the former president's meeting with Kim Jong Il, but in the end, the American journalists' coming home to be with their families is the real story. Hopefully, the next girls' night in the works to celebrate.
Yes, I'm talking about magazine deadlines, but that also means cookies. Coffee with condensed milk. "Help Nourish Your Brain" juice. I'm prepared for our first friends to show up and help out with fact checking, copy editing, proofreading, and maybe even do some scanning. What's your schedule like? What type of cookies do you like?
