a couple of suggestions on voting:
744 is bad. it's about giving more money to education which i am all for . . . but there is no accountability or mention of where the $1.7 billion is coming from. don't vote for it.
lamb was never a part of a criminal investigation and they both voted for the same bill that is in question.
fallin supports the arizona bill and as someone who has had an ancestor pushed out of their homeland, i think the bitch needs to go . . . the chicanos and indians are the only people with a god given right to be here. the rest of you are on borrowed time. maybe mary fallin needs to go back and terrorize her ancestors in europe if she feels aliens need to be purged.
vote doak -- i don't know anything about him but his opponent is annoying.
vote paddack for superintendent please. barresi was never a teacher and started a charter school. as a man that worked at one, i can tell you that they are shit and for the most part are not able to give the level of education that a decently funded public school can. paddack was a teacher, not a dentist.
hell, if you vote at all, you've done a service to the state. but please, please, please vote responsibly. this isn't one of those tests where it's ok to guess. if you don't know, leave it blank.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to . . . .
it's been a long time men and women of cyberspace. i really didn't mean to leave you hanging but so much has been going on in my life that i have been unable to cope with an additional stresser . . . and you were the ones to go.
here's an update:
i went to an interview with dove science academy (affiliate high school of the one that shan't be named) and realized that mid-interview i couldn't go back to work for the bastards that run their program. i'm not the kind of person who believes in fate or that anything happens for any particular reason to speak of, but while i was at said interview, i got a call from jenks public schools asking me to come in to an interview for a long term substitute position.
i interviewed for that the next day and knew that i wanted it if even for a day.
i subbed for a pre-ap american lit class and a world lit class. i did this for a month and met the students who let me know that i was supposed to be a teacher. i was stressed everyday teaching jr. high. that might have been because of the students, but i'm about 99% sure it was because of me. i'm not meant to be in front of their damned attitude all day. all of them think they are so cool (we all did) and no one is at that age. we're just mouthy.
well, high school saved me and i want to retire a teacher.
unfortunately the woman decided she didn't want to be a stay at home mom, so i'm back to nothing, but it was a good experience all the rest.
i saw vampire weekend at the brady and was thoroughly impressed. i wish i would have reviewed the show but didn't.
i'm working less now and am getting close to winding up most of my college projects, so hopefully i will have more time to blog.
here's an update:
i went to an interview with dove science academy (affiliate high school of the one that shan't be named) and realized that mid-interview i couldn't go back to work for the bastards that run their program. i'm not the kind of person who believes in fate or that anything happens for any particular reason to speak of, but while i was at said interview, i got a call from jenks public schools asking me to come in to an interview for a long term substitute position.
i interviewed for that the next day and knew that i wanted it if even for a day.
i subbed for a pre-ap american lit class and a world lit class. i did this for a month and met the students who let me know that i was supposed to be a teacher. i was stressed everyday teaching jr. high. that might have been because of the students, but i'm about 99% sure it was because of me. i'm not meant to be in front of their damned attitude all day. all of them think they are so cool (we all did) and no one is at that age. we're just mouthy.
well, high school saved me and i want to retire a teacher.
unfortunately the woman decided she didn't want to be a stay at home mom, so i'm back to nothing, but it was a good experience all the rest.
i saw vampire weekend at the brady and was thoroughly impressed. i wish i would have reviewed the show but didn't.
i'm working less now and am getting close to winding up most of my college projects, so hopefully i will have more time to blog.
Friday, August 20, 2010
it's a damn good day to like comic books . . . i should know
there used to be a time where when you said you liked comic books, you elicited a variety of responses from the people you were speaking to. some would laugh, some would laugh at you, some would demure quietly (because they were among the shamed masses too), and some would act out.
comics were a medium made for children in our recent history.
but . . . a lot has changed, hasn't it? a lot. i would say that the first murmur of hope for the shadow people happened with spider-man. many of you would say it was x-men, but let's face it . . . most people don't give a shit about x-men, even if it's critically acclaimed. spider-man has done a lot for us comic nerds. he solidified me as a fan when i looked at my dad's books and reprints of amazing fantasy #15.
