Nothing but Song

Feeling :  restless  Listening :  Make It Wit Chu - Queens of the Stone Age  Reading :  Fear Street Saga: The Betrayal

Last night I went to the Las Vegas show of the “Long Hair, Don’t Care” tour with the Stript, Danger Radio, The Maine, The Cab, and Metro Station at Jillians.

It was pretty uneventful, considering. I’m not like obsessively obsessed with any of the bands we saw, just a casual fan. My niece invited her friend T to catch a ride with us, and T said I couldn’t bring my professional camera in. So I drove home in post-school letting out traffic to drop my camera off, because 1) I thought my niece brought her camera and I was just gonna steal her memory card, and 2) T said I needed a photo pass. There was no way in HELL I was gonna leave a $500 camera in my car on Fremont Street, so I went home.

Of course, when we got to the venue, I saw a ton of people with professional cameras like my Nikon D40. You just couldn’t get that close to the stage. You had to stand by the sound board. I was pissed. Plus I didn’t like T’s attitude. She didn’t even try to introduce herself, and ditched my niece and her friend for other people as soon as we arrived. She’s never riding in my car again unless she’s paying for gas.

We got to meet The Cab again, because they’re still pretty cool about coming out before the shows and meeting with the fans. If you’re in the mood for new music, I highly recommend the Cab. I got pics with Cash (bass) and Singer (Alex Deleon, lead singer obviously), but I looked fat in them so I hope my niece deleted the pictures, haha. No, I’m not kidding, the shirt I wore? Made me look pregnant, ugh. I will concede and say I’m not fat, but I do have a spare tire that could use some help getting rid of. The shirt usually looks cute on me too, how disappointing. ETA: She didn’t delete the pictures, she just emailed them to me and yes, I do look fat. I edited them in Photoshop and cut out everything below my belly, haha.

Also before they opened the doors, the Cab did multiple takes of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” for ESPN with fans surrounding them (my niece included). There was this one little 9 year old girl before the show who was trying to be all buddy-buddy with the Cab, but like during the last few takes, completely stole the show. And that’s not a compliment.

It was cute the first few times she was hanging on the band and carrying on, being their #1 fan. But after awhile, everyone was annoyed, even the guys in the band. That’s pretty bad. Ian Crawford (guitar) did his own impression of her after the ESPN bit. As such, everyone was laughing AT them, not WITH them. The Cab aren’t assholes, mind you. But if you saw this little girl, you’d be like, “Reign it, baby girl. That’s enough.” But her mother and her sister kept on encouraging her. There’s only so much that bands will put up with, especially from complete strangers. Plus what are you telling the little girl? That by being presumptuous you’ll get in someone’s good graces? I guess that comes with the territory of being an all-ages show as most shows like this at Jillians are.

The little girl and her older sister actually spent most of the show near stage right where the bands enter and exit, because either Singer or Alex Marshall (keys) made the mistake of saying that she could come up onstage and sing with them. She actually took him seriously, and I felt bad for her. Bands say that all the time to be gracious. They don’t actually WANT you to come up onstage.

The show itself was pretty good. I didn’t like the merch the Cab had, so I didn’t get anything from them. I only bought a Metro Station shirt. I wasn’t too impressed with the Stript. I though they were a little too heavy - music-wise - for the bands that were on the bill. Danger Radio’s pretty decent, so is the Maine. The Cab put on a fabulous show as usual. Metro Station was good too. My favourite song is “Control” - which they did during their encore and closed out with - so I started pogoing like a fool. Pretty much the only time I did during the show because the song is perfect for the pogo. But this little punk-ass bitch behind me kept pushing me as I was mid-pogo so I almost kept stepping on my niece in front of me. I finally gave her a dirty look and brought the energy level down for the pogoing about halfway through the song. I got a Metro Station guitar pick, I think it was used by Trace, haha.

It sounds like I dwelled a lot on the negative, huh? Well, I suppose I did. I was only familiar with the Cab and Metro Station, I didn’t know who the other bands were so it was hard to stay focused as I waited for them. It didn’t help that ventilation in Jillians is poor, so I smelled stinky teenagers who would lift their arms and assail my old people nostrils (rofl) with their B.O. The show was on a Thursday, so obviously, they left as soon as school was out and didn’t stop to freshen up beforehand.

Then I woke up today and pretty much spent it in bed. My head hurt so bad. It was a long day yesterday. Plus I’m all sore all over. I didn’t sit down once as soon as we got to the venue. Bad idea on my part. We got to the venue at 4 and got home at 11, after dropping off N and T. So that’s probably why I couldn’t be arsed to get out of bed. It was pretty much a shift at work.

And I got a call from work saying I need to come in early tomorrow. Blah. Oh well.

I had planned on going to the movies to see “Indiana Jones” with my family but I’m feeling still too icky.

?: “Any plans this weekend?”

