Yeah Yeah Yeahs : It's Blitz

Ever since I caught word that my beloved Yeah Yeah Yeahs were back in the studio with plans for a third album, I’ve been drooling in anticipation with every slight blog posting update. Album title? It’s Blitz! Alright! Album artwork? Manicured hand crunching egg yolk stop motion? YES! First track “Zero?” Synthed up glamour pop nightmare! (Sure, I noticed an absence of guitars, but the 80’s John Hughes-ish keywork was undeniably catchy dance party). Second track shortly after by way of Kanye University, “Heads Will Roll?” OMG. OMG. OMG. So dark and seductive, dance floor anthem!!!! Jodi was very, very pleased.

But then the full album leaked.

Since then, everyone’s thrown in their two cents of yay/nay. And at first, all I could focus on was what I had previously heard—the two singles, which are, let’s face it thrashtastic hipster dance delight. But then when my excitement of finally copping mp3 versions of these two addicting tracks wore out, I finally managed to flip through the remaining 8 tracks. And what were my thoughts? Well. . . I think my friend Arlo summed it up best when he posted on my Facebook wall, “Have you heard the new YYY record yet? I think I like it. I think you’ll like.” This was my first impression—“thinking” I liked it. Because, well, it’s the Yeah Yeah Yeahs! And I’ve adored every and anything they’ve recorded. I’ve been enamored with the grittiness of both the Machine and Self-Titled EPs, the impeccable debut Fever to Tell the more recent tightass rock factory EP Is Is, and of course, the last studio attempt, Show Your Bones.

But first full listen of It’s Blitz!? Ehhhh . . . Like back with Show Your Bones, I knew enough not to trust my first impression just yet. I remember the day I picked up SYB clearly, and it was a very special day indeed. But shortly after popping the yellow disc in my stereo, I quickly caught onto YYY’s transitional style—where was the shrieking? Grinding guitars? Thrashing, inaudible rock madness? Well, it certainly wasn’t on that album. Ehhh . . . But after enough listens and some attentive patience, I grew to love the album in its own and it remains in regular rotation to this day. I discovered that after the two synth pop intro tracks on It’s Blitz!, the remainder of the record is significantly slowed down and a much more intimate collection of tracks than what we YYY fans are accustomed to.

“Soft Shock,” the third track on the disc, follows the insanity of “Zero” and bangin’ anthem “Heads will Roll.” It’s a solid overall track, with its echoic vampy electro pulse and Miss O’s seductive gasps “Catch your shut eye, in my bed room.” If I hadn’t heard the other two songs first, however, a more solid impression would have been left in my head with this number, instead of nearly getting overlooked by my ADD dance-over.

The five minute “Skeletons,” features the delicate side of Karen O’s vocal work, with tender crooning, wavering and cracking into higher pitches breaking off into rasps. Slight percussion picks up and blends into even more synth bedding. A slower and pretty instilment, but, kind of boring.

Then we bust into into the best track, hands down, of It’s Blitz!—“Dull Life.” This is as close to older YYY material as we’re gonna get, with Zinner’s guitar work on display and Karen’s repetitive shout/singing style in full effect, almost a hybrid number of what we’d find on Fever to Tell with Karen’s Show Your Bones vocal style. Slower build-up until about the one minute mark when Zinner’s guitar skills crank up and O jumps into her singing/shouting/chanting/wailing combo. I can only imagine how kickass this track must sound live, most likely anything but dull indeed.

The second half of the album is still yet to grow on me as much as the first, in all honesty. “Shame and Fortune” comes in around 3:30, with typical YYY swagger (not super remarkable but far from bad), reminding us that Zinner still knows how to play the guitar—but Karen’s vocals barely sway from her spoken word/barely yelling mode.

“Runaway,” the seventh track, is the polar opposite to SYB's “Honeybear.” Where in “Honeybear”, Karen shrieking, demands atop an up-tempo guitar bed that you “Run away! Run away if you want it!,” “Runaway” features a delicate pleading/confession, “Run, run, run away, lost, lost, lost my mind. Want you to stay, want you to be—my pride.” This then leads into an instrumental build-up of what sounds like strings vs. synths, a nice change up for sure, and then crashing into a vulnerable yet beautiful breakdown with O confessing, even rock goddesses can be “All alone, not so strong, without these open arms to hold on tight.”

Up next is the less than spectacular “Dragon Queen.” I don’t get it. Seems oriental dance clubish—with maybe a bit too much synth play and less than stellar hook. Even the YYY are allowed a filler track or two.

“Hysteric” follows next; and it’s another example of the slower melodic pace exemplified on this record. That’s ok; this song is pretty and again boasts the vocal range capabilities of O, showing us in addition to her mad shrieking and howling skills, she’s also a very good singer.

Concluding this forty minute collection is the super soft and gentle “Little Shadows.” Now it’s probably just because I’ve only been able to listen to two records non-stop for the past week, It’s Blitz! being one and Middle Cyclone the other, but Karen O almost comes across Neko Case-ish with her delicate delivery. The track is gorgeous and intimate, on a different plane than any other YYY track, maybe closest comparable to Fever to Tell’s “Modern Romance,” but with a fuller sound. The muffled vocal work is reminiscent of “Maps,” dominating the soft guitar and organs piecing together a very still, pretty folk melody. “Little Shadows” is the perfect closing track for this album, mirroring the come down from an energetic night out at the clubs we were so beat from dancing at all night with the help of the Zero’s and Heads will Roll’s.

Will you like the new YYY record? It depends: A) are you a die-hard YYY fan? B) Are you okay with synths vs. guitars? (Think along the lines of a John Hughes soundtrack, circa 1985 C) Are you open to change? (Cuz this chapter is def. different) If you answered “Yes” to any of the above, then mark April 13th on your calendars now in preparation of this drop date. I’m not sure what blitz even means—if it’s a noun or an adjective—but regardless, this is it. I’d guess it’s a mix of the unexpected meets a night out on the town, but who am I know for sure? It’s just Blitz.

Joe D's Nite w/Tim FITE!

Mob Review:

I’ve had the joy of catching indie/alt-rock/hip-hop hybrid mastermind Tim Fite everywhere from New York and Austin to Chicago (well, actually that about sums it up), multiple times in the past few years—last night being my fourth encounter in the past year alone. Fite, who’s been touring seemingly non-stop in support of Anti Records’ “Fair Ain’t Fair,” since its release last spring, was back in Chi for the umpteenth time in the past six months –but this time around he was in charge—headlining. I had been getting used to watching Fite’s endearing attempts to win over various crowds as the forever opening act, whether it was Les Claypool, the Watson Twins, or as part of this last year’s Hideout Block Party—but this was the first time the spotlight truly belonged to him and his partner in crime, Dr. Leisure.