i fell in love with peter parker because he was like me. he was skinny, smart, and had a mouth. notice the dates on amazing fantasy #15. the staying power of the character is golden. people fell in love with the spider, then accepted mutants, and finally found a new, realistic batman. thanks, christian bale.
chris nolan made the new batman series feel emotionally relevant for "normal people" to deal with. he made the tech more realistic and made comics feel more visceral than before.
all of this brings me to now . . . which i believe is the best time to be a comic book fan.
let's get the easy stuff out of the way: the dark knight has a sequel.
for marvel fans, though, i'd like to examine what we have going on:
marvel began producing it's own films with iron man. they co-produced some quality work, but iron man represented a new era. they decided to stop letting others decide what to do with their characters and handle their own. for those of you that read comics, the term multiverse will be familiar. the multiverse is a string theory dependent comic book term that focuses on choices made at certain times making new universes: all with super heroes with slightly different backstories. when marvel made iron man, they decided to make a movie multiverse. that opened a lot of continuity options for marvel movies. the iron man movie had an easter egg for the avengers and the new hulk reboot. the second was open about the avengers and had a thor easter egg. we are facing a thor, captain america, iron man, and avengers movie plus many more if things go well. btw . . . these movies haven't sucked so far. they also have used comic book parts in new and modern ways. it's great.
-----
also, comics themselves are in of a bit of a restart time now. marvel just finished a huge, serious storyline starting with house of m and the civil war, going all the way through dark reign and siege. now they are in a more lighthearted time called the heroic age. everything is more like the status quo, like '70s swashbuckling comics. the avengers seems like a great read here.
also it's nice, because a famous character like daredevil didn't get the m.o. and is still hardcore. they are currently having to fight him and his ninjas in hell's kitchen.
dc comics is getting ready to see the return of bruce wayne with batman inc. apparently he is franchising . . . stay tuned.
-----
it's a good thing when an industry can laugh at itself. the renaissance is here with kick-ass and scott pilgrim. ironic comic book movies that poke fun at their own stereotypes now have a life of their own. before hit-girl, i never really saw the reality of a tween murder machine trained by a normal aged "hero." now i'm not sure i need to live in their world.
-----
things will only get better and more mainstream as the new marvel pics come out. plus, smaller hero shows are in the works like the runaways and a nick fury solo. damn it feels good to be a nerd.
now let's see a huge crossover event happen like secret invasion, civil war, or the infinity saga on film.
comics were a medium made for children in our recent history.
but . . . a lot has changed, hasn't it? a lot. i would say that the first murmur of hope for the shadow people happened with spider-man. many of you would say it was x-men, but let's face it . . . most people don't give a shit about x-men, even if it's critically acclaimed. spider-man has done a lot for us comic nerds. he solidified me as a fan when i looked at my dad's books and reprints of amazing fantasy #15.
i fell in love with peter parker because he was like me. he was skinny, smart, and had a mouth. notice the dates on amazing fantasy #15. the staying power of the character is golden. people fell in love with the spider, then accepted mutants, and finally found a new, realistic batman. thanks, christian bale.
chris nolan made the new batman series feel emotionally relevant for "normal people" to deal with. he made the tech more realistic and made comics feel more visceral than before.
all of this brings me to now . . . which i believe is the best time to be a comic book fan.
let's get the easy stuff out of the way: the dark knight has a sequel.
for marvel fans, though, i'd like to examine what we have going on:
marvel began producing it's own films with iron man. they co-produced some quality work, but iron man represented a new era. they decided to stop letting others decide what to do with their characters and handle their own. for those of you that read comics, the term multiverse will be familiar. the multiverse is a string theory dependent comic book term that focuses on choices made at certain times making new universes: all with super heroes with slightly different backstories. when marvel made iron man, they decided to make a movie multiverse. that opened a lot of continuity options for marvel movies. the iron man movie had an easter egg for the avengers and the new hulk reboot. the second was open about the avengers and had a thor easter egg. we are facing a thor, captain america, iron man, and avengers movie plus many more if things go well. btw . . . these movies haven't sucked so far. they also have used comic book parts in new and modern ways. it's great.
