john's new weekly blog

[A Brutaful Smile]

How could you not know what a blunderbuss was? Didn't you watch Yosemite Sam?

i used to watch bugs bunny as a kid but really i am not a fan. there's no way i would have known.

[A Brutaful Smile]

The sex thread reminded me of a conversation I had at a show, a long time ago...

I'm hanging at a club, waiting for the headliner to come on, and there's this beautiful red-haired girl, standing next to me...
Because I lack self-control, and an opening line, I begin with, "are you here to see (the band I'm here to see)"???

She nods yes, and says "kinda"...
I stare at her with my head tilted to the side, like when your dog is looking at you, and you fart...

"Well, when (the singer) comes to NY, I'm his date"...

Presumptive thoughts abound, I suddenly realize I'm gaping, and envious of anyone in a band...

She giggled through a whimsical sneer, and turned back towards the stage...

oh man, i can't imagine being ok with that. i guess it's exciting (maybe) when they are in town, but what about when they aren't. and what happens if you are in a relationship at the time? "honey, sorry, i have this commitment to be his date when he's in town."
this reminds me of a book i'm reading where the guy names all his girls from where they are from so he can remember their name.

[sour29]

Maybe I read too much into it, but I'm guessing she's of... a certain profession.

[Moni]

My editors at the Weekly also made no reference about the sex article but raved about the beard one.

There seems to be a universal understanding that you should stick to the stuff you are best known for. So if you are mostly famous for funny pieces of writing, you are automatically disqualified from writing anything insightful or controversial. (like many comedian actors have a hard time being accepted in "serious" movies for example)
However, you'd think at least editors would know better?...

[Harvey Winters]

this reminds me of a book i'm reading where the guy names all his girls from where they are from so he can remember their name.

Flavor Flav???

Maybe I read too much into it, but I'm guessing she's of... a certain profession.

I'm not sure if former NY governor Elliot Spitzer was even in a band back then...

[A Brutaful Smile]

Maybe I read too much into it, but I'm guessing she's of... a certain profession.

oh man, i would have never thought of that. good call!

[A Brutaful Smile]

this reminds me of a book i'm reading where the guy names all his girls from where they are from so he can remember their name.

Flavor Flav???

ha! that's funny. and right i guess. altho i never have watched any of those shows, i do know one of them was named New York but only cuz she got her own show.

the book is called heart shaped box and is a horror novel about a guy who buys a suit that has a ghost attached to it. there isn't anything that links it to nirvana much besides the title. the main character is a musician and cobain was mentioned once but that's all i've found so far in the amount i've read.

[raining]

i've started catching up on the column over the past couple days, and i'm pretty surprised people are more receptive to the whimsical beard-type ramblings than the pseudo-personal not-actually-getting-laid confessions. just as people love the rockstar/groupie mythology, aren't they also all obsessed with learning the details of their favorite musicians' intimate STUFFS? perhaps the column audience is just different than the long winters audience, but the part of me that's still a teenager who buys really awful magazines just to read the one page interview with her current favorite band definitely appreciates the thoughtful john roderick reflections more. but maybe i'm just a creep.

[Sally]

haha! I am with you on this, raining!

I loved the "sex article" too. I really love all John's writing though- his sarcasm and dry humour make me laugh.... I hope he continues to write more- he's "gifted"!

[Squid]

I guess part of the reason I don't run to dissect every paragraph is I also don't want to be the male/internet version of the groupies eyeing each other at the merch table ...

I'm just catching up with all of these entries, and with the articles themselves. It's funny how that description of female fans totally breaks my heart. It is spot on and yet, I don't know. There is much to be said about that situation. I will say, on a personal level, that one of the hardest things about running Playing in Fog at the beginning was the presumption that Deb and I were either dating a) someone in one of the bands we were watching or b) each other. The concept of a woman who was, quite simply, a fan of music was more than people could comprehend, even in this modern age.

That said, of COURSE crushes are developed, no? The experience of living with an album is an intensely personal one. The words, the melodies, they course through your brain and become a part of you. And if the music itself is yours, does it not follow (particularly at a younger time in your life) that the creator of said music should be connected to you as well? It's a gorgeously naive sentiment, and one that gets played out every night in every club in this town. The complications arise, as Captain J rightly points out, when the house lights come on and you are tasked with a) selling as much last minute shit as you possibly can, b) keeping an eye on the house manager to settle up, c) making sure you know where the fuck you're sleeping that night, d) nervously eyeing your gear, e) chatting with the shy kids who wanna amble up and tell you they dig you. It is multitasking at it's most ridiculous, and to top it all off, there is Element X: the girls who think that the Boy In Front of The Mike is going to solve all their problems. Or at least cut them a deal on a t-shirt.