The infamous duo took to Schuba’s stage around 11:00; minutes after Fite had brushed past me sporting a navy jumpsuit, stating matter-of-factly to no one in particular, “I gotta pee.” Upon his return, the now bib overall/suit jacket gentleman got the crowd whistling and roaring in approval with the opening “Gone Ain’t Gone” number “I Hope You’re There.” Fite and Leisure kept the masses on their toes, with the forever colorful AV presentations, various crowd interactions and group exercises (literally—“Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” as well as the grunting remix of “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” were just a couple of several examples), and everyone was laughing, singing, stomping and cheering. Good vibes were aplenty.

(dis is Court Knee, she really liked the head, shoulders, knees and toes game--as did the cheery smiley guy in flannel in the background, FUN TIMEZ!!)

The set itself lasted roughly an hour, staying consistent with every other set list I’ve caught the past year with the exception of a few additions including a new animated short featuring a not so cuddly finger eating koala bear as well as a track I hadn’t heard before, “Take your medicine, take your daughter to work day, it’s her birthday. . .” Catchy, whatever it was. Other regular staples included: “JoJo Bobby, Stab a Motherfucker,” “Big Mistake”—(which received huge crowd appreciation), “The Garden,” “Clothes,” “Line by Line,” and the super catchy “Burn it Down” (see vid above, you may like, dude on the right side of the cam sure did.) Fans swarmed to Fite and Leisure immediately following the set, and the forever humble gentlemen hung around, posing for photos and saying hi to new friends. It was a spectacular evening and I can’t send enough praises or thank-you’s to Fite for the forever good times.

official review is here: (WITH VIDEO OF BURN IT DOWN)

http://www.muzzleofbees.com/2009/02/26/review-tim-fite-schubas-chicago/

now the jodi fun time narrative version:

got home after work tired as a duck. downed a couple pbrs in anticipation of the 4th time catching the weirdo cool dewd tim fite play in the past 6 months. got my girl court knee and we headed down to broville (southport what what) to check schuba's where she had an awkward run in with the bouncer. woops. i was trying to look cool in front of the 3 cute guys present in the bar area when c went to smoke a cig and wound up dropping my phone and nearly losing my battery when the back went catapulting towards the ground. good timez.

bounced bw all the skanky emo girls and dude bro dudes and wound up near the stage to get pics for mob. stood by super fan. super fan had super bo. it was cool. there was a very very childlike short woman by us. a slutty girl who looked like a dresden doll with the most irritating laugh i've ever heard. a pregnant looking man wearing a violet t-shirt. a really happy chubby boy. and of course, tim and dr. l were up front as well. tim told me he had to pee. dr. leisure was cracked out on something, crawling around on the floor, possibly trying to look up girls' skirts? not sure. he pulled the ladder off the wall towards the end of the set and brought it out in the middle of the audience where court later explained to me he squirted water out of his ass and shoved his mic in the fan. safe. then this douche, see here: climbed the ladder when dr. l returned to the stage.

tim was just polite and jumping around. he remembered me after i said hi tim, good show, i'm with muzzle of bees. "jodi root from muzzle of bees! nice to see you!" aww.

then it was bedtime. i was tipsy and tired. i threw on my jody rulez tee and brushed my teeth. thought i looked so cool doing it i tried to take a picture for some reason. i've included this below so you too, can see how cool i look as i drunkenly brush my shiny white brights in my jody rulez tee. ahhh, wacky wednesdays. gotta luv it.

Tessa Rulez

soundtrack to. . . something

wow. is this my wake-up call? that groggy, please don't please don't, please stop, begging to the alarm clock in my deep and resistant slumber, the transition of the cruel alert of conciousness?

i think it might be.

this past year has turned my life upside down, to the side, inside out and then spilled it all over last year's horrible shag carpeting. shit's changed. not bad, not good, not whatever. just did. life moves, you know? and here i am, laying in my dark bedroom, candles ablaze, cat at my feet, curled up in an innocent fetal position ball.

right now it's bon iver, blaring out of my iPod docking station - "flume." i still remember the first time i ever heard that song. it was a pretty meaningful moment for me, one that i've never actually admitted/shared with anyone out loud. it was a brief glimpse of self realization. that life does exist, and relationships and personal limits can't restrict it from moving forward. or something, anyway.

before bon, it was elliott smith. from a basement. xo. either/or. you know, the good stuff. the stuff that of course, i listen to in the dark with a pint full of coca cola and jack daniels. this isn't a voyage into the river of self pity, however. or even a glimpse of self loathing. more a reflection. a glimpse. of ok, before this gets better, i have to accept everything for what it really is. it is what it is. and this is it.

before elliott, yyy. the song "dull life?" shit. i can relate. but that's my own fault.

only one drink tonight, but it was savored. stiff, sure. but i just watched Breakfast at Tiffany's for the first time and it may be the first "romantic chick flick classic," whatever the fuck you want to categorize it as, that i've ever enjoyed. seriously. but the end? with the cat? and the kiss? and the rain? that's when i hightailed it to the pantry for my bourbon. . . .

thinking. and thinking. and transitioning. and moving on from a broken heart. and sewing all the lost time and joyful/joyless memories back together, in this web of sorts. web of hurt and strenght. empowerment. you know what's empowerment? deleting all your cell phone numbers.

that's what i just did. well--not all. but pretty goddamn close. 90% of my contacts were phonies. people who A) i haven't talked to in at least a year, or if I have B) am not sure why I would even want to talk to. I kept the numbers of necessity, of course. See: Landlord, Doctor, Local Chinese Take-Out, Hair Salon, Blue Cross Blue Shield, etc. I also kept family: Mother, Brother, Sister in Law, Brother/Sister in Law House, Cousin Staci. Friends? Yeah, I know who you are. And you still represent in my shitty ass piece of technology. But the thing is, my real friends? The people who actually call or email me up to see how I'm doing on a semi-regular basis (or EVER)? There's not too many of those in my phone. But I don't give a shit. Because those people who remain in my phone are true. And I'm lucky as goddamn hell to have as many as I even do. As few and far between as I may see some of these people, I know they got my back. And really, that's what counts.