-----
also, comics themselves are in of a bit of a restart time now. marvel just finished a huge, serious storyline starting with house of m and the civil war, going all the way through dark reign and siege. now they are in a more lighthearted time called the heroic age. everything is more like the status quo, like '70s swashbuckling comics. the avengers seems like a great read here.
also it's nice, because a famous character like daredevil didn't get the m.o. and is still hardcore. they are currently having to fight him and his ninjas in hell's kitchen.
dc comics is getting ready to see the return of bruce wayne with batman inc. apparently he is franchising . . . stay tuned.
-----
it's a good thing when an industry can laugh at itself. the renaissance is here with kick-ass and scott pilgrim. ironic comic book movies that poke fun at their own stereotypes now have a life of their own. before hit-girl, i never really saw the reality of a tween murder machine trained by a normal aged "hero." now i'm not sure i need to live in their world.
-----
things will only get better and more mainstream as the new marvel pics come out. plus, smaller hero shows are in the works like the runaways and a nick fury solo. damn it feels good to be a nerd.
now let's see a huge crossover event happen like secret invasion, civil war, or the infinity saga on film.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
cooking with mike - chicken and mixed veggies with sticky rice
 | ||
| photo by Stephanie |
i just bought a new wok at IKEA ($4.99 regular price, not sale) and was looking forward to trying it out. we had all of the sauces we needed for stir fry and some chicken tenderloin, so i went out and bought some carrots, broccoli, a white onion, a yellow bell, and a couple of vine ripened tomatoes.
i don't measure at all, so i'm not going to be able to give you any exacts on the recipe. but here is the gist of the thing.
for the chicken marinade:
soy sauce -tamari, not shoyu (it's what i had)
apple cider vinegar (because i didn't have rice wine vinegar)
lemon juice
sugar
peanut butter
miso paste
garlic
onion powder
for the "pot sauce:"
1 part soy sauce
3 parts pineapple juice
i marinated the chicken from the time i ate leftovers for lunch until dinner time.
first, i blanched the carrots and broccoli for color retention and so it would stir fry quickly. then i sat back and drank some beers while those chilled in the fridge. then i cooked the chicken until it was basically finished. i pulled it out and sat it aside. then i added the carrots and broccoli for a bit alone. after it got a good coating of oil, i made a pool of the pineapple mixture in a cleared center of the wok. as it thickened i added the rest of the veggies. after the tomatoes crushed and became part of the sauce, i added the chicken back and mixed it to serve.
the benefit of removing the chicken and only adding it at the end is that the meat tastes like meat and the vegetables taste like vegetables. in fresh Chinese cooking, this flavor retention is important and is a key part of the style.
the rice was nothing special. i am using a Japanese medium grained rice. i cook it on the stove top, because i don't have a rice cooker. but, it is really easy to do. add rice and water 1:1 (a normal serving size for a person is around 1 cup, i add a little extra in case the edges dry out or burn). cook it around medium until the rice puffs up and you don't see anymore water. voila!
if you're looking to buy Asian ingredients in Tulsa, most of the time you can look no further than Reasor's (international isle). i buy my rice and more obscure items at Nam Hai (21st and Garnett). for laymen, buy rice that is white and has Chinese writing on it. i prefer medium grain (used for sushi). short grain ends up looking like couscous when i cook it. also, don't buy basmati rice unless you're making Indian food. it's not sticky and often has things like jasmine added in for flavor.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas
days two and three were spent in the southern part of the state. the first day was in New Braunfels at Schlitterban and in the evening San Antonio Riverwalk. day two was back to San Antonio at the Alamo and then lunch in downtown Austin on our way back to the Ft. Worth area.
Schlitterban is an amazing experience for anyone who likes extreme rides and water. it is actually three different parks held together by a tram system (for one price). the original park uses water from the Comal River and is pretty freezing. it consists of mostly lazy river tube rides. it's fun but the real bread and butter of the experience comes from the two newer parks: Surfenburg and Blastenhoff.
