Rockin Weekend, Sick People, Blasts From A Sci-Fi Past

The first one turned out okay, a little high-key. It's based on a statue bust. The second one I fucked up. It turned into a lost cause early on, but oh well. Sometimes, I gotta post the bad with the good.

Last weekend was a fun one. We went to see the Big John Bates concert at the Aquarium. On friday, I finally got the guys to watch Six String Samurai! They didn't seem to care for it much, though. Oh well, I get to watch it myself more then! Karissa came down with the flu after dropping Isabella off with her mom that night. She tried getting ready Saturday morning before we left for Fargo, but finally gave up and just told me to go. I felt bad that she had to stay home, but at least she spent that time resting up. I got to Fargo pretty early, so I hit the antique stores. I found some good military hats, but didn't get any. I don't have to go for every old hat I come across, you know. I also came across an old semi-hollowbody bass guitar, which I promptly told Derek about. At another store, I found an old homemade instrument that looks like a little ukulele with a woodcut goat's face (see post just below this one). Later on I showed Derek the bass, and while haggling to lower the price a bit, the store owner offered to arm wrestle derek left-handed, double or nothing. It would have been cool, because Derek could have got the bass free, but then again, he could have paid over $300 for it if he lost. In the end, he decided not to and just bought the bass. But it's cool, because he's wanted a semi-hollow for a long time now. Now, if we could just find an old upright bass...

Anyway, the concert was fuckin awesome! Pat Lipsea opened the show with his one-man acoustic set. Karissa had a boyfriend in a band before she met me, and Pat was their guitarist, so she knew him pretty well, which is another reason her not being able to make it sucked. I finally got to meet the guy and see him play live, and I gotta say he did a helluva job. He got so into his songs and you could tell this is what he wanted to do.

Next up were the Cass County Uglies, formerly the Throbbing Hotrods. I didn't really like them. When the singer screamed, he sounded a little like Grover. But other people seemed to dig it. The whole time, Big John himself was sitting at a table about 6 feet away from where we were standing. Derek wanted to get a picture of the guy, but didn't want to bug him or piss him off. I have this same fear, especially of just getting the brush off and being left looking stupid (which has actually happened to me before with coffee house performers). But I thought, ahh, fuck it. At least I don't look like the gay dude with the fancy mullet a few feet away. So I tapped Big John on the shoulder, and told him the the guy next to me (Derek) was a HUGE fan. Next thing I knew, they were talking cars and bikes and shit. Yeah, I felt pretty good about myself, did Derek a solid there.

Anyway, there was kickass music, dancers with little other than pasties, and drunk chicks that tried to get on stage but fell off because they could barely even stand. Plus, Tab and I each got a pick from Big John. My came off the floor, but still from him, so there. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera again, so you'll have to refer to Tab's site for pics.

Karissa is feeling better now, but I hear that Kevin and Aiden are sick. Next time Pat plays, I'll make sure she makes it.

What Am I Watching?

This Is Not A Test- A group of motorists are stopped by a roadblock and informed by a cop that they are under nuclear attack. They are to remain where they are and seek some sort of shelter, but are NOT to go to any cities, and order placed for their own safety. Fear builds from suspicion, which eventually leads to hysteria before an incredibly tense ending. As the motorists get to know eachother and subsequently realize they will more than likely die, their true personalities start to come out, good and bad. As they are sitting in the back of a truck and realizing their air is running out, even the cool-headed but authoritative police officer begins to crack. This movie was cheap, but extremely well-put-together and well-managed. The ending? Well, I'll give you a hint: What is my absolute favorite type of ending?

Killers From Space- After a nuclear test, an atomic scientist crashes his plane. He is presumed dead but somehow manages to wander back to base without having any recollection of what had happened to him. Tests are run, he is given truth serum, and we find that he has been kidnapped by aliens with big Cookie Monster eyes--that's right male actors with tight hoods and COOKIE MONSTER eyes!! The only real impressive part of this movie is how much fairly modern technology they are thinking to use in the movie to establish this guy's identity and make sure he really is who he says he is. Otherwise, the movie is dull.

Wasp Woman- Concerned by a drop in her sales, the head of a cosmetics company enlists the help of a down-and-out scientists and his revolutionary wasp/youth serum. The tests on animals are successful, so the woman tries it on herself and finds she looks like she did when she originally modeled her cosmetics. She takes too much and turns into a wasp woman. Gee, there's a stretch. Ironically, the cover shows a wasp with a woman's face, and inthe movie, it's a woman's body with a wasp face. I'll say this about the ending: Too bad the serum didn't give her wasp wings to fly with.

Unknown World- Fearing global nuclear really bad war, Dr. Morley organizes a group of scientists to search for inhabitable subterranean environments. Think Jules Vern with an atomic twist. Personalities clash, tempers flare, and ideologies are exchanged as the group finds itself in various perils. The rich guy who funded the expidition provided a little humor by posting a sign at one point that said 'New York, 1640 mi. up'. Most of the people die, and the movie would have seemed better to end on a grim note.

Comics? Yes! I just posted a new page of Golden Brown, J.S.P.S. for 2/29! Go read it and happy Leap Year!