But if you're one of those fade-in/fade-out, never return calls/texts or put forth an ounce of effort folk? I'm sorry, next time you call me (let's face it, yeah right), you'll probably be met with a "who's this again?" And you know what? That may make me an asshole. But I tell you this, I'm done with all the clutter. Since when did our lives turn into this sick technological instant gratification universe? Twitter this. Facebook that. Oh, I'm sooooo over Myspace, but here, check my blog. Do you have my cell? I have a blackberry so I'm not really big into talking on the phone, but text me!!!!

And guess what? Yours truly is guilty, probably mostly out of any of you, as charged of all the above. (Well, I'm too broke for a blackberry but who the fuck knows? I'm sure I'll have one with that new swanky Supervisor salary of mine before too long).

I just hate it. Whatever happened to writing letters in the mail? Sure, the postal service can suck sometimes. Patience? What the hell is that? What's the value in a tangible piece of paper with hand written communication? Pshaw. What happened to an actual phone conversation? Not a--"where you at, I'm here" blurb or "what's the address of that bar again?". I mean an actual, "Hello, it's me. How are you? How are things? I hope you're well. Let's catch up." Wha-wha-whaat??? Oh yeah, right, we don't want to run out of minutes--and you're sooo not on my minutes-mobile-to-mobile plan.

Gag. Or even--get this, visiting face to face!!! Sans webcam? Instant messenger?

Agh.

And still. As I type this pointless rant. I have Facebook, Twitter, and gmail open on my 3 additional tabs. And I'm BLOGGING. so, this makes me not just bitter, but the biggest hypocrite of them all. the zombie of the the 21st century's poison. the internet. cool ringtone. ugh.

but. i do have my music. and it still moves me. and it helps me reflect. and even though i'm on my BLOG, i am writing. and getting this out (not on paper, but same jist, INTERWEB), is fairly therapeutic. but not nearly as much as deleting 40-some cell numbers. that just felt great.

what also feels great? feeling anything. even if it's a little bit of hurt. loneliness. sadness. b/c you know what? it's a feeling!!!!!! let's me know i'm alive!!!! and if i can feel this, and i know i'm alive, then i know i have the capability to feel the best parts too. and they're soon to follow, i can feel it. i just have to get the fuck away from this laptop and get out in the cruel cold world and actually experience it myself in person.

ok, too much bon iver/e. smith. let's swap this shit up to the new yyy. review to follow soon. . . .

IT'S MO FO BLITZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok, so i'm not sure if you guys can tell this or not yet, but i'm KIND OF a freak for the yeah yeah yeahs. and i'm not sure if i've mentioned this enough yet or not, but they have a new album, IT'S BLITZ!, coming out in april (the 16th, i think?).

it's new wave, post-punk, dance-pop swagger. with all the right bits and pieces.

and thanks to a close friend of mine, i've now come in posession with these beats. and have been orgasming out of my ears in disbelief for the past two hours (well, half/half, i have been un-muting the academy awards in bits and pieces: props to kate (finally!!), sean (loved milk, props to you bro), heath (r.i.p. buddy, but we all sorta saw this one coming), and slumdog! yes! happy with it all). but yeah. when i've been re-muting the oscars it was all blitz, baby. and i've only gotten one full listen in before i am automatically re-directed to singles "zero" and "heads will roll" bc they're catchy as fuck.

it's a good night. the cats must have drank some sort of cuddle potion or something bc they're both being abnormally lovey tonight and my bed is maximum comfort zone. with the perfect soundtrack and tv entertainment. (first time i've turned on television sans dvd player in months, honestly. i do not watch tv ever so it was kind of nice).

jodi = good mood. let's hope this week is a good one. at least the tough gets going, i've got the right back up beats to psych me up.

IT'S BLITZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

full review to follow, promisies.

way to go, bro

way to get brangelina misty eyed, congrats on your academy award homeboy. you deserve it.

heads will ROLL

thank you thank you thank you KANYE.

head to mr. west's blog here and check the latest instillment from it's blitz, heads will roll.

2nd taste from the new album and i'm sensing a massive new wave dance party is def in the werks. fucking dance dance dance til you're dead. soooo good.

disgusted.

ok. so i know that sites like perez hilton and tmz are complete garbage, as in nothing credible, slimy paparazzi, inane celeb gossip bullshit.

but tonight i am officially done with curbing my boredom by catching up on such absolute trash.

i logged onto perez loyally to see the latest on whatever lady gaga was wearing (or more likely, not) even though i've never heard a single song of hers. to find out lily allen yet again talked shit about drugs. or that john mayer broke up with jennifer anniston again. or whatever.

but instead i just got absolutely sick. sick to my stomach.

i went to school for journalism so i took all the ethics courses. learned all the morals. the rights & wrongs vs. legal allowances. i can tell when someone's being fluffy, silly or sneaky & slimey.

but when i logged onto perez tonight and saw the main picture was rihanna's police shot following her "alleged" (well, i guess the photo nixes any allegations there, folks) beating by chris brown, i got sick. i'm more familiar with the subject of domestic abuse than i am of either of these two's musical careers, despite their names and songs being plastered all over today's mainstream media. this was BEFORE last week when this shit went down. in fact, i only heard of these two through the hood internet's various mash-ups. despite my love for mainstream hip hop, these two never really got me interested enough to give a damn. so did i give the slightest shit that they were secretly or not-so-secretly dating?

nope. next story, please.

then all of a sudden it's rumored that they had a lover's quarrel. but that it was much more severe than that. that this dude beat this chick up. the fact that they are both staples in today's mainstream pop culture has all the tabloid and bloggers buzzing, oh no, not rihanna! domestic violence is bad!