Surfenburg has a large lazy river and swim up biergarten. one of the big attractions here is an artificial wave machine for boogie boarding. i've boogie boarded in the ocean before, but this is a completely different experience. the ride is shaped like a halfpipe with a large amount of water shooting up it. i tried it and failed, but i've always wanted to try it and i had fun. the boy ahead of me was able to get up to a kneel and do all sorts of spins. but he brought his own board so i think he's done this a bit. the other big ride was Dragon's Revenge. it's a new master blaster type ride with a twist; they added fiber-optics and a storyline. the ride has really great props and makes it a really great experience. at one point, you are going down a slide into water that's been lit up to look like a dragon's mouth. Steph and I actually screamed a little.
the third and final park, Blastenhoff, consists mostly of the big slide rides. we rode two of the three. one was a solid black tube slide which was pretty fun but nothing to write home about. the next was the master blaster itself. it's not the travel channel's best water ride for no reason. that thing is awesome! it was really an extreme ride for a waterslide. the downside is that it had a 90 minute wait.
Schlitterban is an amazing experience for anyone who likes extreme rides and water. it is actually three different parks held together by a tram system (for one price). the original park uses water from the Comal River and is pretty freezing. it consists of mostly lazy river tube rides. it's fun but the real bread and butter of the experience comes from the two newer parks: Surfenburg and Blastenhoff.
Surfenburg has a large lazy river and swim up biergarten. one of the big attractions here is an artificial wave machine for boogie boarding. i've boogie boarded in the ocean before, but this is a completely different experience. the ride is shaped like a halfpipe with a large amount of water shooting up it. i tried it and failed, but i've always wanted to try it and i had fun. the boy ahead of me was able to get up to a kneel and do all sorts of spins. but he brought his own board so i think he's done this a bit. the other big ride was Dragon's Revenge. it's a new master blaster type ride with a twist; they added fiber-optics and a storyline. the ride has really great props and makes it a really great experience. at one point, you are going down a slide into water that's been lit up to look like a dragon's mouth. Steph and I actually screamed a little.
the third and final park, Blastenhoff, consists mostly of the big slide rides. we rode two of the three. one was a solid black tube slide which was pretty fun but nothing to write home about. the next was the master blaster itself. it's not the travel channel's best water ride for no reason. that thing is awesome! it was really an extreme ride for a waterslide. the downside is that it had a 90 minute wait.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
a Tulsan in Texas
i'm spending a week in Texas this week on a small vacation with Steph. we are predominantly staying at her parents' place in argyle (close to Ft. Worth). i'll be reviewing some of the things we do as a road trip review for my favorite Tulsans!
today we went to downtown Dallas to see the JFK assassination site. i'm a big history buff, so this was a necessity. we were originally going to go to the 6th floor museum, but they want $14 each to go in. as i'm a history buff that's balling on a budget, i didn't need to kill the presidents in my pocket to see where one of our greats was shot.
instead, we walked to the grassy knoll and looked from there. then we went to Northpark mall in Dallas, which i would really recommend for Tulsa shoppers. it has all sorts of designer shops from Burberry to LV, the typical stores we are used to, and my personal three favorite stores: American Apparel, Metro-Park, and Urban Outfitters.
i had soup at Soupman, a franchise made by the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. i wanted the lobster bisque but they didn't have it today. the bisque available was shrimp. i had it. it was very good, maybe the best bisque i've ever had (and I've eaten the lobster bisque at the Remington). unfortunately, the hipster girl working there was in no way comparable to the Nazi and there was no chance to hear, "No soup for you!"
today we went to downtown Dallas to see the JFK assassination site. i'm a big history buff, so this was a necessity. we were originally going to go to the 6th floor museum, but they want $14 each to go in. as i'm a history buff that's balling on a budget, i didn't need to kill the presidents in my pocket to see where one of our greats was shot.
instead, we walked to the grassy knoll and looked from there. then we went to Northpark mall in Dallas, which i would really recommend for Tulsa shoppers. it has all sorts of designer shops from Burberry to LV, the typical stores we are used to, and my personal three favorite stores: American Apparel, Metro-Park, and Urban Outfitters.
i had soup at Soupman, a franchise made by the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. i wanted the lobster bisque but they didn't have it today. the bisque available was shrimp. i had it. it was very good, maybe the best bisque i've ever had (and I've eaten the lobster bisque at the Remington). unfortunately, the hipster girl working there was in no way comparable to the Nazi and there was no chance to hear, "No soup for you!"