Feeling :  nauseated  Listening :  Rock Me Now - Metric  Reading :  Stardust (I know... I'm slow, haha)

I have two things I’m gonna review, “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer and “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.” I finished reaching “Twilight” at work (I got an eBook version of it and read it in between helping guests, oops) and I saw “Prince Caspian” with my family last Friday.

“Twilight” is everything that I thought it would be, and more. The language feeds into its young adult target audience, Twilight Moms notwithstanding. Basically I went into reading it knowing it as fanfiction, and it read like that. My opinion didn’t change when I finished it. I enjoyed the book for what it was though. I can see why it would capture the hearts and minds of readers everywhere. There is a little bit of everything: romance, horror, adventure, dysfunctional families, finding what you’re capable of, and feeling like an outsider.

Bella has yet to grow on me. Perhaps it will change when I read “New Moon” and “Eclipse,” but from “Twilight,” Bella just out and out pissed me off something crazy. Her being clumsy seemed to be a hindrance rather than a cute byproduct of being Isabella Swan. Her being practically unaware of the power she had was just silly. There is absolutely nothing spectacular about her, other than Edward falling for her.

But I suppose that is the clincher. Everybody can see themselves in Bella: a teenage girl falling in love with the first time, not really sure where her place is in the world, coming into her own about her sexuality, etc. However, I like my female protagonists to be more than what Bella is presented as in “Twilight.” She left a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve read interviews that Bella is very much a reflection of Stephenie Meyer, a self-proclaimed “late bloomer.” All good authors find themselves in their characters in some way. The writing in first person was a bit tiring after awhile. I really didn’t care to hear the inner thoughts of Bella.

However, I find the Cullens fascinating in their own right. I’m not quite sure why, but I’m dazzled, haha. Vampires fascinate me in general. I once found an old book from the 70s or something in my elementary school library that taught me the history of, how to identify, and ultimately, kill vampires. I like to think I was a vampire slayer from 8 years old. I like the unique spin Stephenie put on the mythology of vampires though. As such, I would rather hear about the Cullens than Bella, to be honest. Stephenie should write a book about them, and NOT in the first person. At least the fourth book is gonna be from Edward’s point of view, right? That’s something to look forward to.

The inclusion of James and his coven seemed a bit tacked on at the end, as though her editors said “you need some outside drama, throw in another coven!” Like if she seeded in the drama earlier - rather than focusing on Bella’s clumsiness and Edward constantly saving her - I think it would have been far more interesting. But I guess I’ll take it for what it is.

Like most things, I resisted falling into the “Twilight” zone (bet you’ve heard that one before). I am very slow when it comes to fandom, especially with books. And like with Harry Potter, I didn’t start reading the series until they made Sorcerer’s Stone. Which is probably why all the Twilight Tuesdays posts on ONTD, with their dazzling text and all that, drew me in. And imagining Robert Pattinson as Edward as I read it, just put me over the edge. I will politely refuse to call myself a “Twilight” fan until I’ve read more of the series. It was much too juvenile for me to feel comfortable identifying myself as a fan.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was perfect. In most book to movie adaptations, things are lost and the spirit of the book is never translated. But I think the filmmakers really captured the spirit of the book. And Caspian is my favourite character from the series. I will concede that they deviated from the book in key parts (I’ll try not to post spoilers). I will say that the flirting glances (and the ultimate resolution) between Susan and Prince Caspian set this little fangirl on fire. Caspian is meant to be with Ramandu’s daughter dammit, rofl. But I’m sure they threw that in there for fanservice or summat.

I remember reading an interview early on in production about how the director wanted to focus on how hard it was for the Pevensies to adjust to being children in 1940s England after being royalty in Narnia. I was really looking forward to seeing how that played out, and I wasn’t disappointed. William Moseley captured that emotion perfectly. I would be freaking emo too if I was ripped away from paradise by accident. Especially if I had been there long enough to age as much as they did. You do have to be somewhat familiar with the first film to get some things that happened in Prince Caspian (especially if you don’t read the books), but it’s pretty good on its own.

I will admit that it dragged in some places, like during the siege of Miraz’s castle. But I don’t agree with a lot of reviewers who said there wasn’t a lot of character development. Some examples that spring to mind are the scenes between Lucy and Aslan in her dreams, Susan and Lucy in the forest trying to get to Caspian with the others, and Peter and Lucy near the Stone Table. Both Peter and Susan asked why they didn’t see Aslan, and they questioned why. I’m glad Aslan explained it; I was afraid they were gonna forget! I think by him saying so will help the transition between this film and Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I hope that the receipts from this film will be impressive enough for them to continue making the series. I wanna see Silver Chair already!

I don’t think it was explained on film how Miraz ended up dying in the ring, unless I wasn’t paying attention. I only covered my eyes once and that was during the goodbye between Susan and Caspian. I mean I know how he ended up getting killed from the book, but maybe it was too subtle for me to catch on film. Or maybe I was looking for it so hard I missed it. I thought that was a very important part of the storyline.