NO. FUCKING. SHIT.

a man beating a woman. a woman beating a man. one human taking advantage physically over another human being. it's never the answer. it's always bad.

why does it have to resort to celebs for us to finally open our eyes and get talking? to finally "care"????

it gives faces to the case, i suppose. but seriously. stop and fucking think for a minute. OF COURSE it happens to those you would never suspect. some victims are stronger than others, true. and after one incident (or two, or three, or four) the victim will find the inner strength and support to get the fuck out of the situation and get away. turn in their attacker.

for most though, it's not that easy. i'm not talking about the stereotypical "trailer trash wife beater" scenario, here. this is the person you work with. sittiing next to you on the train. your relative. closest friend. teacher. neighbor. sure, maybe you are lucky and you don't know these people personally. but believe me, they are THERE. and getting out of a difficult situation is not always that easy.

the fact that these dispicable unethical garbage online pits posted the photo of this beautiful young talented woman at the worst time of her life does not surprise me. this sells. it gives people a chance to "care". ACTIVISM, RIGHT??? HOW CONVENIENT.

are any of these editors stopping to think, wait a minute, while rihanna may be one of the biggest stars today, she's also a 20 year old girl?? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW VULNERABLE 20 YEAR OLD GIRLS ARE?????? ? i do, i was one, for a whole year. fuck, i'm 25 and i'm still no where near i'd like to be. all i can think is, how horrible and heartless. GIVE HER HER FUCKING PRIVACY. i'm thinking the abuse, however physical and brutal it was (and judging by the 30 seconds i looked at the pic before slamming down my laptop in disgust it was bad), the overexposure and exploitation caused by this unfortunate event is way worse. much more emotinoally toiling and disruptive than the blows themselves.

she is a role model. but she's also a young girl. and now she has this pressure of the entire world watching her, waiting for her to step out of the shadows and proclaim, "its ok! i'm fine! thanks for all the love and support ya'll" and instantly become an avid activist against violence. well, if i were her i'd stay hiding indefinitely. she seems like a tough broad, so chances are she'll emerge when she's ready. but isn't it bad enough that the whole damn planet is talking about it? isn't that humiliating enough? NOW YOU TMZ.COM'S AND PEREZHILTON.COM'S HAVE TO POST HER FUCKING POLICE MUG SHOT???? AS IF DESCRIBING THE WELTS ON HER HEAD AND SPLIT LIP AND SWOLLEN FACE WASN'T ENOUGH REAL FUCKING PROOF TO YOUR READERS????????????

get a grip you tasteless sons of bitches. if that was your mom. sister. girlfriend. would you post that picture? FUCK YOU.

my last gripe is this: it's not just rihanna. don't use rihanna as a face for this. she just happened to be the most famous celeb who got caught. oh and chris brown? you can fucking go to hell too.

all you fuckers. all you "anger management," "i'm so sorry, i didn't really mean it," "i'm really such a nice guy on surface, i just tend to go BATSHIT CRAZY around the ones i love" poor excuses of human beings. go to hell. seriously. this is a sore subject for me and i'm sorry that i took to this medium to rant my ass off. i know i typically try to keep it light humored and music related or "what's up with jodi fun world know" posts. but this rubbed me the wrong way.

if anyone ever posted a photograph of me, or ANY of my friends for that matter, at my/his/her most vulnerable stage i would rip their balls off and shove them down their throat. i really fucking hope whoever leaked that photograph gets a fucking HUGE lawsuit slapped on their ass.

ok. that's all. thanks for putting up with me and my venting.

and to think, i was supposed to be asleep three hours ago. . .

i'll make up for this post with extra super fun blurbs over the weekend, i promise ;)

bling TEETH

remember how i told you bout these? kewl, huh? you can now pick up yer very own pair of "bling teeth" for 50 cents at the pizza place on armitage and western. yer welkum.

P.O.S. - Reggie's Rock Club, Chicago, 2/17/09

P.O.S. kicked some major A.S.S. last night at Reggie’s Live, pumping out massive raw energy in support of his two-week release Never Better. Kicking the set off were Doomtree friends/collaborators Sims, Paper Tiger, Mictlan and Lazer Beak, who were throwing positive vibes and unity out like candy at a parade. I can’t even describe the events as a series of act one, two or three, as all dudes were representing on each other’s sets like it was a family reunion. The kids in the crowd went bananas as the Doomtree family busted out old and newer tracks alike, even partaking in an inner-crowd dance party, getting the audience to their feet to thrash about and then even making sure “no one got hurt.”

P.O.S. busted out several classics from Audition and his debut record, but focused mostly on what he described as “most exciting to play”—the brilliance of what is his third album Never Better. And let me tell you, boys and girls, there was never a more appropriate album/tour name than that to describe last night’s performance. From the crowd participation in “Drumroll,” the insane scratching intro to “Savion Glover,” and insane bumpin’ booty shaking beasts of “Goodbye,” (see vid below), the tracks and efforts were flawlessly executed. P.O.S. also brought forth “Been Afraid” for the first time on the so-far 12 date tour—and got the crowd screaming along to the rock-infused chorus of “Terrorish.” Additional highlights included the title track, “Never Better,” the drum beat infusion of “Optimist (We Are Not for Them)”—which P.O.S. coyly introduced as, “This one’s for us,” the loopy production of “The Basics (Alright),” Sims/Mictlan/Lazer Beak rap-along “Low Light/Low Life,” and “Graves (We Wrote the Book).”

Several other crowd faves were accounted for as well in the 22-song set, including multiple Doomtree collaborated sing-a-longs. I’ve always been a fan of P.O.S’s recorded works, but last night’s performance definitely upped my appreciation factor tenfold as I witnessed firsthand how diverse of a multi-dimensional artist he really is. Whether it was his mad production work on the synth/loops, diverse rhyming abilities or how he wailed on his guitar—dude owned it. Confident, yet forever humble, P.O.S. brought Chicago everything he had and made sure to share it with those most important to him—his ever devoted fan base and fellow peer musicians. P.O.S. served the perfect soundtrack of raw, positive and most importantly REAL energy last night, bombing the warehouse walls of Reggie’s and I’m just grateful to have been a part of it.

YES! YES! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh man. thanks, c. here it iz!!!! zero, the first single from "it's blitz". my take? kinda 80's new wavey/super synth bot. think that shitty song, "here in my car, blah blah blah IN CARS" meets john hughes molly ringwald flick soundtrack from 1985, but waaaaay good, with miss karen o's desperate gut wrenching whimper sex kitten purr vox. HAPPY!!!! as ye would say, THIS IS DOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS ART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is what i been waiting for, that and my stupid youtube account to upload the dumb pos vid for my mob review, i'll throw that up soon too.

you can check "zero" here: YYY

P.O.S. - "Goodbye" - Reggie's Live, Chicago, 2/17/09

P.O.S. kicked some A.S.S. tonight in Chicago. Sorry for the shaky quality, I was doing my damndest to not get down to my fave jam from the 2-week old release, "Never Better," which well, quite frankly last night's performance proved to be. This track is called "Goodbye." A more standard review will follow tomorrow after I catch my 3.5 hours of sleep and complete a 9 hour work day. Love the double life style, but this above proves why it's worth it.

whoa, didja know?