Monday, July 26, 2010
nothing to report . . . sir!
what can i say . . . it's hard to run a lifestyle and leisure blog when you don't have any money. oh well. let's talk about tonight then, shall we.
i invited my mom over to eat dinner with Steph and I. I made a pot roast with root veggies and red wine and onion gravy. The food was devilish and the company was good.
while i was cooking, i watched a rerun of the Oklahoma Gubernatorial debates (missed the original in Tahlequah). not going to go into too much detail on the candidates, but i will give my opinions on the few i actually care about.
i'll start with the democratic party since that's where i'm registered.
Jari Askins: i came into this debate annoyed by her commercials and her big fat head. however, this lt. governor did a damned good job answering the questions given.
Drew Edmonson: i really like our attorney general. i really do. i'm glad he didn't spend state funds to fight the US government over so many years of precedent on the healthcare case. i also respect that he doesn't personally like the bill. i'm a universal healthcare man myself, i think Obama's is a joke (but a step in a right direction).
now on to the GOP.
Mary Fallin: old lt. governor. she's been all over in terms of government and really seemed to handle herself well in the debates.
Roger Jackson: good businessman. he supports opening liquor stores and car dealerships on Sunday. he also supports medical marijuana. i don't think he's going anywhere in this state, but he seemed like he might "grow the economy."
by the way . . . on that subject. i hate that term and it seems all of them use it. grow the economy. i guess semantically we are saying that the economy is like a plant and all we need is something as simple as water to make it magically as awesome again. whoever thinks that is on that funky stuff Roger Jackson is selling. no governor is going to mystically grow this economy. it's going to take real work.
it's even harder in this state. we have 39 sovereign tribes to put up with. good luck in 2010, you goobernatorial candidates!
i invited my mom over to eat dinner with Steph and I. I made a pot roast with root veggies and red wine and onion gravy. The food was devilish and the company was good.
while i was cooking, i watched a rerun of the Oklahoma Gubernatorial debates (missed the original in Tahlequah). not going to go into too much detail on the candidates, but i will give my opinions on the few i actually care about.
i'll start with the democratic party since that's where i'm registered.
Jari Askins: i came into this debate annoyed by her commercials and her big fat head. however, this lt. governor did a damned good job answering the questions given.
Drew Edmonson: i really like our attorney general. i really do. i'm glad he didn't spend state funds to fight the US government over so many years of precedent on the healthcare case. i also respect that he doesn't personally like the bill. i'm a universal healthcare man myself, i think Obama's is a joke (but a step in a right direction).
now on to the GOP.
Mary Fallin: old lt. governor. she's been all over in terms of government and really seemed to handle herself well in the debates.
Roger Jackson: good businessman. he supports opening liquor stores and car dealerships on Sunday. he also supports medical marijuana. i don't think he's going anywhere in this state, but he seemed like he might "grow the economy."
by the way . . . on that subject. i hate that term and it seems all of them use it. grow the economy. i guess semantically we are saying that the economy is like a plant and all we need is something as simple as water to make it magically as awesome again. whoever thinks that is on that funky stuff Roger Jackson is selling. no governor is going to mystically grow this economy. it's going to take real work.
it's even harder in this state. we have 39 sovereign tribes to put up with. good luck in 2010, you goobernatorial candidates!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
a review of The Monster Ball
well, in today's entry, i'm going to give a multifaceted review of Lady Gaga's concert appearance in okc yesterday. although this blog will primarily be a lifestyle, leisure, and political mouthpiece for Tulsans, i'm reasonably sure that enough of Tulsa was at, or wanted to be at this show.