The thing is, no matter how cynical I am about that situation, (and fuck knows I'd be even worse if I actually WAS in a band), I somewhat stupidly look to Merch Booth Girls as an oasis of sorts. They are a sanctuary of goofy romantic hope where the kinda shouldn't be any. Music - and those who create it - are the world to them. Everyone should be so lucky.

(Disclaimer: I'm in no way implying, btw, that Captain J was making a pejorative reference to these ladies. I'm just kinda examining one element of the piece and spinning it out into my own indiedork tapestry. Your mileage, as ever, may vary...)

[Betty Felon]

I guess part of the reason I don't run to dissect every paragraph is I also don't want to be the male/internet version of the groupies eyeing each other at the merch table ...

I'm just catching up with all of these entries, and with the articles themselves. It's funny how that description of female fans totally breaks my heart. It is spot on and yet, I don't know. There is much to be said about that situation. I will say, on a personal level, that one of the hardest things about running Playing in Fog at the beginning was the presumption that Deb and I were either dating a) someone in one of the bands we were watching or b) each other. The concept of a woman who was, quite simply, a fan of music was more than people could comprehend, even in this modern age.

That said, of COURSE crushes are developed, no? The experience of living with an album is an intensely personal one. The words, the melodies, they course through your brain and become a part of you. And if the music itself is yours, does it not follow (particularly at a younger time in your life) that the creator of said music should be connected to you as well? It's a gorgeously naive sentiment, and one that gets played out every night in every club in this town. The complications arise, as Captain J rightly points out, when the house lights come on and you are tasked with a) selling as much last minute shit as you possibly can, b) keeping an eye on the house manager to settle up, c) making sure you know where the fuck you're sleeping that night, d) nervously eyeing your gear, e) chatting with the shy kids who wanna amble up and tell you they dig you. It is multitasking at it's most ridiculous, and to top it all off, there is Element X: the girls who think that the Boy In Front of The Mike is going to solve all their problems. Or at least cut them a deal on a t-shirt.

The thing is, no matter how cynical I am about that situation, (and fuck knows I'd be even worse if I actually WAS in a band), I somewhat stupidly look to Merch Booth Girls as an oasis of sorts. They are a sanctuary of goofy romantic hope where the kinda shouldn't be any. Music - and those who create it - are the world to them. Everyone should be so lucky.

(Disclaimer: I'm in no way implying, btw, that Captain J was making a pejorative reference to these ladies. I'm just kinda examining one element of the piece and spinning it out into my own indiedork tapestry. Your mileage, as ever, may vary...)

Awww, squiddy. These few paragraphs are just such a lovely little piece of humanity, it's kind of sad they are posted here on a throw-away conversation forum. I saved them to a word file. For posterity. :)

[Moni]

So is there going to be more or is that it for now?

[A Brutaful Smile]

that must mean i haven't missed anything. i keep meaning to check. i haven't been able to check online at work when i think of it, they've blocked that site for some reason. lately there hasn't been a whole lot of time for lazing around online since connor started football so at home i never remember.

[A Brutaful Smile]

but for fun, to kill time until the next john installment, here is duff mckagan's blog referring to john's "rock star" blog...
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2 ... k_star.php

[Liesbeth]

Furthermore, I have had the distinct honor of meeting some of my boyhood idol’s over the last 15 or so years and have been pleasantly surprised at the regularness of these older rock musicians. I guess the assholes get weeded out and longevity only happens to those musicians who see themselves as ones who simply serve the music….I like that a LOT.

interesting read
gosh, some of those comments are very 'rockstar fan' like, either in revering mode or in negative bitching mode.

[A Brutaful Smile]

i only skimmed to get the jist of the bickering. gn'r fans don't mess around. they'll kick your ass! in my case i just quit reading the stranger because someone wrote poorly of them. personally i think they were one of the best rock bands ever. yes, ever. i think people sometimes tend to shrug them off as just another "80's band" but they weren't part of that whole hair metal thing, they were the real deal. i think altho they weren't around very long, they did make a huge impact.

[Moni]

It's back! (sort of)