SHORT POST. KINDA TIPSY. APPARENTLY, ALL/ANY PRE-LISTENING ALBUM PARTIES @ THE EMPTY BOTTLE INCLUDE FREE 16 OZ. PBR TALL BOYS. tallboys, funny way to describe beerz to me, personally anyway. . . yeah. slammed several pbr "tallboiz" after tipping matt the chubby bartender $4 thinking i was buying 2 12 oz beers. initially felt ripped off when i learned beerz were free, but after matt kept giving us "backups" bc open barr was ending, i felt ok about it. what i didn't feel ok about? the shitty ass noize rock that was screaming my bloody ears out after the 2 disc dark was the night comp ended (record was good, kinda sleepier than i thought, but still gewd). noise rock on the other hand? OUCH. i can NOT HANDLE 2 SAX PLAYERS, DRUMZ AND SCREAMERS YELLING YELLING GROWLING GROWLING. gross. such a sick weak ripoff of health. soooo bad. soooo very bad. but pizza place by slice on armitage/western? despite courtney's boo's or whatever, i thought, AWESOME. eat there. they're open late, serve cheap and fresh pizza by the slice, and also have bling teeth for sale. BLING TEETH. seriously. grillz. in a 25 cent machine. sooo raw.

ok. it's 11:02. I NEED to get to bed. gn'ite boiz and ghoulz.

adventures in jodi dreamland, this volume, feat: the hold steady

ok, so weird. I just remembered a dream I had last night after a couple $3 whiskey mixers at Delilah’s. whether or not the cheap, strong bourbon had any effect on my dream sequences, yer guess is as good as mine.

I had a string of odd dreamz last night, i'm 98% sure one had something to do with freddy krueger but that's my own fault after sitting slack jawed thru the first three instilments on my wacked-out vhs player yesterday afternoon. . .

had the obligatory "forgot to check my work email" sequence (love waking up in a cold sweat, sitting up, suddenly terrified that i forgot to set up dr. vauthey's car service, and omg what if jackie baker didn't get her travel itinerary on time???? shit!!!!)

but the strangest segment in joe d. dreamland was the last one. i was in my old childhood home in argyle (the one joan/brent just moved out of in nov 07 that I had lived in since 4th grade, the new one may be nicer, but it's their house, not my "home", blah blah). i was napping in my upstairs bedroom, sublime/mxpx/blink 182/garbage posters still plastered all over the mint-green plastered walls--so this must have been the set-up of what, 9/10th grade? except, i wasn't in 10th grade. it was current day, i was just still living in my old room. whatever. the screen windows let a wafty breeze through the room, blowing cool air over my uncovered legs. it must have been late spring/early summer. i was wearing my pink old navy jeans/makeshift long shorts that i (in real life) embarrasingly cut the pant legs off after i saw the 50-something manager at work had the exact same pair. . . i think i was sick, or at least my mom was convinced i was, b/c she had sent me to my room to take a nap and "rest it off".

in my old room i could always hear outside conversations--whether it was the crossing guard scolding the kids for crossing half a block too soon or the whirring and grinding of the neighbors mowing the lawn, i heard it all. this time, though, i heard none of those things. i heard the piano bed of the hold steady's track used in the hood internet's mash-up with three six mafia. (the actual hold steady song was playing, not the mash-up, i just have no friggin clue whatsoever what the actual track is called or whatever). i was like, huh? what's going on? people in argyle don't know of the hold steady, i can pretty much guarantee i'm the only person in this 823 person hole of a village that's even heard of them. . . coughed in up to a fever dream and fell back into my nap. not 20 minutes later, i re-awoke, this time to "stay positive," (one of maybe 4 hold steady songs i actually do enjoy--still not sure why they played such a big role in one of my dreams, i've never been sold as a huge fan).

this time in my dream, i shrugged off the pink crocheted afghan and snuck downstairs quietly so my mom wouldn't hear that i snuck out. i creeped out the backdoor and first went straight to the burn barrel on the hill, as i poked the ash pile around, pretending i was simply burning trash, not spying on the music mysteriously coming from across the street. i spied down the hill, however, and there they were! it wasn't a stereo, but actually the hold steady, half set up across the street from my house in argyle, wisconsin, playing an impromptu gig, apparently, for not a single soul. curiosity consumed me and i quit trying to sneak around. i walked (barefoot, i remember, as i usually did stroll in small town wisconsin in real life, shoes are for suckers) across state street towards the torn up tennis courts (in my dream the soft ball diamond didn't even exist yet, i think that was built after i graduated and left town. . . ).

there, right in front of the old people neighbor's garage sat craig finn, or whatever the hell the singer dude with the glasses’ name is. I stopped and stared for a moment, then asked, “aren’t you guys the hold steady?” a blonde guy with a forgettable face, (I want to say the guitarist or bassist who kicked the inflatable beach ball into the pitchfork photographer’s face “accidently” this past july in the photo pit, just bc he was funny and I liked him the best), replied “yeah, we’re the hold steady.”

“why are you here? argyle’s pretty far from Minneapolis, like a 6 hour drive. and there’s nothing here. why are you playing on the street corner?”

“we were just driving through and thought we’d take a break to stretch our legs. what, do you not want us here?”

“no its’ fine. I just think it’s weird. I live right there,” I turned and pointed at my yellow sided house. “I heard you guys playing while I was napping and thought I was going crazy. I just wanted to see if I was right or not.”

“yeah its us.”

at that point I think I name dropped muzzle of bees and asked if they wanted to contribute to our 5 questions section and we exchanged emails. I offered them up each a can of pepsi, which they all refused, and I went back to my room to finish up my napping for the day. I woke up in real life shortly after this, squinting at my ipod docking station alarm clock, which read 11:41 am. Angry at sleeping in so late on a free day, I forced myself to get up and got to my taxes. I wonder what would really happen if I ran into the hold steady. I doubt it would be in argyle, and maybe in real life they would accept my pepsis.

thank ya, mr. prez-u-dent

tomorrow marks the release of the 4AD compilation, dark was the night--which is a benefit double disc supporting aids/hiv. as great as supporting meaningful causes is--it's few and far between that a comp manages to secure such a hella tight list of superstars as this one has. . .

official track list below:

DISC ONE
1. David Byrne + Dirty Projectors - Knotty Pine
2. The Books feat. Jose Gonzalez- Cello Song
3. Fest + Ben Gibbard - Train Song
4. Bon Iver - Brackett, WI
5. Grizzly Bear - Deep Blue Sea
6. The National - So Far Around the Bend
7. Yeasayer - Tightrope
8. My Brightest Diamond - Feeling Good
9. Kronos Quartet - Dark Was the Night
10. Antony + Bryce Dessner - I Was Young When I Left Home
11. Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner - Big Red Machine
12. The Decemberists - Sleepless
13. Iron & Wine - Die
14. Grizzly Bear + Feist - Service Bell
15. Sufjan Stevens - You are the Blood

DISC TWO
1. Spoon - Well-Alright
2. Arcade Fire - Lenin
3. Beirut - Mimizan
4. My Morning Jacket - El Caporal
5. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - Inspiration Information
6. David Sitek - With a Girl Like You
7. Buck 65 Remix (feat. Sujan Stevens & Serengeti) - Blood Pt 2
8. The New Pornographers - Hey, Snow White
9. Yo La Tengo - Gentle Hour
10. Stuart Murdoch - Another Saturday
11. Riceboy Sleeps - Happiness
12. Catpower + Dirty Delta Blues - Amazing Grace
13. Andrew Bird - The Giant of Illinois
14. Conor Oberst + Gillian Welch - Lua
15. Blonde Redhead + Devestations - When the Road Runs Out
16. Kevin Drew - Love Vs. Porn

Anyway, I'm super excited to both A) Pick up the record, and even sooner--B) Listen to the record--which is exactly what I'll be doing tonight, on this lovely free-from-work President's Day. Tonight at 7 pm, the Empty Bottle will be hosting a free listening party for Dark Was the Night, spinning both discs in completion from 7-9, just happening before the weekly Monday free show night. So really, all entertainment is free and the bottle will be boasting their $1.50 pbr cans, so even in this economical crunch recession, you'd have to be pretty damn cheap/frugal to pass up this solid of a line-up.

i heart dead prez (and live ones too i guess), if only for the simple fact that i got a 3-day wknd and an extra day for laundry, clean bedding, internet tax frustration (and completion) and of course, some quality cat snugglin time (they's both in little kitty balls at my feet right now as i type this, melts my icy heart i tell you. . . ) so tonite, empty bottle, good tunes, the whole wknd is wrapped up in a fun fun fun finalization. then tomorrow. . . i return to the cubicle with an "official" new title, account supervisor. dun, da duh. . . . . my life as an awesome kid with an adult fear complex ends tonight and tomorrow rebegins as official sell-out. awww shit.

soooooo X-cited. big time.

ohhhh man. new yyy on its way, april!!! i remember the day when i bought show your bones so clearly. . . forcing mike to walk with me to oshkosh's exclusive company which had just opened its new location which had been on hold forever. . . . practically running the 5 blocks down to main street, talking a mile a minute about why karen o is the kewlest lady in the rock game, how gold lion was a great track, but as excited as i was, still expressing concern that show your bones would not match the ferocious prowess of fever to tell, (which it didn't, but still was pretty much as good in its own way). . . i remember getting to the counter, shit eating grin on face, exasperated but humoring boyfriend in tow, reaching into my purse and . . . no wallet. shit. mike? ha. i made him buy it for me. still one of my favorite cds to this day. . . and the ep? i forget what its called off the top of my head, but rockers to swallow, down boy, fucking AWESOME songs. shit girl shit. so yeah. i'm excited for this new record, it's blitz! this is the album art. eat it up kids, eat it up--it's high in protein.

da da da da DANCE PAR-TEE. w/a-trak, hood internet & bald eagle. eat dis serial killaz

While black cats and psychopathic killing sprees may have ruled the outer streets this past Friday the 13th, it was the mad prowess of A-Trak and friends that ruled the dance floors of Chicago’s own Smart Bar. Hipster kids packed the confinements of Metro’s downstairs dance club starting at 10:00, getting their groove on to the indie rock/hip hop mash-up beats of the Hood Internet, transitioning into the radical ruckus jams of Chi’s own DJ Bald Eagle and finally busted hard to the electrifying hip hop magic of former Kanye West tour DJ, wunderkind master production artist A-Trak. Booty shaking madness rocked the walls til the early hours of the 14th, as A-Trak pleased the masses in support of his upcoming release Infinity+1, which drops April 14th. If last night was any preview of what’s to come, dance parties will never be the same again. . .

If you liked the works of the Hood and Bald Eagle, make sure to swing by Schuba’s later on tonight when DJ STV SLV of the Hood joins forces with Bald Eagle for their latest installment of the Stay Smooth series, STAY SMOOTH XI-Heart to Heart. The styles a bit different than the dancey club beatz of last evening, but what better way to treat your someone special than with a night of 70’s AM Gold, 80’s FM Rock and Contemporary Smooth Gems? (Plus it’s free, so your wallet will thank you too.)

MySpace: The Hood Internet

MySpace: DJ Bald Eagle

MySpace: A-Trak

As originally seen here:

http://www.muzzleofbees.com/2009/02/14/hood-internet-bald-eagle-a-trak-smart-bar-chicago/

SVIIB + Fujiya & Miyagi - Bottom Lounge, Chicago

Chicago’s Bottom Lounge pulsed with lively energy and super smooth dance vibes last evening as two MoB favorites, School of Seven Bells and Fujiya & Miyagi took the BL stage for the second time each in recent months. SVIIB kicked the show off around the 10:00 PM mark, busting forth several tracks from their psychedelic electro-pop debut album Alpinisms, including “Half Asleep,” “Prince of Peace,” “Connjur,” and “Chain” within their 8-song set.

While the sound quality and acoustics of their futuristic ambient style far exceeded my expectations based from their album (which is still excellent, btw, just saying their live sound was even more incredible), I was less impressed with the trio’s lack of stage presence. While the Deheza twins crooned and worked their respective instruments, the audience didn’t get much more than an Egyptian-like head bob or toe tap as far as any bodily movements from Alejandra or Claudia; whereas guitarist Benjamin Curtis (formerly of Secret Machines) def overcompensated with frantic like body jerking dance spasms. This would have been ok given that their performance alone exceeded 90% of any opening sets I’ve seen in the past year or two, but the awkward eye sex or whatever the hell was going on between Curtis and one of the Dehezas as they clumsily grinded guitars just made me feel flat out uncomfortable. Keep it for backstage, guys—focus on the music, not the sexual tension—let the audience keep afloat in your hypnotic soundtrack, please don’t distract us, let us float on in your psychedelic dream!