to start off, i'm only going to briefly mention that the westboro baptist church was there in protest of the show, but Gaga fans were not phased by them, and they were at best a non issue. so, i will not fill up this post talking about how much i abhor the hate message they've created surrounding an (ideally) loving figure. thanks concert goers for showing tact and class.
now, on to the opening band: Semi Precious Weapons
Semi Precious Weapons hearkens back to a time when rock lead singers were overtly feminine in appearance yet ultra-masculine in demeanor (think Queen or Poison) instead of androgynous on the outside and whiny little bitch tarts who cut themselves because girls like men. they are unabashedly rock and roll. in fact, at one point in the show, lead singer Justin Tranter begs parent chaperons not to hate them for showing their children real rock and roll, but to love them for the education.
the music was raw, but danceable. i found myself torn about actually liking the band, however, even with all the praise i could give. there wasn't a lot of band cohesion; the other members could have been studio musicians steeped in grunge-era licks. Tranter is the real star here . . . actually in some band pics, the other members were cardboard cutouts of his face as masks. to be fair, their is nothing really fundamentally wrong with this. most bands have a runaway star. i only know Freddie Mercury in Queen or Brett Michaels in Poison, so i guess the examples hold true.
Tranter was an interesting spectacle to watch. he actually performed a live, uncovered full body costume change on stage, so i'm told. to be honest, i missed that part because i was in a beer line. this news comes from my girlfriend, Stephanie. he had amazing heels on with a sleeveless top and leggings for a majority of the show.
the most memorable line from their whole performance comes from the first song (they think it's memorable too, i think they put it on a t-shirt): "i can't pay my rent, but i'm fucking gorgeous." thanks to Lady Gaga playing them lip service (apparently they got their starts in the same NYC glam club scene), i doubt the line is true now.
on to Gaga (the real reason we all went):
as high as the ticket prices were (close to $100 dollars each, even in the ultra cheap parts of the balcony), i expected an eventful show and was not disappointed. i want to break the show down and go into a few aspects of the show that i found stunning or newsworthy.
concept:
the concert as a whole was actually conceptualized as one entity, complete with a loosely branching over story. as i understood it (did i mention loose??!), Gaga and a group of her friends heard about a party called The Monster Ball, where everyone was free to be exactly who they wanted to be. they decide to go, but in the first scene, their car breaks down. they instead take the subway, but take a wrong turn and are lost in central park. a tornado comes, carrying Gaga and crew to a very dark place. Gaga's friends become scared leaving her alone, when a monster (looking like a cross between an angler fish and an octopus) comes in an attempt to eat her. she manages to be freed (honestly, i didn't get the rest), and i think by the encore arrive at The Monster Ball (which may or may not have been some sort of meta reference to the concert itself). this is the first themed show that i've ever been to, and i found it to be a successful and creative way to give cohesion to the song list. the show became campy at times, but i'm reasonably sure that was intentional.
visuals:
i have to give it to the designers in Haus of Gaga for having some really stunning eye candy here. the sets were amazing (Steph and i absolutely loved the central park scene) and the outfits were a great mix of the recent-Gaga weirdness and the early Gaga flesh = sexy. i had two favorite outfits (one for each category). the first, and former, being an outfit after she emerges from the twister that actually had animatronic pieces (wings and leg coverings moved on their own) it was an all silver metallic angel getup that sent an image of a Victoria's Secret runway show in the year 2334. My favorite sex sells outfit would have to be the outfit worn in "Show me your Teeth." It was simple: panties, corset, and lots of fake blood. That one showed me what it would look like if The Flaming Lips had a sexy lead singer.
it wasn't all about costumes and set pieces though. one of the best parts of the visual experience happened while Gaga wasn't on stage at all. with such elaborate sets and costumes, there had to be several intermissions. these were filled with really good dance beats and videos directed by Haus of Gaga djs and cinematographers. the video before "Show me your Teeth" featured Gaga and text graphic asking the audience to "get their paws up." badass.
sounds:
the vocals were spot on. her voice is just perfect live. the music didn't sound like the radio edits and there was a healthy mix of live instruments to keep things interesting. it's sad, but sound will be my shortest section and this is the review of a concert.