Edmund had the best lines in the whole film. And he made the best of them. I can’t wait to see him do a film that’s not Narnia-related. And I realized that Anna Popplewell (Susan) was in my favourite adaptation of Mansfield Park with Jonny Lee Miller. I saw the scene when Fanny goes back to her family, and I saw this little round-faced, dark-haired girl, and I’m like, “That looks like Susan!” And it was, haha. When I first saw Lucy in the film I couldn’t believe how big she’d grown, and I can’t wait to see her in Dawn Treader. I think she’s growing nicely as an actress.

Reepicheep is my boy, erm, mouse. Eddie Izzard completely captured him. Prideful, unwilling to back down from a fight he knows is just, believing until the very end. The evolution of Trumpkin was so cool to see. There’s something to be said of not believing in something or someone. And that’s not really a religious theme, but more of a personal growth idea. And I just read that Peter Dinklage (who played Trumpkin) said his character was more for the cynical adults in the audience who don’t believe in what Narnia stands for. He was sort of their mouthpiece throughout the film. I also cannot wait to see Ben as Caspian in Dawn Treader and, to a lesser extent, Silver Chair (because we know what happens to him in that book). I wasn’t sure how the Spanish style for the Telmarines was gonna fly, because I hadn’t really read them as of Spanish stock, but it worked out pretty well. When I read the book again, that’s prolly how I’m gonna hear their voices in my head, haha. I LOVED the battle scene between Peter and Miraz, from Edmund delivering the decree to Miraz getting shanked at the end, haha.

All in all, I can’t wait for the Twilight movie, reading “New Moon,” and “Eclipse” and watching Prince Caspian again to drool over Ben Barnes, if nothing else, haha.

I guess these meme is making its rounds on LJ. I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring with my choices.

1. song from the last record bought/downloaded

“Atlantis to Interzone” - Crystal Castles

I’m really feeling the vibe from Crystal Castles, even though I stand by a previous statement that they are demented Atari music on crack.

2. a blues song

“Folsom Prison Blues” - Johnny Cash

I don’t have a lot of blues to choose from, so I picked the next best thing.

3. romantic song

“Giving Him Something He Can Feel” - En Vogue

This song came out when I was in third grade or something, and even then, I felt sexy singing it, haha.

4. one of the earliest records that you can remember listening to

“Daydream Believer” - The Monkees

It was either this, or “Last Train to Clarksville.”

5. song discovered from a film

“Sue Me” - Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine

I <3 the film version of Guys and Dolls. Still one of my favourite musicals to this day. My little brother was in the chorus and played Benny Southstreet in our high school's production of it.

6. song from favorite band/artist

“All These Things That I’ve Done” - The Killers

Nobody has stolen the Killers from the top spot in my heart. I hope no one ever does.

7. song from an artist/band that you otherwise don’t like, but this one

“Le Disko” - Shiny Toy Guns

I dunno. I LOVE Le Disko but when I listened to the rest of the album, I wasn’t too impressed. So I deleted the album from my playlist and kept Le Disko, snerk.

8. song that makes you laugh/you find funny

“The Bad Touch” - The Bloodhound Gang

These guys appeal to the lowest common denominator, but this is definitely one of my guilty pleasures.

9. really good cover version

“Valerie” - Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson

It took me awhile to hop on the Ronson bandwagon, and the video for the song is so cute. Mark Ronson and the Winettes, haha.

10. song that reminds you of high school

“I Want You Back” - *NSYNC

I still remember the day I first saw the video on MTV. My whole life changed. *NSYNC saved my life, ain’t no lie. Bye bye bye, sorry I had to do it!

11. funky

“Fly Away” - Lenny Kravitz

I got some free song credits from iTunes and Ticketmaster and I thought about who I didn’t have yet. It was between Lenny and Toni Braxton and I decided on Lenny. Toni can wait a bit longer.

12. song for those quiet rainy days

“Who’ll Stop the Rain” - Creedence Clearwater Revival

I know I was supposed to choose a quiet song, but when it rains, I want it to stop, m’kay? So CCR is perfect for this.

13. feel good song

“On My Own Time [Write On]!” - Gym Class Heroes

“As Cruel as School Children” was written to be a soundtrack to summer. So whenever I hear any song from that record, I just think of lazy summer days. On My Own Time is an anthem to me with a breezy, uplifting sort of sound to it. That’s why I love it so.

14. from a member of the “dead rockers society”

“Love Will Tear Us Apart” - Joy Division

I know, I’m cheating, ’cause Ian’s the only one who is deceased and the rest of Joy Division are alive. But Joy Division without Ian Curtis is just New Order, haha.

15. your favorite Elvis song

“Viva Las Vegas” - Elvis Presley

I was a bit torn between this and “In the Ghetto,” but I figure I should give a shout out to my adopted hometown, yeah?

16. wild card - any song

“Control of the Knife” - Girls Aloud

The horn section absolutely kills me in this song. It’s so clever. Just like the horns in “Bones” by the Killers. I personally think pop songs need more hand clapping and horns. There’s just not enough in the world, lemme tell ya.

Get da whole ting, man.

?: “Done any memes lately?”