Eye sex aside, it was still a great opening set. One and a half thumbs up. But around 11:10, my fave boys from Brighton, U.K. came up to bat and took things up a notch. Rocking several numbers from their recent release, Lightbulbs, the super smooth quartet rocked the stage for a little over an hour, getting the masses to shake their asses on the dance floor (at least towards the back, anyway). Several favorites were represented from both Lightbulbs and 06’s Transparent Things starting with the bass thumping opener “Sore Thumb.” Also represented were “Transparent Things,” “Collarbone,” “Knickerbocker,” “Goosebumps,” “Dishwasher,” “Pussyfooting” and several others.

My personal highlight was the super fluid, dancy basstastic “Uh,” which not only got the audience pumped up, but all but hypnotized yours truly, tranced by the ultra schnazzy footwork and dance moves of bassist Matt Hainsby (he has truly fantastic white shoes, keep your eyes peeled for them). David (Miyagi) Best’s sexy come hither vocal style rasped and seduced the crowd with several signature tongue rolls, whisper like growls and exhales—and Steve (Fujiya) Lewis’s Nintendoesque synth work kept the kids on their toes while Lee Adams brought the overall sound of the electric rhythms together with his tight percussion work.

I cannot remember a show with better sound quality than last night at the Bottom Lounge—the combination of thumping bass, sultry vocals, guitar and key action was clear and concise as could be, whatever reverb and distortion that was accounted for was clearly meant on purpose. I checked out during the encore as soon as the first track “Pickpocket,” came to a conclusion.

Did anyone else stick around to see what closed the show down? What were your thoughts on Fujiya & Miyagi’s set? School of Seven Bells? How did each band’s set hail in comparison to their respective earlier fall sets?

MySpace: School of Seven Bells
MySpace: Fujiya & Miyagi

as originally seen ova here: http://www.muzzleofbees.com/2009/02/13/review-school-of-seven-bells-fujiya-miyagi-bottom-lounge-chicago/

tha hood vs. friday nite

omg. like, hey you guyz. as a reminder to all you chi-city dance ratz, my boyz in tha hood internet (steve and aaron) will be spinning with dj bald eagle and a-trak this friday night at smart bar. should be off tha heezy, so make sure to go check it out, only $15, which yeah, is kinda steep for a dance party. . . but hey, there will actually be dancing! and a-trak is pretty effing rad, so since he's ye's dj and all, it's only fitting that abx posted a newbie on the hood's site today with ye and modest mouse (paranoid vs. float on), pretty scandalous. or. . not really, but it is catchy as all get out. so fucking dig it and dust off the high tops, cuz fri night i will CREAM YER ass in a dance off. JUST WAIT.

(oh, and fujiya & miyagi's playing the bottom lounge with school of 7 bells tomorrow night, should be a fun evening. so stoked for the prez day 3-day wknd! truth be told, i'm ready for a dancey wknd of shenaniganry after this work week!)

http://www.thehoodinternet.com/2009/02/modest-mouse-vs-kanye-west.html

omg joe d, u so ain't pro-duc-tive

on my flight back from vegas thurs night, i was heavy into contemplating my new goals. how i'm going to revamp the status quo and make some positive changes in my lifestyle. what i managed to scribble down in my high school musical 3 notebook (ashley tisdale this time, zach F and miley C are full or lost or whatever), was this:
*Play my keyboard, or at least spend 20 minutes trying to learn how
*Dig out my old spanish textbook from college and re-teach myself the basics
*Work out. Like, seriously. bust out the ole tae-bo tapes or get my ass running again. SXSW is mere weeks away!!!!
*Diet. Special K cereal bfast/lunch 2 week regimen beginning. . . tomorrow. gergh.
*Write. write. write.write.write.
*Clean my apt, especially the floors and kitchen

Now. . . what I did actually accomplish. . . .

*impromptu candlelit kitchen party with court, that katz (molly accidently started her paw on fire thanks to the open tea candles. cat hair does indeed smell just as bad as human hair when ignited. sick.), a bottle of $3 trader joes wine and our laptops. my social life. RULES.

*saw revolutionary road, finally

*grocery shopped

*spent way too much money when this was to be the wknd in

*slept and wasted the gorgeous wknd away

Soooooo. This week is week one of management training boot camp. FUN! in addition, i will be forcing myself to run and jump around like a neanderthal to some shitty workout vhs tapes and starving myself on cereal. It will RULE. also, the writing thing. . . fucking block big time. when i was in vegas the highlight of my trip (other than the sweet ass big pimpin suites at the venetian and finding out kid rock was nearby, har har har) was when i escaped off the strip for an hour and a half with an iced latte and notebook. jotting down ramblings and inner thoughts, people watching and just enjoying the nice weather. . . however. the fucking reviews i've been trying to coerce out? not so good. i HAVE to pump shit out, like soon. this is bad. bad bad bad.

so yeah. lotta work work. lotta not work work. lotta move fatass, move work. and on top of that i may check the bottle's free show tomorrow night, fujiya & miyagi/school 7bells set at bottom lounge thurs night and a-trak/hood internet/bald eagle dance party friday. sat? free smooth dj set at schubas and sunday? drinking because I can. thank you PREZ. 3 day weekends RULE.

on that note, this lil camper is tired. been listening to the lil wayne mixtape some more, do not like piano man. or prom queen. unfortunate, unfortunate noise. but i do like weezy anyway, i wonder if he won any of those 8 grammys he was nominated for tonight--meant to tune in for radioheads' marching band thing but somehow got caught up with the roommate romance action in the kitchen instead. anyone else check it? mind blowing? i spose there's always youtube. . .

BED TIME. werk in tha am. i realized this wknd i listen to waaaaaay too much hip hop now. noone can keep up with me and everyone thinks i'm retarded. oh well, at least i can dance with my reflection, right???? merlot and kitties make me sleepy. G'NITE KIDZ.

IS THIS REAL LIFE????

OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG.