message:
Gaga's message was pretty clear to anyone watching. Love yourself. Love everyone around you. Be yourself and have fun. it's a pretty simple message but to hear all the ways that she talks about, especially dealing with the LGBT community (who is a big support structure for her blossoming career) really felt genuine and tugged on my heart strings. at one point, she is lying on the stage in heavy fog, drenched in blood, and asks the audience to scream for her. she very candidly looks out into the audience after and says that she finds she abuses this section of the concert because she wasn't well liked in high school.
a portion of the concert's funding (i believe it's $20k a show) goes to Re*generation, an outreach organization who caters to LGBT homeless who have been cast out of their homes by parents who refuse to accept their children. it's clear that she struggles with acceptance herself and has built an organization using her less successful friends to give them opportunities on the road.
she seems to be emulating a very Andy Warhol-esque career. She's an artist with a designing loft in NYC, making pop art, with her hands in fashion, design, filmography, and rock and roll (a Velvet Underground reference, mayhap). I look forward to more work from the Haus of Gaga and hope to see more blossoming stars come out from under her shiny, metallic, sequined wings.
official afterparty:
wanted to briefly mention the afterparty. it was held at rok bar, the older sibling to Tulsa's pink. the guest dj was alright. his spinning was definitely better than the fare at pink. the songs weren't 15 seconds of top forty, then another ad nausium. the club was just as douchey, but i had a good time. that might have had something to do with $3 dollar red bull and vodkas, though.
to start off, i'm only going to briefly mention that the westboro baptist church was there in protest of the show, but Gaga fans were not phased by them, and they were at best a non issue. so, i will not fill up this post talking about how much i abhor the hate message they've created surrounding an (ideally) loving figure. thanks concert goers for showing tact and class.
now, on to the opening band: Semi Precious Weapons
Semi Precious Weapons hearkens back to a time when rock lead singers were overtly feminine in appearance yet ultra-masculine in demeanor (think Queen or Poison) instead of androgynous on the outside and whiny little bitch tarts who cut themselves because girls like men. they are unabashedly rock and roll. in fact, at one point in the show, lead singer Justin Tranter begs parent chaperons not to hate them for showing their children real rock and roll, but to love them for the education.
the music was raw, but danceable. i found myself torn about actually liking the band, however, even with all the praise i could give. there wasn't a lot of band cohesion; the other members could have been studio musicians steeped in grunge-era licks. Tranter is the real star here . . . actually in some band pics, the other members were cardboard cutouts of his face as masks. to be fair, their is nothing really fundamentally wrong with this. most bands have a runaway star. i only know Freddie Mercury in Queen or Brett Michaels in Poison, so i guess the examples hold true.
Tranter was an interesting spectacle to watch. he actually performed a live, uncovered full body costume change on stage, so i'm told. to be honest, i missed that part because i was in a beer line. this news comes from my girlfriend, Stephanie. he had amazing heels on with a sleeveless top and leggings for a majority of the show.
the most memorable line from their whole performance comes from the first song (they think it's memorable too, i think they put it on a t-shirt): "i can't pay my rent, but i'm fucking gorgeous." thanks to Lady Gaga playing them lip service (apparently they got their starts in the same NYC glam club scene), i doubt the line is true now.
on to Gaga (the real reason we all went):
as high as the ticket prices were (close to $100 dollars each, even in the ultra cheap parts of the balcony), i expected an eventful show and was not disappointed. i want to break the show down and go into a few aspects of the show that i found stunning or newsworthy.
concept:
the concert as a whole was actually conceptualized as one entity, complete with a loosely branching over story. as i understood it (did i mention loose??!), Gaga and a group of her friends heard about a party called The Monster Ball, where everyone was free to be exactly who they wanted to be. they decide to go, but in the first scene, their car breaks down. they instead take the subway, but take a wrong turn and are lost in central park. a tornado comes, carrying Gaga and crew to a very dark place. Gaga's friends become scared leaving her alone, when a monster (looking like a cross between an angler fish and an octopus) comes in an attempt to eat her. she manages to be freed (honestly, i didn't get the rest), and i think by the encore arrive at The Monster Ball (which may or may not have been some sort of meta reference to the concert itself). this is the first themed show that i've ever been to, and i found it to be a successful and creative way to give cohesion to the song list. the show became campy at times, but i'm reasonably sure that was intentional.
