I saw Ryan Adams (NOT Bryan Adams, let's just get that clear right off) in concert last night at the 9:30 Club in DC with Geoffrey and my friends Sharon and Sean from work. What a great show! Ryan Adams is an amazingly talented person. Some people you listen to on the radio or on CD you see live and they aren't so great, a little rough maybe. But Ryan was actually better live, which is pretty astounding if you've heard how good his recordings are. He's a very funny little man, too. Yes, I have a crush. Sometimes during the show he'd get tired of singing and put on a record, in this case Madonna's "Like A Virgin" and just kinda walk around onstage smoking and occassionally strumming along on his guitar. SO funny. A few times he also said something like "yeah, I just wrote this song last night, it kinda sucks, but I'll try to play it anyway," and a roadie would come out and hold a scribbled-on napkin in front of him, and it'd be this amazing song. Anyway, great show, hard to put in words really. If he comes to your town, you absolutely MUST go.
Not much else going on. Police are still trying to figure out what's up with these monsters who have randomly shot five, no I think six now, people. Everyone here is a little nervous about it, but it's just SO random that's it's hard to get too scared about it. The victims have been men, women, white, black, hispanic, Indian, old, young ... all just doing mundane things. Sitting on a bench, vacuuming out a car, going to the grocery store, filling up with gas. It's really, really sad and it's frustrating that there seem to be very few leads about who's doing it. Thanks to the folks who wrote or called to check on us or who just thought of us. Geoffrey and I and all our friends here are fine. Most of the shootings were in Rockville. Maryland, which is metro DC area but pretty far from us, really. We're just hoping it's over and that the unbelievably evil cowards who are killing people from far away and driving off will be caught soon and punished severely.
THIS JUST IN: My dear friend and trusted correspondent Janna in Colorado writes: "Sports Illustrated did an article ranking schools for sports. Furman outranked Northwestern [Janna's alma mater, my sister in purple and white], No. 82 to No. 89. The reason? You guys got special extra credit for your cheer, 'FU all the time!' Mighty, mighty Furman." Heh heh heh, go Paladins!
LISTENING TO: Not much ... the portable CD player I bring with me to work so I can listen on Metro (since I get pukey if I read) is on the fritz, so I'm forced to listen to the screaming babies and crazy people around me. Gotta get a new machine soon.
Stacy - 12:00 AM
Thursday, October 03, 2002
Geoffrey is currently watching "Le Pacte Des Loups," a French movie translated as "Brotherhood as the Wolf." Surprisingly, it actually WAS in theaters in America, possibly as long as a full week, but alas, Geoffrey missed its illustrious theater run. So he rented it, and from what I can gather it actually may be THE worst movie ever. The CGI "monster" melds on screen with real people about as well as Godzilla does. And the plot seems pretty bad, even for a French movie. Geoffrey, of course, is highly entertained by this. I shrug.
We also rented Swingers last night, which is, conversely, a good movie. The main character is SO my friend Marcus -- he drives a Cavalier and is obsessed with orange juice. And he and his friends socialize by playing video games. I've seen the movie before, but I had to make G watch it because of the Marcus link and because there's definitely a Geoffrey-like character. Don't worry, Marcus, you're not annoying and pathetic like the main guy, it's just the Cavy and the OJ and some of the things he says. You have to see this movie!
The Godfather was on TV the other night, too. Possibly the best movie ever. Sara, you have to get up here and bring your Godfather collection. I'm sick of seeing the clean -- and cut -- version on TV.
LISTENING TO: Geoffrey watching Les Pacte Des Loups in French, glad I can't understand the dialogue, because I'm sure it's bad. Tonight will be listening to Ryan Adams live at the 9:30 Club. Hopefully he won't include any plugs for the Gap. Corporate jerk.
Stacy - 12:36 PM
Wednesday, October 02, 2002
Willie Nelson has broken my heart. Had a message on my answering machine last night from TicketBastard saying the show I had tickets to on Halloween has been canceled. No word on why, though Willie has been having some health problems. Man, if he dies before I get to see him in concert, it'll be just too much. I've already probably lost out on Johnny Cash, and now perhaps Willie? Ah, the cost of loving 70-year-old musicians is high, my friends.
In other distressing music news, I cannot be in denial anymore about rumors that Alison Krauss is in a McDonalds radio ad. Geoffrey has heard it. Have you? Thankfully, I have not. I think my head would explode, and we all know what a big mess THAT would be. Apparently the ad features Alison talking about why she loves bluegrass (because it's "pure"), but she doesn't ever mention McDonalds. Not that that makes it any better, Alison. Why have you done this? You're selling a crapload of records and selling out concerts everywhere, you can't possibly need money. You are smart enough to have survived the music biz since you were 14 and to be a producer for Nickel Creek, a huge hit of a band, so you can't be naive enough to be stuck in a bad contract that would make you have to do McDonalds ads, can you? Why don't you and ALF and Mr. T just get together and do a 1-800-COLLECT ad, hmmm? OK, I'm sorry. I know that was harsh, Alison, but it's a slippery slope. I hate to see you start down it. Call me, OK?
I was watching E! on TV yesterday for a few minutes and a Golden Girls documentary was on. Thank God for E! Anyway, my only observations from the maybe three minutes I watched were:
1) Rue McLanahan (Blanche) does NOT have a Southern accent, and this disturbs me more than I care to admit.
2) Bea Arthur has had some SERIOUS plastic surgery, but still looks like she's 100, which she may well be.
And finally, I announce that I think I am coming to terms with "Stace." I used to hate it when people called me that, though sometimes someone could get away with it without irking me. But I get it a lot now, for some reason, at work, and I've gotten to where I hardly even notice it anymore. My boss abbreviates everyone's name. According to him, the staff includes: Mar (for Mary), Steph (Stephanie), Jode (Jodi), Kath (Kathy), Shar (Sharon), Pare (Pary) and me, Stace or the occassional Stacer (which I'm not getting comfortable with anytime soon). He hasn't figured out how to shorten Sid or Sig yet, but I bet he's working on it. Anyway, other people at work call me Stace now, too, sometimes, but it doesn't get me like it used to. I guess it's better than "um ... Tracy" as the editor (yeah the one who favors "sleaze") called me several weeks ago, but I let him live because it was only once and I was still kinda new. Kinda. Anyway, none of you are allowed to start calling me Stace, so forget it, I can see the plans forming in your head. I just wanted to share the latest in my battle against it.
LISTENING TO: KIM RICHEY/Rise: Hopefully the last CD I'll buy for a while, seeing as how I've rather busted my monthly CD budget. Thankfully, nothing I'm dying to have coming out until Alison Krauss' live one (hopefully without a coupon for fries inside) Nov. 5. Anyway, Kim's new CD is pretty darn good. Nothing shocking on it, just updated Kim Richey goodness. She is working with a different producer and some new co-writers and musicians on this one, so maybe the sound is a little different, but definitely good. Haven't listened to it enough to pick my favorite songs, but the first two are very good, and as usual with Kim Richey I have a feeling I won't be able to say there are any songs I don't like on the CD. So many good CDs, so little time (and even littler money. Sigh).
Stacy - 10:56 AM