THE perfect way to start a 50 degree Sunday morning in February.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs

spending the day sick in bed helpz me find new muzik

seriously. i may have gotten the shit hand dealt to me with strep with my pending trip and recent good string of luck. . .but today i scored big time with musical finds.

first, i cop the new lily allen. BINGO. Awesome. Perfect addition to the iPod for my 4-hour flight tomorrow. Then, wait, what's this? Lil' Wayne has a NEW mixtape? And it's not as hit or miss as dedication 3, no boys and ghouls, this shit is bananas (with the exception of prom queen and piano man. . . ehhhh). then, browsing fader.com, i stumble across a link my pal christian had mentioned earlier to me last week, a fly new mc by the handle Pill--you should go to thefader.com and download this shit nowww. his play with wale's "nike boots," ye's "heartless," and beyonce's "single ladies"? NICE. not an hour after this discovery, another pal texts me alerting me of the leak of n.a.s.a.'s full-length, "spirit of the apollo". i can't even begin to go on about the insane collabs on that piece--well, ok maybe a few. . . (david byrne, method man, santogold, lykke li, m.i.a, karen o, krs-one, the cool kids, kanye, spank rock, del the funky homosapien, etc etc).

holy gold mine. let's just say this sicko's got some sick ass beats to help her forget the lodged cement tube in her throat tomorrow. holllllller. next up on the can't wait list? decemberists, peter bjorn and john, and hmmm, YEAH YEAH YEAHS. aww yeah. 09's not too shabby thus far, kiddos. miss me while i'm gone chi-city!

ohhhhhh WEEZY

hi, my name is best rapper alive.

and your mouth is the best crapper i like.

(and your boyfriend's a tampon).

from: new orleans maniac, hottest nigga under the sun

tha martian is waaaaay kewler than you and me. i'll even excuse his weak attempt into the rock game (prom queen, anyone? *shudder*)

whatever, dude can rhyme. check out his latest mixtape here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?jn9mi23xmnv

yer welkum.

2 Strep, 2 Strep. . .

yup. this makes more sense now. the random puking sessions. the killer migraines. back aches. the tube of cement in my throat. went to work to tie up all last minute needs for the week b4 vegas this morning and ended up in the doc's office on my way home. yes ma'am, you have strep throat. KEWL! so that means. . . tons of partying in vegas, most likely. ugh.

well. at least i got the remainder of the afternoon to lie in bed. made a red baron (first appetite in days!). laying in my nest of pinks and purples, listening to the new lily allen, "it's not me, it's you," and wow. this shit is off the hook. "alright still" was a decent debut, a pop clogged, tongue in cheek bratty ska collection. "inm, iy" still contains a lot of the same bratty girly nonsense, but it comes off more subtly, mature and 80's synth pop infused. but still, so so smooth.

obvs, the single "the fear" is super polished (unlike this blog), and vampy. but while i initially feared that would be the best from the new record, i was wrong. the ridiculously sugary sweet "fuck you," may be the best track from the record, in which miss allen is innocently crooning over a casio synthed drum track/barber quartet like piano bed, "fuck you, fuck you very very muuuuuch"--man, i wish i could pull off sass like that and get away with it.

the album opener "everyone's at it" is another solid ass track, with synth piano layers galore. "not fair," is the spaghetti western shopping mall anthem of the 21st century, with allen sulking, "oh, it's not fair, and it's really not ok, it's really not ok, it's really not ok, you're supposed to care, but all you do is take, but all you do is take. . ." over a cowboy kickin' bed of loops and percussion. am i supposed to be so open about loving a record that every 17 year old girl would easily enjoy if they weren't so busy watching spencer pratt & heidi montag's next move on reality television? who gives a shit. i'm laying in bed with strep throat, putting off packing my bags for a trip tomorrow and listening to this is actually making me feel immensely better, even if my ramblings aren't making a damned word of sense.

thanks, lily. i don't even care if you skip on the underpants anymore and if you get super trashed, acting like a spoiled little sociallite princess. bc the beatz you just put out are enough for me to ignore your tabloid antics for at least the next year. the song "22," which is about not being 22 anymore though, well, that's just silly. i should write a song called "24" since i'm 25. but i dont think mine would be as catchy. just guessin.

ok, NAP TIME. then its vegas, baby, vegas.

was this whole week just a fever dreaM?

seriously. let's see here why this is so surreal.

A) I am going to Vegas. This Tuesday. For work? I just dropped $110 on an ugly ass Calvin Klein suit I pray I don't have to wear on more than this one occassion. . .

B) I got a promotion. You can now call me, Account Supervisor Jodi Root. What??? Those corporate mongrols are entrusting me with leading a team? wowzer.

C) I saw Les Savy Fav play a church last night. Leadman Tim Hutchinson (i think that's his name anyway, sexy bald, hairy man with the roundest belly i've ever seen) was all decked out in a priest's collar, speaking in tongues, prancing up on the stained glass windows, proclaiming, "The events of this evening have been brought to you by Tooth and Nail," opening up his righteous & ruckus set with the kazoo blastin' "When the Saints go Marching In." Turns out there was service today at the same church. Awesome.

D) The most gorgeous man my roommate and i have either seen was riding on the el last night. Maybe foreign, maybe not. But the dude definitely didn't speak. Instead, he focused on folding as many paper hats as possible from the opened Red Eye on his lap and offering them up to every passenger that stepped on the train. After Courtney and I were the only two rocking the sweet hats, he handed us the remainder of his stack as he courtseyed and got off the el. I think we were supposed to hand them out as well, but we just stuffed them in our purse and kept em.

E) I was just riding the brown line home from downtown where I purchased my ugly suit. At the Addison stop, the train doors remained open and the el was at one of its infamous standstill pauses for no apparent reason. UNTIL about 6-8 cops bumrushed my car and surrounded a slouching man in sweatpants on the other side of my car. "GET YOUR HANDS UP! LET US SEE YOUR HANDS! SHOW US YOUR WEAPON!" ummm. dude had a gun. all the people sitting by me hushed and flattened to the walls and down near the floor. not me. i leapt the hell up and got the fuck out of the car and ran into the next one. the dumb neanderthals in my car saw i didn't get shot and followed me into the next car too. Maybe I am a leader after all. . . Weird ass shit. at least they got the dude in handcuffs and noone got hurt. still. . . whoa.Worst part about all of it though was when i sat in the 2nd car and a lady asked what had happened. I told her a dude had a gun but was getting arrested by the cops. her response: "what color?" i looked at her, "what?" "what color? the guy? white or black?" "uhhh, i didn't get a good look at him, sorry." actually, i did. but i almost would have rather gone and sat by the black man in pajamas with the gun than this ignorant stuck up white bitch. agh.

F) I'm sick. and being sick sucks. stupid sorethroat and achey back and head pain. so dumb. i have 36 hours to recooperate b4 vegas so this better wrap up soon. . . .

so. i guess the moral of my week is that i finally got some good shit to look forward to. hard work pays off (sometimes) and nothing is easy. i'm alive, even if i feel like shit, i guess i should be grateful to at least feel like shit. there are beautiful men out there, and there are also scary men. but this is chicago, city living, i suppose. . .