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:: 5.26.2002 ::
if you get a chance, ride a dirt road.
thanks for the link, J-La!
:: posted by Michael at 4:12 PM
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:: 5.24.2002 ::
"'I grieved to think how brief the dream of the human intellect had been. It had committed suicide. It had set itself steadfastly towards comfort and ease, a balanced society with security and permanence as its watchword, it had attained its hopes - to come to this at last. Once, life and property must have reached almost absolute safety. The rich had been assured of his life and work. No doubt in that perfect world there had been no unemployed problem, no social question left unsolved. And a great quiet had followed.
It is a law of Nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble. An animal perfectly in harmony with its environment is a perfect mechanism. Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no change and no need of change. Only those animals partake of intelligence that have to meet a large variety of needs and dangers.'"
excerpt from H.G. Wells' novel The Time Machine, page 97. spoken by The Time Traveller.
:: posted by Michael at 5:07 AM
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:: 5.20.2002 ::
tip o' the day:
never give a crackhead on acid a ride. anywhere.
:: posted by Michael at 2:52 AM
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:: 5.15.2002 ::
I just got home from Valdosta. had to go visit Dr. Dasher and get four wisdom teeth cut out. right now, I'm still kinda out of it from the gas/IV combo they put on me in round 1. needless to say, by round 2, I was outta there. everything went well, so now I'm just hoping for no dry sockets.
speaking of dry sockets, do any of you readers have some personal experience with wisdom teeth/dry sockets that you can lend to me? I'm just wanting to do everything to make sure I have as little trouble as possible with these things.
well, I just took my gauze out and I look like Gene Simmons from KISS. or maybe Ozzy after he just bit a dove's head off. ha.
I might be out of commission for a couple, but I'll be around soon..
and for all of you in Douglas, come see me! bring movies, sex toys, drugs, etc.
:: posted by Michael at 6:04 PM
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:: 5.14.2002 ::
hmmm..
:: posted by Michael at 4:34 PM
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:: 5.10.2002 ::
this year was my fourth Music Midtown in a row. I first went back in '98 with my sister and she and I made a return trip this year. every year they've had some amazing and diverse lineups, but each year it seems to double in attendance. given, it's a large area in which the event is held, the area around the stages aren't so huge. the 99X stage was just ridiculous this year. once you got about halfway to the stage (by halfway, I mean almost close enough to see the SCREEN and barely hear the music), it was just shoulder-to-shoulder people and crowd surges that left you hoping that everyone around you could stay on their feet.
due to the circumstances, we missed a few great bands that I would have loved to catch. yet at the same time, I was introduced to couple of new bands that I might have never heard.
friday night we caught Butch Walker, Hoobastank, and Incubus:
the Walker guy was a little crazy. I'm not familiar with his music at all, but he seemed to play a lot of cover songs. a highlight for me was the cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". just after the for meeee, fooor meeeeeee, for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! part, they ROCKED OUT. the entire crowd, and it was a massive one, was pulsating with energy.
Hoobstank surprised me. I had written them off as an unoriginal Incubus rip-off, but they were actually a decent band. they had a great stage presence and a nice sound live. they're OK in my book.
Incubus were just great. a guitarist with great licks, strong and smart basslines, a very versatile drummer, a perfectly infused DJ, and a great frontman with such poetic lyrics. a very full live sound and the band seemed to be having a blast. their signature song "Drive" seemed to drag a bit, but they made up for it with intense renditions of "Stellar" and "Pardon Me" among others. an overall great night of modern rock.
saturday was an odd day:
we got there too late for Jack Johnson's set, but just in time to see Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. I can't say I'm a huge fan of theirs and I don't have any of their albums, but I've been hearing their music since my early days of high school. they put on a LIVE show and had a huge crowd bouncin'. they played a standard festival set of the hits, along with a new song for which they brought out a member of The Outlawz, who gained much recognition for their work with the late Tupac Shakur.
we then went to see Counting Crows, but this is when we encountered the ridiculous crowd amassed at the 99X stage. after about 10 minutes in the mix and about 1 minute of deliberation, we decided to liberate ourselves from that mess. after browsing around the artist's market, we made our way over to the Fox5 stage. it was a smaller stage off to the side and the feature that night was Zydeco music. I'd never heard much before until seeing Lil' Brian and the Zydeco Travelers at Midtown last year. it was a great time then and this night was the same. Rosie Ledet and her band put on a great show and they were immediately followed by Gary DeLafonse. both were great groups and played music that kept a smile on my face. and we were front row and not crowded at all, to boot.
sunday, our last day there:
this was my personal favorite of the weekend. it seems that I always have great sundays at Midtown. as soon as we got to the gate, we headed for the Z93 stage. walked right up to the front and found a nice spot, dead center and about 5 rows back. we just missed the Disco Biscuits, who would've been nice, but got there just in time to see Karl Denson's Tiny Universe come out. they had a great set of funk-jazz, showcasing the entire band's talent. they played one particularly jazz-heavy tune that I loved and did a nice around-the-world band intro build-up that led into another jam. another nice surprise was a visit from the Flecktones' Jeff Coffin for a song.
up next was Bela Fleck & the Flecktones. what else can I say about them? AMAZING. as tight as always, full of character, and playing wonderful music. a few new tunes mixed with some of the classics. of course, Vic had a couple of mind-blowing solos. a huge highlight was Bela sitting on a stool solo and picking a classical piece. wild what he can do with a banjo..
our last performance came from the wonderful Bonnie Raitt. "I Can't Make You Love Me", an acoustic "Angel From Montgomery", a guest appearance with Oliver Mtukudzi and a couple of members of his band, and a welcomed surprise with a cover of David Gray's "Silver Lining". she told the crowd of her new album entitled "Silver Lining", and gave high regard to Gray's music.
all in all it was a great weekend. I said I'd never go again, but I was just ill from the big crowds. I've heard that this year may have been the last, but if they do have a Midtown '03, you'll probably find me there.
my pictures didn't turn out so well, but there were a few keepers. as soon as I get this scanner back on its feet, I'll post them up for your viewing pleasure.
:: posted by Michael at 2:29 AM
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:: 5.03.2002 ::
took my last final yesterday. SUCH a relief.
now I'm about to head out for Midtown. running late, like always..
have a great weekend everyone!
:: posted by Michael at 12:21 PM
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:: 5.01.2002 ::
My Guide To Getting Fit
smoke a pack a day and write as much as possible. have a conversation with a complete stranger. read. step outside and be humbled. see the world. don't merely like music; EMBRACE it. light all of your candles and a stick of incense and relax. drink a glass of sun-brewed sweet tea, iced, of course. challenge your mind. sleep. dream. lose yourself and find your way back. value the experience.
Used Books
what good is a book that's never been read? much like used cars, you can put a used book through hell, but it'll still take you so many places. a book with a previous reader's notes can give you new points of view on various subjects throughout the work. they can lead you to see an idea from a completely different perspective. read books, accept the knowledge it brings, and then pass it along to the next reader. what good is knowledge if it can't be shared?
Dirt Roads
an escape from the daily grind. paths to new places. passages through nature yet to be destroyed by progression and the technologies of man. roll the windows down and unfasten your seat belts. put in a relaxing CD and get high. have a beer. turn the music down and have open-ended conversations about whatever topic arises. enjoy the fresh air. take pictures. snap mental photos of places you hope may go on unchanged.
return to the asphalt entombing the Earth.
:: posted by Michael at 8:32 PM
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