visuals:
i have to give it to the designers in Haus of Gaga for having some really stunning eye candy here. the sets were amazing (Steph and i absolutely loved the central park scene) and the outfits were a great mix of the recent-Gaga weirdness and the early Gaga flesh = sexy. i had two favorite outfits (one for each category). the first, and former, being an outfit after she emerges from the twister that actually had animatronic pieces (wings and leg coverings moved on their own) it was an all silver metallic angel getup that sent an image of a Victoria's Secret runway show in the year 2334. My favorite sex sells outfit would have to be the outfit worn in "Show me your Teeth." It was simple: panties, corset, and lots of fake blood. That one showed me what it would look like if The Flaming Lips had a sexy lead singer.
it wasn't all about costumes and set pieces though. one of the best parts of the visual experience happened while Gaga wasn't on stage at all. with such elaborate sets and costumes, there had to be several intermissions. these were filled with really good dance beats and videos directed by Haus of Gaga djs and cinematographers. the video before "Show me your Teeth" featured Gaga and text graphic asking the audience to "get their paws up." badass.
sounds:
the vocals were spot on. her voice is just perfect live. the music didn't sound like the radio edits and there was a healthy mix of live instruments to keep things interesting. it's sad, but sound will be my shortest section and this is the review of a concert.
message:
Gaga's message was pretty clear to anyone watching. Love yourself. Love everyone around you. Be yourself and have fun. it's a pretty simple message but to hear all the ways that she talks about, especially dealing with the LGBT community (who is a big support structure for her blossoming career) really felt genuine and tugged on my heart strings. at one point, she is lying on the stage in heavy fog, drenched in blood, and asks the audience to scream for her. she very candidly looks out into the audience after and says that she finds she abuses this section of the concert because she wasn't well liked in high school.
a portion of the concert's funding (i believe it's $20k a show) goes to Re*generation, an outreach organization who caters to LGBT homeless who have been cast out of their homes by parents who refuse to accept their children. it's clear that she struggles with acceptance herself and has built an organization using her less successful friends to give them opportunities on the road.
she seems to be emulating a very Andy Warhol-esque career. She's an artist with a designing loft in NYC, making pop art, with her hands in fashion, design, filmography, and rock and roll (a Velvet Underground reference, mayhap). I look forward to more work from the Haus of Gaga and hope to see more blossoming stars come out from under her shiny, metallic, sequined wings.
official afterparty:
wanted to briefly mention the afterparty. it was held at rok bar, the older sibling to Tulsa's pink. the guest dj was alright. his spinning was definitely better than the fare at pink. the songs weren't 15 seconds of top forty, then another ad nausium. the club was just as douchey, but i had a good time. that might have had something to do with $3 dollar red bull and vodkas, though.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
the inner workings of a madman
when a madman dies, the world takes a breath.
people are often in mixed opinions about the mad. some people, those that call him eccentric, love him, cherish him, miss him, and cultivate his legend. the others, those that revile him, bury him, hate him, are fearful of him (even in death), and maintain his infamy.
the passages that follow are those of a self professed madman. these passages are not melodramatic musings about pretentious particulars. no, nothing like that. i'll simply be covering my life and those things that amuse and terrify me. i'm sure i'll have a lot to talk about.
this will be my record, for when the world takes her breath for me.
people are often in mixed opinions about the mad. some people, those that call him eccentric, love him, cherish him, miss him, and cultivate his legend. the others, those that revile him, bury him, hate him, are fearful of him (even in death), and maintain his infamy.
the passages that follow are those of a self professed madman. these passages are not melodramatic musings about pretentious particulars. no, nothing like that. i'll simply be covering my life and those things that amuse and terrify me. i'm sure i'll have a lot to talk about.
this will be my record, for when the world takes her breath for me.
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